When a Duke Loves a Governess (Unlikely Duchesses #3) - Olivia Drake Page 0,32
moonshine. Jiggs had lost the eye in a tavern brawl in Gibraltar and had been left behind when his ship had sailed. Rather than cringe, Sophy merely said to the man, “Do you have any parrot feathers, sir? I want to use them to decorate my bonnet.”
“Well now, I jest might know where to find some.”
Guy watched his daughter scurry after the short man. It was daunting to see her take to a stranger before her own father. He turned to Miss James. “What’s this about decorating bonnets?”
She blinked, then glanced down at the basket that was stuffed full of autumn leaves and red berries. “Oh … I thought it would be a fun activity to gather a few things from nature and use them as trimmings for her hat. She needn’t wear it out in public, of course.”
She seemed nervous about the project, and he could only surmise that she expected him to object to it since he’d been so adamant about Sophy learning her sums and letters. “I daresay this is part of your effort to win her trust.”
“Indeed, Your Grace. May I ask, is Jiggs as interested in botany as you are?”
Guy noted how she’d turned the subject but decided to let the matter drop. “Hardly,” he said with a laugh. “Jiggs thinks that flowers are too womanish. He spent the voyage grumbling about all the specimens I collected.”
“Specimens?”
“Allow me to show you.”
He led her to a work area with a table that was littered with utensils, jars of seeds, and glazed pots. A pile of rich black loam provided soil for his experiments. Sophy sat on her heels a short distance away. As Jiggs handed her feathers from a basket, she lined them up in a row on the ground.
While the two were busy, Guy pointed out his current projects to Miss James: banana seedlings that were sprouting tall green shoots, bromeliads that collected water inside the cup of a spiky flower, and the orchids he’d placed in the crooks of tree branches to encourage them to grow as they did in the tropics. Her questions inspired him to describe the varied places where he’d gathered botanical samples, from the dense mangrove swamps along the coast of Mexico to the arid shores of Persia.
“How did you care for the plants aboard a ship?” Miss James asked.
“The roots were packed in damp burlap, and I chose only those types that could survive a period of semi-hibernation. But mostly I brought back seeds, cataloged with notes as to their origin and natural habitat. The bulk of those seeds have been sent on to Greyfriars, to be sprouted in greenhouses come spring.”
He felt an intense longing to be at his estate, working the fertile earth, instead of being stuck in London dealing with the myriad duties of the dukedom. Sophy would enjoy roaming the grounds as he’d done at her age. Miss James would relish it, too. He imagined her on horseback cantering over the hills, her face radiant in the sunshine.
“Do you ride?” he asked.
“I-I haven’t had much opportunity. Why do you ask?”
“Next month, we’ll be heading to the country. My grandfather kept a fine stable, and you must feel free to avail yourself of it.”
“Oh! You hadn’t mentioned leaving London.”
The flicker of dismay in her eyes perplexed him. “You’ll much prefer it to the city, I assure you. The nursery is spacious, the gardens are extensive, and the views are breathtaking. Greyfriars is a veritable heaven on earth.”
“I shall look forward to it, then,” she said with a cool smile. “May I ask, did you bring back anything from your voyage other than seeds and parrots? It seems that a world traveler would have mementos from foreign lands, too. Perhaps gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
“Since my primary purpose was scientific, I resolved not to be distracted by souvenirs. Nevertheless, I can oblige with myrrh in the form of seeds.”
She blinked. “But … isn’t myrrh a perfume?”
“Myrrh is an ingredient of perfumes and incense. It’s an aromatic resin derived from a small thorny tree found in the deserts of Arabia. Hopefully, I can coax it to grow in a hothouse.”
“I see. Well, I was hoping there might be something from your journey to catch Lady Sophy’s interest. Other than parrots, of course.”
Guy considered for a moment. “How about a pirate’s treasure map?”
“Truly? Oh, you’re teasing me, sir.”
He enjoyed the thrilled fascination evident in her wide blue eyes and parted lips. “Actually not. The map was indeed sketched by an