Rose Gardner's Florist (The Providence Street Shops #2) - Bonnie Dee Page 0,62

can?” Rose blurted before thinking.

“Yes, my dear. Actually, I envision it quite clearly.” Lady Carmody paused before speaking again. “May I speak plainly?”

“I would like that.”

“I must admit to trepidation upon our first meeting. Your sudden presence in my son’s life was…unexpected to say the least. You sprang from seemingly nowhere and I could tell he was greatly enamored of you. My William was always a thoughtful, sensitive lad, who grew into a shy and self-contained man. I knew if he ever gave his heart and his trust it would be fully and without compromise. Such a man would be easy for a self-serving person to latch onto.”

“I am not… I never…” Rose began to bluster.

Her ladyship held up a hand. “Please, allow me to finish. At dinner the other night I observed you closely and made note of your manner with William. I came to the conclusion that no one could feign the expression of glowing admiration I witnessed upon your face that evening. I believe now you mean my son no harm and truly love him.”

“I do! It must seem mad to you. We’ve come to know each other so recently and our friendship developed so rapidly.”

“Yes, it did,” the older woman said dryly. “Very rapidly. But that is neither here nor there. The point is you have become a part of William’s life. He clearly intends to wed you.”

Now that it appeared she had Lady Carmody’s blessing after all, Rose found herself spewing all of her own shortcomings. “I know my background is not what you would hope for. I fear I will never fit into your world. I don’t know the proper protocol or who anyone in society is, or what is expected in any given situation. But I will do my best to emulate your behavior and make myself presentable on social occasions.”

“Which is all one could hope for. My goodness, you are a loquacious girl, aren’t you? Might I finish my thoughts?”

“Yes, of course. My apologies.” Rose bit her bottom lip to keep from babbling any further.

“I merely wanted to point out that William is not the first man who has married outside his class—far outside his class—and whose wife successfully forged her way into society. Lady Baden Churchfield, for example, was once an actress. William has no interest in attending social events, so it should not be too difficult for you to maintain a low profile, as it were. Do you intend to keep your florist’s?”

“I do. I love my business and will not give it up. I hope you do not see that as a problem.”

“Not at all. The pair of you are already so unconventional, what difference could it make? There will be gossip regardless.” Lady Carmody paused to stroke the freshly cut boards of the newly constructed worktable. “I should have been a gardener,” she said more to herself than Rose. “After I gave up living in London for the Season and spent all my time in the estate gardens, I found my truest happiness. I was born to nurture growing things.”

Rose held her breath, feeling as if she witnessed a private moment.

“It may seem of little consequence to an outsider, but my gardening club is everything to me. Being awarded a prize from the Royal Horticultural society for my hybrid was a dream come true.”

Her ladyship appeared to shake off a dream and resumed her brisk manner of speaking. “Have you not noticed the rather large parcel standing in the corner?”

In fact, Rose had not, being far more concerned with this important meeting with her prospective mother-in-law. Now she looked toward the spot Lady Carmody indicated. Indeed, there was a parcel wrapped in brown paper resting on the flagstones.

“Open it.”

Rose did as she was bid. Treating the gift with as much care as if it were a bomb, she carefully untapped the paper and pulled it open to reveal a small rosebush. She opened the paper further.

“Samuel watered the root ball before wrapping it in burlap, but the sooner you get them in the ground, the better,” Lady Carmody advised.

Rose knelt to more closely study the leaves and spied one tiny bud still green and barely erupted. “Is this it? The Lucinda May?”

“No. It is a venerable variety the locals grow, one that will remain contained and not take too much space. As I mentioned, I am keen to save heritage roses from extinction. I pray this bush will serve to remind you of the importance of maintaining some