Page 32 of A Kiss to Stop a Wedding
‘Yes, I think that, too,’ murmured Flora, looking up at the severe building towering above them. She thought the place looked tired and drab compared to Bellemonte, with its colourful gardens, the grand pleasure baths and the warm, welcoming frontage of the honey-coloured hotel, and everything built around the pretty square.
* * *
Having paid off the postillions and stabled Mr Farnleigh’s coach, Flora was obliged to make arrangements for another hired carriage the next day to take her to Gloucestershire. She did not object. She had a generous monthly allowance and was happy to pay for her trip. She would far rather that than have a reckoning sent to Mr Albright—or even worse, her uncle—and have to explain why she had visited Bellemonte.
Jenny and her maid would not disclose that she had spent two nights at Bellemonte unless directly challenged. As for Betty and Edwin, who had accompaniedthem, they were devoted to Flora and she knew she could rely upon their discretion. The Farnleighs were so much older than their niece that they had come to rely upon their servants to look after her.
From the first moment Flora came to live with the Farnleighs the servants had been her allies. When Aunt Farnleigh thought Flora was having a gentle riding lesson in the south field, she and her groom were galloping over the hills, and when the Albrights took her to the assembly and she returned later than she should, not one of them mentioned it.
This outing was a little more daring, but Flora still hoped that it might go undetected.
* * *
Bellemonte was basking in the hot afternoon sun when Flora arrived. In the quiet square she could hear shouts and laughter coming from the far side of the high wall which bounded the grand pleasure bath. At that moment, before she made her way into the shadowed interior of the hotel, she felt slightly envious of the young gentlemen cavorting in the cool waters.
Flora was shown to her room by a female servant while a footman carried her portmanteau, leaving Betty with nothing to do but follow on with her own small bag.
‘Well, at least I have a room adjoining yours, Miss Flora,’ she said, once they were alone. ‘That’s a mercy.’
‘It is, but I do not want you to keep to your room, Betty,’ said Flora.
She was unpacking her clothes and shaking out the gowns before passing them to her maid to hang on the pegs in her dressing room.
‘Of course I won’t be doing that, Miss Flora. I shall be accompanying you everywhere. You can hardly go out and about alone!’
‘No, but when I am not“out and about”, as you put it, I should like you to engage the servants in conversation. I want to know what they think of Mr Talacre.’
‘Lord, miss, you want me to listen to tittle-tattle?’ asked Betty, scandalised.
Flora shook her head. ‘Not exactly, but you can tell a great deal about a man from the way he treats those in his employ. I need to find out if he is an honest man.’
‘You are mighty interested in this gentleman, if I may say so, miss. Are you sure you ain’t sweet on him?’
‘Don’t be absurd,’ said Flora briskly, although she could not bring herself to look Betty in the eye. ‘Mr Talacre has business with the Viscount, and I am trying to discover the sort of man Lord Whilton is dealing with.’
‘Well, I think His Lordship should be doing that for himself and not dragging you into such matters,’ retorted Betty.
‘He didn’t drag me into anything,’ Flora protested.She shook out the last of her dresses and held it up. ‘I shall wear this one, I think. A promenade gown is perfect for taking a stroll through the gardens before dinner. What do you think?’
‘I think this whole escapade is sheer madness,’ declared Betty, narrowing her eyes at her mistress. ‘To wander around the pleasure gardens, even with a maid in attendance, is not seemly.’
‘Oh, what nonsense!’ Flora laughed at that. ‘I saw several ladies doing just that when we arrived and none of their maids looked half as terrifying as you!’
Betty had known Flora too long to take offence at this, but she scowled blackly and shook her head at her mistress.
‘Aye, and you aren’t too old for me to box your ears if I have any more of your cheek, Miss Flora!’
CHAPTER TEN
Asunny June afternoon was the perfect time to visit the pleasure gardens and Flora was impressed with what she saw. She felt perfectly at ease, strolling along the shady paths with Betty, and there was nothing to disgust her in the people she saw along the way. They appeared to be mostly wealthy tradespeople or minor gentry strolling through the grounds, although there were a few decidedly fashionable young bucks cutting a dash. One or two of the gentlemen cast a second glance at Flora, but Betty’s fearsome scowl prevented anyone approaching them.
Flora spotted several wardens, all in dark green breeches and waistcoats and with the Bellemonte emblem embroidered upon their matching coats. She recalled Matthew telling her they were employed to keep the peace and remove any rowdy or drunken revellers.
She also took note of the number of statues throughout the gardens, many of them in the centre of small clearings on each side of the path. They were all veryfine, but none looked at all similar to the one Quentin had installed at Whilton Hall. Not that she was any judge of these things, of course, but the pleasure gardens were very large and there were so many side paths and little tracks that it would take some time to explore everything.
As she stepped into yet another secluded recess, this time with a stone bench beneath a wooden arch covered with roses, her maid emitted a loud sigh.
‘Are you not enjoying yourself, Betty?’
