Risky Rules of a Passionate Governess

by Henrietta Harding

  “That’s right, Lord Garret, the duke’s brother. He’s returning from Paris and will be staying at Bonhomie for quite some time,” Sofia explained. “He likes things to be just right in the home, and that means a great deal of cleaning.”

  “I believe that I have met this Lord Garret before,” Katherine said, the memory of his handsome face flooding her with warmth.

  “Well, then you probably don’t want to meet him again. He can be a sour chap.”

  “I do recall he was rather . . . curt.”

  “Curt is putting it mildly. The fellow is very quiet and can have a wicked temper when he chooses to.”

  “How terrible.”

  “It is terrible,” Sofia replied, “gives me heart palpitations,” she added, bringing a hand to her chest. Katherine found it endearing, for it reminded her of her mother.

  “Can you give this to Nigel?” Katherine said, handing the letter over to Sofia.

  “Most assuredly.”

  “You should rest yourself. And don’t let the duke’s brother rattle you.”

  “That’s sound advice,” Sofia replied, getting up from her seat and walking towards the door, letter in hand. “And don’t let him rattle you none, neither.”

  “Oh, Sofia!” Katherine said, stopping her before she left the room.

  Sofia turned back. “Yes, M’Lady?”

  “When does Lord Garret arrive?” Katherine asked, hoping that she didn’t sound too eager or anxious.

  “Tomorrow morning, if you can believe it,” Sofia said, then exited the room.

  Tomorrow morning? Why didn’t the duke mention it at dinner? Katherine thought it a rather important bit of information, or perhaps only she found it important because she was fascinated by the brother’s good looks. Whatever the reason for not telling her, Katherine decided to banish Lord Garret from her mind and rest. It would be a long day on the morrow and there was nothing worse than feeling fatigued at the start of such a day.

  To her surprise, Katherine slept like a dream that night and awoke just as refreshed as she had hoped. She wore a simple, white muslin gown that was comfortable and light, made sure to fix her hair just right, and her toilette was performed with expert care. Why was she putting so much effort into her appearance that morning? Katherine knew that it must be because of the arrival of Lord Garret.

  Coming down the stairs, Katherine could see that the children were assembled and the duke had already taken tea.

  “Katherine, there’s something that I neglected to mention,” the duke said, meeting her at the bottom of the stairs.

  “What’s that?” she asked, playing dumb.

  “My brother is arriving this morning. I know that you have already met him briefly, but I thought it best to greet him out front, with the children.”

  “Yes, that would be lovely,” Katherine replied, feeling her heart flutter in her chest.

  “I dare say,” the duke said, looking down at his pocket watch, “he shall be here any moment.”

  Katherine noted something different in the duke’s demeanor that morning. She could not tell if he was anxious or annoyed. Whichever it was, Katherine could tell that the arrival of Lord Garret was not something that the duke was anticipating with joy.

  Stepping onto the front steps of Bonhomie they formed a little greeting line, not unlike the one that Katherine had encountered upon her own arrival. The servants stood in formation and Katherine watched as a carriage came down the long entry road.

  “Now, remember what I told you about greeting family members and friends,” Katherine said to Harry and Constance. “Be refined in your bearing.”

  “Yes, M’am,” both of the siblings replied.

  Katherine took a deep breath. She’d been told by the duke days before that the children had difficulty when it came to restraining their affections and emotions in formal situations. Katherine had taken the time to show them how to properly bow and curtsy to someone, whether they were a family member or anyone else for that matter. She was glad that she had taken the time to do so, and hoped to impress the duke with their modified behavior.

  Once the carriage pulled up Katherine watched as Lord Garret stepped out, and her breath was taken away. Although she had been impressed by his handsomeness upon their first meeting, she thought that Lord Garret appeared even more dashing than before. How was that possible? Maybe it was something in the Parisian air that had acted favorably; not that there was any need to improve upon his appearance.

  “Uncle!” Harry cried, running up to Lord Garret and completely breaking protocol.

  “We’ve missed you!” Constance called out, running up to him and doing the same.

  Katherine closed her eyes in mortification. It was exactly the thing that she wished the children would not do. She turned to the duke apologetically.

  “It’s all right, Katherine,” the duke said warmly. “They will learn with time.”

