She smiled. “I fear you are right.”
“Excuse me for one second.” He winked and strode over to the tree. He spoke to Bea, and tossed something to her, which she snagged. She then scrambled up the tree and dropped two apples into Daniel’s waiting grasp. He bowed graciously, flashed his potent smile, and returned to her side.
“What was that all about?”
“A business transaction. One bob for two apples.” He grinned. “I believe she got the better of the deal. Apple?”
She stripped off her dirty gloves and lifted her hands to catch his offering.
He hesitated, a teasing gleam entering his eyes. “Maybe I should reconsider. Remember what happened to Eve when she ate the apple? She got exiled.”
“But she gained wisdom, which made her smart enough to put some clothes on.”
“And therein lies the true biblical tragedy.” Daniel sighed as he lobbed the apple to her. “If she hadn’t been tempted by Satan, we would all be naked, happy, and still frolicking in the Garden of Eden.”
“What happens when winter comes? It could get chilly.”
“That is the best part.” He sat on the blanket, then caught her bare hand and pulled her down. He leaned against the fence, and when she had settled her skirts around her and leaned back beside him, he tapped his shoulder to hers. “We would have to combine our body heat to stay warm.”
Smiling, she shifted away from him and shook her head. “I fear that would fail. Without knowledge, they would be too slow to do so, and would freeze to death. It would be the end of all mankind. Eve was wise to eat that apple.” She bit into her own.
He laughed. “Clever. I see why you were so competent managing Taunton’s estates. Nothing escapes you and you are willing to get your hands dirty. You have a keen mind for resolving problems you cannot manage on your own, as shown in your arranging the laundry to be cleaned at Taunton Court. Will you work for my company?”
More compliments to tuck away with the other. As much as they pleased her, his words reminded her why they had come, and her smile faded. “I am needed here. More than I realized.” She set her apple down. She had lost her appetite again.
Daniel appeared to sober as well. “Did Mrs. Mabry say anything to you?”
She recounted the woman’s harangue. “What did you learn from Mabry?” He filled her in on Mabry’s account of the last few years. The two accounts differed in one manner. “She blamed Edmund’s bailiffs. Refused to believe Bedford was sanctioning their stringent measures. Contrary to her husband, she believes Bedford is not as informed on matters as the late duke had been. He doesn’t . . . Edmund doesn’t visit the tenants or ride over the grounds.”
“What are your thoughts?” He had finished his apple and tossed the core onto the blanket beside them.
She gnawed on her lower lip, her emotions in conflict. She wanted to defend Edmund. But she could not. The estate turns a profit. Edmund’s cold and dismissive words haunted her. “I . . . I honestly do not know. But it appears that things have been neglected.”
“Yes, they have. But as you said, that is why you are needed here.” He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Yes, it is. I’ll . . . I will speak to Edmund. See what he has to say.”
He nodded. “That is a start.”
The doubt in his voice gave her pause. “Do you think he will listen?” The question escaped her before she could bite it back, but she was desperate to know his opinion.
He pursed his lips as if contemplating the matter, and then grinned as if an amusing thought had struck him. “If anyone can get Edmund to listen, it would be you. After all, you possess another talent. You are very persuasive about getting people to do your bidding.” His eyes dipped to her lips.
She blinked, but refused to rise to his bait. “Not everyone is as easily persuaded as you.”
He laughed. “I had a keen interest in what you offered.” He winked at her, and ignoring her quelling glance, he continued. “It is all about dangling the right rewards to get someone to do your bidding. So what does Edmund want?”
He still stared at her mouth, and she found her gaze dropping to his. She noticed his bottom lip was fuller than his top. She swallowed. What was his question? Her mind had gone utterly blank, like an unwritten page expectantly waiting to be filled. She dared not voice with what.
“I have a bellyache.”
She jerked back. Good lord, had she been leaning toward Daniel? Admiring his lips? She lifted an unsteady hand to comb it through her hair, struggling to focus on Jonathan, who had crumpled onto the blanket and lay curled in a ball, groaning.