Chapter 28

28

"Patience, no," growled Dorian three days later when he spotted her passing his study doors in her gardening bonnet, her gait lively and unencumbered by a corset. Her breasts bounced freely as she moved out of his view.

Titan, who lay by his feet as he wrote, raised his head, his tail wagging when he saw Patience. Dorian sprang to his feet, flinging his quill aside, unconcerned that it left a large ink blot across the letter he had been writing. Fuming, Dorian followed her, noting the wooden box in her hands. Titan trotted after him. When he caught up to her, he saw the box was filled with brown bulbs.

Titan whimpered happily and did a little greeting dance around Patience, his tail moving quickly from side to side. She cooed to him, unable to pet him with both of her hands holding the crate.

"Patience, your ankle!" he said. "You're not well enough! You almost fainted not three days ago!"

She beamed at him, her smile full of sunshine. "And you made it all better. Who knew you had such a nurturing side? "

"Goddamn it!" he growled. "It's even warmer today."

"I already asked Mrs. Knight to bring plenty of water. You have nothing to worry about. I also have no corset to constrict me."

"I saw that. What are you thinking, going out without a corset, for any man to see…?"

Her gorgeous, full, tender breasts were his alone to enjoy.

"The footmen and the gardeners have a free day today," she chirped, and as they both stepped out through the back doors and into the garden, she stopped and took a lungful of air, closing her eyes. "What a perfect day for gardening."

She eyed him critically, from head to toe, before passing him the box she was carrying. "How about you help me today and protect my uncorseted breasts from anyone trying to take an unsolicited peek? Anyone such as a bee…a bird…an unscrupulous caterpillar?"

He swallowed as he stared at the garden, which looked nothing like it had before she'd moved in.

They'd spent the last three days in each other's arms and he hadn't let her take a single step out of his bedchamber. He nursed her, rebandaged her ankle every day, had Chastity inspect the cut and approve the positive effect of her antiseptic, which she also written down in her papers. They didn't talk about Lucien or Patience's persistent digging, even though every time he thought about it, his blood chilled.

She hadn't promised him she'd stop searching, and helplessness made him want to lash out, hit something, destroy something, like before.

But he didn't. Because she was more important. Their happiness was more important.

He fucked her every night, free from his former restraint. And he was happy, seeing her fall apart in his arms, seeing her seemingly enjoy the rough way he liked to couple as much as he did. Perhaps that was what had helped to dull his fury.

Or perhaps it was simply her. She was stronger than the beast of wrath inside him. But the day of reckoning would still come, he knew, no matter how happy he was now, no matter how much he was turning away from his fury.

However, during the past three days, he had smiled more often than he had in all thirty-two years of his life.

So, to hell with the angry, wrathful beast inside.

The garden that had brought so much pain to him, that had twisted his very soul, was unrecognizable. She had transformed it. And to his amazement, he quite liked the idea of helping Patience tend it.

And keeping an eye on her, of course, ensuring she drank plenty of water and didn't get overheated.

He allowed his mouth to stretch into a smile, and his chest filled with the most agreeable, light feeling. "Yes," he said as he took the wooden box from her hands. "I would quite like that."

Her smile was bright enough to blind him.

And he loved it.

When they reached a well-raked patch of dirt bordered by gray stones along the curvy garden path, Patience peered into the box of bulbs he was holding.

"Would you mind helping me plant these hyacinths?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I know it's a not the ideal time to plant them, but I couldn't resist their lovely colors and fragrances. We'll need to dig holes about six inches deep and space them about six inches apart. It's a bit of an experiment—they might not bloom fully this season, but we can hope for at least some flowers, and they'll certainly be beautiful next spring."

Dorian put the box on the ground and rolled up his sleeves. "Just show me where to begin. "

Patience knelt to the black earth and demonstrated how to use a trowel to dig a hole, carefully placing a bulb inside and covering it with soil. Dorian watched intently, then selected a bulb from the basket and knelt down to try his hand at planting.

As he worked the trowel into the earth, Dorian marveled at the unfamiliar sensations—the cool, damp soil beneath the fingers of his left hand, the earthy scent that filled his nostrils, the satisfying resistance of the ground as he dug. He had never imagined that such simple manual labor could be so fulfilling, but with Patience by his side, he found himself thoroughly enjoying the task.

And he did not at all let himself become distracted by any other sort of bulb…two gorgeous, delicious bulbs that were hanging and bouncing so loosely in his wife's dress as she worked by his side.

His chest filled with lightness, sweet tension.

Happiness, he thought, and grinned to himself. The sun on his skin, the dirt under his fingernails, the woman he loved by his side.

This was true happiness.

He never imagined he would feel this emotion in the garden that had been the source of so much misery.

It was all her.

