A Well-Trained Lady (Seasons of Change Book 4)

by Jess Heileman

“You didn’t simply give her a doll, you gave her Emily. Your favorite doll.”

  My lips parted, utterly amused by his admission. “You recall her name?”

  Augustus chuckled. “That was not my point. It was supposed to be that you have one of the kindest hearts I have ever known. Perhaps you simply need to be reminded of it.” As his hand moved atop mine, the warmth of his skin was both alarming and unnervingly desired. I drew in a breath, allowing the familiar sensation to settle over me. And for an instant, I allowed myself to believe that I was once again the carefree, kind-hearted girl he had known.

  “There you are, Augi!” Ruth passed the far side of the settee with Sarah in her wake. “We looked everywhere for you and here you were all along—” She stopped mid-step, thrusting out her arm to halt Sarah as well. She looked at our hands, and I pulled mine free of Augustus’s. “Were the two of you just holding hands?”

  I glanced at Augustus. “No. Well, not really. You see we were just talking … and …”

  Ruth quirked her head to one side. “I thought you said that a gentleman should not be alone with a lady unless they are set to be married.”

  “Yes. I did say that. But …” I looked back to Augustus.

  “That rule hardly applies to old friends,” Augustus interjected.

  Ruth’s expression grew accusatory, and her hands moved to her hips. “A rule that one believes should hardly apply, still applies. Is that not what you said just yesterday, Bella?”

  Sarah nodded in agreement, her cheeks lifting into a smile.

  “Absolutely.” I clasped my fingers together in my lap. “And I’m pleased that you not only remembered my exact words but … that you also … passed … my assessment.”

  Ruth’s eyes narrowed a touch. “Your assessment?”

  “Yes,” I said, trying to conjure up the remainder of my fabrication. “To …”

  “To demonstrate that your knowledge is not superficial,” Augustus offered, coming to my rescue. “She thought it beneficial for both of you if, from time to time, she was to break one of her rules to make certain you are able to discern the error.”

  Ruth nodded slowly, obviously taking a moment to grasp the concept. “So, we are to watch your interactions and point out when you err?”

  I pressed my lips together. “Precisely.”

  “This shall be fun!” Ruth looked to Sarah whose smile confirmed her willingness to comply, but I was not surprised to see a glint of continued skepticism in her discerning eyes.

  “Well, now that we have discussed that … idea, shall we be off?” I asked, eager to leave Fairhaven and this awkward conversation behind.

  “I shall see about the basket directly.” Augustus offered me a quick wink before he walked from the room.

  I set my plate on the blanket beside me to readjust my bonnet. “I’m so glad you joined us, Mrs. Brundage.”

  She scrunched her nose and lifted her face to the sun. “I always appreciate a summer picnic. Though I’m certain ours cannot compare to the ones you are accustomed to attending.”

  “It has been perfectly lovely.” Perhaps she was right that it wasn’t like the typical picnics I attended, but there was something about the simplicity of it all that was still pleasing. No servants hauling in tables and setting up gourmet dishes. It was just the five of us enjoying the summer afternoon and a small basket of food that Cook had prepared. It felt … perfect, really.

  Mrs. Brundage’s regard returned to me. “I do appreciate what you are doing for the girls. I hope you know that.”

  “Do not even mention it. I am thrilled to be able to return a small part of the kindness you have shown by allowing me to stay at Fairhaven.”

  She nodded, releasing a breath, and I was certain she wished to say something else, but her gaze went to the plate on her lap. Augustus continued watching his mother, waiting.

  After a few more moments, she lifted her head. “I only hope you don’t think me neglectful in my rearing of them. Especially considering their lack of instruction in some areas.”

  “Not at all,” I said, glad for the years of practice I’d had in concealing my feelings. Besides, it wasn’t as if I thought Ruth and Sarah truly neglected, only ignorant in certain aspects—aspects important for the future but not yet vital for the present.

