Governess in Disguise: Historical Regency Romance

by Lisa Campell

  “I thought you weren’t going to turn up.” Charlotte stirred her tea and put the spoon aside. “It was getting me a little nervous that something had happened to you.”

  “Oh!” Emilia laughed. “It’s fine. I was having a bit of a problem with Miss Andrews.”

  “Is she a little…” Charlotte glanced around her before lowering her voice. “You know? A brat?”

  “Nothing of the sort. She’s just not feeling very well.”

  Emilia bit her lip as she remembered her last image of Anna before she left, curling into a ball and shivering as her father sat on the bed and drew her into his arms. He looked like his heart was cutting into two. It had been painful to see, and Emilia had hurried out of there.

  “Oh, poor girl!” Charlotte looked horrified. “Have they sent for the physician?”

  “Yes, Andrews did that before I left. He urged me to go and have my time off but to come back a little earlier than normal.” Emilia put her bonnet on the chair beside her, placing her gloves on top. “So, I decided to have tea with you and then go straight back. If that’s all right with you.”

  “Of course. That’s not a problem.” Charlotte nodded insistently. “Poor thing shouldn’t be left alone for too long.”

  “Agreed.”

  Emilia didn’t feel like being away from Anna even for seeing her closest friend, but it had been too late to cancel, and Emilia wanted to see Charlotte. It wouldn’t be for too long, and then Emilia would head back to the house.

  It was strange, in her head, that she had become rather fond of the twelve-year-old child. It was hard to believe anyone could walk away from her, and Emilia could understand why Anna was wary of trusting anyone after so many governesses had practically run out of her life. She had worked hard to get Anna to trust her, and Emilia liked to think that it was working.

  But you’re going to betray her in the end, aren’t you? You’re going to have her father arrested for murder.

  Emilia pushed that aside.

  It was certainly going to be hard to walk away from her at the end of it all.

  “Here you go, dear.” Mrs. Lacey put the cup and saucer on the table with her cheery smile aimed in Emilia’s direction. “Would you like a slice of cake as well?”

  “Yes, please, Mrs. Lacey. Whatever you’ve got that’s the special today.”

  Mrs. Lacey beamed and walked away. Charlotte leaned over.

  “The special cake today is carrot cake. It’s delicious.”

  “I remember from last week. Mrs. Lacey is like she holds magic when she makes a cake.”

  Emilia had tried the caramel cake when she came in the week before, even though she wasn’t one for cake. She preferred savoury to sweet, but these cakes were just divine. Mrs. Lacey did something to them that made it melt in the mouth. Emilia could manage sweet things if it meant eating this cake.

  Mrs. Lacey came back a moment later with a generous slice of carrot cake on a plate, along with a fork. She nodded at both women before heading back to the counter, stopping to talk to a nearby table along the way. Emilia had admired the way the woman went around the room and made everyone smile as she went past. She wished she could do something like that.

  “How is the job?” Charlotte asked. “Your letter said you were actually enjoying yourself. It certainly looks like it’s put some colour back in your cheeks.”

  “That would be from all the horseback riding Anna takes me on.” Emilia picked up her fork. “She likes to have a ride every morning, and someone has to go with her. I’m certainly feeling fitter for going out, even if it feels like it’s the crack of dawn.”

  “I can imagine.”

  Emilia cut off a piece of cake and ate it. Divine. She bit back a sigh of bliss and reached for the sugar, which she used to put two spoonfuls into her tea.

  “The job itself...it’s actually going quite well.” She stirred her tea. “I didn’t think I would be able to keep up with a child or know how to teach her, but I didn’t need to worry. Anna’s a little sweetheart. But very forthright if she has an opinion. It’s surprising but quite refreshing. The girl could not be considered dull.”

  Charlotte raised her eyebrows. “I must admit, when you said that in your letters, I was bewildered.”

  “How so?”

  “I wasn’t sure you would actually be able to do this job.” Charlotte picked up her cup. “You’ve said yourself that you’re not good with children.”

  “Small children, I agree with that. Older children, they’re a little easier to handle.”

  “I suppose.”

  Emilia ate another bite of cake and sipped her tea. She had her lunch, but she was still hungry.

  “I shouldn’t get too comfortable at this job, though,” she said. “I just know things are going to happen and it’s not going to be good. I hate having to put this girl into such a position, but she has to know the truth about her father. It’s not fair to keep her in the dark.”

  “I... I suppose.” Charlotte lowered her teacup, lowering her head as well. “So, have you found anything, then?”

  Emilia sighed. “Sadly, not yet. Everyone at the house holds Andrews in such high regard. They practically kiss the ground he walks on.” She jabbed at the table with her fork. “I have to smile my way through it. I know what he did, and he’s walking around like he owns the place.”

  “Because he does own the place,” Charlotte pointed out.