  “They must have truly missed him.”

  “They always do.”

  The duke effectively calmed Katherine’s nerves and she heaved a sigh of relief.

  “Where have you been?” Harry demanded.

  “I’ve been in Paris, little man,” Lord Garret replied, kneeling down to embrace his nephew.

  “Did you bring presents?” Constance asked.

  “Yes, there’s a trunkful of jewels in the coach,” Lord Garret said humorously.

  Katherine knitted her brow and tilted her head to the side. It was all so confusing. Was this the very same man that she had encountered in the garden, who was so cold and rude? Seeing him greeting his niece and nephew, Lord Garret seemed warm, open, and relaxed; nothing like the man that she had thought he was nor the man that Sofia had explained.

  Lord Garret got back up onto his feet and embraced Constance, then turned and looked directly at Katherine, his chocolate brown eyes pulling her in. She felt a flutter in her chest once more and watched as Lord Garret removed his gaze and directed it towards the duke.

  “Roland,” Lord Garret said, approaching him. Katherine had never heard anyone refer to the duke as Roland before.

  “How was the journey?” the duke asked.

  “Long,” Lord Garret replied flatly. The two brothers greeted each other with a simple, shallow bow, and that’s when Katherine noted that Lord Garret’s demeanor had changed. The affable personage that had greeted the children was gone. Lord Garret was all business.

  “Have you had breakfast?” the duke asked.

  “I have.”

  “Brother, there is someone that I’d like to introduce you to.”

  “The woman standing next to you,” Lord Garret replied, not a hint of humor in his voice.

  “That’s correct. This is Lady Katherine, the new governess.”

  “I believe that we have met before,” Katherine said, curtsying.

  “I don’t think so,” Lord Garret replied.

  Katherine met his gaze once more, confusion written all over her face. Why should she expect the duke’s brother to remember that first encounter, even though she thought of it often?

  “It was in the garden,” the duke explained, “when Harry had his fall. I told you all in the letter.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Lord Garret said flatly. “Now I recall.”

  Without saying anything more, Lord Garret walked past her dismissively and entered the house with the duke. Katherine merely stood there for a few moments, trying to wrap her head around the interaction. Lord Garret seemed as though he was two different men rolled into one. And he did not appear to take the slightest interest in her. Maybe it was for the best, because if Lord Garret did take any kind of interest in her, she could never again focus on her job.

  “Come this way, children,” Katherine said, bringing them into the house. “We must begin our lessons.”

  “But I want to stay with uncle,” Harry replied with a frown.

  “There will be plenty of time to spend with him. I hear that he will be staying at Bonhomie for a
while.”

  “But he always has things to do,” Constance replied, frowning as well.

  Katherine sighed to herself. She knew that once both of them were frowning, it was going to be a difficult start to the day. Inside the house, the three of them walked down the hall towards the room where they performed their studies. As they did so, they passed the duke’s study and the door was ajar.

  Katherine could see that Lord Garret and Lord Roland were inside, deep in conversation. For a brief moment, Lord Garret looked towards the door and that was when their eyes met once more. Could he see right through her? Was that a look of distain or disinterest? Katherine could not tell, but she quickly turned away lest the wind get knocked out of her again.

  “Here we are now,” Katherine said, leading the children into the room. She closed the door behind them and tried to focus her mind. Her heart still seemed to be pounding in her chest.

  ***

  Lord Roland was slightly on-edge. It was common for him to find his brother’s presence unnerving. He tried to reason with himself why that might be. For one thing, it was as though no matter what he did, it was never enough in Lord Garret’s estimation. Lord Roland was the older brother; he should be the one looking down upon Lord Garret. Strangely, and not merely because of his height, Lord Roland found that he was always looking up at his younger brother.

  “The house looks in order,” Lord Garret said, seating himself upon Lord Roland’s desk as though it were his own.

  “The servants have taken pains,” Lord Roland replied. “Business is good?”

  “Business is very good. The trip to Paris was fruitful.”

  “And the Parisian women?” the duke asked, knowing that his brother had a taste for the like.

  “What of them?” Lord Garret asked, turning towards him.

  “Sometimes, I think that you only go there for the women.”

