Christian’s face had gone white with anger. ‘You are right. It is not for you to speculate on things that do not concern you,’ he said, speaking to her as he would anyone else in his employ for their impudence. ‘I think you have said quite enough.’
‘I agree. Would you not allow me to stay until you have found someone else? You may not have noticed, but Mrs Marsden does not enjoy the best of health. Will you not consider it?’
He spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes hard. ‘I have. It took precisely one second. The answer is no.’ His tone was implacable and left no room for argument.
‘I see. When we were in the garden at Woodside Hall you asked me if I would allow you to help me. Do you remember?’
He nodded. ‘Of course I do. You didn’t accept my offer.’
‘I wanted to, but I did not know you well enough.’
‘And now?’
‘I still don’t—not really. But if you still want to help me, then you will let me stay to look after Alice.’ When he didn’t reply she stepped back. ‘I can see there is nothing more to be said. I thank you for your hospitality,’ she said with the polite cordiality of one who might have been his guest. ‘I trust you will find another governess who will suit your needs—if not your daughter’s. I am sorry to have inflicted myself on you. Will you allow me to say goodbye to Alice? She will be upset if I just disappear. She is a beautiful child and we get on well.’ Her words were of resignation, not defiance.
* * *
Suddenly Christian looked at her with unexpected softness. Surprised by the change in his expression, she opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her and, taking a deep breath, continued, ‘Of course. But then you have to go, Linnet,’ he said, using her Christian name for the first time since they had parted at Woodside Hall. ‘You must. There are some things you cannot understand.’ He was thinking of Alice and the complications that would arise in time when he would have to explain that Alice was not his daughter, but his half-sister. Having to explain the unfortunate circumstances of Alice’s birth and his own father’s unacceptable behaviour was anathema to him.
Linnet’s face was a pale, emotionless mask. Displaying a calm she did not feel, as she swept from the room she managed with a painful effort to dominate her disappointment. She had to ask herself why it should hurt so much, and to question what was in her heart.
* * *
Christian watched her as she walked out of the room without another word, undecided whether to go after her or remain where he was until she had left the house. When she had closed the door, he raked his fingers through his hair in consternation, thinking over what she had said. When he had told her he wanted her to leave she had not tried to play on his sympathy or his chivalry with a sad tale of how she was desperate and needed the post. Instead she had turned the tables and taken him to task for his treatment of Alice. No one had done that before.
Her concern for Alice had been evident. Protective and loyal towards her young charge, with a will of burnished steel, defiant and brave and with blazing eyes, she had stood up to him, had berated him for his conduct of the child. Challengingly ready to defend Alice, she had subjected him to the most massive dose of guilt, coercion and emotional blackmail that he had ever seen anyone hand out.
* * *
Alice was inconsolable—she began to sob, clinging to Linnet in desperation. Mrs Marsden was beside herself. Clearly she had displeased Lord Blakely, but she’d had no idea he felt so strongly against employing Miss Osborne.
Linnet would have been surprised if she had looked up and seen Lord Blakely’s face as he stood in the doorway, watching her comforting Alice, her cheek resting on the child’s dark curls held up by a shiny red ribbon. Mesmerised by the lovely picture the woman and child created, his expression had softened. He listened intently to her trying to soothe Alice, which was something that came quite naturally to her. Gradually Alice became quiet and ceased to cry, looking at the face of the woman with something akin to adoration and responding to the warmth in her voice.
For the first time Christian absorbed the sweet innocence of the child and suddenly felt a profound need to protect her. Alice looked across at him shyly, much in awe of this dark, forbidding man. As Miss Osborne placed a soft kiss on her cheek, his throat tightened with emotion. He could see Alice’s need of her. He had to admit that there were times when he didn’t even know the child existed, but now, struck by the various emotions playing over her features as she looked up at Miss Osborne, the fondness in Miss Osborne’s eyes could not be concealed.
Mrs Marsden stood looking on, wringing her hands, giving her employer a pleading look. Surely he only had to see how fond Miss Osborne was of Alice and how much Alice had come to love Miss Osborne.
The scene and the words Miss Osborne uttered, words of comfort and love, bewitched Christian and reached out to some unknown part of him that he had not been aware he possessed. It was fleeting, but it touched and lightened some dark corner of his heart, then it was gone.
* * *
Becoming aware of his presence, Linnet raised her head. With his shoulder propped against the door, he was a towering, masculine presence in the nursery. He was dressed in the same clothes he had worn for his journey from Sussex. He was watching her intently. Removing Alice’s arms, which were wrapped around her waist, she got to her feet. Mrs Marsden took her place, gathering Alice to her.
‘I’m sorry. I’ll go to my room and pack my things. It shouldn’t take long and then I’ll leave.’ She looked down at Alice, who was shy of Lord Blakely, hiding her face in Mrs Marsden’s neck.
With her heart breaking for the child in her distress, Linnet walked along the landing to her room. She was surprised when she reached for the handle only to find Lord Blakely reached out and place his hand over hers.
‘Wait. We have to talk,’ he said without preamble.
