Page 40 of Duchess By Accident
The head gardener nodded, white as a ghost. Natalie saw beads of sweat trickling down his face.
“His Grace’s proposal is more than fair. You are not a bad man, but you have shown a disregard for the safety of Lady Melody that cannot be forgiven.” Natalie quietly felt that the man should not get a reference at all, but decided this was not the time to contradict her husband.
“If I find out that you are working for a house with children, do not think I will be as merciful again. The fate that will befall you would make the angels weep.” The Duke gestured to the young boy who had fetched the Head gardener. “Bring him to the Butler and explain the situation. I expect him to be removed from the premises by tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The boy nodded and tugged the gardener towards the house. “And I will send someone to get rid of the plants at once.”
Natalie watched as they disappeared into the distance. The Duke turned to her, his face still dark with rage. Natalie swallowed.Am I about to pay the price for that little intervention?
“Are there any other plants I should be concerned about?” his question took Natalie by surprise.
“There are plenty of things that are poison. I will write a list and have it given to the garden staff, requiring the immediate removal and destruction of anything that could pose a threat to Melody.” Natalie began compiling a list in her head.
“How do you know so much about plants?” he asked.
Natalie smiled ruefully. “Let us just say certainly family events have resulted in a rather in depth knowledge of the ones that are poisonous.”
“Remind me never to eat or drink anything you serve me.” Adrian muttered.
She ignored the discomfort she felt at his jibe, trying not to think of Lord Bolton. She could see a brittleness in his stature that she had never seen before.
He stood tall, straight, but there was a tightness in his jaw, and a faraway look in his eyes. He reminded her of Alexander, the way he had stood when he still thought he was responsible for their father’s death.Shame and guilt.
She took Adrian’s hand in hers without thinking, squeezing it gently, her voice soft. “Very few people know about foxglove. Especially men of a certain rank.”
“But you did.” He pointed out, but did not move his hand away from hers.
“Yes. But I am unusual in that respect. I am just relieved that no harm has come to her.” Natalie pushed away the image of the small coffin.She is safe.
“No thanks to me.” The bitterness and anger in Adrian’s voice cut to the core of her heart.
“None of this is your fault.” Natalie murmured.
“How is it not my fault?”
“You trusted in your staff – they are supposed to be the experts in such things. And I am not going to stand here and watch you beat yourself up for something few people like us would even bother to think about.” She turned to stand in front of him and prodded him in the chest. “If Melody sees you like this, she will think it is her fault, and I will not have her bear that weight.”
“She is my world.” Adrian shook his head.
“Then pull yourself together. You made a mistake, learn from it and do better.” Natalie prodded him hard in the chest. “She is safe now, and you scolding yourself ‘ will only irritate me.”
The Duke said nothing, and Natalie let out a sigh. She had no intention of allowing him to wallow in some self-inflicted pity party.
“To be honest, it is something of a relief to learn that there are limits to your knowledge after all.” Natalie teased him gently.
The Duke ran a hand through his hair, his usual smug amusement vanished. “I am her father. It is my job to keep her safe.”
“It is our job to keep her safe. And we will do that together.” Natalie glanced at the plants. “If you have gloves, you could help me pull these up. Although, I have been told you do not kneel.”
The Duke arched an eyebrow at her, his grey gaze shooting through her like a dagger. “Is that a joke, Natalie?”
“Simply an observation, Fox.” Natalie shrugged, and began to pull up the flowers.
“We are back to Fox? Do not think I did not notice you call me by my name.” He grinned at her.
“That was a necessity. Nothing more.” She pointed a finger at him. “Besides, I rather like calling you Fox. But perhaps I will use a mix of the two just to keep things interesting.”
“Well my life certainly has been far from dull since you entered it.” The Duke squatted beside her, gloves on his hands and pulled up the other plants. “Thank you.”
