Page 10 of Convincing Marianne (The Widows of Lavender Cottage #2)

Chapter Nine

M arianne set out for Lady Joanna's house the next morning with Wellington trotting hopefully at her heels and a basket of Mrs. Smith's fresh scones as a peace offering for the previous day's dramatics.

The morning was crisp and bright, perfect for walking, though she suspected her real motivation for choosing to walk rather than take the pony cart had more to do with a certain neighbor than with appreciation for autumn weather.

She paused at Lord Alton's front gate, gathering her courage.

Yesterday's rescue had been mortifying enough without adding the awkwardness of having to ask favors afterward.

But Lady Joanna had been quite insistent that Lord Alton's participation was essential to the festival's success, and Marianne found herself oddly eager to ensure his attendance.

It was merely practical consideration, she told herself firmly. Nothing more.

The pristine condition of Lord Alton's estate never failed to impress her.

Every hedge was perfectly trimmed, every path free of weeds, every building maintained to military standards.

It was the sort of organized beauty that should have intimidated someone whose own garden contained goats with anarchist tendencies, but instead it made her curious about the man who found peace in such order.

She knocked briskly on the front door before she could lose her nerve.

Lord Alton himself answered, looking impeccably dressed despite the early hour.

His dark hair was perfectly arranged, his cravat precisely tied, and his coat showed no evidence of yesterday's arboreal adventure.

Only the slight widening of his eyes when he saw her suggested any surprise at finding his disheveled neighbor on his doorstep.

"Lady Marianne," he said with formal politeness. "Good morning. I trust you suffered no lasting effects from yesterday's... excitement?"

"None whatsoever," she assured him cheerfully. "Though I did promise Mrs. Smith I would check on you as well. She was quite concerned that you might have strained something during the rescue operation."

"I'm perfectly well, thank you."

"Excellent. In that case, I wondered if you might like to walk with me to Lady Joanna's house? For the festival planning meeting?"

Something flickered across his expression—surprise, perhaps, or pleasure. "You're walking?"

"It's a beautiful morning, and Wellington insisted on coming along.

" She gestured to the pug, who was currently investigating Lord Alton's front steps with the sort of focused attention usually reserved for matters of great importance.

"I thought the fresh air might help clear my head for all the organizational challenges ahead. "

Lord Alton glanced at his perfectly appointed hallway, then back at Marianne and her hopeful expression. "Allow me to fetch my coat."

As they set off down the lane together, Marianne found herself surprised by how natural it felt to walk beside him. Lord Alton adjusted his longer stride to match hers without comment, and Wellington seemed to approve of the arrangement, trotting between them with obvious satisfaction.

"I wanted to thank you again," Marianne said as they approached the village proper. "For yesterday, I mean. I realize climbing trees to rescue peacocks wasn't exactly what you had planned for your morning."

"It was... educational," Lord Alton replied carefully.

"Educational?"

"I learned that Clarence has a remarkable sense of timing, that oak trees are more challenging to navigate than they appear, and that you have a disturbing tendency to prioritize others' welfare over your own safety."

Marianne laughed. "That last one isn't news to anyone who knows me well. Charles used to say I'd try to rescue a drowning cat even if I couldn't swim."

"And would you?"

"Probably," she admitted. "Though I'd try to think of a sensible plan first."

He choked on a laugh.

She raised one eyebrow. “Something you’d like to share?”

He tried to suppress his obvious grin. "Your definition of 'sensible' may need refinement."

"Possibly. But Clarence is safe, and that's what matters."

Lord Alton was quiet for a moment, and Marianne wondered if she'd said something wrong. But when she glanced at him, his expression was thoughtful rather than disapproving.

"You genuinely care about their welfare," he said finally. "The animals, I mean. It's not just... eccentricity or fashionable sentiment."

"Of course I care about them. They're family." Marianne paused, realizing how that might sound to someone whose own family relationships were presumably more conventional. "I know that must seem strange to you."

"Not strange," Lord Alton said slowly. "Just... different from what I expected."

They had reached Lady Joanna's impressive residence, where several other carriages were already waiting. Marianne recognized Lady Victoria's elegant equipage and Charlotte's more practical conveyance, which meant the other Widows had arrived ahead of them.

"Are you ready to face the forces of organized widowhood?" Marianne asked with a grin.

"I'm beginning to suspect that no amount of military training could prepare a man for that particular challenge," Lord Alton replied, but his tone was amused rather than apprehensive.

Lady Joanna's butler showed them to the morning room, where they found the Somerset Widows in full planning mode.

Papers covered every available surface, Lady Victoria was consulting what appeared to be a guest list the size of a small book, and Charlotte was gesturing dramatically while describing something that involved "spectacular theatrical elements. "

"Lady Marianne! Lord Alton!" Lady Joanna rose to greet them with obvious satisfaction. "Perfect timing. We were just discussing the coordination challenges."

"Coordination challenges?" Lord Alton asked with the wariness of someone who'd learned to be suspicious of such phrases.

"The festival has grown rather beyond our original scope," Margaret explained, looking up from a complex diagram that appeared to chart vendor locations, entertainment schedules, and crowd flow patterns. "We now have commitments from participants across three counties, which means..."

"Which means," Caroline added gently, "that we need someone with experience in large-scale logistical planning to ensure everything runs smoothly."

Lord Alton studied the papers scattered across the table with the same focused attention he'd given to Lady Marianne's tree situation. "How many people are you expecting?"

"Conservatively? Five hundred," Victoria replied. "Optimistically? Perhaps twice that."

"And the event duration?"

"Two days," Lady Joanna said. "Saturday and Sunday, to accommodate both local families and visitors traveling from greater distances."

