by Fanny Finch
Grace continued in her excitement and once the meal had been completed, she stood to sing the song that she had prepared for Miss Caulfield.
The Earl watched his daughter glow and he watched the pride and joy on the face of the governess. As the French words lilted from Grace’s mouth, she seemed to grow brighter and fuller of life.
But after the performance was over, the Earl knew that it was time for his daughter to get some rest. And after that, there would be little else to keep the evening entertained.
He had made every effort to treat Miss Caulfield as if she were a countess herself, but didn’t know whether or not he had been successful. He determined that he would try to take her aside and speak with her about her journey, to learn from her whether or not she had enjoyed the evening.
With that, Grace tried to stifle a yawn.
“Oh, my dear, I do think it is time for you to get some rest, don’t you?” he asked her.
Grace gave him a pouting look, evidence that she thought against such a plan. But Miss Caulfield grinned and nodded.
“I think that would be wise for us all. Miss Grace, shall we go upstairs and allow you to get a bit of sleep?” she offered graciously. This time the child nodded reluctantly.
Miss Caulfield and Grace stood from the table and the governess looked surprised when the Earl stood as well.
“I thought I might join you and see my daughter off to her rest,” he said.
Miss Caulfield nodded, her eyes wide in surprise. He came up beside her and took Grace’s hand in his own.
Aware that they were being watched by the very staff he had heard gossiping earlier, the Earl tried to ignore it. He couldn’t allow himself to be bothered by those under his employ. It was entirely his own decision how he wanted to treat each of those who worked for him and Miss Caulfield had proven to be an employee worth his energies.
The three of them walked up the two floors to Grace’s room in silence. He sensed that Miss Caulfield was still feeling the same sense of lurking. Now and then, her eyes would go to dark corners or try to find someone who wasn’t there.
He wondered what was behind it, but felt it was not entirely his business. So long as she was alright, he thought he ought to simply let it go.
But soon they reached Grace’s bedroom. He stepped outside while she changed and then came back and watched as Miss Caulfield tucked Grace into her bed.
“Now, you will have sweet dreams, won’t you?” Miss Caulfield asked.
“The sweetest,” Grace replied.
It was evident that this must be a question asked by Miss Caulfield every night. Grace’s reply was confident and expectant. He loved to see how the two interacted now, at the end of the day.
It was an entirely new thing for him. The Earl had never said a proper goodnight to his daughter. Always his farewells had taken place while he was downstairs still or, perhaps, he would not even be home at all to say goodnight.
“May I?” he asked, coming further into the room.
“Please, my lord,” Miss Caulfield answered him.
The Earl moved beside Grace’s bed and knelt.
“Sleep well, my darling,” he said, as if hesitant and unsure what words to use. He wished to tell her that he loved her, but those words seemed so foreign to him that he did not think it would sound natural.
He did not think that Grace would even believe him. He felt entirely certain that she would be merely suspicious of such a statement.
So instead, the Earl of Dulshire kissed his daughter on her head and followed it with an awkward pat before stumbling backwards and making his way towards the door where he waited for Miss Caulfield to finish.
Grace looked contented by his gestures and Miss Caulfield glanced back at him with amused satisfaction before standing herself and making her way towards him.
They closed the door quietly behind and began to tiptoe down the hall so as not to disturb her further.
Once they had gone far enough that they would not be heard by his daughter, the Earl paused in his tracks.
“Miss Caulfield,” he began.
She turned to him, stopping as well.
“Now that you have come back to us, I should like you to join me downstairs in my study. Might we have a word?” he inquired.
Chapter 29
Delia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was uncertain as to why the Earl had called her into his study after putting Grace down to rest. Hoping that his intentions were based in welcoming her after her return, she could not help but wonder if the Baron had said something to him.
Was it possible that Lord Woldorf had already shared her secret? Had he come to the Earl in a scheming plan to ruin her?
Furthermore, ought she to tell the Earl now and get it over with? She could confess it all purely for the sake of telling him about the Baron. Or she could even tell him about the Baron first and follow it with the fact that he knew something damaging to her reputation.
But alas, the Earl came and sat beside her with a peaceful demeanor. There was certainly no chance that he was there to accuse or wound her. Unless, of course, he was a very good actor.
“Miss Caulfield, it is a delight to have you returned to us,” he said, shifting in his own chair.
“I am glad to have come back, my lord,” she replied. Still, she had not made up her mind how she ought to approach the problem at hand and it was causing her to be anxious. She wondered if she ought to just leave it for the time being.
“How was the evening?” he asked her.