Together, they worked their way down the row, planting each bulb with care and precision. As he covered a bulb with soil, Dorian sat back on his heels, surveying their work with a sense of accomplishment. The bed looked no different than it had before, but in a matter of weeks, the bulbs would sprout and grow, their green shoots pushing up through the earth to unfurl into a glorious display of color.

As they worked, Titan trotted over to investigate their activities. He sniffed curiously at the freshly dug earth, his wet nose leaving imprints in the soil.

Patience laughed and gently pushed his muzzle away, saying, "No, Titan, these bulbs are not for you to dig up!"

Titan tilted his head, as if considering her words, then flopped down beside them, content to watch their progress with his intelligent eyes.

"I cannot wait to see them bloom," Dorian said, standing and turning to Patience with a smile. "To think that we have played a part in bringing such beauty into the world—it is a wonderful feeling, is it not?"

She beamed at him once again and wrapped her dirty arms around his neck. She kissed him lightly, with just a hint of passion, but he was already aflame.

"I love it that you understand what I feel when I work with plants," she murmured. "Today…now…is my favorite day ever. I've said this to myself several times recently, and yet each succeeding day surpasses its predecessor."

His throat contracted and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her tighter to him. "I find myself thinking exactly the same."

They kissed, standing in the sun, surrounded by sprouting life and the new garden, which was quite barren still, but filled with happiness. When they broke apart, afraid that they would need to hurry back into the house to satisfy their growing ache for each other, Patience looked at several gardening tools, which were leaning against the brick half wall.

"Would you mind helping me rake the next garden patch?"

"Not at all," he said.

He picked up the rake, and a quick burst of laugh escaped her lips, then another.

"Well, well, well. The notorious rake of London, now raking leaves in our humble garden. How the mighty have fallen!" Patience teased, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

He grinned and looked at the tool in his hand. "Only for you, love."

While they were raking, Titan spotted a red squirrel darting along the brick half wall. With an excited bark, he bounded after the tiny creature, his large paws clumsily attempting to navigate the narrow surface. The squirrel, quick and agile, easily evaded Titan, pausing atop the wall to look victoriously at the massive hound. Titan wagged his tail and panted, as if this was a delightful game. Dorian and Patience exchanged amused glances, chuckling.

Dorian had forgotten the last time he'd tried to jest, but he wanted Patience to keep laughing. It was such a glorious sound that resonated in his chest like a bell chiming.

"How are your roses doing, Patience?" he asked.

"No disease. Growing well."

"I heard somewhere that talking to plants helps them grow," he said. "Do you think it would help if I recited Shakespeare's sonnets to the roses?"

Patience stopped raking and burst out laughing. "Dorian, are you trying to make a jest, darling?"

He straightened and leaned on the rake, enjoying the sight of her beautiful face as she laughed. "I am."

The same sort of infectious laughter was born right in his chest, and he chuckled as he looked at his dirty hands. "Look, love, I may not be able to grow a single flower, but I seem to have a real talent for growing the dirt under my fingernails."

Patience laughed even harder. Wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, she managed, "Please stop. I love your attempts, but seeing you try to make a humorous remark is funnier than your jests themselves."

He grinned. Good God, when was the last time he had tried to make someone laugh? He must have been six. His papa was away, and he was dancing around in front of Chastity and Mama, making very comical faces. It was a relief Papa had left the estate for a day or two, and the three of them felt like they were free.

His pathetic mind came up with another thing: "You're right, love. I used to think my only talent was to direct my valet to tie a cravat perfectly. But now, I've discovered a new skill—the ability to make a complete fool of myself in front of you."

Patience giggled and came to him, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "You're not. I lo—" She cut herself off abruptly, and all humor fell from him.

Lo—loved him?

The ground careened under his feet.

She glanced over her shoulder at the pond where he swam every morning. Then she looked back at him with mischief in her eyes.

"Shall we wash out all that grime from your ducal fingernails, Your Grace?"

He grinned. He did feel warm; the sun was hot today. He had allowed her into the garden, the glasshouse…why not let her into the pond where he usually swam to numb himself?

Because there was not much he wanted to be numb from anymore.

"Excellent suggestion, Your Grace," he chuckled, then scooped her into his arms.

Behind him, Titan barked. As Dorian ran towards the pond with Patience in his arms, Titan bounded alongside them, his long legs easily keeping pace. When they reached the water's edge, Titan didn't hesitate to plunge in after them, sending up a great splash that drenched them all. He paddled around the couple, his head held high above the water, his tail acting as a rudder. Every so often, he would swim close to Patience, gently nudging her with his nose as if to make sure she was safe and happy. Patience reached out to stroke his wet fur, marveling at the dog's unwavering loyalty and love for his humans.

Dorian and Patience kissed, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him while he swam around with her as his passenger.

As the water glistened with reflections of the sun and he felt weightless, he was never as sure as he was then that he loved her.

And that one day he'd ruin everything.

Which scared him to death.