  “How charming,” Lord Garret replied. “No, that was not my focus on this particular trip,” he added, getting up from the desk and walking around the room, inspecting it.

  “The children were excited to see you,” the duke said, seating himself behind his desk and pulling out a ledger. Often, it was best to engage oneself in other things while Lord Garret was in the room, because the way that he pranced about, you got the sense that Lord Garret was not paying attention to you at all even when he was speaking directly to you.

  “They look well.”

  “They did not care for Rebecca.”

  “Rebecca was stable. She was consistent,” Lord Garret replied.

  “She was in over her head. Anyone could see as much.”

  Lord Garret went silent and the duke could sense his brother’s frustration. Lord Garret had been the one that selected Rebecca, after much consideration.

  “Constance will be coming out into society soon,” Lord Garret said, changing the subject.

  “She still has some time.”

  “You need to consider these things now, brother. When she comes out, you’ll need to take her to London.”

  “Must she go to town for the season?” the duke asked.

  “You are the Duke of Easterly, Roland. Of course she needs to be taken to town. I hope that your new governess is able to instruct her in the proper conduct there. I feel doubtful, as the new governess is a child herself.”

  “Her name is Katherine,” the duke reprimanded. “Perhaps it’s best to call her by her name.”

  “Katherine. From Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew,” Lord Garret said with a huff.

  “You barely know the girl and you already look down upon her?”

  “She’s not old enough for the position. She knows nothing of London society. How is this Katherine,” Lord Garret said bitingly, “supposed to guide Harry to be a future duke? It requires someone with knowledge and experience. All the girl has is enthusiasm.”

  “Enthusiasm goes a long way.”

  “In this society, it does not,” Lord Garret replied.

  There was some silence that followed as the duke wondered what to say to his brother next. Was that how it was going to be in Bonhomie now? Would Lord Garret’s distaste for his choice in a governess lead to endless tension? The duke disliked the thought of it.

  “I think that once you get to know her, you will like her. I’m rather fond of her.”

  “I could bet that you are,” Lord Garret replied with a mischievous grin. “A governess that looks like that would instill fondness in anyone.”

  The duke was struck dumb. Yes, he had been admiring Katherine’s beauty, but he’d done his best not to think of her in that manner. In fact, it was all that he could do to turn his attention to other things when she was nearby. But the past two weeks had proved that there was no need for physical tension between him and Katherine. They could get on as a family might. At least, that’s how the duke hoped that the situation would continue.

  “You believe that I hired her for her appearance?” the duke finally asked.

  “It’s not uncommon.”

  “Do you not believe in my honest desire to have the best for my children?” the duke went on, frustration filling his voice. “There’s nothing I want in the world so much as to see them happy. Katherine makes them happy, and it’s showing in their education. They wouldn’t listen to a thing Rebecca said.”

  “Children seem to prefer other children. And Katherine is a child.”

  “They’re so fond of her,” the duke went, wishing to drive the point home, “that they requested that she dine with the family each night.”

  The duke watched as his brother’s face went from aloof to deeply troubled.

  “And you agreed to this?” Lord Garret finally asked.

  “Yes, of course I agreed. Why should I not?”

  “Because your governess is not your child, wife, or sister. This is someone in your employment. There is protocol.”

  “You and your protocol,” the duke said dismissively with a wave of the hand.

  “Yes, brother, protocol. Everything in society is protocol. The very fact that you fail to see that fills me with utter dread about the future of Bonhomie. A house is run on protocol, a dukedom is run on protocol, and Britain is run on protocol. This is the fate of proper society.”

  The duke was struck dumb once more. Had his brother returned from Paris even more extreme than he had been when he left? What was this sudden outburst of pride and emotions? The duke reasoned that it might have been good for Lord Garret to take some Parisian women while he was there. Then, perhaps he would have returned more relaxed and wouldn’t be harping on so much about the duke’s choice in a bloody governess.

  “Let’s take some fresh air,” the duke said, thinking that his study was about to combust from the tension.

  “Yes, I’d like to see the outer grounds,” Lord Garret said. The duke knew why he wished to do so. It was because Lord Garret had hired the new groundskeeper before he had left. Surely, his brother would find something amiss with how that poor chap was handling his job.

  Chapter 6