Page 46 of Lady Waldrey’s Gardening Almanac for Cultivating Scandal

James smiled. “True, although many parents experience self-indulgence on either end of that spectrum.”

Her brow wrinkled. “Explain.”

“Some parents don’t wish to be bothered with the hard work of discipline, so they forego it altogether. Other parents try and beat their children into frightened submission to their every whim. Both kinds of parents have their own laziness to blame.”

“An interesting interpretation of behavior. Have you ever thought of lecturing on the topic?” she teased.

He examined her from the corner of his eye. “We’ve strayed from the central point.”

“Which is?”

He turned to face her. “That you’ve been given much, even if you haven’t been given precisely what you want.”

“Oh, yes. That.”

“It’s your choice whether this unfortunate event comes to define your life or whether it becomes an irrelevant footnote that you hardly even remember. It will take time and your efforts to make it so, however.”

Candace tipped her head back melodramatically and closed her eyes. “If only gin were the solution some claim it to be.”

James laughed.

CHAPTER 15- CANDACE

From the Quentin Daily-

Secret cave beneath the Tower of London conceals the Fountain of Youth! The same guard has been watching over it since the Tower’s construction hundreds of years ago! “Time means nothing to him,” a local resident claims. “He’s lived a hundred lifetimes!”

The following morning, Candace rose early and dressed quickly. She chose a navy-blue dress with a thin chocolate-brown check woven into the fabric—a practical walking ensemble that allowed much freedom of movement. This was her uniform to wear on the day she would discover her New Life’s Purpose. Despite her jokes of the failures of gin, she’d taken James’s words to heart.

It helped that she’d heard very much the same thing from the various people in her life—Hortense, Vera, James, and the baroness, who’d visited again the previous afternoon. Some people were able to suss the value of a thing the first time they heard it. Others, like Candace, needed to hear the same thing four or five times before it truly sank in.

Regardless, she explored the house and made herself a List of Things to Do. These were various projects that might be available to her and therefore might lead to a previously undiscovered personal passion.

So far, her list was quite short. Number one was Vera—specifically, her appearance. Except, Candace wrote that down and found it far too glaringly mean. Vera was lovely, so Candace quickly scratched out Vera’s Appearance and wrote Dresses for Vera, accessories and hairstyles, etc.

That felt much better—from judgement to beneficence in the stroke of a pen!

But as that project was as well underway as was possible for the moment, Candace moved on with other ideas.

She made a list of the rooms that required the attention of a decorator, which included the back parlor, the entryway, and the servants’ passages—which were in dire need of paint. The servants’ quarters were clean but could use more items of comfort, such as quilts, shelves, and padded chairs and footstools for resting after a hard day’s work.

With these tasks in mind, she arrived at the breakfast table with rosy cheeks and bright eyes.

Vera was already seated; her teacup paused halfway to her mouth. “You’re up.”

“Of course I’m up.” Candace nodded her thanks to the footman who poured her tea. “You needn’t sound so surprised.”

Vera’s eyes twinkled. “Begging your pardon, but this is the second breakfast we’ve shared since we arrived in Devon.”

“I suppose it is.” She blinked with that realization. “Well, moving forward, I expect you’ll see much more of me in the mornings.”

“Oh?”

Candace lightly tapped the green leather journal just to the side of her plate. “I’ve made a list.”

“Have you, now?” Vera sipped her tea. “I’d love to hear what’s on it.”

“Well, some of it is a secret.”