Page 113 of Marigold and the Marquess
He had hired a renowned landscape designer to make his garden a place of peace and solace. But this chaos was so much better. He grabbed Marigold before she could dive into the forsythia. “You’ll never get the pollen off your gown, love. I’ll catch him.”
“Oh, Leo. Is this not familiar?” She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling and her smile pure sunlight.
“Yes, how can I ever forget the day you upended my life?” He kissed her on the cheek. “I fell in love with you as I watched you and Mallow destroy my flower beds.” He released her to reach into a yew bush where Mallow had next chosen to hide. “Success!” He extracted one dog still holding onto a bone that was bigger than his little self.
“Drop it, Mallow,” he said in a tone of authority.
The little spaniel let the bone fall to the ground.
“Good boy.” Leo scratched him behind his ears while Sterling, who had run out after them with wet cloth in hand, wiped drool off the bone before handing it over to Marigold.
She was still casting Leo her sunshine smile that warmed the deepest recesses of his heart. “Shall we go, love?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod, “we had better hurry or we’ll be late.”
Leo handed Mallow over to Martha who had run outside as well. “Take care of the little sultan.”
She giggled and scurried inside with him.
Now ready to leave for the Huntsford Academy, Marigold settled beside Leo in the carriage, her body pressed to his as though they were sewn together. He expected she was still a bit shaken from last night’s excitement. Not to mention, her big speech followed by her lecture was today.
He watched as she rifled through the pouch and counted the bones, settling the gnawed bone in its proper place. “I’m glad you are with me, Leo.”
“So am I, love. You’ll be amazing.”
“The exhibit will be amazing. But I hope to instill wonder in the hearts of all who attend today.”
He took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “You certainly have captured my heart.”
The line of museum visitors waiting to get in was already around the corner by the time he and Marigold arrived. He hurried her inside, relieved to see Homer Barrow and his runners already in place. The danger from Denby, Beldon, and Cummings had passed, but it was not so easy for him to relax while in a crowd.
Perhaps he never would.
The opening ceremony began. Huntsford gave his speech and then Adela had her turn. Marigold stepped up next. Her enthusiasm as she welcomed everyone to the new exhibit was infectious. She was ebullient and the crowd cheered wildly when she finished her address.
Perhaps he had cheered loudest.
Once the speeches were over, the exhibit opened and visitors were guided through the museum to the Hall of Dragons. Leo took a moment to check in with Homer Barrow. “M’lord, how are my men, Arthur and Henry?”
“Doing well. George Farthingale felt comfortable enough to leave their side. He’ll return later. My housekeeper knows to summon him if there is any sudden change.”
“It is very good of you to take them in and treat them as family. Not many would have been so generous.”
Leo knew how petty and disdainful some in the Upper Crust could be. “They protected my wife, as I should have been doing instead of riding off to Exeter.”
“But you rode back, my lord. Who knows what Lord Cummings might have done had you not been there to stop him? Does one no good to fret about what might have been or what should have been. All that counts is the present and what we make of it.”
Leo watched as Marigold continued to charm everyone. As the hour approached for her lecture, he entered the lecture hall and took a seat beside Syd, Gory, and the Thorne brothers. “Marigold put her heart into preparing this talk,” Gory whispered. “You will be impressed.”
The hall was overflowing with those who wished to hear her speech. Marigold easily spotted him in the front row since those seats had been reserved for family. Her smile was wide and her eyes lit up. Worried he hadn’t noticed her, she waved to him.
He smiled and winked, then blew her a kiss.
Moments later, the hall fell silent as Adela introduced Marigold. “Please join me in welcoming Lady Muir.”
Marigold stepped up to the lectern. “Since the dawn of man…”
The hour flew by.
