“What is it, Greaves? I asked not to be disturbed.” Elijah adjusted himself on the bench and turned to look at the butler expectantly. At that moment, he heard the telltale sound of a dog barking, which he realised now he had heard only the day before. Intrigue swelled in his gut. “Do I perhaps have a visitor?”
He was surprised at the happiness he felt at the mere thought of it. Ever since he had been banished to Oxfordshire, he had felt the constant need to be alone, finding himself avoiding his cousin at all costs even though the man had practically moved himself in for the foreseeable future, likely on Elijah’s father’s orders. Elijah was just happy that it was not one of his brothers who had been sent to keep an eye on him.
“Yes, My Lord, Lady Melissa Belmont awaits you inside, though I was not certain you would be receiving guests,” Greaves explained, looking a little sheepish. Elijah gritted his teeth, feeling slightly on edge at the younger butler’s lack of confidence. He was so used to his father’s older butler, a man who had been burned in the fires of long service and knew exactly what to do and when to do it, and working with Greaves now would take some getting used to.
“Please, Greaves, show her through,” Elijah said, already pushing himself to his feet, stifling a cough. His stomach had been aching all morning, and his throat was sore with the amount of blood he had coughed up. Though for now, it seemed to be settling, he was grievously aware that soon he might have to take his bed until he was feeling better, if that day ever came. “I imagine Lady Belmont would enjoy the gardens.”
Speaking the thought aloud, Elijah couldn’t help wondering why such a thing had occurred to him. After all, he barely knew the woman, and she had given him little to go on the day before when sitting in his drawing room. Though, in all honesty, he was greatly surprised to find her at his door for a second time. She had seemed in quite a hurry to leave the day before,though Elijah couldn’t exactly blame her.His cousin had not exactly been in the best of moods.
“Of course, My Lord.”
Greaves hurried off to fetch Lady Belmont from inside the house. And when she appeared at the top of the back steps, Elijah was surprised by how pleased he was to see her. Just as she had been previously, she was dressed quite plainly for a lady in a simple grey-blue silk gown and brown leather boots. The most intricate part of her outfit was the white lace frill that decorated the neckline of her gown, showing off her ample bosom.
And though she was plainly dressed, Elijah found her extremely alluring. Her creamy skin was like porcelain, save for a smattering of freckles upon the bridge of her nose. As she stepped out into the sunshine, her golden hair started to glow, and Elijah noted her lack of a bonnet. He was tickled as he remembered Harold telling him that she did not entirely fit in with the social norms of their society.
For that, he liked her greatly.
“Lady Belmont! To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, striding down the shingle path to meet her at the bottom of the stairs. As he did so, her dog came rushing out of the back patio door, taking the steps two at a time and barreling right past them both. “Careful!”
Elijah was just in time to reach her as the spaniel’s outburst caught her off guard, causing her to misstep. He gripped hold of her forearms to prop her up, and Elijah’s breath caught in his throat the moment her grey-blue eyes turned up to meet his. The sudden redness in her cheeks somehow only made her more beautiful.
For several seconds they continued to stare at each other, both seemingly caught in the surprise of the moment, and for one wild second, Elijah actually felt the urge to lean down and kiss her.
It was gone just as suddenly as her dog started to bark, clearly giving chase to something in the bushes, and Lady Belmont pulled away as though he had stung her.
“Flit! Come back here! Lord Spurnrose, forgive me,” she panicked, looking quite disgruntled at her dog’s behaviour. “I would not have brought him with me if I thought he would behave so appallingly.”
“There is no need to apologise, My Lady,” Elijah assured her, clearing his throat and taking a step back to give them both a little space. “Gardens were made for legs to be stretched in.”
That seemed to amuse Lady Belmont, though it was only recognisable by how the corners of her cherry-red lips twitched upwards in a half-smile. “My sentiments exactly, My Lord.”
Elijah’s heart fluttered a little at her agreement though he could not have discerned why.
“What may I do for you, My Lady?” he asked, hoping to change the subject before he found himself entirely entranced by her.
“I must admit I was pleased when I arrived to find you were taking some air,” Lady Belmont responded, seeming as though she had no intention of answering his question. Elijah raised an eyebrow, certain that was an odd remark to make. She reached into the pocket of her dress and produced a small vial with a viscous brown liquid inside. “I came because I could not help noticing your pain yesterday, and I thought I might offer something for it.”
“What is it?” Elijah asked, more intrigued than concerned as he took the vial from her and raised it into the air so the light could shine through it. He could see small bits of solid matter within the liquid, and whatever it was, he could not say it looked very appetising.
“It is just a little concoction I came up with for my own aches and pains,” Lady Belmont explained with a small shrug. “If it helps, you may think of it as somewhat of a welcome present.”
Though his cousin’s words rang slightly in his ears, he could not help smiling at the woman’s thoughtfulness. “It is greatly appreciated, My Lady.”
She started to take a step back, almost as though she meant to make her excuses and leave, but before she could do so, Elijah hurried on, “Perhaps you might allow me to thank you by joining me for a walk through the gardens? I have yet to explore the place properly and would be glad of the company.”
Lady Belmont glanced around the small area of the gardens that she could see, the patio and hedges surrounding the rose garden. And though she looked slightly intrigued, she did not look entirely convinced. Hoping to entice her further, Elijah quickly added, “I do believe there is a rather well-stocked herb garden beyond the rose beds.”
At that, Lady Belmont’s eyes did light up. “I have always been quite partial to a good herb garden.”
“In that case,” Elijah said, stepping around to stand beside her and offering her his elbow, “please allow me to escort you, Lady Belmont.”
The blush of her cheeks was more than a little attractive as she delicately slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and allowed him to guide her down the path, through the archway that led into the rose gardens.
Every so often, she would pause to look at a different rose, leaning down to look at the petals and smell the flowers, and Elijah couldn’t help watching her with fascination. It only grew stronger when they made it into the herb garden, and the excitement upon Lady Belmont’s face grew tenfold.
As if she had quite forgotten herself, Lady Belmont crouched beside the herb beds and started to stroke her fingers over the leaves, raising them to her nose to sniff the scent that lingered there. Still, Elijah watched her with admiration, astonished at how she could name every single one with quiet confidence.
“I thought my garden was well stocked, but this is…this is just spectacular,” Lady Belmont said as she finally rose to her feet, almost knocked out of her crouch by her dog, who had come barrelling through behind them. This time she ignored him as though she was far too interested in the herb garden itself.
