Now our solicitors are handling the transfer.”
Dahlia’s heart beat faster. “Do you plan to make any changes to the house? The detail work is exquisite, but much of it is lost among the clash of colors. Will you paint the rooms? Oh, forgive me. It isn’t even yours yet. I know it isn’t polite to ask. But this place is quite splendid. How did you come across it? I had no idea you were even looking.”
“I don’t mind your questions. I’m glad you like the house. It’s quite grand, isn’t it?” He shook his head and laughed. “I can see you hold some strong opinions about it.”
“I do,” she blurted.
There was a glint in his eye as he laughed again. “Queen Pea, you look as though you’re about to burst. Do you have any suggestions? I wouldn’t mind hearing them.”
“You wouldn’t?” Her heart was now soaring. “I do, in fact. Would you...that is...could I..., you can tell me to mind my own business...”
He arched an eyebrow. “Are you asking if you can help me decorate this place once it is mine?”
“Would you consider it, Ronan?” She held her breath while awaiting his response. “It would be a dream come true for me.”
“Well, who am I to dash your dreams? The answer to your question is yes. I would greatly appreciate your advice.”
Had they not been in company, she would have thrown her arms around him and possibly kissed him. “Thank you,” she said with a depth of feeling that surprised even herself. But this was exactly what she needed to move beyond Gerald and reclaim a part of herself.
Her hand was still tucked in his arm and covered with his own. “You’d think I had just given you diamonds,” he said with amused affection.
She held him back a moment, feeling happier than she’d been in a long while. “You have.”
“I’m glad then, Queen Pea.”
“This is the best gift anyone’s ever given me.” To allow her to help. Indeed, to value her judgment enough to want her help was a tremendous honor worth far more than any diamonds.
“You are the one helping me out. If anyone has received a gift, it’s me.”
She shook her head in disagreement. “Oh, no. I’m the one who’s been given the gift.”
Heather giggled. “By the way, since you are both feeling quite generous at the moment, I would like to mention that I am quite partial to gifts. Feel free to bestow as many as you wish on me.”
Ronan chuckled heartily. “Duly noted, Heather.”
Lady Wellbrook was a lovely dowager who charmed them all. She was thin and frail, but quite sharp and up on all the gossip. When she mentioned Lady Melinda, Ronan stiffened. “No, I was with Lady Melinda’s father at the House of Lords, not at the theater with her. The account is in error.”
He glanced at Dahlia, as though to tell her, see, this is why I need you.
Then he turned back to Lady Wellbrook. “When not engaged with members of Parliament or attending meetings at the Admiralty, I have been spending my time with Miss Farthingale.”
Dahlia blushed, knowing the others would believe it was her coy response to his statement. In truth, she was flustered. Their ruse was now officially underway, and she hoped no one would notice it was all a fraud.
Holly and Heather eyed them curiously.
Holly cleared her throat. “More tea, anyone?” She’d taken over responsibility for pouring since Lady Wellbrook’s hands shook too badly to manage it.
After their tea and cakes, Lady Wellbrook took them on a tour of the main rooms of the house. Despite leaping out of her skin with excitement to see all of it, Dahlia understood that the upstairs bedchambers were private, and she would simply have to wait until the house was Ronan’s before exploring it from attic to cellar.
She hung upon the dowager’s every word as she led them through the parlor, the dining room, her late husband’s study, his library, a music room that obviously served as a ballroom for their grander functions, a smaller dining room covered in a floral wallpaper that resembled a summer garden, a small sitting room, and large pantry.
She smiled inwardly, loving the size of the pantry but wondering if Ronan would ever fully stock it. Yes, he would. He was a wildebeest, big and strong. He ate like a lion, not like a little bird. The pantry and larder would be kept generously stocked.
But it was a shame he would be living alone. The house was