‘I don’t think there is anything further to be said. And if you are about to take me to task again I should not like you to do so where the servants might overhear.’
Christian abruptly opened the door to her room. They went inside and he closed it behind him.
‘Perhaps I was too hasty to dismiss you. Whatever I thought of your audacity to come here to look after Alice, I should have had the courtesy to listen to you.’
‘Yes, you should.’
‘I appreciate the advice you gave me concerning Alice, but you do not know the facts and I am not prepared to speak of it. Be assured that I make sure all of Alice’s needs are taken care of and I want what is best for her. If she wants you to be her governess, then so be it.’
Linnet bowed her head in defence of his superior knowledge of Alice. ‘It was most ungentlemanly of you to order me to leave the way you did.’
A wry smile added to his hard features. ‘According to your blistering tirade, I haven’t done anything to give you the impression that I am a gentleman.’
Linnet stared at him, her anger forgotten. ‘No, you have not. Are you apologising?’
He looked puzzled for a moment, then he nodded. ‘Yes, I am.’
‘Then I apologise for my harsh words. I had no right to accuse you as I did. How you deal with your daughter is your affair. It was most undignified of me and I should have known better.’
‘Do you regret it?’
Linnet lifted her brows, eyeing him with an impenitent smile. ‘No. You deserved it.’
‘You’re right,’ he admitted, taking a step closer and holding her eyes with his steady gaze. ‘But don’t let it go to your head.’
A sudden smile dawned across his face and Linnet’s heart skipped a beat. Christian Blakely had a smile that could melt the hardest heart—when he chose to use it. She drew a deep, steadying breath, trying to ignore how near to her he was. ‘I won’t,’ she said, turning away from him, but before she could step away from him, his fingers curled over her wrist, stopping her.
>
‘When I saw you just now with Alice, I could see how close she has grown to you. It was unforgivable of me to ask you to leave so abruptly.’
For a moment Linnet was too surprise to speak. His thumb caressed her wrist and she felt her pulse quicken in response. Angry with herself, she pulled her wrist free of his grasp. ‘And now? Are you saying you would like me to stay?’
‘I am.
‘So I don’t have to pack my bag and return home with my tail between my legs?’
‘I’m not completely heartless. There is another matter I wish to raise. Mrs Marsden told me about the incident in the Strand. I want to thank you in person for your prompt actions when you stopped one of my carriage horses from bolting—the day I saw you and you disappeared before I had a chance to find out more about you.’
Linnet stared at him in disbelief. ‘That was your carriage? Your horses?’
‘Indeed. The horse you brought under control is a peppery beast at the best of times. It was immensely brave of you to do what you did and for which I am truly grateful. You handled him admirably. Mrs Marsden is frail—I am sure you have seen that for yourself. I doubt she would have survived being flung out of the carriage into the road.’
‘I’m happy to have been of help.’
‘You brought the horse under control with superb skill, calming it down until it was almost docile. You weren’t afraid of the danger?’
‘Not in the least. I saw no danger.’
‘Naturally I was concerned when I discovered that Mrs Marsden had decided to employ you without discussing the matter with me first, but now, having seen you with Alice, I am happy to let you stay.’
‘What you must understand is that I did not seek the position she offered me. Indeed, when we did speak in the Strand that day I mentioned in passing that I was considering seeking a post as a governess. I was surprised when she called on me and offered me the post.’
‘I see. Mrs Marsden is not well and taking care of a small child is not easy for her. It would seem you came along at the right moment.’
‘For Alice, too. I have many household accomplishments I can teach her.’ She smiled, a smile that lit up her whole face. ‘Alice has also expressed a desire to learn to dance. I am not the best dancer in the world—and having partnered me in the waltz I am sure you will be in agreement—but I can teach her the rudiments of the dance until she is old enough for you to employ someone with the expertise to teach her better. I also like children—especially Alice. I look forward to getting to know her better. Where she is concerned I take my responsibilities seriously.’
* * *
He leaned against the door, folding his arms casually across his chest. She was standing facing him, surveying him with a steady gaze. He was taken aback by the sheer magnetism of her presence. She was dressed in a plain yellow high-waisted dress, her hair arranged in glossy twists about her well-shaped head like a beacon of light. Hers was a dangerous kind of beauty, for she had the power to touch upon a man’s vulnerability with a flash of her wonderful tawny-coloured eyes.
‘Well, now that’s sorted out, I think I should go and give Alice and Mrs Marsden the news.’
‘Perhaps you should. You surprise me, Miss Osborne. You are not intimidated by me, are you?’
Their eyes met, measuring each other up, thoughtfully, calculating, aware of the differences in their backgrounds, but aware, too, of a personal interaction.
‘Not in the slightest. Should I be?’
‘No.’ He smiled. ‘I must congratulate you. Alice has taken to you. Mrs Marsden has told me how much she likes you.’
‘And I like her. It would be difficult not to. She’s a delightful child.’
‘Did your brother raise any objections to your taking up this position?’
