The mood shattered when Mr. Washam let out a heavy sigh. Truthfully, Elmore had forgotten he was even there, at least until Mr. Washam came to put a gentle hand on Elmore's shoulders.
"We should sit," Mr. Washam suggested, "and try to calm down after that adventure. I don't think that Lord Foley will be bothering us again."
It was a shame really, because Elmore had truly hoped to make Lord Foley see reason. He knew now, however, that some things were impossible.
He didn't protest as they all filed into the sitting room. He even shut the curtains just in case Lord Foley was still lingering. Then, with no energy left in him, Elmore collapsed into the nearest chair.
Aurora settled delicately next to him, brushing hair behind her ear. Her nose wrinkled as she looked up at Elmore, but her expression softened when they locked gazes.
"I'm sorry that you had to be here for this," she mumbled, "but I'm glad that you handled it. Would you like me to take a look at your bruise?"
He willingly accepted her care, smiling as Aurora settled in the chair beside him. Her touch was gentle, affectionate, and Elmore found himself unable to hide his smile.
Chapter 29
Elmore Winters
The angel's trumpet arrived the very next day, carefully wrapped in several layers of protective newspaper, and placed inside a padded box.
It was exactly what they needed after the disaster with the Baron — it was a little bit of comfort, to know that at least some things were going well.
They unpacked the box in the garden near where they wanted the greenhouse to go, each of them wearing thick gardener's gloves for protection.
The moment that Elmore got a good look at the plant, he muffled a gasp. It was just as radiant as he remembered, a soft cream fading to pink at the very end of the bell-shaped flower. His own drawing could never have done it the justice it deserved; the angel's trumpet was, well, angelic.
When he turned to don his gloves, he saw Aurora smiling. Her hands drifted out, but even in gloves she seemed reluctant to touch it. Yet her beautiful grin was unmistakable.
"How is your first glimpse of the angel's trumpet?" Elmore asked lightly, "is it as good as you imagined?"
"Better," Aurora breathed, and the joy in her voice was evident. "I've never seen anything so beautiful, or so dangerous."
That was the definition of the angel's trumpet; beautiful yet deadly. Terrifying yet lovely.
"We should have it planted quickly," Elmore advised, "it had a long journey from Italy, and I don't like our chances if we leave it inside a box full of soil."
There were holes in the box to allow light through, but that wasn't nearly enough. Not to mention, it had come here by boat and that couldn't have been a smooth journey; knowing the conditions of those boats, it was a relief to see the plant undamaged.
They set about lifting the plant carefully out of the box. Elmore did most of the work, but Mr. Washam helped to ease the padding out of the way for an easier journey.
Meanwhile, Aurora watched with wide and entranced eyes. It was sweet to see her so excited, especially after yesterday; Elmore was trying his best not to think about what had happened.
Finally, the plant was free of its confines! It had been planted into a small pot for easier travel, a plain white thing, but they had all decided to put it directly into the ground until the greenhouse was ready, to acclimatize it to the English soil.
“All right,” Mr. Washam announced as he scrubbed dirt from his gloves, "I have to go to work, can I trust the two of you to get this ready by tonight?"
Aurora and Elmore nodded in tandem, while Aurora said, "of course, Father."
"Excellent, then I will trust you to continue. You know where I am if you encounter any trouble."
Elmore declined to mention that if they ran into real trouble, they wouldn't have the time to get to him all the way at the Duke's estate. Angel's trumpet killed quickly — and if it didn't kill, it left people in no position to fetch help.
It wasn't the most reassuring start to their project, but it was a risk they were all aware of.
Mr. Washam waved goodbye as he departed; and then it was only the two of them left.
"Well," Elmore suggested, "shall we continue?"
Together, they managed to not only plant the angel's trumpet without incident, but also give it a healthy dousing of water. It had dried out on its journey from Italy, but after water and some sunshine, it would improve greatly.