“Quite beyond pleasure, my lord. Thank you for such a feast and such an occasion,” she said, trying to show her gratitude.
“It did seem to me as though you had some…distraction, perhaps?” he mentioned offhandedly.
“Distraction?” she repeated.
“Did you expect the presence of another?” he asked openly.
Delia realized then that she had made a mistake in her fears about the Baron. The Earl had noted her tension and worry. Did that mean that the Baron had seen it so evidently?
“Oh, not at all. I have had a long day. Perhaps my eyes are simply affected by being tired,” she said as an excuse. It was not one that entirely made sense, but Delia knew that at times when she was exhausted, her eyes would trail into the distance.
“I see,” the Earl said, not entirely satisfied by her reply.
“Yes. Is there anything else, my lord?” Delia asked, wishing she could escape from the room before all her secrets came pouring out.
“I should like to hear more about your time with your sister. Please, tell me about her,” he asked kindly.
“About my sister, my lord?” she questioned. Had he learned anything about her family?
“Yes,” he replied, seeming affronted by her questioning him. “Am I not allowed to ask about your family?”
“No, forgive me. Of course, my lord. I was merely surprised,” she answered, swallowing hard.
The air was thick with tension and Delia tried to shake it from her mind so that she could proceed.
“Well, my sister is two years my senior. She married nearly a year and a half ago and just gave birth to her first child,” Delia told him, feeling her heart pound.
“What sort of man is her husband?” asked the Earl.
“A-a good man, to be sure. Very kind. He dabbles in business,” she said vaguely.
“Ah, a merchant, like your father?” the Earl said, more as a statement.
“I suppose so…in some ways,” Delia answered.
“That is very good. Did you have a chance to visit with your parents as well, or just your sister?” he asked.
“Only my sister, my lord. Perhaps another time I shall see my parents, but they have recently moved home and have been quite taken up in their efforts,” she told him.
“Oh yes, moving to a new home can be quite the time consumption,” he said.
Delia thought about her parents and the home that she had never yet been invited to see. She had heard
that it was quite grand, but in their transition, she seemed to be the child forgotten. What with their eldest married to nobility and their three youngest still under their charge, Delia had remained the outlier.
“What do you most enjoy doing, Miss Caulfield?” the Earl asked her next.
“Enjoy? Why, a great deal of things, my lord. I enjoy reading. It was infectious within my family. And certainly, I enjoy music and the study of languages,” she told him.
“Yes, I have seen that. You have done such a tremendous job with my daughter that I’ve no doubt you continue to study those very things,” he replied.
“Indeed, my lord. It brings me joy to learn new words and songs in those dialects that are so different to our own,” she told him.
“What is your favorite language?” he asked her next.
“Oh goodness. Well, I am most fluent in French, and I am also rather adequate with Spanish. But I have to say that German is my favorite to speak. It gives me pleasure to hear some of the sounds in that language which are not used in English at all,” she told him.
“You speak all these languages?” the Earl asked in awe.
“German is rather new for me. It has been only for two years that I have tried to study it and, as you can imagine, I do not know that I am always correct, having no one to practice it with,” she confessed.
Still, Delia wondered why he was asking her all of these things. What was it that had caused the Earl to hold her in such a high regard that he would be curious about her at all? And why was he wondering such simple and unimportant things?
“Perhaps you might indulge me by learning Latin next. That is the only foreign language I have any competence in, I fear,” he admitted in reply.
“I think I should enjoy that great deal. I know no other women with a mind for Latin,” she said with a small laugh.
“Nor do I. But I think if there is one who might manage it, it is you,” the Earl said softly.
Delia felt her chest warm and it was growing uncomfortable. She wished that he would cease in his flattery of her. It was unnecessary and, if he knew how she felt, he would understand the cruelty of it.
But his words continued.
“Forgive me, but there truly is something unique about you, Miss Caulfield. You intrigue me in many ways. I feel as though there is always more to learn about you, and the more I learn, the more impressed I find I become,” the Earl confessed.
Delia looked away, embarrassed. She didn’t know how she ought to reply, but knew she could not remain silent.
“I th-thank you, my lord. I thank you for your kindness and hospitality this evening. And for the feast that you had prepared for me. It was entirely too generous of you,” she said, letting her words trail into a hushed voice.
“Have I made you uncomfortable?” he asked, suddenly seeming anxious.
“No, my lord. Forgive me, I am simply very tired. It has been a long day and my journey caused me to grow quite weary,” she told him. The excuse was an easy one to come by and one that the Earl would not be able to refute.
