The Redemption of the Puzzling Governess: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance

by Fanny Finch

  “Yes, of course. I hardly dared to approach you after that. I saw the rage all over your face,” Amy noted.

  “Yes, well, I fear that you were probably not the only one to see that anger. But I could scarcely hold it back. I was so deeply hurt and frustrated, you see,” she continued.

  “Then out with it, what happened?” Amy pushed.

  Delia told her the basic story about going to the park and how they were getting unpleasant stares from others. She shared about how the Earl walked away from her and a woman made a rude comment. At the end, uncertain if it was appropriate to mention or not, she told Amy about the Baron.

  "I see…” Amy said. At news of the Baron, Delia saw something in Amy’s eyes.

  “Alright, I think there is much I should tell you. But I know you probably know some of it. In fact, some I’ve already told you. But there is more,” Amy said.

  Delia nodded, remaining quiet in hopes that she would learn something about why the day had been such a misery.

  “So you know about the Countess, yes? The fact that she died from her labor with Grace?” Amy began.

  “Of course, it has been told to me many times,” Delia confirmed.

  “Good. So she gave birth early as a result of an argument, which I’ve also told you. At least, that is what we have all believed caused the labor. The stress and anxiety of her argument with the Earl led to her having Miss Grace a full month early. And from there, she bled out,” Amy said, wrinkling her nose at the last part.

  Delia had not heard the exact reason for the Countess’s death. She felt even more unnerved by the portrait upon hearing these details. That such a beautiful woman died a gruesome, horrible death was beyond her reckoning.

  “Anyway, her family, of course, blamed the Earl of Dulshire. They said she never would have died had he not caused her such strain. They have claimed time and time again that he is at fault,” Amy said.

  “And the Earl, of course, has allowed this to stain him. He has allowed her family to hurl these accusations because he blames himself. He feels guilty for her death and believes as well that he is responsible,” she added.

  “But how could he have controlled it? What man can stop the bleeding of another?” Delia asked.

  “True. But it doesn’t seem to matter to anyone. The Earl failed his wife, that’s how everybody sees it. And with her family blaming him every step of the way, and him being too kind and quiet to refute it, society has drunk up all the rumors,” Amy told her.

  “What sort of rumors?” Delia asked.

  “All sorts. Some say that he paid the doctor not to help her, or even to wound her that she might die sooner. They say that the fight alone was the cause and that was enough. Or they say that he regularly takes lovers and was glad for her death,” Amy listed.

  “That is awful. Why should anyone make such claims?” she demanded.

  "Because they are cruel. And they love to gossip. Wealthy people with boring lives make the worst kind of enemies,” she said. “And unfortunately, the Earl has just such enemies.

  “So that could explain why people were being so rude to you in society. You are young and beautiful. They must believe that you are a paramour of his. They must think that he views you as more than a governess. Just as I warned you. People are cruel. Not just within these walls, but outside of them as well.”

  Delia sighed. She was tired of this. She was hardly the only employee of the Earl. Why was she the one subjected to such things? What had she done to deserved to be spoken of and thought of as his paramour?

  And why did it bother her so much that the possibility of a proper, legitimate relationship would never be possible?

  “Delia, there’s more,” Amy said hesitantly.

  Delia made every effort to stop her train of thought and her recognition that she wished she could be of interest to her employer. Focusing her attentions on Amy, she cleared her throat and waited for her friend to continue.

  “You mentioned that Lord Woldorf was present?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Delia replied with a tone of disapproval. She felt her face distort in disgust.

  “What do you know of the man?” Amy asked.

  “Only that I have taken swift disliking to him. There is something rather obtuse about him. The way he looks at me, the way he suggests that the Earl is fond of me, much like you were saying. It is all rather displeasing,” she answered.

  “Yes, I am not surprised that he is treating you this way. You see, the Earl will never acknowledge it, but there were rumors about his wife as well,” Amy said cautiously.

  “His wife? What of her?” Delia asked, looking at the portrait. The demure face, the delicate features, all of it was looming over this conversation.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t think she can hear us,” Amy said, teasingly, as though reading Delia’s thoughts.

  Delia turned away in embarrassment and focused again on Amy.

  “The late Countess was courted by many suitors. And it is said that she liked one best of all,” she hinted.

  “She liked one best of all? You mean…the Baron?” Delia asked in realization.

  “Remember, these are only rumors that I am telling you,” Amy said quickly, justifying herself for sharing them and attempting to remain blameless.

  “Of course…” Delia replied, knowing that they certainly made sense.

  “However, the Baron was, of course, lower in status than the Earl. So when the late Earl of Dulshire, our Earl’s father, offered the match, her parents positively jumped at the union,” Amy informed her.

