Risky Rules of a Passionate Governess

by Henrietta Harding

  “I simply don’t understand,” Elizabeth replied in a huff. “You’re just trying to get away from me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is true,” Elizabeth replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  “Lizzie, this could be a whole new life for me.”

  “I will come with you.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “They will only want one governess.”

  “How do you know that they want any governess at all?” Elizabeth asked.

  Katherine turned onto her back again and realised that Elizabeth made a sound point. She didn’t know that the duke needed a new governess, but she just had a feeling.

  In order to get to the bottom of things, Katherine ventured the very next day to Hedge-Grove Downs’ gossip mill, which was the Lantern Cafe. It was a simple, rustic cafe that served tea, biscuits, and various meat pies, and it was for the most part populated by old ladies who liked to talk. Hence, Katherine didn’t go often. But that afternoon she put on her new bonnet and ventured there, without the company of her sister, which took a bit of finagling to accomplish.

  Katherine seated herself at a corner table and listened to all the lively gossip that buzzed around her.

  “What will you take, love?” the server asked, an older woman not unlike the customers that populated the Lantern.

  “May I have a Darjeeling, please?” Katherine asked. “And a lemon biscuit?”

  “Cream?”

  “Yes, please.”

  As the server walked away to secure Katherine’s order, she looked around the packed cafe and wondered where she might begin. As she looked around, she noticed that the elderly ladies were looking at her with the same warmth and interest as a room of grandmothers might do.

  “What brings you here?” a lady at the table next to her asked.

  “Just a bit of refreshment,” Katherine replied.

  “You must try the hot cross buns,” the lady said.

  “Do you know the Duke of Easterly?”

  It flew out of her mouth before Katherine had a chance to even think about it. There was no more small talk. Katherine was getting down to business. At the very mention of Lord Roland it seemed as though the entire cafe turned their attention to Katherine, and that’s when the real gossip began.

  “Let me tell you,” one lady said. “The Duke of Easterly has done his best since he lost his wife to that accident. Thank goodness he comes from good stock, because the duke is able to keep a smile on his face even though deep down everyone knows that his heart is broken.”

  “Hasn’t taken another wife,” another lady said, shaking her head in reproach.

  “It’s because he can’t shake the memory of the duchess,” another lady offered.

  As the ladies continued to tell the story, Katherine found that she didn’t need to say a word. The entirety of the duke’s tale was laid out before her, so she quietly sipped her tea and ate her lemon biscuit as she listened.

  “That old maid takes care of the children now,” another lady said. “That woman is up to her neck in trouble. You ask me, a woman that age shouldn’t be taking care of such a pair. They each have the mother’s wild spirit, they do. When I see that woman walking through town, all I think to myself is, someone get that woman a cup of tea!”

  “And add some brandy to it,” someone quipped.

  “Do you suppose they might be in need of another governess?” Katherine asked, thinking it her chance to have the burning question answered.

  “Well, here’s something that you should know,” the woman beside her said. “It seems as though the duke is constantly hiring and firing those governesses. No one has a solid answer why. But if you ask me, I’ll tell you. I think that the duke is finicky about who he has in his home.”

  “Anyone would be!” a voice cried out.

  “You see, he’s very particular in his tastes, the Duke of Easterly. But anyone with that kind of income can hire and fire whomever they choose, and on a frequent basis.”

  Katherine stopped to consider everything that the ladies had said. Yes, Rebecca, whom she had met in the garden the day before, did seem unfit for the role. She was heaving and red in the face, just trying to follow poor Harry. And, Katherine reminded herself yet again, the duke looked as though he was displeased with Rebecca.

  Although it was discouraging that Lord Roland was constantly hiring and firing his governesses, Katherine decided that she would not be discouraged. There was still something calling out from within her, telling her that it was a perfect match.

  Lady Sybil’s words returned to Katherine’s mind once more, and she realised that it was not fitting to pursue some kind of ‘dream.’ The reality of what she wished for would be far different than what her imagination told her that it would be. Katherine resolved to get her head out of the clouds and return her feet to the earth. Yet still, Katherine had a mission.