Marianne watched Lord Alton process this information, noting the way his expression shifted from polite interest to genuine engagement as he began to understand the scope of the challenge.

"You'll need separate staging areas for different activities," he said after a moment. "Food vendors in one section, entertainment in another, children's activities in a third. And clear traffic patterns to prevent bottlenecks."

"Exactly what we thought," Margaret said with obvious relief. "But we need someone who understands crowd management and can coordinate between multiple sites simultaneously."

"Multiple sites?"

"The village common for the main events," Lady Joanna explained, "but we'll need overflow areas for parking, additional vendor space, and some of the larger demonstrations. Your estate borders the common, and Lady Marianne's cottage grounds could serve as coordination headquarters..."

Marianne found herself holding her breath as Lord Alton considered this proposal. She could see him weighing the disruption to his ordered routine against the practical challenges that clearly appealed to his organizational instincts.

"What sort of demonstrations?" he asked.

"Agricultural innovations," Charlotte said with a meaningful glance at Marianne. "Lady Marianne mentioned that you've been experimenting with new farming techniques that have significantly improved local yields."

"You want me to demonstrate crop rotation methods at a charity festival?"

"Why not?" Marianne said, warming to the idea. "People need to eat, and better farming means more food for everyone. It's completely relevant to the foundling cause—these children will need sustainable food sources as they grow."

Lord Alton looked at her with something that might have been admiration. "You've thought about the long-term implications."

"Of course. There's no point in rescuing children from poverty only to send them into a world that can't support them properly. Better agricultural methods mean stronger communities, which means better opportunities for everyone."

"She's absolutely right," Lady Joanna said with satisfaction. "And demonstrations of practical innovations would draw attendees who might not otherwise be interested in charity events. Farmers, landowners, progressive thinkers..."

"People with money to donate," Victoria added pragmatically.

Lord Alton was studying the planning documents again, and Marianne could see his tactical mind engaging with the problem. "You'd need security for crowds this size. And emergency medical arrangements. And weather contingency plans."

"We were hoping you might have suggestions," Caroline said hopefully.

For the next hour, Marianne watched in fascination as Lord Alton transformed from reluctant participant to active planner. His military background proved invaluable as he identified potential problems the Widows hadn't considered and proposed solutions that were both practical and elegant.

"Communication between sites will be crucial," he said, sketching a rough map on one of Margaret's diagrams. "Runners stationed at regular intervals, with clear protocols for different types of situations."

"What about weather?" Charlotte asked. "We can't exactly move everything indoors if it rains."

"Canvas pavilions for essential activities, with the understanding that some events may need to be postponed or relocated," Lord Alton replied without hesitation. "And elevated platforms for the main stage area to prevent flooding if the ground becomes muddy."

Marianne found herself admiring not just his practical knowledge, but the way he listened carefully to each Widow's concerns and incorporated their ideas into his planning.

He didn't dismiss their suggestions or attempt to take over the project, but rather strengthened their existing plans with his expertise.

"The children's area will need special attention," he continued, marking sections on the map. "Separate entrance and exit points to prevent them from getting lost in the main crowd, and activities positioned where parents can supervise while still participating in other events."

"You've clearly thought about this before," Lady Joanna observed.

"Not festivals specifically, but crowd management principles are universal. Military campaigns involve similar coordination challenges, just with different objectives."

"And you're willing to help coordinate the logistics?" Margaret asked hopefully.

Lord Alton glanced around the table at the five determined women who had somehow managed to organize a county-wide charity event, then at Marianne, who was watching him with barely concealed excitement.

"I believe I could be persuaded," he said carefully. "Provided, of course, that Lady Marianne agrees to serve as my liaison for the more... unpredictable... aspects of the planning."

"Unpredictable aspects?" Marianne asked with mock innocence.

"Animal entertainment, emergency peacock rescues, and whatever other domestic disasters are likely to arise when your household is involved in a large public event."

The Widows exchanged glances that suggested they found this arrangement entirely satisfactory.

"Excellent," Lady Joanna declared. "Lord Alton, you'll coordinate overall logistics and site management.

Lady Marianne, you'll handle special events and serve as liaison between the organizing committee and the practical implementation.

The rest of us will manage our assigned areas according to the framework you develop together. "

As the meeting concluded and specific assignments were distributed, Marianne realized she'd just committed herself to working closely with Lord Alton for the next several weeks. The prospect should have been daunting—all that coordination and planning and attention to detail.

Instead, she found herself looking forward to it with an anticipation that had nothing to do with charity work and everything to do with the man who'd just proven himself capable of managing even the most chaotic situations with calm competence.

"Are you ready for this?" Lord Alton asked as they prepared to leave Lady Joanna's house.

"Are you?" Marianne countered.

"I'm beginning to think that readiness may be an illusion when it comes to your particular approach to life," he replied. "But I'm willing to find out what happens when careful planning meets enthusiastic improvisation."

"It should be interesting," Marianne agreed.

As they walked back toward their respective homes—Wellington once again trotting contentedly between them—Marianne reflected that 'interesting' was probably an understatement.

Working closely with Lord Alton was going to test both her organizational skills and her ability to maintain proper neighborly distance.

But watching him engage with the festival planning, seeing his genuine concern for making the event successful, had revealed new depths to the man she'd initially dismissed as merely rigid and proper.

Perhaps there was more to Lord Henry Alton than met the eye. And perhaps, if she was very lucky, she might be just the person to help him discover what lay beyond the boundaries of his perfectly ordered world.

After all, someone had to coordinate the unpredictable aspects of the festival. It might as well be someone who specialized in embracing chaos with open arms.