  Her friend looked around the room, but nobody else seemed to be paying much attention. They were just enjoying an afternoon out with their loved ones, focusing on their own parties instead of the ones around them. They weren’t close enough for anyone to hear them, but even so Charlotte lowered her voice.

  “Emilia, you need to take a step back and breathe.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re...I don’t know, but it’s beginning to scare me. You don’t know that Thomas Andrews murdered your father.”

  Emilia stared. “You what? I know he did!”

  “And what have you found out? Nothing. It’s been three weeks since his death. Surely you would have found something by now.”

  “He’s good at covering his tracks.”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Think about it, Emilia. Andrews was owed money, yes, but if he was the one owed money, why would he then beat your father to death? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “He could have beaten him up demanding the money and went too far,” Emilia protested. “Peter said that he had a bit of a temper.”

  “But Peter also said that Andrews never laid a hand on anyone,” Charlotte shot back. “You’ve been in his company for two weeks already. Has he laid a hand on anyone?”

  Emilia knew the answer to that, which was no. The only time she saw him lose his composure was when Evelyn Wilson appeared on their morning ride several days before and knocked Emilia off her horse. That was the only time Emilia saw Andrews raise his voice. But he never went to hit anyone.

  Surely, just because he didn’t raise a hand to anyone at home didn’t mean he couldn’t physically harm someone elsewhere. Home life didn’t extend to a person’s overall character. Emilia had to stand firm in this, or she was going to waver. She wasn’t about to do that.

  “If anything,” Charlotte went on, “your father should have been the murderer and killed Andrews. That’s the more likely scenario.”

  “You and Peter told me about Andrews in the first place!”

  “We told you what we knew of him as the owner of Drake’s and what Peter had personally witnessed. We never said he was the man responsible.” Charlotte frowned. “You’re not willing to consider the most likely scenario?”

  “It’s not the most likely scenario, because it’s wrong,” Emilia snapped. She leaned forward, aware that her voice was rising. “Thomas Andrews killed Father. I know it, and I’m going to prove it.”

  Charlotte sighed heavily. “What if Andrews is innocent?” Charlotte shot back. “Because from what I’m getting, he is. If he
was guilty, you would have found something by now.”

  Emilia glared at her. She was beginning to wish she hadn’t come out to see her friend. Now it was like her friend was against her.

  “He’s not innocent. I know he isn’t. I’m going to make sure people know about this.”

  “By risking your reputation?” Charlotte hissed. She looked distressed. “I’m the one that introduced you to Lady Andrews! I’ll either be seen as someone who was manipulated r as complicit in your machinations. Either way, my reputation would be tarnished as well. Did you ever think about that?”

  Emilia hadn’t. She hadn’t given a thought that this could come back to hurt Charlotte. All she had been focused on was going after Thomas Andrews. He seemed to have the ability to make himself look like an innocent man who ran a gambling hall and nothing more. There was something else going on, and Emilia was going to make sure people knew that he wasn’t an innocent, that he was the man who would kill another human being all over money.

  She hadn’t found the evidence yet, but it was there. Emilia just needed to keep looking.

  There was a rustling of clothes, and Emilia realized that Charlotte was standing up, her tea half-drunk and her slice of cake half-eaten. She started to put her bonnet on, reaching for her gloves.

  “Where are you going?” Emilia asked.

  “I made a mistake agreeing to help you get close to someone so you could accuse them of murder.” Charlotte tied up her bonnet and tugged on her gloves with brisk, sharp movements. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to you go on about ridiculous things regarding a man who might have been involved in your father’s death.” She waved Emilia away as Emilia rose to her feet. “Go and keep ruining lives, if you wish, but I’ve now come to the conclusion that you’re setting yourself up for even more heartbreak because you won’t listen.”

  “Charlotte…”

  But Charlotte was already walking away, closing the door a little too firmly behind her. Emilia stared after her as her friend crossed the street and began to walk away. Had she really just walked away from all of this? Charlotte had always been there for Emilia, no matter what. They were in everything together. Emilia had supported Charlotte through everything, and this was what she got in return?

  Emilia was aware of the other customers watching her and she looked away, her face getting warm. What a way to be humiliated. She sat down, avoiding looking at anyone, and tried to focus on her cake. But it wouldn’t go down easily, and then it would settle like a rock in her stomach. Emilia’s appetite had just disappeared.

  Who did Charlotte think she was, walking away like that? Surely, she would want to see the man responsible for Jonathan Hill’s death to pay. Maybe she didn’t care as much as Emilia did.

  Then she would have nothing left.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Emilia?”

  Emilia looked up from her sketchpad. Anna was curled up on the chaise longue that her father’s servants had carried out onto the terrace so Anna could lie out in the warm sun. The little pale face looked up at her with clear eyes.

