Page 57 of No Ordinary Lady

That didn’t seem to bother Amy one little bit, as she picked up shears to cut the blooms. The gardeners nodded to him as they backed away from Miss Wilson. Amy cut a flower on one bush and then continued on with the same bush, handing them back to him one by one.

The head gardener’s face turned a mottled red as the cutting continued. “Not so many from that one!” he cried out in alarm.

“It’s for the countess,” Amy chided, and continued to snip nearly all the buds off one rose bush to finish off her bouquet, neglecting to see one perfect bud fall to the ground.

Daniel stooped to pick it up and, as he straightened, he caught the gardener's exchanging looks of anger as Amy moved to the next bush.

“I think that will do for the flowers,” Daniel announced.

“But I’m not done yet,” Amy told him.

The gardeners muttered amongst themselves as she cut another bloom.

“That is enough,” Daniel said, snatching the shears from Amy’s hands.

“The decorating of the house is women’s work,” she chided, trying to take the shears back.

“The estate, and house, are mine,” he countered. “So are the flowers.”

Faced with his unexpected opposition, Amy pouted.

Daniel hardly ever noticed the flowers adorning the house anyway, but mother did like them. He urged Miss Wilson and the maid to leave the greenhouse ahead of him, and then turned back to the older men. “I’m so sorry.”

“Those blooms had been saved especially for Mrs. Nolan’s birthday,” the head gardener informed him. “They were to make a special bouquet for her birthday celebration dinner.”

“Miss Wilson must not have known.”

“Begging your pardon, my lord. That is not true. Miss Wilson was with the countess when the request was made weeks ago,” the gardener grumbled sourly. “If you’ll excuse me, my lord, I’d best see what can be salvaged.”

Daniel frowned. Amy had deliberately cut flowers meant for a special occasion mother had planned. “Do what you can, and I’m sure it will be enough for the birthday dinner.”

Daniel walked outside slowly, twirling the stem of a single rosebud between his fingers, deep in thought. The surprise for Granny’s coming birthday was something he’d not heard about yet, but it was lessened now by Miss Wilson’s forgetfulness, or had it been done in spite? Amy had been enthusiastic with her cutting from just those bushes.

When Daniel reached Amy again, he discovered the maid he’d brought along as chaperone, and the flowers just cut, appeared to be gone.

But that meant he was left alone with Amy again. Her eyes dropped to the bloom in his hand. She squared her shoulders then and smiled warmly at him.

Daniel gulped.

She must imagine him about to propose—but he was even further away from that moment, given all she’d said and done today.

He dug his finger under his neckcloth to loosen it as she drew closer to him. It might have been the perfect moment for romance—secluded, and him with a single blood-red rose to offer a future bride.

Instead, he said, “I trust you can find your way back, Miss Wilson.”

Her brow furrowed. “Of course, but aren’t you coming with me?”

“No, there’s something here that requires my immediate attention. An emergency.”

“An emergency? I should stay and help?” Amy asked, almost pleading for him to say yes.

“No. That won’t be necessary. As you said, I should involve myself more with the running of the estate from now on,” he said firmly.

The maid suddenly reappeared, noticed the bloom in his hand, and rushed toward him.

“There it is,” she said, reaching for the bloom. “I feared I’d dropped one somewhere in the garden.”

“Yes, you did,” he said, handing it to the maid with a flourish.