Page 29 of A Sense of Fate
‘You impress more by being yourself. You are unique amongst young women.’
She sent him a worried look. ‘Is that a good thing?’
He laughed at her uncertainty. ‘You won’t hear any complaints from me.’
‘How is the steam bath?’ she asked, after the soup plates had been removed and they had been served with roasted pigeon, the rich aroma assailing Archie’s nostrils. ‘Does it make a difference?’
‘I don’t know how I ever managed without it.’
‘Then I am glad my suggestion helped.’
Archie watched her enjoying her food, wishing for a fanciful moment that time could stand still and that he wouldn’t have to send her back to Lyneham in an hour or so’s time. It was a delicate dance they were performing, and Archie was unsure of the steps. If he stifled her she wouldn’t stand with him again for this metaphorical measure of theirs. And yet having her here brought the place to life. She was the missing component that felt natural and right. Could she not sense it too?
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked, wondering if she would tell him the truth.
‘I was actually looking at the wonderful location of that flowerbed just outside this conservatory and thinking what a fabulously convenient herb garden it would make. It’s the correct orientation to receive exactly the right amount of sunshine and the herbs would thrive.’ She smiled across the table at him, her features alive with enthusiasm as she spoke of a subject which enthralled her. ‘Did you know that certain herbs give off a wonderful aroma? If you were to sit in this room with the door open in the height of summer, it would bring its own rewards.’
Not without you to share it with me.‘I will suggest it to my head gardener.’
‘And I can advise him on what would be best to grow, if you like. Then your housekeeper can make up the tinctures and ointments that I ordinarily supply you with.’
‘Tired of helping me already, little one?’
She waved his teasing complaint aside. ‘You are too accustomed to having everything on your own terms. I cannot be continuously at your beck and call, Lord Felsham.’
‘Well, that’s me told.’
Flora laughed and pushed her empty plate aside. ‘That was quite delicious. You spoil me.’
‘Not nearly as much as I would like to,’ he replied, enjoying her enthusiasm. It was a long time since he had seen anyone reduced to raptures by a humble whipped syllabub.
‘Come on, Archie. Let’s walk outside and you can show me your steam room.’
‘It’s cold out there.’
‘I shall not be deterred by a little inclement weather. Oh, unless it will be awkward for you underfoot. But it won’t be.’ She fidgeted in her seat, always anxious to be active. ‘The sleet is not settling or turning icy. Besides, never fear. I shall not let you fall.’
His momentary scowl clearly confused her, so he wiped it from his face. She took him to task whenever he felt sorry for himself, which he did at that moment. The fact of the matter was that he should be preventing her from falling, but the tables had been turned, reminding him of his incapacity.
Archie smiled and rose slowly to his feet, waiting impatiently for the pain to recede before grasping his stick and offering Flora his arm. She was already on her feet and heading for the door, mindless of the fact that her outer garments were still in the hallway. Shrugging, Archie led the way outside, taking the path he’d had laid that led directly to his new steam room. The wind bit into his cheeks and played with Flora’s hair, snatching it from its pins and blowing long strands across her face.
‘This is it.’ Flora opened the door before Archie could perform that service for her and glanced around with interest. ‘Gosh, I had no idea it would be quite so elaborate.’
‘Well, you know me. I tend not to do things by halves. Besides, I decided that if I would be spending a good part of every day in here then I might as well make it comfortable.’
‘This is where you relax, and the steam is produced by that boiler,’ she said, pointing to a long bench and then the boiler in question.
‘Quite. Then I plunge into the cold water in that pool. It has a rejuvenating effect, just as you warned me to expect. I cannot believe that none of the many doctors whom I have consulted ever suggested this form of recreation would be beneficial.’
‘I like the tiling. Very elaborate.’
‘It is based on the Turkish example. After all, we English did steal their idea.’
‘I really must try this one day.’
Archie cleared his throat. ‘I thought you were worried about what people might think.’
‘Not when you are in it,’ she said, accompanying her words with an exaggerated eye-roll.
