Page 128 of Lady Waldrey’s Gardening Almanac for Cultivating Scandal

A long table covered in checkered tablecloths rested to the side. Even now, servants organized numerous dishes atop it—biscuits, cakes, pies, and other desserts rested to one end, guarded by Benson himself.

At the other end, Mrs. Penn and Mrs. Davis rearranged platters of cold sliced meats, fresh baked rolls, a pot of beans, and what felt like a hundred other dishes. Candace fretted about whether they’d run out of food before the picnic was complete, but Mrs. Penn assured her they’d made enough to feed an army.

Candace had worn the blue-striped coat dress. Perhaps it was a penance of sorts, or perhaps she wanted to prove to herself that her apology to the baroness had been genuine—that she would wear the very type of garb she’d mocked at that terrible dinner.

Or perhaps she wore it just to find out whether she had enough courage to do so.

Regardless, she stood inspecting the clearing, looking pretty as an oil painting, a daring little straw hat tipped forward to shield her eyes from the sun. A blue silk ribbon edged the hat, and silk flowers tucked under its brim in the back.

Her sister, Sophia, had sent the confection of a chapeau from Paris as a gift. It routed its way to London, where the staff had forwarded it on to Devon. It had arrived only yesterday, and Candace was delighted to find that the bouquet of blue, grey, and white flowers perfectly accented the coat dress Jacqueline had given her.

In the distance, a wagon trundled down the road toward the lake, followed by convivial groups of villagers walking behind it. The picnic was beginning.

It was just as she’d imagined it—the happy bunting, the quilts, the mountains of food. Even nature had cooperated. The sun shone benevolently in a bright blue sky. Birds chirped from green-leafed branches, and flowers in full bloom nodded approval atop their stems in the pleasant breeze.

It was perfect. Flawless.

Candace should be pleased. She could barely roust herself to feel anything.

Still, she was the hostess, and that came with certain responsibilities. She painted on a smile and went to greet the first of her guests.

Candace found there was benefit to inviting a hundred villagers to picnic by a lake—it made it far easier to avoid the few people she didn’t want to see. The lakeside clearing was soon filled with laughter, the rumbling of a hundred conversations, and the clinking of dishes. Shrieking children darted amongst the blankets, paying very little heed to those who advised them to slow down.

To the side, Mr. Scott and his helpers manned a grouping of lawn games. Later, there was to be an epic three-legged race. Even now, the younger set repeated potato sack hop-races with breathless delight.

At the end of the clearing, villagers climbed the marble steps of the rotunda and admired the statues within. Candace trusted that the footman she’d assigned to the garden folly would keep any young miscreants from smearing cupcake frosting upon the statues or otherwise defacing them.

The clearing resounded with the merry chaos of a successful party. Still, Candace couldn’t help but notice when James and his entourage arrived. Her heart spasmed when she saw that Miss Ritten stayed close to James's side. All of the ladies in the group carried fluttering parasols to shield themselves from the sun. Dressed in pale pastel silks, they stood out from the rest of the guests like elegant roses in a patch of wildflowers.

Across the way, Vera and the baroness waved at her from a blanket. Candace took the opportunity to cross and speak with them; by happy chance, they were in the opposite direction of James and the detestable ladies.

“Are you enjoying yourselves?” She hoped that she sounded carefree instead of how she actually felt—obsessed with James and Miss Ritten’s proximity.

“Very well, but how are you?” Jacqueline frowned at something behind Candace, and it took all her power not to turn and look.

“Fine, fine,” she said, too quickly to be convincing. “It’s a perfect day for it.”

“It is. And might I comment on your lovely outfit?” Her eyes sparkled. “It suits you perfectly.”

She smoothed the striped coat dress. “Thank you again. It’s beautiful.”

Vera gave her a kind smile. “Would you like to join us?”

Candace shook her head. She instinctively wanted to remain on her feet until she saw where the flock of vultures landed. “I’m going to check in with Mrs. Penn and make sure there’s enough food momentarily.”

Candace thought Vera might have seen through her excuse, but her friend nodded anyway.

“The statues are incredible,” Jacqueline said. “To think they’ve been out here all this time. I had no idea!”

“They were quite hidden by the trees. It took Mr. Scott nearly a fortnight to clear the area.”

“An effort well spent, I’d say.”

“Have you eaten?” Candace asked when the conversation threatened to sag into silence.

Vera nodded. “It was wonderful, though I might need to visit the desserts before they’re all gone.”

Jacqueline’s eyes fixed on something behind her once more. Terrified that it might be James or one of the awful ladies approaching, Candace gave a tight smile and headed in the opposite direction with a rushed goodbye to her friends.