Risky Rules of a Passionate Governess

by Henrietta Harding

  “This very moment?” The duke asked in dismay.

  “Yes. There is very little time and I crave her audience now.”

  The duke was taken aback, but Lord Garret would not back down. The matter was urgent. “Go on, then,” the duke said.

  Lord Garret instantly left the room and made his way to Katherine’s classroom. Servants got out of his way as he passed. Lord Garret in that moment was an emboldened man with a strong purpose. Coming to the doorway of the classroom, the children instantly turned to discover him.

  “Welcome, uncle,” Harry said.

  “Hello,” Lord Garret replied with a delighted smile. “Children, I need to take your governess from you for a moment.” The children frowned, as Lord Garret suspected they would do. “Come along, Katherine,” Lord Garret said, exiting.

  He could feel that Katherine was walking behind him but he dared not turn. Each glimpse of her brought more joy, and more pain. The need to be alone with her was urgent. Lord Garret was hungry for it. He led her out to the garden and was grateful to not discover Hans there. It was just the two of them. Lord Garret then led Katherine to a spot where they could not be seen from the house.

  “Your Grace,” Katherine said, beginning to speak. Lord Garret brought his fingers up to Katherine’s lips in order to silence her.

  “I do not wish to go away.”

  Katherine brought her hand up to Lord Garret’s fingers, pulling them away. She held his hand as though it were a treasure, and it warmed Lord Garret’s heart immensely that she did so. “I do not wish to have you go away,” Katherine finally said.

  “It’s necessary. I’m making my own life for myself.”

  “I do understand,” Katherine replied solemnly. “I can’t keep you.”

  “What you keep is my heart. You have it in your hands, Katherine.”

  “And you have mine,” she replied, a tear rolling down her cheek. Lord Garret used his other hand to brush it away.

  “We will write to one another now, yes?” Lord Garret said, coming in close and putting his arm around her waist. He looked down at her exquisite face before gently placing his lips upon hers. It was not the kiss that he desired but the location required it. Lord Garret wished to kiss her hungrily, rapturously. But to do so would require him to have so much more of her, which was physically impossible

  “Yes, we shall write,” Katherine finally said once they had pulled away.

  “Please know, I think of you every moment of the day.”

  “And I, you,” Katherine said with a warm smile.

  “And I promise that all of this shall make sense to you. And sooner than you can imagine.”

  “I trust you,” Katherine replied, and that was when Lord Garret went in for one more kiss, the taste and feel of her filling him with unspeakable need.

  “I must go.”

  “I wish that you wouldn’t,” Katherine replied, holding onto him.

  “It would pain me to stay a moment longer. Please, Katherine,” Lord Garret said. “However much I want nothing more than to take you with me, it would be disastrous at this point. We must have patience.”

  “If you say so,” Katherine said softly. And with that, Lord Garret removed himself from the garden and returned to the study, where he informed his brother that he was leaving Bonhomie at once. The duke seemed in shock, but he bid a gracious adieu. Lord Garret went to hug each of the children, promising them that he would return soon. Then, he was back in his carriage and re-entering the London fog.

  ***

  Katherine stood in the garden for some time, smiling to herself. There was no reason why she should smile. The fact that Lord Garret was leaving so soon was tragic to her, yet the magic of seeing him, even for that brief time, was enough to give Katherine hope for the future.

  He had said that they would write to each other and it was something that Katherine was keen on doing. She had thought over and over again that she should write to him, but each time Katherine picked up the pen, she didn’t know what to say. Katherine was looking forward to this correspondence bringing them closer, and on a deeper level.

  The day passed quickly and Katherine could feel that the mood in Bonhomie had changed once Lord Garret was gone. The family had their evening meal and the children were solemn; already missing their uncle. The duke assured them that he would return shortly and the memory of that afternoon in the garden came flooding back. Lord Garret had promised her that he would return soon. When she said that she trusted him, Katherine had meant it.

  That evening Katherine spent time with the children, not wishing to be alone lest Lord Garret be the only thing on her mind. One thing that had softened the blow of Lord Garret’s busy life in London was the fact that Constance and Katherine had grown even closer. The girl was confiding in her, and it brought Katherine a great deal of happiness. And that particular night, Constance seemed even keener on sharing.