“Oh, yes. Of course. How could I have forgotten. You must rest,” he said, seeming aware that she was making up the reason. Nevertheless, he relented and stood from his chair, giving her permission to do the same.
“Thank you again for your hospitality. I am glad to have returned,” Delia said to him.
They walked together to the door of the study and the Earl put his hand on the knob to open it. Before he turned it, before she was released into the hall, Delia looked up at him.
Their eyes locked on one another as if nothing else existed in all the world. Delia felt as if she had suddenly gone under water and there was nothing but herself and the Earl in any direction. They were alone, entirely together, and entirely overwhelmed.
His head tilted for a moment and she thought that he might bring his lips to hers.
But propriety broke their spell and Delia watched as the Earl blinked himself back into the study, bringing her with him.
Something had passed between them. Something that neither of them had been prepared for or believed ought to have occurred.
“Good night, Miss Caulfield,” the Earl said, clearing his throat and seeming to have to catch his breath.
“Good night, my lord,” she said in reply through a long, labored breath of her own.
With that, they parted. Delia bled out into the hall like an open wound that could not be mended. She longed to go back to that moment and yet she ran furiously from it.
Delia made her way up the stairs and went about her next task, trying to forget what had just happened. Quickly, she found Amy.
“My goodness, you look flushed,” Amy noted, staring at Delia as if she were an oddity.
“Yes, well, I have something very important that I must tell you,” Delia said urgently.
“What is it?” she asked in earnest.
“It is the Baron. He confessed. He confessed everything to me in the library this evening before dinner,” Delia told her, eyes wide with the news.
“You cannot be serious!” Amy exclaimed.
“It is true. Oh, how I wish it had all been a lie! But it is true. And I cannot tell the Earl because the Baron knows something about me that cannot be told,” Delia confessed.
“Whatever do you mean, Delia?” Amy asked, confused.
“Amy, I have a secret. I promise you that it is not anything that you might think it to have been. But were it known, I should never find work as a governess again. So I have kept it a secret even until now. And the Baron has learned the truth. It is nothing salacious or improper. But it would bring me great shame nevertheless,” Delia said, looking away in humiliation.
“You needn’t tell me anything more, Delia. You know that I trust you. You know that I am your friend and always shall be,” Amy reminded her, resting her hand on Delia’s face and forcing her to make eye contact.
“For that I am grateful. Thank you for trusting me,” Delia said.
“Now, you I trust. But the Baron I do not. So please tell me more of what occurred. What did he confess to? How much did he say?” Amy inquired.
“Everything. He admitted to having loved the late Countess. He admitted that even though the Earl knew not of the extent of their relationship, he still blamed him for taking her away. He confessed to using a faulty mechanism on the saddle and that the hunters were his friends. All of it, Amy. He was responsible for all of it,” Delia said in distress.
“What a dreadful man! But how are we ever to tell the Earl? If the Baron knows something about you then he will most assuredly use it against you,” Amy warned.
“Yes, I know. And that I what stopped me from telling the Earl everything this evening. But I cannot be so selfish. I cannot allow him to live in danger merely for my own benefit. And yet I fed that he will think I have made it all up because of what the Baron has learned of me. What if it causes them to grow closer?” Delia asked, a sob catching in her throat.
“Oh, dear. That is a very good question. And one that is right to frighten you. But do you really believe that he will trust the Baron over you?” Amy asked.
“Why shouldn’t he? Why should he not think that I am a liar? The Baron has been his friend for an age. I am a mere governess. You understand the way of the world for women like us. You understand that we are fodder and they are the rulers. So I cannot accuse a man like him when he has such an accusation against me,” Delia said, defeated by the trap of it all.
It was overwhelming and both women knew that it was the truth. Delia would never be able to overcome the truth of what the Baron knew about her when she was simply a governess.
The Earl would not hear her words over those of the man he had believed to be his friend. So it seemed as though there was hardly any point to it. No matter how the truth stood, it would always point against a woman like Delia.
Amy sat in her own stew of frustration and Delia nodded when she expressed a hatred for the Baron.
What if he tri
ed again? What if he continued in his efforts to harm the Earl? Surely that would make Delia responsible if she did not stand against him.
Her options were few, but she knew that, at the very least, she had to keep the Earl of Dulshire safe.
Chapter 30
It was only around noon when the Earl of Dulshire arrived at the home of Lord Cavanough. And despite the early hour, there were already a dozen other men at the billiards table, indulging in their competitive spirits and also spirits of another sort.
The competition continued and it was not long before it was the Earl’s turn for a round.
