"That would be terrific," Derek tells her. "Hugh and I got to know each other in the car. Didn't we, Lord Sommerleigh?"
Naturally, my brother invokes Hugh's title in a sarcastic tone.
"Oh, we certainly did that," Hugh agrees with equal sarcasm. "Derek and I are best mates now."
Lady Sommerleigh gives her son a motherly smile. "I'm so happy you've made friends at last. I adore Callum, but he lives far away. You need local friends too."
"Are you going to Callum's wedding, Lady Sommerleigh?" I ask. "Hugh invited me to be his date."
"My son is attending Callum's wedding?" she says. "I wasn't aware the lovely boy was engaged. Hugh, why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I, ah, wasn't sure I wanted to go."
"Of course you do." She eyes her son up and down, and her brows draw together. "What's wrong, dear? Did you and Callum have an argument?"
Hugh glances out the window and winces. "It's complicated, Mum. But I've agreed to serve as Callum's best man, and Avery has agreed to be my date. You can come too, if you like."
"Yes, I would love that."
Lady Sommerleigh still seems confused, but being a proper Englishwoman, she hides that fact very well. "My, but I am famished. I'm sure Mildred has cooked up a delicious midday feast for us."
We all follow Lady Sommerleigh down the hall and into the dining room, where a feast really does await us. Do British aristocrats always eat this much for lunch? Or have they made a special Sunday meal for us? I don't think Hugh has come home for a while, so maybe his mother wants to celebrate the fact he's here now.
Hugh sits at the head of the table, but his mother insists on sitting beside me. When her son points out that's not proper, she says "tosh" and does it anyway. Derek winds up on the other side of the table, seated kitty-corner to Hugh. We all chat during lunch, mostly about mundane things. Derek tells Lady Sommerleigh stories about his adventures as a bodyguard, and she laughs heartily at every humorous moment he relates.
Lady Sommerleigh is not at all what I expected, based on previous conversations. During our video calls and our one in-person meeting, she had behaved with all the grace and decorum I expected from a woman of her station. But I like finding out she's not always that way. Hugh does not care about being proper, though he would never intentionally embarrass his family. And I love that about him.
After lunch, Lady Sommerleigh asks me to take a walk in the garden with her. Hugh defers to his mom and suggests he'll take Derek on a tour of the garage. When my brother seems dubious about what a great privilege that is, Hugh informs him that the Sommerleigh garage is "nothing to sneeze at, mate." Apparently, it's enormous.
We ladies amble out into the gorgeous garden that occupies most of the open area behind the house. Colorful flowers bloom on bushes and in ground beds, while a small maze takes up one corner of the garden. Lady Sommerleigh leads me to a concrete bench nestled under an arbor.
"I adore you, Avery," she says as she takes my hand. "And Hugh adores you even more. I'm delighted that you two have fallen in love. I know Hugh won't admit to that yet, but you and I can be honest with each other. Can't we?"
"Yes. But I'm not sure what I feel for Hugh, not yet."
"Trust an old woman's intuition." She enfolds my hand with both of hers. "You are the perfect one for Hugh, and he's the right one for you too."
My cheeks grow warm, and my heart beats faster. "Hugh means a lot to me, Lady Sommerleigh. But I need more time to figure out if we could have a future together."
"Please call me Rosalyn. I know my son, and he has never looked at any other woman the way he looks at you."
I swallow, but my throat remains dry and tight.
"Hugh has believed for a long time that he never wants to marry," Rosalyn says. "But I always knew he would change his mind when the right woman came along. I imagine you've seen sides of him I haven't, and that's as it should be."
"I care about him, really I do. But my job takes me all over the world, and Hugh seems like a homebody."
Her lips curve into a soft smile. "You might be surprised by what each of you is willing to do for the other. Love can change your world."
I open my mouth but can't produce any words.
She rises and gestures for me to do the same. "Now, let's explore the garden. Then we'll find the boys."
As I follow her down a gravel path lined with gorgeous flowers, I can't stop myself from wondering. Can Hugh and I merge our lives? Or is our relationship destined to fail?
Chapter Seventeen
Hugh