  “The rumors say that she continued in her affections for the Baron. No one dares to speak against her or claim that anything improper occurred, but it is generally assumed that she did not simply stop loving him,” Amy added.

  Delia swallowed hard. This was difficult information. It made sense entirely, and yet it left her feeling more confused than ever.

  “So you see, the Baron has hardly been able to hide the fact that his affections for her remained. He stayed close to the Earl throughout the marriage, but his motives have been questioned by all except the Earl himself. He is a man who will not choose to see the bad in anyone,” Amy said.

  “So I have noticed,” Delia replied. She wondered if the man had no self-preservation at all. He was constantly allowing others to wound him. She had seen that he was willing to come to the rescue of others, but never himself.

  “So I imagine that if the Baron has been less than decent with you, it is out of spite for the Earl. Again, I could be wrong or misinformed about all of this. But that is my own suspicion,” Amy said, closing her mouth at that point.

  “I believe that your suspicions are rather justified in their own right. Truly, everything that you are saying makes perfect sense given what I have seen from the man,” Delia remarked.

  She thought about the dinner party when she found the Baron staring at the portrait. It was clear to her now that what she had then felt uneasy about was entirely correct. The Baron was a cruel and horrible man if men half of this was true.

  Yes, she felt sad for him, having the woman he loved taken away. But to have remained close to the Earl, to have pretended to be his friend all for the sake of being close to his wife? That was not the sort of integrity she would have anticipated from someone of his station.

  Truly it made her more and more certain that the Baron had poor intentions. How he had treated her had been unpleasant, but she now wondered if he had even greater motives. Was he trying to get close to her in revenge? Was he trying to tar the reputation of the Earl?

  Whatever it might be, she determined she would not be used as his pawn.

  Delia wondered if she ought to say something to the Earl. It was not her place. But she had dared to tell him things before that were not her place. She had been bold previously and faced no consequences. Would she be so fortunate a second time?

  Or would the Earl cast her out? She could not afford to lose her position. She could not risk yet
another scandal. She had hidden the first well, but another might not go so easily.

  It could even bring the first to light.

  Delia sat with these thoughts, unsure of what her move ought to be. It was safest to just remain and wait and watch how the Baron responded in their future interactions. Perhaps he was reacting this way out of bitterness but he was actually a decent man, merely wounded.

  Or perhaps he really was out to destroy all that the Earl held dear. Either way, she would learn the truth over time. There was no reason to react on it now when she was still trying to figure things out for herself.

  But if the late Countess really had loved the Baron, Delia felt terribly sad for the Earl. No matter that he had not loved her in return, at least he had not loved another.

  Would he ever? Would he someday allow himself to love another woman? Would he ever be able to care for someone like her? Or was she a fool to even acknowledge the desire?

  Chapter 20

  Sitting in his study, the Earl was surprised at the arrival of the Lord Woldorf.

  “Forgive me, I did not expect you,” the Earl said, settling back into his chair after the routine greetings.

  “Yes, so terribly sorry for dropping in,” the Baron apologized.

  “And how are you? I’ve not seen you since Friday in the park,” the Earl noted.

  “Yes, yes. Four days. I am well now. I simply had a busy weekend with my family and our affairs. I had wanted urgently to come and see you though,” the Baron said, taking a seat across from the Earl.

  “Urgently? Why should I warrant an urgent visit?” the Earl of Dulshire asked with a laugh.

  “Well, I suppose I had some questions after our visit,” the Baron remarked.

  “Questions? Of what nature?” the Earl inquired.

  “Your new little friend…” he said.

  The Earl took a moment to try and think who he could mean. When he remembered all the men who had been standing around, discussing matters, he could think of no one new. In fact, it was the same group of titled men that always seemed to be present when he and the Baron were around one another.

  “I fear I cannot think who you mean,” he confessed.

  “Really? Who was with you on Saturday that I have seen only once previously? Here at your own home?” the Baron hinted further.

  The Earl suddenly made the connection and realized who the Baron meant.

  “Ah, you mean my daughter’s governess?” he asked, using language that might distance himself from her.

  “Your daughter’s governess…I reckon she is a great deal more than that,” the Baron noted.

  “I do not care what it is that you reckon. What do you mean by bringing her into conversation?” the Earl asked, feeling a tug of defensiveness that his friend would speak in concern about her.

  “I was simply curious about her. She seems…ambitious,” the Baron said as if that were a gentle word to use in regards to her.

  “Ambitious? Well, she is rather clever. I suppose you’re right. She is ambitious. She had been an excellent source of knowledge for my daughter and has brought about a great deal of improvement,” he complimented, realizing how Miss Caulfield’s ambition was an asset.

