Page 30 of Midnight with the Marquess (The St. Clairs 2)

When Rachel returned to the kitchen, Evan was already seated at the table with tea and toast in front of him. Mrs. Dunnavant took the cup and saucer Rachel had brought back and replaced it with fresh tea as she seated herself.

“Mrs. Dunnavant was telling me about our new cook,” Evan said. “Or I should say, I hope Mrs. Bridges will take up the offer to come to Edgemere.”

“It does sound promising,” she agreed, thinking Evan sounded perfectly normal this morning and she had imagined something changing in their relationship the previous midnight.

They ate quickly so they could be off. When they arrived at the stables, Evan spoke to the head groom, who allowed Robby, one of the younger grooms, to take a cart in order to deliver the message to Mrs. Bridges.

“You know where Townsend Hall is located?” questioned Evan after Robby had been summoned.

The young man frowned. “I do, my lord. I worked in the stables there before a position opened up here at Fairfield. Mrs. Bridges is a lovely person and an even better cook. I’m pleased she’ll go somewhere she’s appreciated.”

Robby promised to wait for a reply or convey Mrs. Bridges to Edgemere before returning to Fairfield.

Evan assisted Rachel in mounting her horse. She tried to ignore the flickering feeling in her stomach as she inhaled his cologne and felt his hands briefly clasp her waist. They rode at a steady clip to Edgemere, where Mr. Finfrock met them.

“You’re early, Lord Merrick,” the estate manager said. “I asked the women coming to interview to be here at ten and the men at eleven-thirty. I thought it would be easier separating them into two groups.”

“Very wise, Finfrock. We’re going to tour the gardens for now. Lady Rachel has some ideas about what might be done and wanted to see them in person before she hires any gardeners.”

“They’re a bit wild, Lord Merrick,” Finfrock warned. “With only Stanley on staff, he’s worked on keeping up the landscaping along the lane and surrounding the house in good condition. He hasn’t had much time to spend on the gardens themselves.”

Evan laughed. “That’s fine, Finfrock. Lady Rachel is hoping they’ll be in abominable shape. She has grand ideas for ripping things out and deciding what new items should be planted.”

They excused themselves and Evan led her around the house and across a wide expanse of lawn. Discovering an entrance to the gardens took some minutes to locate. The brambles had run wild. Hedges needed to be trimmed. Trees begged to be pruned. They walked through as best they could.

“I must apologize,” Evan said. “I had no idea things were in such dismal shape.”

Rachel waved a hand. “You’ve been gone for years, Evan. No one expected things to remain pristine, especially with only one man on staff.”

“Do you have any ideas now that you’ve seen them?”

“I do. Once we return to Fairfield, I’ll draw up a plan. We can talk about various shrubberies and trees to plant. What flowers you enjoy. I’d love to scatter some benches throughout so that family or visitors could pause on their walks and enjoy the nature surrounding them.”

“What about a gazebo? You’d mentioned the one at Fairfield so I went to look at it last night.”

She wondered if he’d done so before or after their midnight lesson.

“What did you think of it?” she asked.

“I liked it. Quite a bit. I think I’d want one larger, though. And no fence around it. I’d like to be able to step up from any of the portals to enter it.”

“Anything else? Do you have particular flowers you’re fond of?”

He shrugged. “Not really. I’ll leave that to you and Stanley to decide.”

They returned to the house and saw a group of women had gathered outside the entrance.

“Please, come in,” Rachel told them. “Come with us, Lord Merrick.”

Rachel led everyone to the library and asked that the bedsheets be removed from the furniture. Dust flew everywhere as the sheets came off and were tossed into a corner. She had the women take a seat and told Evan to address them.

He frowned. “What should I say?”

She sniffed. “Men.” Turning the group, she said, “I am Lady Rachel St. Clair. As you know from Mr. Finfrock, Lord Merrick has returned from the Peninsular War and will be opening Edgemere immediately. He’s in need of a large staff to maintain it. As a bachelor, I’m afraid Lord Merrick doesn’t know the first thing about running a household, which is why I’m here to help him hire his staff.”

The women chuckled.

“I do know his lordship wanted to welcome you, however.” She turned to Evan. “Lord Merrick?”

---