‘Not at all, although Aunt Lydia was livid. She was determined to marry me off to the first man to ask for me, but when she saw how determined I was to take care of my own future, I fear she has washed her hands of me. If everything goes to plan Toby will marry Caroline Mortimer—Sir George Mortimer’s daughter.’
‘I saw them together at Woodside Hall. They did seem to be enamoured of each other. Does Lady Milton have the power to force you to marry?’
‘No. I’ve reached my majority.’
‘You will miss your home when your brother marries and Caroline moves in.’
‘Birch House has always been my home—it will always be an integral part of my life—as it will come to be Caroline’s.’
‘And you wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.’
‘No. I want Toby to marry and settle down so much. They will find their own way. I should hate to be looked on as some interfering spinster sister-in-law who has no other life than to live my life through them.’
‘And you have no other family—apart from Lady Milton?’
‘No, and heaven forbid she would want me to go and live with her—which is why—despite disgracing myself—I have taken paid employment.’
‘Then if you are to avoid the clutches of your Aunt Lydia,’ he said, opening the door, ‘it’s as well I have agreed to keep you on.’ He moved on to the landing. ‘I think you should go and give Alice the good news.’
Chapter Seven
Now Christian had seen Linnet again all the feelings he had tried so hard to suppress in the past month came back to torment him. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in his life.
He immersed himself in his work. The usual duties and matters of business, and meetings with other business associates, all took place in town and kept him from the house. This he welcomed, for it kept him fully occupied, away from thoughts of Miss Osborne and her tawny eyes and his increasing desire for her. What was it about her that made him unable to dismiss her from his mind? She liked him well enough. She had liked him when she had melted in his arms. Christian knew he was liking her more and more as the days passed into weeks and he saw her day in and day out, heard her laughter coming from the nursery, saw her walking out with a happy Alice skipping along beside her. He desired Linnet far too much and she invaded his mind every time he lowered his guard. She had become an obsession and continually took his mind from his work.
* * *
Christian had been away from the house all day. It was dark by the time he returned home. When he had changed and eaten, he went in search of Miss Osborne—because of her position he had reverted to the formal way of addressing her, Linnet being too familiar. Such familiarity would cause unwanted gossip and speculation among the servants which would not be appropriate.
She was alone in the nursery, curled up in one of the two big leather chairs by the fire, reading a book, her feet tucked beneath her. The firelight washed a soft glow over her. She looked up when he knocked and entered, placing her book on the small table beside her chair.
‘Lord Blakely,’ she said, getting to her feet and smoothing down her skirts. ‘I did not expect you. If you are here to see Alice, she went to bed over an hour ago. I took her to the park earlier and she was quite worn out by the excitement of seeing a hot air balloon soar up into the sky. She went to bed telling me she was going to draw a picture of it tomorrow and paint it all the colours of the rainbow.’
He smiled, nodding his head slightly. ‘I shall make a point of looking at it when it’s completed.’
‘If she knows you will do that, then I can guarantee it will be the best picture she has created so far.’
‘I knew she would be asleep now. It is you I have come to see.’
‘Oh?’
He had never seen Linnet at this time of the day. She had loosened her hair and it was gathered in a loose ribbon in the nape of her neck. At that moment there was a defencelessness about her, and the small smile on her lips brought a softening to his heart. Her face mirrored her confusion at being caught unawares. She looked vulnerable and much younger and she had
the innocent appearance of a bewildered child. Her long lashes quivered and her eyes were clear as they looked up at him.
He walked into the centre of the room, distracted by the pictures Alice had painted hanging on the walls. His eyes did a quick sweep of them, then he looked away, focusing his attention on Linnet.
Linnet watched him, her throat tight with emotion. Every day she could see that Alice’s need of her father, to have him in her life, to protect her against all things, was a role he did not play. There were times when she thought he didn’t even know his daughter existed.
‘I’ve come to tell you that I intend leaving for Sussex the day after tomorrow. It should give you enough time to prepare.’
‘You—want me to go with you—and Alice?’
‘Of course. I have some business to take care of at Park House and I thought you might like to accompany me. I’m not sure how long we will be there, but a jaunt in the country and the country air will do Alice good.’
‘Yes, I am sure it will. Alice will be thrilled—even more when she realises she is to travel with you.’
‘We shall see.’
His reply was abrupt, giving Linnet reason to believe there was some underlying trauma that made it difficult for him to be close to his daughter. She sensed it went back to the time of her birth, but what it could be was a mystery. She was certain Mrs Marsden was fully aware of the facts, but she was not forthcoming and Linnet didn’t want to appear too inquisitive.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing Park House. I’ve heard so much about it from the servants. Everyone who has been there has told me how splendid it is.’
‘My ancestors would be pleased to hear it,’ he remarked. ‘I know I’ve only recently returned to London—I have business meetings to attend and I have to take my seat in the House of Lords occasionally—but I must get back to Sussex. It’s a busy time for the tenant farmers, harvest being in full swing. I have an excellent bailiff, but there are matters only I can take care of.’
The Governess's Scandalous Marriage Page 14
