Temptation Of A Governess. Sarah Mallory

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СКАЧАТЬ matter. His features were too austere and rugged, the nose slightly crooked, possibly from a blow, and there were tiny scars across his left eyebrow and his chin that were doubtless from some duel. His dark-brown hair was untidy, ruffled by the wind rather than by the hand of a master, and beneath his black brows his eyes, when they rested on her, were hard as slate.

      No, thought Diana, as he brought the team to a plunging halt at the main door, he could not be called a handsome man, yet she found him disturbing. Possibly because he was now the earl, and technically her employer, even if her late brother-in-law’s will gave her joint guardianship of Meggie and Florence. There was no doubt he could make life difficult for her, if he so wished. She would have to tread carefully.

      ‘Can you get down?’ he asked her. ‘I cannot leave the horses.’

      ‘Of course.’ She jumped out. ‘Take them to the stables and I will fetch Meggie and Florence to the drawing room.’

      She thought he might argue and want to continue their discussion indoors but to her relief he drove off without a word and she limped up the steps into the house.

      * * *

      Word of the new earl’s arrival had preceded her, thanks to his lordship’s groom and she found Mrs Wallace bustling through the hall. She stopped as Diana came in and beamed at her.

      ‘Ah, Miss Grensham, I have taken the liberty of putting cake and lemonade in the drawing room, and Fingle is even now gone to draw off some ale, since we know that Mr Alex—Lord Davenport, I should say!—is quite partial to a tankard of home-brewed.’

      ‘Thank you, Mrs Wallace. I will go up to the children.’

      ‘They are with Nurse now,’ said the housekeeper, chuckling. ‘They was all for dashing out to meet his lordship, so excited were they to hear he was come, but I sent them back upstairs to have their hands and faces washed.’

      Smiling, Diana made her way to the top floor, where she found her two charges submitting reluctantly to Nurse’s ministrations.

      ‘Diana, Diana, Uncle Alex is come!’ cried Meggie, running to meet her.

      ‘I know, and once you and Florence are ready I shall take you to the drawing room.’ Diana smiled down at Meggie, thinking how much she looked like her mother, with her fair hair and deep-brown eyes. Would Alex see it and take comfort, as she did? A tug on her gown brought her attention to her other little charge. Florence was as dark as Meggie was fair but no less lively, her grey eyes positively twinkling now.

      ‘Can we still call him Uncle Alex, even if he is now the earl?’

      ‘Of course we can,’ declared Meggie. ‘He is still my uncle, and you have always called him Uncle Alex. Nothing has changed, has it, Diana?’

      Diana merely smiled, but as she accompanied her charges to the drawing room she was very much afraid that everything was about to change.

      * * *

      The new Lord Davenport was already in the drawing room when they went in, standing with one arm resting on the mantelshelf and gazing moodily into the empty hearth. At the sound of the children’s voices the sombre look fled, he smiled and dropped down on to the sofa, inviting the children to join him. They raced across the room, greeting him with a hug and a kiss upon the cheek. Diana walked forward more slowly, surprised at the change in Alex from autocrat to friendly, approachable uncle. The girls settled themselves on either side of him, chattering non-stop, and she heard Meggie asking him why he had stayed away for so long.

      ‘I have had a great deal of business to attend,’ he told her. ‘But it was remiss of me not to come and see you, and I beg your pardon.’

      ‘Diana said you would be busy,’ said Florence. ‘She said you would also be very sad, because Papa Davenport was your brother.’

      ‘Did you weep?’ Meggie asked him. ‘Florence and I wept when we were told that Mama and Papa had drowned. And Diana did, too.’

      ‘No, I did not weep,’ he said gravely. ‘But I was very sad.’

      ‘Diana hugged us and that made us feel better,’ said Meggie. ‘It is a pity you were not here, Uncle Alex, because she could have hugged you, too.’

      Diana smothered a laugh with a fit of coughing and turned away, knowing her cheeks would be pink with embarrassment. She might consider the new earl selfish and insensitive, but she was grateful to him for adroitly changing the subject.

      ‘I think it is time we had some of this delicious cake that Mrs Wallace has made,’ he declared. ‘Perhaps one of you young ladies would cut a slice for me?’

      Recovering, Diana moved towards the table to help the girls serve the refreshments. She was relieved that the gentleman showed no signs of wishing to quarrel in front of the girls and she was content to remain silent while he talked to them about how they spent their days and what they had learned in the schoolroom. The children were bright and as eager to learn as Diana was to teach them and she was very happy, once they had finished their refreshments, for Meggie and Florence to take the earl up to the schoolroom and show him their work. Diana remained below. It would do him no harm to enjoy the company of his wards for a while, so she took her tambour frame into the morning room to await their return.

      * * *

      Lord Davenport came in alone some time later and she could not resist a teasing question.

      ‘Have they exhausted you?’

      ‘By no means, but Nurse reminded them that Judd would be waiting in the stable to give them their riding lesson and even I could not compete with that treat.’

      ‘No, they love their ponies and I can trust Judd to look after them.’

      ‘You can indeed. He threw me up on my first pony and is devoted to the family.’

      His good mood encouraged her to touch on their earlier discussions.

      ‘You see how happy they are here, my lord.’

      Immediately the shutters came down.

      ‘They might be as happy elsewhere.’

      ‘In time, perhaps, but not yet.’ She felt at a disadvantage with him standing over her so she put aside her sewing and rose. ‘They are content during the day, but they are still not sleeping well. They have suffered bad dreams and even nightmares since they learned of the shipwreck. Chantreys is their home; they know it and love it. It would be cruel to uproot them now.’

      ‘I am informed there are very good schools, where they might mix with children of their own age and rank.’

      ‘They have that here,’ she replied. ‘They have friends amongst several of the local families and the servants here all go out of their way to look after them. They do not want for company.’

      ‘But perhaps a broader education might be beneficial. A school would provide masters in all subjects.’

      ‘Perhaps, but the very best masters are to be found in London and living here we have access to them. There is also much to be learned from the entertainments to be found in town. Their education will not be found lacking, I assure you.’

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