The Estate Agent's Quarters A comfortable room filled with volumes containing estate matters. Upon closer inspection, the books also include literature. Grand houses always had gardens, showy places where the owners found uses for the flowers they grew. The plant lover might have a conservatory that housed exotic plants from faraway lands. Or he might have included a maze on the grounds where a visitor lacking a sense of direction might meet someone unexpectedly.
Few things rouse the senses more than a garden in full bloom.
And if a gentleman plucked a rose and gave it to a lady, the act would be undeniably romantic . . . unless he added that she is like a thorn. Amid spring rhododendrons, a bubbling fountain lures a young lady to touch the cool water. A field of chrysanthemums would emit an unmistakable spicy scent and capture anyone's attention. But this is a grand estate. Separating the formal grounds from the natural environment, a garden arch beckons.