  “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “Can I play skittles?”

  Emilia raised her eyebrows. “Do you think you’re well enough to play skittles?”

  “I want to. Even if we go slowly.” Anna slowly sat up. “Please, Emilia? I’ve been in bed almost all week and I would like to do something.”

  “Read a book?”

  “My head hurts too much to do that,” Anna pouted. “Please, Emilia? You can play with me, if you like?”

  Emilia debated on that for a moment. Anna had been a little shaky on her feet when they brought her downstairs, and the thought of having her stand up and play one of her favourite games made Emilia a little nervous. She didn’t want Andrews to scold her for getting Anna hurt.

  But how could she deny the little girl? She had been suffering all week. It was nice to hear her ask to do something a little livelier.

  “All right. But just be careful. You don’t want to do too much, or you’ll get ill again.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “If I don’t start getting back to normal, how am I supposed to get better?”

  “Just wait until your spirit isn’t as worn out would be best.”

  “That might take forever.” Anna leaned over to peer at Emilia’s sketchpad. “What are you doing?”

  “Oh, this?” Emilia shrugged. “Just some drawing. It’s not much, really.”

  Emilia had gotten fed up with reading after doing so much while looking after Anna, and so she had gone back to her favourite pastime, which had been drawing. It wasn’t much, mostly landscapes, but it gave Emilia a sense of calm that she struggled to find elsewhere. Right now, she was sketching the garden before her, putting in a lot of detail. It was a nice day, and the garden looked just perfect for it.

  “That’s really good.” Anna sounded approving. “I wish I could draw like that.”

  “It comes with practice. You just need to keep doing it and it’ll come to you.”

  “Is that what you did?”

  “Pretty much.” Emilia sat back and smiled at the girl. She was certainly looking more animated now. “Do you remember the first time you went riding?”

  “I do.” Anna made a face. “I fell off almost every time I was riding when I was little.”

  “But you got back on, didn’t you? And now you’re a really good rider.”

  “Definitely.”

  Emilia smiled. “No modesty whatsoever with you, is there?”

  “Not really.”

  That had Emilia laughing. She held up her pencil.

  “Why don’t you go and set up the skittles? I’ll be over to join you in a moment.”

  “All right.” Anna rose slowly from the chaise. “I’ll go and get them.”

  She moved carefully along the terrace towards the steps. There was a flat stretch of slabs beside the terrace, where they would normally set up the skittles. Anna loved the game and could play it for hours if given half a chance. Emilia had never known a child to get so excited over such a game. Then again, she had been the same when she was a little girl.

  It was good to see Anna up and about, albeit a little more gingerly than before. Emilia had decided some fresh air and sunshine was better for Anna than lessons, and Andrews had agreed. He hadn’t even argued about Emilia suggesting alternatives to Anna’s school lessons, allowing Emilia a little more freedom with what she did.

  That did make Emilia flounder a little, but it had been a week since Anna was struck down with a mild case of influenza, and she was only just beginning to recover. Emilia had been more than a little scared when Anna started burning up and sweating on the first night, but by night three she was starting to get better. It hurt to see a little girl like that, suffering and Emilia couldn’t take away the pain. But it was worth it to see Anna start to perk up a little on day five and feel strong enough to leave her room.

  After that week, Emilia would be happy to see Anna do anything except sleep. She certainly knew Andrews would be relieved. He had been concerned that Anna was getting worse and refused to leave her side, even at night. He had taken to sleeping on a pallet with a blanket on the floor, wanting to be close to his daughter. Even then, Emilia didn’t think he slept properly. The man looked like he had aged some years in just a few days, and it did have Emilia feel some sympathy for him. Anna was everything to him, and he was scared. If Anna was Emilia’s daughter, she would have done the same thing.

  It had meant putting her search for anything to say Andrews had killed her father on the back burner, as everyone was on edge. If Emilia did anything out of the ordinary, it would be spotted immediately, and she didn’t want to be questioned as to why she was trying to get into her employer’s study. It was best to wait it out.

  But Emilia didn’t want to wait it out. She wanted to get this over and done with, then she could leave.

  It would be difficult to leave Anna, but it had to be done. Emilia couldn’t stay here as
she was; that was not fair to anyone. Especially after she had her father arrested. Anna loved her father and worshipped the ground he walked on, but that wasn’t going to make it any better. It had to be done.

  But even as Emilia thought about all of this, she had her doubts niggling away at her. Charlotte had given her a lot to think about, and once her annoyance had gone down, Emilia began to realize that maybe Charlotte was right. She shouldn’t put her focus completely on Thomas Andrews. He might not have been the one who killed her father. Christian was known to say outlandish things. Emilia knew that as much as anyone, and his words should have been taken with a pinch of salt. But somehow, it had struck a chord with Emilia. While it was wild, it made some sort of sense.