  “There’s something that I must show you,” Constance said.

  “What is it?” Katherine replied.

  “You have to come with me to find out,” she said, full of mischief. Constance took Katherine by the hand and led her to the stairs where they climbed up, up, and up. Katherine had never been to the attic of Bonhomie before, nor did she think anything of importance was up there. Kneeling before a small chest, Constance motioned with her hand for Katherine to do the same.

  “It looks like a treasure chest!” Katherine said with enthusiasm.

  “It is,” Constance replied, practically whispering.

  Looking about the attic, Katherine could see that there were a number of rare artifacts stored there, not unlike some kind of museum. Had she known there were so many old paintings and so much rare furniture, she would have ventured up there sooner.

  “What’s inside?” Katherine asked.

  “Let me show you,” Constance said, opening the small, gilded chest. Inside, Katherine could see a number of rich pieces of glittering jewelry. Upon a small rug, Constance laid out each one so that Katherine could see. “I never show these to anyone,” Constance said. “This is my secret chest.” As each piece was laid out, Katherine leaned in to marvel at it.

  “Exquisite,” Katherine said in awe.

  “Yes, they are quite wonderful. Sometimes I put them all on and prance around the attic like a queen.”

  “You should be careful with these,” Katherine instructed. “You don’t want to lose any of them.”

  “You needn’t worry,” Constance assured her. “I put back each one exactly where I found it in the chest so that there is always order.”

  “Very wise of you,” Katherine replied with a smile. That was when she noticed a rather familiar locket laid out amongst the other jewels. It was a heart with a red ruby on the face of it. In fact, it looked almost exactly like the locket that Elizabeth had given her upon her departure.

  The story behind Katherine’s family locket came to her recollection. As it turned out, her grandfather had sold a great many things in order to be able to purchase it for her grandmother. It had been bought from a rather famous goldsmith at the time, who swore to Katherine’s grandfather that there were only four like it in the world.

  How curious and fascinating it would be if Constance’s grandmother, being one of the bon ton of the time, had also purchased one of the four. She didn’t wish to mention any of this to Constance, lest she be mistaken.

  “I shall lock this up now and all will be well,” Constance assured her, closing the chest.

  “I’m so happy that you showed these to me,” Katherine said.

  “There are my old dolls, as well,” Constance added, getting up and rushing to the other side of the attic. There, she put her hands out to display what looked like at least thirty antique dolls.

  “Marvelous,” Katherine said, following her.

  “Papa says that I’m too old for them, so they shouldn’t be in my room.”

  “Do you miss having them in your room?”

  “No, because I
’m becoming a grown lady and I don’t need them anymore. But perhaps my daughter should like them.”

  “I’m sure that she will,” Katherine replied warmly.

  “Yet, still, I come up here to cheer myself up. I put on my jewels and I play with my dolls. I like to sit in these old chairs.”

  “It’s your secret hideaway,” Katherine said.

  “That’s precisely it. It’s my secret hideaway,” Constance said with pride.

  “Back at my former home, I had a secret hideaway as well. My sister and I would go there to read and put on plays.”

  “I very much wish that I had a sister,” Constance said. “But you are a sister in a way.”

  “I’m made happy by you saying that,” Katherine replied, and then Constance threw herself into Katherine’s arms. She held the girl and smiled.

  “I will miss uncle,” Constance finally said, pulling away from Katherine.

  “I will, too,” Katherine replied, the memory of her loss returning.

  “I think that he is in love with you.”

  Katherine was taken aback and didn’t know how to reply.

  “What makes you say that?” She finally asked softly.

  “The way that he looks at you.”

  Chapter 18

  “Do you think of him often?” Hans asked, trimming a hedge with an impressively large pair of clippers.

  “I fear that he is the only thing that occupies my thoughts,” Katherine replied.

  “This is no good, Katherine,” Hans said, shaking his head.

  “Why is that?”

  “Because he is far away. This will break your heart.”

  “I sincerely hope that it will not break my heart.”

  “He’s a rather stern sort of man to fall in love with,” Hans said with a laugh. “I did not think it possible that you could fall for someone like that.”

