For one perfect moment, Clarissa was certain she bypassed the winning post, until in the final few seconds the marquess and Thunder streaked by her on Glory. Clarissa's heart still was racing along with Glory. It took a while to slow the horses to a trot and then a walk. Both animals were blowing hard from their efforts. When they did slow, Alex dismounted, and took Glory's reins from Clarissa. He reached up and placed his hands around her waist.
She was breathless, unable yet to breathe properly. The marquess's grip on her waist was strong. He let her down slowly, within millimeters of the buttons on his jacket. The toes of her boots nestled between his spread feet, his thighs barely touching her through her riding skirt. She felt him lean closer, gazing down at her with open desire while his gray eyes burned into hers.
She was flustered again by that look, but she had to say something. Anything.
"G—Glory did his best, Your Lordship,” she stuttered. “But not fast enough, un-unfortunately. You won fairly, sir, even after you gave me a rather nice head start."
Alex did not move away, but he did let go of Clarissa's waist. One hand, not encumbered by a hold on the horses’ reins, lifted to graze her cheek, sweeping a leather-encased finger along her jaw with a caress that continued down her neck to her shoulder.
When Alex's head dipped toward her, Clarissa closed her eyes. Was this to be her forfeit for losing to him? Or did he expect more? She knew noblemen of his ilk usually demanded and then took whatever they desired.
"You let me kiss you last night more than once, Miss Marrick,” he said, his voice low and easy, hovering above her mouth. “Why did you do so?"
Clarissa's eyes popped open again, his face close above hers. He did not yet press his lips to hers as she had expected.
"I-I could not help myself, my lord. It was as if—"
"As if...?"
"As if you charmed me."
"And what about when I touched you?” His fingertips had moved lower to glide lightly across the rounded front of her jacket. “Here? Did you enjoy that, too?” he asked softly.
"I-I am not usually so—"
"Wanton? Do you mean like the time you kissed me while we rode double on Thunder?"
Color quickly stained her cheeks. She would have ducked her head had he not grasped her chin in his fingers and held it so that she was locked into his gaze. She knew she should be indignant from his improper interrogation, but she was not. She had dreamed about him last night, much to her distress, and those dreams were more than wanton. They were indecent, erotic, and far beyond her most unladylike fantasies.
"You liked what I did, I think.” His gray eyes sharpened, and he blinked before saying, “This may be difficult for you to answer, but I need to know if you gave yourself to a man before now."
Clarissa's eyebrows arched in astonishment. “Of course not!” she sputtered, angered. She pulled out of his embrace in a huff, turned, and walked a short distance away from him.
Alex let her go.
Stopping short, Clarissa glared back over her shoulder before facing him again.
"How dare you question m-my purity, Your Lordship! I was born with a certain status. My grandfather was a baron and my father is one, too. It does not follow, sir, that because I am not wealthy that you can violate my-my honor or integrity nor that of any governess living under your roof! What if we are penniless governesses? You and your friend, Mr. Black, are rather the worst of the worst, Your Lordship!"
"Freddy Black?” Alex's expression flickered from arrogance to puzzlement. “What in the world do you have more to say about him?"
"Mr. Black frightened Jane Hornsby with his unwanted attentions in the schoolroom. She left because she had to get away from the Priory before he—well, before he tried to ravish her. Unwillingly."
Clarissa's furious gaze shot across the tense atmosphere between them like poisoned arrows. Even the horses seemed restive hearing the outraged tone in her voice as she blurted out her accusations.
"Go on,” Alex said, almost calmly, a frown creasing his broad forehead.
"Jane—my friend, Jane—did not leave here because she was sick with the measles, my lord.” Clarissa clenched fingers around her riding crop with both hands. “Mr. Black terrorized her. She was so petrified of him that she could not sleep at night, so she left the Priory when she was able to escape and came to me for help. I am here in her stead as a temporary governess to fulfill her notice. Jane staunchly believes she needs to do so or she will never get a character reference, and therefore, will have difficulty finding a new position. I am telling you this now, my lord, because I think she is already searching for other employment as we speak. To my knowledge, Jane does not plan to return here."
