Somewhere My Love (10 page)

She stared
weakly
after him as he wa
lked away, wondering if she’
d dissolve completely
if he really
kissed her
...full, long, and hard
.
And she found herself wishing he would.

Will discovered
Julia in th
e herb garden
conducting her first
tour.
Her hair
reflected the sunshine like polished copper and was
pulled back in an adorable pony
tail.
The resident cat
,
Mr.
Tibbs
,
had also
found her and
rubbed orange
and
brown cal
ico fur against her bare legs.
Seemingly unaware of the
abbreviated
l
ength of her skirt, Julia
bent down to pluck a handful of lavender blossoms
from the purple ribbon outlining the culinary bed
.

Several men
in the assembly
tilted their heads
to
the side
for a better glimpse
of her
curvaceous
thighs, then colored and glanced away at
Will’s disapproving stare.
Honestly, didn’t the girl have any idea
the sensation she was causing?

Apparently not.
She straightened with an expression
of pure innocence.

“Isn’t l
aven
der delightful,” she said in her charming accent
, h
olding out t
he small bouquet.
The visitors
sniffe
d appreciatively as she spoke.
“
To quote an old herbalist
,
‘Tis
of
especial good use for all
griefs
an
d pains of the head and brain
.
’  I can vouch for its s
oothing properties
in the bath,” she added with a pensive note.

One gentleman coughed under his hand.

Will could well
imagine what he was envisioning.

Summoning a bright smile, Julia
stepped in among the thyme.
Again she
bent to pluck a
sprig,
and again
revealed more
than she realized
.
B
ut the
men kept their eyes averted with Will looking on, arms crossed over his chest. 

She
inhaled the aromatic
leaves
and spoke
out with enthusiasm
.
“
Thyme is
an
age-
old
emblem of activity, bravery
,
and energy.
In the days of chivalry it was the custom for ladies to embroider
a bee hovering over a sprig of t
hyme on the
scarves they presented to their knights.
How romantic.
”

Surrounding heads nodded
.
Several women sighed appreciatively.
Julia
didn’t have t
o bend as far to pick a sampling
of
silvery sage.
R
adiating a
love of heirloom plants, s
he
extended the leaves.
“This is one of my favorites.
It was said of sage among the Ancients, ‘
Cur
moriatur
homo cui Salvia
crescit
in
horto
?’ or
‘Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?’”

A responsive murmur ran through the
assembly.
“Could you
speak to my garden club?”
asked one
lady
with
bright
red lipstic
k and an enormous navy blue handbag
.

“Certainly, if it
’
s convenient
to my
work
schedule
.”

Will
stepped forward.
“
I’m sure we can spare Miss Morrow, and i
f you would like to
conduct
your
meeting here, the gazebo
is available
, weather permitting,
at a
modest
fee.
Proceeds go towards
ongoing
restoration.
”

“That would be idea
l
,
Mr.
Wentworth
.
You have a real t
reasure in this young lady,” the woman
gushed.

“Yes.
We’re quite
fortunate.” He wished
he could take Julia aside and speak to her about her skirt.

She
cast him an entrancing smile.
“
Now, if you will all follow me to the medicinal garden,
” she said, and led
her charges the short distance to the next circular bed
.

Will let Julia
conduct the tour.
S
he was fascinating to watch
and
clearly
in her element
.

“What a little beauty,”
a man
said over his shoulder
.

Turning at the unwelcome intrusion, Will found
the Aussie
standing
behind him.
Lyle McChesney was
even hairier than yesterday
.
His shorts bared
brawny
legs
covered in red fur and
grimy from
laying
brick
, as was the rest of him.
And t
here was a great deal to Lyle.
He wasn’t muc
h taller than Will, but broader, reminding him of a stalwart Highlander
in a kilt.
All Lyle
needed was a dirk at his sid
e to run someone through with.
The man evoked
warrior images and smelled like he’d been
out
on th
e battle
field.

Lyle tipped the bottle o
f cola
back
and gulped
, h
is blue eyes fastened on Julia.
Will couldn’t f
ault Lyle’s skilled wor
kmanship
and he was ent
itled to a mid-morning break,
b
ut why did he have to take it in
full
view of her
?

Oh, great.
There she went aga
in, leaning over
to
pick sharply aromatic pennyroyal
.
Hadn’t she heard of stooping?

Lyle gave an appreciative
w
histle.
“Now that’s no
t something you see every day.
You charging extra
for the peep show
,
Wentworth
?” he chuckled.

Lyle
might
as well have used a megaphone.
Will balled his fingers into a
ready
fist
, battling
the impulse to slam his knuckles into the Aussie’s
toothy grin right in front of his guests
.
“Keep your observations about Miss Morrow to
yourself,
”
he hissed instead.

“Free country,
mate,
” Lyle said.

“Not here it isn’t.
I say what goes
at Foxleigh.”

Will
strode over to Julia.
T
he
telltale
b
lush in her cheeks and
quiver at her lips
indicated
she’d heard
.
The vi
sitors weren’t deaf either.
A
n awkward
quiet
had fallen over the group
.
No one seemed to know where to look, although, they made pointed efforts not to stare at her.

“Please excuse us everyone,” Will
insert
ed into the
pregnant
pause, taking her arm
.
“
Miss Morrow is required
at the house
now
.
W
ander the grounds at your leisure and visit us again soon
.
Thank you.
”
He drew her away.
“
J
ust smile and
keep walking
,” he whispered in her ear.

She curved her lips
in a brave
effort
and
followed at his side
b
link
ing hard at
glistening tears
.
“Thanks.”

Will noted Lyle observe
their retrea
t with a smirk
that
he’d
gladly
wipe from the Aussie’s
face.
“As soo
n
as I return, I’m firing him.
Kic
king him out on his big fat
––
”
Will stopped before he swore in front of her.

“
D
on’t.
He’s a go
od
worker and this was my fault.
I’m sorry
about the frock.
I didn’t realize.
”

“That dress
isn’
t very nineteenth century.
How did it get past your father?
”

“It’s
new.”

“Ah,
dear
Papa
never saw you in it.”

“No,” she
said
.

“Is anything else you brought
any better?”

“I bou
ght a
fashionable new wardrobe for America
.”

“So that would be a no.
Well, it’s t
ime we got you properly outfitted
for Foxleigh
.
We have a collection
of vintage clothes and reproductions
stored
up in the attic.
Leftover from former employees, festivals, and plays.
”

She brightened
and her eyes
shone through the sheen of tears
.
“
Oh, Will. 
What fun.
May I cho
o
se what
I like?”

“
To a point.
I
think it
best if I assist
with the selections
.
Come on.
I’ll take you up there.
”

Fun, it might be, but he sensed far more lay behind this venture.

****

“MMM
––
Miss
.
”

Julia
start
ed at the halting stutter
and
paused with
W
ill
before the steps
leading up
to the front landing of Foxleigh
. They turned.
Will
nodded
at the skinny
young man
hovering beside the massive boxwood
, a pair o
f
hedge trimmers in
hand.
Will
smiled pleasantly
enough
, but
the tension at his mouth betrayed his lack of enthusiasm at
the interruption. 

“What is it, Paul
?”
he asked.

The youth
pointed the clippers
at Julia.
“SSS
––
S
he’s
very
pretty
, MMM
––
Mr.
Wentworth
.”