Page 23 of A Fearless Heart
“I want to hear that you know your place. Lady Arcadia is a woman of delicate constitution and she’s had an extremely trying life, though it may not seem so. If I hear even a hint of impropriety about you, Mr Court, you’ll be lucky to get out of Kent alive.”
“You’re threatening me?”
“I’m protecting Lady Arcadia. She has very few people who are willing to do so. I am one.”
Gabe nodded slowly, finally understanding all the antagonism from Mr Addison. “I’m not here to make trouble. I’m here to do a job.” Not the job of gardener, but Addison didn’t need to know that.
“See that you remember it, Mr Court.”
“I will. And by the way, since you’re threatening me, tell me if you grow any poisonous plants.”
“Not by choice! There are of course some garden specimens that are not wise to eat.” Addison reverted to his typical sententious hobbyist tone. “Or touch, in the case of hogweed, though it boasts a rather splendid inflorescence, you know. Every patch of land in England has some plant that is poisonous. Roses on the other hand are completely edible. One just has to mind the thorns.” He gave Gabe a chill smile.
“I see. Can you think of anyone else in the area who might have plants like that?”
“Aside from Lady Arcadia…no, I do not. Why do you—” Addison glanced over his shoulder, and stepped aside just as Arcadia walked up.
“There you both are,” she said. “What were you talking about just now?”
“Oh, nothing much. Mr Court had a question about the lay of the land, and I was pleased to explain it,” Addison said smoothly.
Gabe coughed because he didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Too much rose?” she asked Gabe, sympathy in her tone. “Go to the kitchens and ask Cook if you can stick your nose in the coffee beans she keeps in the pantry. That will help counteract the effect.”
“I’ll do that, my lady, thank you.”
Mr Addison glanced at a pocket watch, made a sound of irritation, and gave a little bow to her. “The time has got away from me, and I must return home. I do hope that someday soon you will visit my roses. It’s been too long.” He nodded coolly to Gabe and then turned and strolled away toward the drive.
“Roses? Honestly?” Gabe muttered once he was out of earshot.
Arcadia gave a little rueful laugh. “He’s a gifted gardener and I can’t fault his enthusiasm, but in truth, it’s a bit of a waste of talent. I’ll never tell him so, but roses are…well, at the end of the day, they’reroses.”
Gabe sighed inwardly. It seemed that Mr Addison was not the devious brewer of poisons he was seeking. Now, if someone were slaying the people of England with perfume, he’d have a lead.
“He’s a good man, though,” she added loyally. “A few years ago, he offered marriage, I think because he felt sorry for me. I told him that while I appreciated the gesture, I ought to remain as I am. But he’s always been a very stalwart friend.”
If Cady only knew how stalwart,Gabe thought, recalling Addison’s previous words to him. “So he’s a longtime gardener. Are there many of you in this area of the country?” Perhaps he could meet others and find a clue that way.
“Several, most of whom are like Mr Addison and choose a particular type of plant or garden style to devote themselves to. I’m rather an odd duck, because I’m truly more interested in the medicinal properties of plants. Mr Addison, for example, couldn’t care less about how roses may heal someone. But tell him that you’ve seen a new shade of pink petal, and he’s galloping off to see it for himself!”
“Well, at least he finds plants for you. Where does he procure them?”
“Oh, who knows? Gardeners all talk to each other and we’re forever sending off seeds and cuttings to our colleagues. I have specimens from the Americas, Asia, and Africa—mostly the tropical climes, for some reason. Possibly because the less tropical regions don’t have as much variety. I’ve seen pictures that are just desert or plains. Can you imagine all of England being simply a single, unending ocean of grass? Nothing else? I’m told much of the North American continent is like that in the west.”
“Would you like to see it for yourself?”
She paused, thinking. “On the one hand, yes. Who wouldn’t want to see such a marvel? But on the other, to actually be there, to stand in the midst of an alien landscape with no knowledge of what it contained….” She shivered, and Gabe had the unexpected impulse to embrace her.
But then she said lightly, “Seems a long trip. If I want to see such things, I can visit an art gallery.”
“But you’d still have to leave your house to do so.”
Something in his tone made her glance at him, and he hoped he’d given nothing away. Gabe certainly wouldn’t mind if the lady left her estate for a day or two, allowing him the freedom to investigate more.
“You’re done here,” she said briskly. “I’ll need to distill all these petals to rosewater, and judging from your reaction to the scent, you definitely don’t want to hang around for the next step.”
“I’m happy to help,” he offered. It would be a good opportunity to remain close to her, asking little questions to draw out what she knew. That was the reason he was here after all.