"You're saying that Freddy Black terrorized Beatrice's former governess? I find that hard to believe.” Alex looked unconvinced. “The fellow is a bit ham-handed when it comes to women, I know, but...” Wrinkles on his brow deepened. Then he sighed. “Well, I suppose I shall have to speak with him about the matter."
"My lord! He is doing the same thing to me. He was in the schoolroom harassing me only short moments before you showed up last night."
"Yes, he mentioned that you had sent him packing. I do believe he was slightly in his cups. It happens quite often during my house parties, I'm afraid. Freddy is, uh, to my knowledge, normally quite tame."
Clarissa glared at him no less accusingly. “I do not think you know him very well, my lord.” Clarissa all but swallowed those words under her breath, but quickly added, “But, I can take care of myself, Your Lordship. My friend, Jane, is another matter."
"Did he touch you? Freddy, I mean?"
"No, and if he tries—"
"Well then, what are you accusing Freddy of, Miss Marrick?"
"Pestering me with his unwanted attentions, is all, so far. But I am not afraid of Mr. Black the way Jane was. She never was as independent or outspoken as I am."
"Tell me then. How do you plan to fend off Freddy's unwanted shenanigans, Miss Marrick, should it happen again?” Alex asked. “Or do you plan to leave the same way Miss Hornsby did? Without giving notice?"
She saw the first signs of obvious impatience crossing his countenance. “I doubt what you say is true simply because you did not stop me from kissing you last evening. I dare say you gave me substantially more leeway than poor Freddy."
"Oh! Please! I would rather not discuss this matter any further. I have told you everything I meant to,” Clarissa exclaimed.
Alex's lips pulled into a smile. So. Freddy could not cut it. But I could. Things were looking up.
Clarissa dared not mention that she had a loaded pistol with her in the schoolroom last evening. She was convinced pointing the pistol had been the only means of keeping Mr. Black away from her. Confessing her action to the marquess would certainly mean immediate dismissal, and Clarissa did not wish to leave the Priory quite yet.
"I have ten days left to teach Beatrice, Your Lordship, and then I will leave. It is only fair that Mr. Griggs is advised that Jane—Miss Hornsby—will not return to her governess post here. It will give you and him time to find someone new for Lady Beatrice."
Clarissa's brow clouded farther. “I have another problem, Your Lordship. I must inform you that Mr. Black stole the keys from both my bedchamber and the schoolroom doors leading to the hallway. I-I assume he means to gain access whenever he wishes, since I began locking both doors after supper. Please be good enough to ask your housekeeper to give me another set. I will remember to lock both doors from now on. I am sure Mr. Black will not break them down. It would be too degrading even for him. Therefore, I shall be perfectly safe for as long as I am here."
How will you keep me out? The marquess thought. Should I wish to demand my forfeit?
Chapter Twenty-four
The matter of the stolen keys was easily taken care of. Freddy confessed when Alex chided him on his juvenile misbehavior, and he handed them back to the marquess. Alex told his friend not to harass Beatrice's governes
s, pointing out there were plenty more willing and richer fish in the ton's sea.
"Choose someone from the guests at my house parties who are willing to be seduced, Freddy. By God, as we are both well aware, none of them are virgins.” Freddy accepted Alex's scold calmly, and seemed to agree.
Alex had a new set of keys sent up to Clarissa. He kept a set for himself.
* * * *
Clarissa and Beatrice's next days were spent primarily in the schoolroom for grammar lessons, history, and penmanship, along with additional research with Mr. DeLand on the budgerigars and how to teach them to mimic speech. They did not otherwise interact with the marquess's current house guests.
Alex's house party was in full swing. He accompanied his guests on various outings. Some amused themselves by strolling around the grounds. Some, it seemed, disappeared into discreet bowers set up in the gardens for the usual purposes, private assignations, before returning with their clothing grass-stained and coiffures mussed.
