Son of a rogue and a gypsy, Hero Fiennes Tiffin was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside. Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Josephine Langford to ask Hero Fiennes Tiffin to help sav...
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Late afternoon sun was slanting in the windows as they finished rearranging the drawing room. Josephine thanked everyone who had taken part, then dismissed them for the day.
Before going upstairs to bathe, she made a last survey of the drawing room. A critic might point out that the walls needed repainting and the upholstery fabrics were past their prime, but the overall effect was very attractive. Hoping Hero would be pleased, she stepped into the hall and inhaled happily. The new cook, Mrs. Howell, had been busy all day, and tantalizing scents of roasting meat and baking bread drifted through the house.
To her dismay, the Earl chose that moment to walk in the door, hatless, wind-tousled, and coiled whip in hand. "Hello, Josephine," he said with a smile. "Did you have a productive day?"
Crossly she wondered why mud spattered on his boots and driving coat made him seem dashing, while smudges on her dress made her dowdy. Life was not fair. Wishing that he had been delayed another half hour, she replied, "Very. And you?"
"I located the engineer who built most of the tramways in Merthyr Tydfil, and I found a good site for the coastal quay. I'll tell you more over dinner." He sniffed. "Something smells delicious. You were successful at luring a cook up here?"
"Yes, and that's not the only success." She beckoned him into the drawing room, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.
He stepped inside, then halted and gave a soft whistle of amazement. "Good Lord, the place is so bright and appealing that it's hard to believe this is Westgate. How did you accomplish so much in such a short time?"
"I can't take the credit. The ideas came from Williams, and the hard work from the servants I engaged this morning." Wanting reassurance, she went on, "You approve of the results?"
"Very much." Hero gave her a devastating smile, then began to investigate his surroundings. Touching a blossom in a vase full of spicy-scented carnations, he said, "Where did you find flowers this early in the spring?"
"Believe it or not, they're from the Westgate greenhouse. For the last four years, the gardener has continued to raise flowers and vegetables because no one told him to stop."
The Earl looked startled. "Old Tom, with the peg leg?" When Josephine nodded, he said, "It's sobering to think how much power I had over Westgate when I wasn't even thinking about the place. Tom, Williams, the rest of the skeleton staff of servants who have performed their jobs through the years—I don't deserve that kind of loyalty."
"No, you don't," Josephine agreed with a hint of tartness. "If it's any comfort, the loyalty was more to their wages than to you personally. Though I believe that Tom has been selling the unused flowers and produce at the Penreith market, so he hasn't done badly out of your absence."
