Page 117 of Heartbreaker of the Ton
As tomydestiny…
“Very well,” Etty said. “You are right—it’s time I looked to my future. And Gabriel’s.”
“Excellent!” Arabella replied. “I’ll issue the invitations. And have no fear, my dear. One word out of place with regards to your past, and they’ll have me to reckon with. That is, if they can survive a pummeling from my husband. Marriage to a beast has its rewards, you know.”
She smiled the smile of a woman well satisfied—in every respect.
But it wasn’t merely Mr. Baxter’s looks and manner that Bella took such enjoyment from. It was the fact that she had found a man to love her exactly as she was. And that made him unique among men. The chances of another such man existing were slim at best. Only one had come close to measuring up.
But Etty would never see him again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Radham Hall, Surrey, October 1817
Andrew set histeacup aside. Had he heard his guest right?
“Aninvitation, Mr. Baxter?”
“That’s right, Lord Radham,” the gardener said. “My wife was most insistent. She’s hosting a house party next month and wishes you to be among the party.”
“But she hasn’t even met me.” Andrew shook his head. “I don’t know if it would be proper.”
“It’s just a house party, not an intimate family dinner. There’ll be other guests. My Bella says that’s the done thing for a new acquaintance. And it’ll give you a chance to see my handiwork. Give you a feel for what your garden might look like. There’s a sunken garden just like the one I’m planning by the east wing.”
“The one the morning room will overlook?” Andrew asked.
“Aye, sir, that’s the one. And my wife’s a lady, if that’s what ye’re hesitatin’ over.”
Andrew let out a laugh. “I wouldn’t care if she were a milkmaid. If she’s clever enough to have produced such detailed garden designs, then I confess I’m intrigued by the prospect of meeting her.”
“She’s right clever, is my Bella.” Baxter grinned, and his heavy-lidded eyes narrowed as if he were on the brink ofswooning. Clearly the man adored his wife—he’d spoken of little else over tea.
“A paragon of womanly virtue,” Andrew said.
“You don’t know the half of it, sir.” Baxter’s expression took on a faraway look.
Yes, the man was utterly smitten. But Baxter didn’t look like a fool. In fact, for all his uncouthness, he had a sharp intelligence—greater than that possessed by any member of White’s, certainly.
“You must call me Radham, notsir,” Andrew said. “If I’m to accept your invitation then it must be on equal terms.”
Baxter set his cup aside and glanced out of the window toward the small group of tenants who were digging into the soil. “If I am to justify my fee,” he said, “I shouldn’t be lingerin’ here takin’ tea. Not while it’s still light outside, and not while others are workin’ so hard themselves.”
“I admire your industry, Baxter,” Andrew said. “In my experience, a man in your position is always ready to issue instructions to his subordinates, but is never prepared to carry them out himself.”
“What sort of man would I be if I stood idly by and watched while others toiled so that I might be enriched?”
Andrew laughed. “You’d be agentleman, Mr. Baxter. And yet, if your wife is a lady, that’s precisely what you are. I must confess you are something of an enigma. Perhaps I will come—after all, my acquaintance is somewhat limited.”
“You must have friends in London.”
“Hardly any, I’m afraid. I’ve discovered that London Society is not really to my taste.”
“Ha! In which case, youmustaccept my invitation. You’d fit in our little circle perfectly. My Bella has secured the most extraordinary set of friends—poets, artists. And if you’drather discuss business than the arts, Trelawney’s always good company.”
Thatname was familiar. “The wine merchant?” Andrew asked.
“The very same.”