Several guests spent an hour or two playing croquet. A few left to go riding. On other afternoons, there had been jaunts around the countryside to visit historical sites near the Priory. Other men hunkered at tables over cards, consuming liberal glasses of Alex's imported French brandy. One day there was an al fresco picnic on the park's grounds. The rotund Regent ate everything in sight with notable gusto, praising the marquess's cooking staff for their fine cuisine.
One afternoon, the countess could not be put off. Alex had managed to evade Georgie's surreptitious fondling during a walk through the woods, but not before she blatantly attempted to get him alone and seduce him. He laughed away her seduction. But he needed to show her, before she left the house party, that his mind was up, and he would not continue their former arrangement. He would not visit her in London nor invite her again to the Priory.
Even with various daytime and nighttime diversions the marquess supplied, his guests always wanted something new and different to entertain them. Prinny's final night at the Priory called for a masked ball to end his visit. Masquerade balls were of a lascivious nature, permitting a great loosening of inhibitions. All manner of unsavory and public displays of improper behavior took place during those festivities under the guise of entertainment. Male and female guests alike looked forward to the licentious and ribald games available to them. And of course, it would never do for Alex to terminate any erotic games until they were fully played out.
The Regent would leave tomorrow to continue his royal visits across country. Alex's house party would conclude a day later.
* * * *
Beth knocked on the door to tidy up Clarissa's bedroom. “Oooh, miss, did ye hear what's to happen tonight?,” she asked when she entered. “'Tis to be a masked ball!"
The little housemaid's eyes were wide with wonder and excitement. “His Lordship niver held such here at the Priory! Gor, ‘twill be somethin’ to see!"
Beth fluttered around Clarissa's room, swishing a dusting cloth, smiling all the while. “Oh, ye must come see this, Miss Marrick!"
Sitting in front of her vanity, Clarissa's head swiveled when she heard the news.
A masquerade ball! Oh my! Yes! I would indeed love to see it. More grist for my research.
"Beth, do you think we can watch from that same spot you showed me last time?"
"That spot only lets ye see the staircase, miss. Ye'll need to be inside the ballroom to get a real good gander. From what I heard from the ladies’ maids there's all sorts of naughty costumes for tonight's ball. Ye'll not see the likes of it again soon!"
I suppose not, Clarissa thought. But how can I get into the ballroom?
"Is there a secret door to the ballroom, Beth? One that no one uses?"
"Aye.” The housemaid's eyes lit up. “'Tis one that leads from a back staircase, but I niver used it. No reason for the likes of me to be in the ballroom. The stairwell to it is rarely used either. P'haps the housekeeper closed it up. ‘Twas only yesterday that we learned the large ballroom was to be opened and everythin’ polished for the masquerade. Now she has us all in a twitter to get it ready. ‘Tis possible I can show you the way."
"I wonder if I can fashion a mask?” Clarissa thought out loud.
Beth paused in her dusting. “Mebbe I can borrow one from a lady's maid, Miss. But now I'd best hurry."
The little maid left. Clarissa started rummaging through her wardrobe and her trunk. Did she have anything she could wear for a costume or create something for a mask? She had never been handy with a needle, but she might come up with something.
When her mind went to work, she hurried down to the book room.
"So? You are to attend the masquerade, Miss Marrick?” Daniel asked when she queried him about a book on costumes.
"Oh, no,” she answered, not about to tell him she planned to sneak into the ball on the sly. “I am simply curious.” Then she could not help herself. She sighed. “I only wish I could, Mr. DeLand. I have never attended a fancy ball, only assemblies held in Lower Cadbury, I am afraid."
"Alex's balls, especially masked balls, can be risqué affairs, Miss Marrick. So many of the, umm, ladies invited to these house parties are professional beauties and prefer rather exotic entertainment.” His bristling silver eyebrows lifted when he asked, “Do you really wish to go?"
"Oh my, yes!"
"Well, then, if you like, I can accommodate you, escort you, if you wish. You must, however, don a costume of some sort and wear a mask so no one knows who you are.” He waited patiently for her reply.
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you dance, Miss Marrick?"
Again, she nodded.
"You may stay for a bit then, but you must leave well before the ... well ... before it is no longer proper for someone like you to contemplate what goes on at such affairs."
