Page 41 of Impossible
“Aspiration is a lovely thing,” Mrs. Tallent said evenly.
“I’ll consider this.” Warfield’s tone was gruff, but his expression beneath the brim of his hat conveyed honesty. Hewouldconsider it. Ada felt a surge of relief with a dollop of glee. He was making such progress!
Mrs. Tallent curtsied. “It was a pleasure to see you today, my lord.”
She turned, and Ada walked with her back toward the house. “You can go around that way to reach the stables.” Ada gestured to the right, knowing Archie was waiting for her.
“I will, thank you.” Mrs. Tallent paused. “His lordship did seem different. You must be a magician.”
Ada laughed. “Hardly. I’m just persistently optimistic. It’s gotten me this far.”
“You are a delightful person, Miss Treadway. I hope I’ll see you again.”
“I hope so too.” Ada thought they might cross paths once more before she left. But, goodness, that was in only a few days. Today was Friday, and the coach from London would arrive Monday. She’d be leaving first thing Tuesday.
Ada watched Mrs. Tallent for a moment before turning back to the garden. She had to know what had prompted Warfield’s gardening.
He was still ruthlessly pulling weeds from the dirt in the rose garden. He did not look up as she approached.
“That went very well,” she said.
“You should have told me.” He still didn’t look at her, and his jaw clenched as he worked.
“I did tell you I had someone in mind.”
He paused, throwing another weed from the bed and spearing her with a dark glare. “But not that it was Mrs. Tallent or that you planned to ambush me with her today.”
Ada flinched. She’d hoped he’d moved past such fits of pique. But in this, he had a right to be at least…annoyed. “I should have done, my apologies. I’m just running out of time to get everything done.”
“Then perhaps you should arrange to stay longer,” he grumbled, plucking at another weed.
What a change this was. Would she stay? It was a moot question because she couldn’t. “I need to get back to London. This was a temporary assignment. I have responsibilities I can’t ignore.”
His shoulders twitched, and when he threw the next weed, it landed at her feet, sending dirt onto the bottom of her skirt. “I didn’t mean to do that,” he said.
She understood his reaction, quietly saying, “I didn’t mean to imply that you were ignoring your responsibilities.”
“But I was, wasn’t I?” He stood still, breathing heavily, and put his hands on his hips. “I’m afraid these roses have gone wild.”
“They may need a trim,” Ada suggested. “I’m no expert. I’ll hire a gardener as soon as possible. Or Mrs. Tallent will. If you decide to hire her.”
He only grunted in response.
Ada moved to the corner of the bed and grasped a stem to pull a rose toward her so she could smell it. Her finger pressed into a thorn. She gasped, pulling her hand back.
“What is it?” Warfield moved quickly to her as blood beaded on her finger.
With her thumb, Ada smeared the blood to better see the wound. Just a small puncture. “I found a thorn.”
“That’s a rather accurate metaphor for your visit, isn’t it?” Warfield said, sounding angry. “You grabbed that rose without care, and look what you’ve done.”
Ada stared at him, uncertain why he was so furious.
“You’ve done nothing but upend my life since you arrived. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want it.”
The pain in Ada’s finger dulled as she suffered his ire. It was as if all the progress they’d made together had evaporated when she’d pierced her finger. She didn’t understand. “I’ll be fine,” she said softly. “It was an accident—I wasn’t careless.” She felt defensive. When Clara had died, her mother had called her careless, and her siblings had echoed that sentiment for months until Ada had finally left.
“I didn’t mean—” His jaw clenched, and he looked away, his hands fisting briefly at his sides. He shook his shoulders out. “My apologies.” He stalked to the house without another word, leaving her to stare after him, wondering why things had taken a turn.