  “Nor did I. Are these things ever by choice? From the first moment I saw him, I was captivated by him. His character was rather off-putting at first, but once he began to open up, that’s when I fell in love.”

  “Have you told the duke?” Hans asked.

  “Heavens, no!” Katherine protested. “I would undoubtedly lose my position.”

  “Maybe not.”

  As Hans and Katherine continued to walk and chat, she couldn’t help but admire what a stunning day it was out in the garden. The air was crisp and cool and the leaves were beginning to change, just as Katherine had anticipated.

  “I hear that you have made some amendments to the garden,” Katherine said, wishing to change the subject from Lord Garret lest she begin to appear the fool.

  “There are now squashes,” Hans said, stopping to count on his fingers, “pumpkins, courgette, and aubergine.”

  “I bet that Renee will be very pleased.”

  “Let’s wait and see if it’s a good harvest. When it comes to this time of year, you can never tell.”

  “Are you still happy here?”

  “Yes, I am very happy man,” Hans replied, puffing out his chest. “When I was in Germany, I lived in cold, dank flat. Here, I live in a castle,” Hans replied with a flourish of his hand, motioning towards Bonhomie. Then his expression turned more serious as he continued his business trimming the hedge. “Do you want to marry him?”

  “Lord Garret?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s impossible,” Katherine said, shaking her head.

  Yet, there’s nothing more in the world that I want.

  “Nothing is impossible,” Hans replied.

  “Well, improbable, anyhow.”

  “The best way to get him to marry you,” Hans began to instruct, “is to ignore him.”

  “What?” Katherine asked with a laugh.

  “It’s the truth. Make him think that you love him and then, abruptly, ignore him.”

  “I could never do such a thing.”

  “It’s possible,” Hans said, pointing his finger into the air. “You just tell yourself that, even though it’s painful, it will lead to much benefit in the end.”

  “And what makes you espouse this theory?” Katherine asked playfully, running her hand along the hedge.

  “Every girl I have ever loved has ignored me.”

  “Oh, Hans!” Katherine protested.

  “It’s true. Every girl that I have loved, I have fallen in love with because they ignore me. Once they stop ignoring me, I no longer feel love for them.”

  “This is terrible,” Katherine said, her face becoming serious.

  “I can tell you the way that men work. I know these things to be true. You ignore a man for as long as you can until he wears you down. You do not cease to be difficult until he asks for your hand in marriage. After that, you’re free to do as you please.”

  “As if marriage were the ultimate prize,” Katherine said sarcastically.

  “It is the ultimate prize,” Hans assured her. “Once a woman is married, she is safe. Then she can relax and finally be herself.” In response to this, Katherine laughed uproariously.

  “I don’t think that I’ve ever not been myself with Lord Garret.”

  “That has been your biggest mistake.”

  “No.”

  “Yes,” Hans said, turning and looking into Katherine’s eyes. “It’s perhaps why he has gone away.”

  Katherine was taken aback. Was Hans really suggesting that Lord Garret had gone to London because she was too open and honest? Because she had given herself to him? The thought of it sent a shiver of fear down her body. But with Lord Garret, she felt no need to pretend or be something that she was not. Katherine chose to be honest in all things. It was how she had been raised. But Hans was now telling her that, if she had played more of a game, perhaps Lord Garret would have stayed because there would have been unfinished business.

  Oh, the whole topic disgusted Katherine and she didn’t wish to speak of it a moment longer.

  “If your theory is sound, you shall find marriage difficult,” she assured him.

  “And why is that?”

  “Because you’ll marry one woman, only to discover that she’s someone else entirely.”

  “I am prepared for this,” Hans said.

  “We shall see. I can watch it all play out. The duke will hire a new scullery maid with a tiny waist, you’ll entreat her, she’ll refuse. The tension will become so great that you’ll ask her to marry you, and then discover that she’s merely a tired, boring scullery maid.”

  “This is not going to happen,” Hans assured her.

  “And why is that?”

  “I’m not to marry a scullery maid.”

  “Then who are you to marry?”

  “The governess,” Hans said with a mischievous grin.

  “Oh, do stop that,” Katherine replied, giving Hans a smack on the back.