requirements, he would not now be acting as if he was a husband who could demand her time and attention, and enter her chambers whenever he chose, and take her hand at will.
He had made it clear that he assumed he could do all those things. She suspected that he had arrived at her door, and invited her to accompany him to the garden, specifically to make the point.
It was a lovely property, however. This house was not used much, but the gardeners maintained these acres meticulously. The veranda descended to a large courtyard garden flanked by two back wings. Along with the two in front, it turned the house into a gigantic H .
The ground sloped gradually away from the house; then the garden spilled out of the courtyard and spread wide, so one could see vast stretches of late-summer flowers. At the far end, at least five hundred yards away, a shrubbery in turn gave way to a screen of trees that marked a transition to wilder plantings, and to the little lake that Audrianna had mentioned.
“Does it meet with your approval?” Hawkeswell asked.
“It is more formal than I prefer, but a superior example of its type.”
“Then you were probably more pleased by what has been done to Wittonbury’s garden at the family’s town-home.” He caught himself, and smiled wryly. “Except that you have never seen it, have you? You would not have wanted to visit Audrianna there, and risk her husband recognizing you.”
“No, I have never visited her there.” She instinctively paused by a late gladiola and flicked a dead head off one of its tall stalks.
“You were very clever in keeping your secret, I will grant you that. It is a wonder that the ladies rallied around you, rather than feeling deceived.”
“You do not understand the acceptance we all give each other, and the rules by which we live. None of us dwells on the past so it works fairly for all.”
“That house is a damned peculiar place. There are rules, you say now. Like a convent, or an abbey or school?”
“Much like those. Deliberately so. For example, as independent adults, we do not require explanations from each other regarding what we do and where we go. We do not pry into each other’s personal affairs. Also, we all contribute to the house’s finances, as we are able. Audrianna gave music lessons, and Celia has a small income. I work in the greenhouse and garden.”
“More peculiar yet. It would be necessary for everyone to have secrets, I suppose. You would accept the vagueness in the others because you would want them to accept it about you.”
“It is not secrets that allow it to succeed, but mutual sympathies and the good it creates. I do not think anyone there has many secrets, anyway, except me.”
“I suspect you are wrong about that. For example, did it never occur to you that perhaps Mrs. Joyes did not demand an accounting of your life because she did not want to give one of her own?”
She stopped walking and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “Only that she has a very handsome property for the widow of an army captain, which is the history Summerhays gave me. In not demanding an explanation of your movements and history, she also protected her own privacy.”
“You are insinuating something scandalous, I think.”
“I am musing aloud; that is all. Do not pretend to be shocked. You may not have asked, but you had to have wondered.”
“You are implying, not just musing or wondering. I will not have it. Daphne is like my sister, and all goodness. You just want to think badly of her because you blame her for taking me in.”
“Quite possibly, and that is not fair. My apologies.”
He gave in awfully fast. She doubted he really thought himself in the wrong. He was just appeasing her, so that she would like him more.
They had reached the back of the flower gardens. Shrubs, trees, and wilderness lay ahead. “If you will excuse me, I will return to my chambers now, to rest before we gather for supper.”
“And
He had made it clear that he assumed he could do all those things. She suspected that he had arrived at her door, and invited her to accompany him to the garden, specifically to make the point.
It was a lovely property, however. This house was not used much, but the gardeners maintained these acres meticulously. The veranda descended to a large courtyard garden flanked by two back wings. Along with the two in front, it turned the house into a gigantic H .
The ground sloped gradually away from the house; then the garden spilled out of the courtyard and spread wide, so one could see vast stretches of late-summer flowers. At the far end, at least five hundred yards away, a shrubbery in turn gave way to a screen of trees that marked a transition to wilder plantings, and to the little lake that Audrianna had mentioned.
“Does it meet with your approval?” Hawkeswell asked.
“It is more formal than I prefer, but a superior example of its type.”
“Then you were probably more pleased by what has been done to Wittonbury’s garden at the family’s town-home.” He caught himself, and smiled wryly. “Except that you have never seen it, have you? You would not have wanted to visit Audrianna there, and risk her husband recognizing you.”
“No, I have never visited her there.” She instinctively paused by a late gladiola and flicked a dead head off one of its tall stalks.
“You were very clever in keeping your secret, I will grant you that. It is a wonder that the ladies rallied around you, rather than feeling deceived.”
“You do not understand the acceptance we all give each other, and the rules by which we live. None of us dwells on the past so it works fairly for all.”
“That house is a damned peculiar place. There are rules, you say now. Like a convent, or an abbey or school?”
“Much like those. Deliberately so. For example, as independent adults, we do not require explanations from each other regarding what we do and where we go. We do not pry into each other’s personal affairs. Also, we all contribute to the house’s finances, as we are able. Audrianna gave music lessons, and Celia has a small income. I work in the greenhouse and garden.”
“More peculiar yet. It would be necessary for everyone to have secrets, I suppose. You would accept the vagueness in the others because you would want them to accept it about you.”
“It is not secrets that allow it to succeed, but mutual sympathies and the good it creates. I do not think anyone there has many secrets, anyway, except me.”
“I suspect you are wrong about that. For example, did it never occur to you that perhaps Mrs. Joyes did not demand an accounting of your life because she did not want to give one of her own?”
She stopped walking and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “Only that she has a very handsome property for the widow of an army captain, which is the history Summerhays gave me. In not demanding an explanation of your movements and history, she also protected her own privacy.”
“You are insinuating something scandalous, I think.”
“I am musing aloud; that is all. Do not pretend to be shocked. You may not have asked, but you had to have wondered.”
“You are implying, not just musing or wondering. I will not have it. Daphne is like my sister, and all goodness. You just want to think badly of her because you blame her for taking me in.”
“Quite possibly, and that is not fair. My apologies.”
He gave in awfully fast. She doubted he really thought himself in the wrong. He was just appeasing her, so that she would like him more.
They had reached the back of the flower gardens. Shrubs, trees, and wilderness lay ahead. “If you will excuse me, I will return to my chambers now, to rest before we gather for supper.”
“And
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