  Once tea was done, Katherine thanked all the old ladies for their time and their stories. They asked Katherine to promise to return, and she said she would do so. It wasn’t just to be nice, either. Katherine thought that returning to the Lantern on a regular basis might be good fun indeed. Exiting onto the street, Katherine took a deep breath for courage and headed directly to Bonhomie. The journey would take one hour on foot, but Katherine was determined.

  ***

  Lord Roland was seated in the foyer, awaiting his afternoon cup of tea and perusing the newspaper. It was his custom in the afternoon to do so. Harry could be heard outside on the lawn, and Rebecca was already red-faced and overwhelmed.

  Lord Roland thought over the whole predicament. Yes, it was high-time that Rebecca got the boot. Not that she wasn’t a nice woman; she was merely not suitable for the position any longer. As the duke considered his options, the head footman at Bonhomie, Nigel, came into the foyer.

  “Your Grace, there is a young woman at the door.”

  “What’s that?” the duke said, putting down his paper.

  “A young woman is at the door, announcing herself as Lady Katherine Chance.”

  The duke’s eyes went wide with wonder. Was it divine intervention? “Please, send her in,” the duke said, standing from his chair and straightening his waistcoat. Within moments Katherine was escorted into the room and the duke almost had to look away, for fear that she might see in his face how beautiful he thought her to be.

  “Lady Katherine,” the duke said. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “Your Grace,” Katherine said, “There’s something that I wish to discuss with you.”

  “Please, have a seat.” The duke motioned towards a chair and gave Nigel a nod, signifying that he should procure tea for the guest. “What do you wish to discuss?”

  “I simply adored meeting Harry and your family yesterday. And, the long and the short of it is, I was wondering . . .” Katherine seemed to have trouble completing her sentence.

  “Go on,” the duke said by way of encouragement.

  “I was wondering if young Harry and Constance were in need of a governess.”

  The duke went silent, wondering if, indeed, it was divine intervention after all. What were the odds of having that young lady appear on his doorstep, making such a request?

  “Lady Katherine, I’m in shock,” the duke replied.

  “Why?”

  “Because I was just sitting here, contemplating my need for the services that you have offered.”

  “Is that true?” Katherine asked.

  “Indeed,” the duke replied with a smile, watching as Nigel brought in the tea and biscuits for his guest. “I think you would be a great asset to this home.”

  “My word,” Katherine said, bringing her hands up to her cheeks.

  After this there was a brief discussion about payment for her services, and the duke noticed that when he expressed the sum to her, Katherine’s eyes went wide with disbelief. After this, Katherine went on to explain everything that she could do,
such as instruction in reading, writing, and piano. The duke could tell that she was saying this in order to justify the sum that he had just cited. He put his hand up to halt her.

  “Lady Katherine, you do not need to prove yourself to me. Your warmth and generosity are what my children need most. However, those other skills will also be put to use.”

  “I thank you,” Katherine replied with a bow of the head.

  When the meeting was done, the duke ordered his carriage to return Katherine to her home, and the girl’s face lit up with excitement and gratitude.

  “We shall begin in one week’s time,” he said, standing at the door.

  “That’s perfect,” Katherine replied, and was escorted away.

  Returning to the foyer, Lord Roland felt equal excitement and anticipation. Yes, Lady Katherine was just what Bonhomie needed. His first task was to not think about her beauty for days on end. The second task would be to fire poor Rebecca.

  ***

  In exactly one week’s time, Katherine was nearly packed and ready to go. Her trunk was still open in her room, but almost every article of her clothing was stuffed inside. Elizabeth was seated on her bed, looking glum.

  “I don’t like this,” Elizabeth said.

  “Come, now, Lizzie. This is wonderful!” Katherine replied, anticipation filling her.

  “I suppose,” Elizabeth said, then reached around behind her to pick up a little box. “This is for you.”

  “What is it?” Katherine asked, taking the box from her hand.

  “It’s a locket,” Elizabeth replied. “A family heirloom.”

  Katherine opened the box, and inside, found a beautiful heart-shaped locket with a little red ruby on the face of it.

  “This is lovely, Lizzie.”

  “It will help you on your adventure,” she replied with a definitive nod of the head.

  “I’ll cherish it.” Katherine put the locket around her neck and had Elizabeth clasp it in back. When the packing was fully complete, Lord Dennis came upstairs in order to carry it down, where it was then placed in a hackney coach.