"Oh my goodness, Mr. DeLand, how can I thank you? I cannot believe I will actually attend a masquerade ball here at the Priory."
His smile was kind. “If Miss Hornsby were here, I could have invited her. But...” His expression changed into disappointment. “Well, nevertheless,” he muttered, his tone becoming more businesslike. “Now. Let us see if we can locate a book on costume ideas."
Clarissa's expression faltered as they flipped through pages and pages of Greek, Egyptian, Arabian, and other costumes. Nothing Clarissa brought with her would do.
"Oh, Mr. DeLand, I have nothing suitable to use for a disguise. And I so wanted to go to the masquerade."
"I know a solution, Miss Marrick. Wear a cloak with a deep hood. I plan to do likewise since I am too old for costumes. The hood will conceal your identity as long as you wear a face mask also."
Clarissa settled on that idea, and thanked him profusely. They arranged to meet in the bookroom and go to the ballroom from there at ten o'clock when the ball was well underway.
At least she need not rely on Beth to sneak her into the ballroom.
* * * *
Near the door to the ballroom, Daniel and Clarissa encountered a devil with a curly tail, a man in a white toga, and a woman with some sort of a red costume that was so tight it was slit up the skirt in four places, displaying bare, plump thighs when she moved. Her large breasts bounced along under nothing but a wisp of veiling, her pointed, rouged nipples easily apparent.
Clarissa gulped in stark astonishment, then skewed a surprised look up at Daniel.
"Would you rather we do not go in?” he asked, his lips twitching.
Clarissa tore her eyes away from the scandalous sight. “No. But I never thought myself that naïve until now, Mr. DeLand.” She still had to choke out a breath. “Nevertheless, I wish to continue."
"The lady in red is Charlotte Gray. She is one of Alex's professional acquaintances."
Several people pushed behind Clarissa and her escort to get inside the ballroom. The pair finally managed to find a less congested part of the room. Clarissa's heart was still chittering at the woman's partial public nudity. She rose up on tiptoes to get a better
view of the room. “Have you been to these affairs before, Mr. DeLand?” she asked.
"Yes, but I am afraid at my age that I am rather undaunted by these goings on, Miss Marrick. Nothing much surprises me. And I do not condone any of this. But Alex ... well, in my mind, my young cousin is not, by all accounts, a very happy or contented man. Perhaps all of this is part of his problem. He fell into a world of sin and debauchery early on as a way to chase away his demons when his wife died. I hoped he would change, even marry again. In my opinion, Alex is still young and needs a wife to give him a male heir. In truth, Miss Marrick, I really do not wish to inherit though I may be his closest relative in line for the succession."
Daniel sighed. “Unfortunately, nothing has changed, not after eight years of living at the Priory. It has only gotten worse.” His voice sounded somber when he continued. “I know what you are facing at the Priory. For instance, why Lady Beatrice behaves the way she does. I tried to explain to Miss Hornsby, but she cannot seem to get through to her in ways you have been able to."
"Lady Bea—Beatrice—and I came to an understanding early on, Mr. DeLand, because of her desire to train Sir Lancelot. That was a first step. That and our morning rides. I am only sorry that I will not be here much longer to help her with her bird."
"Yes. I was told you are only a temporary governess until Miss Hornsby returns. I will be sorry to see you go, Miss Marrick. I know you have helped the child. I hoped you might also be some help to His Lordship, too.” The skin of Daniel's brow crinkled, the grooves in his forehead deepening. “But I expect that is asking too much."
"Why do you say that, Mr. DeLand? His Lordship surely does not need my help."
"He needs some one, Miss Marrick. His marriage devastated him."
"Of course. To lose a wife so soon after—"
"In truth, that was not the saddest part.” Daniel hesitated, then decided to go on. “I am telling you a secret I have never told anyone, Miss Marrick. Perhaps it is something you need to know. Alex has never accepted the child as his."
"What?” Clarissa's mouth fell open with horror. “I do not understand, Mr. DeLand!"
A Temporary Governess Page 15