  “Oh dear, perhaps I have not used the right word,” the Baron remarked.

  “Well what, then?” the Earl asked. He sensed concern in his friend’s voice but still had not been given a reason for it.

  “When I speak of her ambition, I am not addressing her skill as a governess. I am referring to the way in which I have watched her interact with you,” the Baron tread carefully.

  “Alright, let’s have it. Just be out with it. We can go around in circles with these polite remarks and questions or you can tell me what it really is that you are distressed about in regards to Miss Caulfield,” the Earl said, tired of the niceties.

  “Right then. Here it is. I am concerned for you. I see in her the sort of woman who might take advantage of the way in which you see the good in everybody. I fear that she will be your undoing if you allow her to continue using you as she has thus far,” the Baron pushed.

  The Earl was silent for a moment before he scoffed.

  “What on earth might lead you to such a conclusion about her? Why, she is the very last young woman I can imagine trying to use me for position. She has done no such thing. She has been kind to the staff of the house when they have been unkind to her. She has encouraged me in my fatherhood. She has done nothing for herself and everything for us,” the Earl reasoned.

  “So it seems. But think about it, will you? If she is good to your staff, that is because she intends to become their mistress. If she has encouraged your relationship with your daughter, then first you must note that such a thing is not the duty of a governess. If you ask yourself why she would push for something beyond her duty, perhaps it is because she wishes for you to see her in a motherly role,” the Baron pointed out.

  The Earl was quiet on that point. He could not imagine that Miss Caulfield would ever be acting as she did in order to gain these things for herself. And yet the Baron’s reasoning was logical. She was an intelligent woman. She could figure out how to manipulate a man.

  The thought against her was unreasonable. She had shown nothing in her character to warrant the accusation and the Earl felt certain that integrity could not be faked this length of time.

  “I thank you for your concern, but truly you are mistaken. Her intentions are nothing more than ensuring that Grace has a solid education. I assure you, all is well,” he said.

  The Baron did not look convinced. The Earl recognized that his friend’s concern was caring and ought to be appreciated. He wondered then if it might be an opportune time to begin asking questions that he had been asking himself.

  “But as you speak of a new mistress for the home…dare I ask a question?” the Earl began.

  “You know that I am your friend and will make every effort to answer it,” the Baron promised.

  “I have been a widower for eight year,” he began. “Do you think it would be frowned upon if, in fact, I did grow to care for someone? I am merely asking because I know that I have a long life ahead. And Grace deserves a mother- “

  “She has a mother,” the Baron said swiftly with a tone that made the Earl drink back.

  “Forgive me,” the Baron said, calming himself down. “I merely meant that she had best not be made to forget the woman who carried her and gave birth to her.”

  “Of course. I would never allow that,” the Earl replied, trying to even his tone after the unanticipated response from his friend. He was hesitant to continue in his questions.

  “But I cannot blame you, of course, for wanting to find a new bride,” the Baron said, still seeming a bit off. “After all, you are correct. You have been alone these past eight years.”

  “But would it make me a terrible person? Would it be frowned upon? Would people believe that I had forgotten my wife entirely? You know I have not courted any woman since. But if you think society would deem it acceptable, I shouldn’t mind the thought of seeking a wife,” he confessed.

  It felt heavy to speak the words. The Earl also knew that the only woman he considered suitable was the very one that the Baron had come to warn him against.

  “My friend, I think we have all seen your grief. You have waited a great deal of time. Why should you not now have the joy of sharing in marriage once more?” the Baron asked in a supportive tone.

  The smile on his face was…forced somehow. The Earl felt that he was missing something vitally important. And yet, he was relieved to receive the support of the Baron. He was thankful that his friend saw nothing wrong with his desire to marry again.

  He wondered, however, if the small sense of frustration that he read in his friend was a result of having never found a wife. Was it unfair for the Earl to seek a second marriage when his friend had not had the joy of a first?

  “Thank you for understanding. I was terribly frightened that people might not unders
tand that my desire to marry again is not from a desire to forget my wife. It is that I wish to experience the joy of marriage again. And if I should be so fortunate as to find a good wife, I cannot refuse my own happiness,” the Earl explained.

  “No, you simply mustn’t. You deserve to enjoy your life and to have a wife again,” the Baron said through his toothy smile.

  The Earl could not share that the only woman he felt any sort of affection for was Miss Caulfield. The Baron clearly felt a friendly anxiety for the Earl already when it came to her. He was not able to explain that it was he, not his governess, who desired a future together. He worried that out of concern, the Baron might insist he send her away or something.