  Katherine stood out front of the Chance home, turning back to look at it once more. Although she felt as though she might cry looking at the home of her childhood, Katherine still felt nothing but joy for the adventure that was to come.

  “I demand that you write every day,” Lady Sybil said, holding a handkerchief in her hand and blowing her nose. She had been crying all morning, she said.

  “I shall,” Katherine replied.

  “And come back for a Sunday roast, at least once a month.”

  “Yes, mum.”

  Katherine embraced her mother, her father, and then Elizabeth. Everyone was crying except for Katherine. There was too much possibility in the air to even entertain a tear. Getting in the coach, Katherine popped her head out of the window and waved to her family, then watched as they got smaller and smaller in the distance. She turned in her seat and looked forward, a happy smile upon her face.

  Although it took some convincing to get the Baron and Baroness of Glower to agree to the arrangement, Katherine found that her parents quickly agreed to the idea when seeing how excited it made her. She was grateful for her parents’ willingness to let her go, but Katherine Chance was quite sure that, even if they didn’t approve, she would have moved into Bonhomie anyhow.

  Chapter 4

  The journey to Bonhomie did not take long, and once Katherine arrived, she looked up at the great edifice in wonder. The home appeared even larger than it had the first time. But she would never forget that afternoon when had she walked up to Bonhomie with hope in her heart. It had seemed like a palace on that day, but now that she was seeing it again, it reminded Katherine of a castle out of a fairytale.

  She alighted from the coach and found that the entire family was waiting outside to greet her, as well as several of the servants standing in a line. There were smiles upon everyone’s faces, except for Lady Constance, who seemed to be frowning to herself, not unlike Elizabeth would do. Perhaps there was something about that particular age in a girl’s life that led to frowning.

  “Hello!” Katherine said to all of them with a wave of the hand.

  “Welcome, Lady Katherine,” the duke said warmly. The servants quickly went to work securing Katherine’s trunk and bringing it up the steep stone steps and into Bonhomie.

  “Welcome, Lady Katherine,” Harry said with a bow of his little head.

  “It’s so nice to see you again, Your Grace,” Katherine said, leaning down to shake Harry’s hand.

  “Please, call me Harry,” he replied with his little voice.

  “Very well, then,” Katherine said with a smile. “Harry.”

  My heavens, but he still looks so much like him. Will I ever be able to think of anything else when I look into his face?

  “And, naturally, you remember Lady Constance,” the duke said, motioning towards his daughter.

  “How could I forget?” Katherine replied.

  “Lady Katherine can assist you on the piano,” the duke said to Constance.

  “Charming,” Constance replied flatly.

  Everyone went inside and Katherine looked up towards the ceiling of the great entrance hall once more. All was pristine and white, with enough marble to make the Taj Mahal weep.

  The first thing that Katherine smelt was the fresh flowers that stood perfectly arranged in rather large Chinese vases. A massive crystal chandelier came down from the great ceiling.

  “The children take tea promptly at 2,” the duke said, escorting Katherine down the hall.

  “Very well,” Katherine replied.

  “There are lessons that follow, and time outdoors begins at 4,” the duke added.

  “Most good.”

  “You’ll find that their attention is far superior after tea. Oftentimes in the morning, it’s difficult to get them to focus.”

  “Understandable.”

  As the duke gave Katherine all of her instructions, she realised that he was speaking to her like a general. She imagined that he had had that conversation countless times, considering how many governesses he had been through. To Katherine’s great delight, she realised that the duke was escorting her through the home, telling her of Bonhomie’s history and showing her the most important rooms. To her surprise there were separate rooms for each meal, something that Katherine thought unheard of. As the duke spoke to her, Katherine was reminded of his noble handsomeness, which caused her frequently to look away lest she be distracted from what he was saying.

  “Lastly,” Lord Roland said. “This is your room.” The duke pushed open the door and, there, Katherine found the most charming little room that she had ever seen. It contained a small bed and desk, and was tastefully appointed. Being on the very top floor of Bonhomie, Katherine had a remarkable view of the back garden and the rest of the sprawling grounds.

  “This is lovely,” Katherine said.

  “You’ll find that everything shall be provided for you. All you need to do is ask.”

  “I thank you.”

  “Take this day to acquaint yourself with the home, and lessons can begin tomorrow,” the duke said, walking towards the door.