Bound by Honor

Chapter 13

Yesterday, with that scared look on her face, Letitia had reminded him of

a frightened animal caught unawares by a hunter. The best he could do

was to put her at ease. Now, while he let his eyes feast on the sunny

blonde locks, he grudgingly conceded that the self-imposed separation

might prove harder to endure than to declare.

He still remembered the rush of blood and the unexpected pounding of his

heart when he stopped her from tripping on the stairs, in time to keep her

nose from hitting his marble floor. That most alluring indentation of her trim

waist, the lovely, soft curve of her hip under his hand that had sent a jolt of

lust through his body, awakening, to his great annoyance, what he had put

to rest long ago. He needed to watch himself.

But for now he watched his new wife, Stanville’s daughter, walking

hypnotized through the garden that was the last vestige of Sarah’s

presence in his house.

He was not sure why he hadn’t thought of dismantling the tropical forest

before. Sarah had surprised him with her ardent desire for the Indian

jungle. He had spared no expense to please her, first by building the

orangery, then by stuffing it with the plants she wanted. He should have

sold them long ago.

Percy halted abruptly when Letitia stopped without warning just in front of

him, avoiding, at the last second, barreling into her. They had made a full

circle, but he hadn’t noticed. He clasped his hands behind his back to give

himself an aura of indifference.

She turned to him. Lord, she had gorgeous eyes. They were now filled

with a combination of awe and anxiety.

“Will it suit you?” he asked.

“Yes.” He didn’t miss the enthusiasm underlying her answer. “It does. I will

give you the specifications tomorrow.”

Percy swallowed a smile. It sounded as if he had been summarily

dismissed from his own orangery. “Very well,” he said. “Let me find Mrs.

Waters.”

Allowing himself the last waft of her scented water, he headed for the

door. It was definitely safer to leave her alone, before some foolish idea

planted itself in his head. Despite his resolution, Letitia’s presence in his

house might turn out to be more difficult to ignore than he had assumed it

would be.

Letitia exhaled with relief once the door closed behind Sir Percival. His

gaze had the most disconcerting effect on her concentration, and her

thoughts were in turmoil already, without any need for more confusion.

She sat on the nearest bench and looked around again, tapping one foot

on the floor tile. The day had taken an unexpected turn. Not only did she

get her wish, but it far exceeded her expectations.

Here was an opportunity to arrange a studio the likes of which no one had

even dreamed of. She got up and paced along the line of French doors

leading to the gardens, trying to measure the distance. Then along the

shorter glass wall. Satisfied that her initial guess as to the size seemed

close to reality, she looked around, as much as all the shrubs, tubs and

vases crowding the space allowed. The canvases that needed preparation

could go on the back wall now barely visible through all that greenery. She

could have a good, long bench for all materials and use it as a working

space. With a large easel placed toward the other end of the orangery,

there would be plenty of space to move around, arrange various props and

even add some armchairs to relax in or have a cup of tea with Josepha.

Her chemise began to cling uncomfortably to her skin. Only the vents

under the roof were open, so the air inside was hot, thick and humid. No

wonder no one came here anymore. With all those beautiful French doors

firmly shut, one turned in no time into a gigantic chunk of stewed mutton.

In the future, the doors would be open for ventilation, whenever possible.

What sort of a person had been the first Lady Hanbury? The indoor

garden was magnificent in its lush growth, but at the same time, it made

one feel…insignificant, almost oppressed by the heavy canopy of

unfamiliar plants.

Letitia reached into her pocket for a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from

her brow and headed for the door. She would wait for the housekeeper

outside, or else Mrs. Waters would find a puddle of sweat on the orangery

floor, instead of her new mistress. Once outside the orangery, Letitia took

a deep breath of drier, cooler air and exhaled with relief. The corridor was,

thankfully, much more suited to human habitation.

Then she suddenly heard children’s laughter and running feet moving

through the main hall. Who was this? Sir Percival said he had no children,

and she had not seen any yesterday or this morning.

But just as she approached the corner, a huge cannonball hit her stomach

so unexpectedly and with such force that she doubled over it, her hands

catching something warm and fuzzy.

“Oggghhh!” she groaned while the dull aftereffect of the collision sent the

remnants of hot chocolate up her throat.

“Aawww! My nose…” wailed the cannonball.

“William!” That came from the boy who stopped a couple of feet in front of

her, his eyes round as saucers.

“I beg your pardon, ma’am,” he said and swallowed. “We didn’t know

Uncle Percy had a guest.”

Well, neither did she.

The cannonball nodded vigorously in agreement and wiggled out of her

hands.

Who were they? Uncle Percy? So her husband had family nearby. She

didn’t know anything about him.

“How is your nose, William?” she asked.

A blushing boy, no older than five, peered at her with curiosity and some

apprehension.

“It hurts a little,” he confessed. “I…I’m sorry!” he added hurriedly.

“You should be,” Letitia replied, glancing at the reddened appendage on

his face. “You would be in a heap of trouble if I were a marble statue. It is

always better to look ahead and not behind when you run. Where were

you going so quickly?”

“We were racing to the end of the corridor,” the other boy explained. “No

one ever walks through here, except Uncle Percy, so that’s why William

wasn’t careful.”

“Well, let it be your lesson,” she said, amused despite the chocolate still

sitting somewhere between her stomach and her mouth. “Do you want to

tell me who you are?”

“Henry Vernon,” said the older boy, “and this is my brother, William.”

“Henry lost another tooth yesterday!” William announced triumphantly.

Henry opened his mouth wide to show the gap.

“Soon you’ll have a new one,” Letitia said. “Do you often visit your uncle?”

“He’s not really our uncle,” William explained. “We call him uncle because

he’s Mama’s best friend. Mama always asks him for help, and there’s a

cow having a baby, and Mr. Lipkin went to the market in King’s Lynn, and

the cow has a problem, and Mama didn’t know what to do, so she came to

ask Uncle Percy to help because he knows everything about cows.”