  “Well, you are kind to say so. But I fear I have been a touch too lenient with them both. I’ve tended to focus on morals, principles, and the like, and less so on Society’s expectations of them.” She paused, glancing toward the stream where Ruth and Sarah splashed, a hint of sadness in her countenance. “When Ruth first came to live with us, I felt such a heaviness about what she’d been through. The light had faded from her, and I worried we would not see it again. But slowly, as she healed and learned to trust us, it returned. I wanted nothing to ever dim it again. I wanted her days, as well as Sarah’s, to be full of laughter and happiness.”

  “And you have given them exactly that.” I reached my hand out, setting it atop hers. “And I assure you, they are some of the finest young ladies of my acquaintance.”

  Mrs. Brundage rotated her hand to grasp mine. “You are a dear girl, Miss Godwin.”

  I sensed Augustus’s eyes upon us, and I turned to find a satisfied grin on his lips, his head nodding in agreement.

  “Bella,” Ruth called, waving her hand from the stream, “come join us.”

  Mrs. Brundage nodded her encouragement. “Go on, dear. We all deserve a little laughter and happiness from time to time.”

  “I shall come if I’m not expected to wade as you are,” I called to Ruth.

  Ruth’s giggles floated on the breeze, beckoning me to her.

  “Allow me.” Augustus rose to his feet and offered his hand.

  Accepting his gesture, I allowed him to assist me to my feet. “I trust you have no intention of pushing me in?”

  He kept hold of my hand and tucked it into his arm. “Not today.”

  Ruth and Sarah had their dresses pulled up around their knees and were squealing in utter delight as the cool water flowed over their bare feet and ankles. I strangely envied their naivety, and the way Mrs. Brundage seemed to have no qualms with such untoward behavior.

  “Are you sure you won’t come in?” Ruth asked.

  I watched the water flow effortlessly around them, and it was easy to recall the sensation from when I was younger—the chill and the rush. But I was no longer a child. “I’m afraid not.”

  As the ladies resumed their frolicking, Augustus led me from them along the bank. “Would you join them if I were not here?”

  “Of course not. My mother has managed to add some sense to the girl you once knew.”

  “It’s a shame.” He flicked his chin toward the stream. “That water looks quite refreshing.”

  I looked up at him with accusation. “You are attempting to persuade me despite my refusal?”

  Augustus grinned. “As though I would do such a thing.”

  “You would in a moment if you thought my resolve weak enough.”

  His hand moved to mine, readjusting it further onto his arm. “I should be insulted by your lack of faith in me.”

  I bit my lip, and his eyes moved to the spot. “So, you will not try to persuade me then?”

  “You have my word.”

  I looked up at him from under my lashes. “Not even if I informed you that I long to get in the water?”

  A smile pulled at one side of Augustus’s mouth. “I know what you are attempting, and it won’t work. I now have a point to make.”

  I gave a dismissive shrug. “How unfortunate. A little persuasion may have been just the encouragement I required.”

  He searched my profile. “I daresay you may come to regret having voiced that opinion.”

  “Perhaps.” I sent him a teasing smirk. “Or perhaps not.”

  Augustus laughed, and I welcomed the sound. How strange it was that eight years had passed since our separation. Yet, now that I was with him, it felt but a moment.
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br />   We continued in comfortable silence until the ladies’ delighted squeals grew distant.

  “The view from the top of the hillock there is quite splendid.” Augustus shifted his gaze from the hill on our right back to me. “Unless you are averse to the exercise?”

  The provoking smile that lit his face was too much to suffer. Without a thought, I released his escort to lift the hem of my dress and started up the hill before him.

  “You might have let me get a fair start,” he called from behind.

  “As though you were ever one to play fair,” I said over my shoulder. He was hastening to catch up, and the look of determination on his face sent my heart racing and my feet moving faster. He caught hold of my wrist, but I managed to pull it free despite the laugh that threatened to hinder me. With one last glance at him, I lifted my skirts a tad higher and ran the rest of the way to the top.

  Augustus finished the climb only a moment after me, and his eyes settled on my victorious smile. “I forgot how keen you are for a challenge,” he said, his voice unaffected by the exertion.

  I drew in a labored inhale. “No, you did not.” I put my hands on my hips and fixed him with a most ineffective glower. “You are all too aware of my inability to refuse you.” I stilled, realizing how that could be received. “Not you … I mean your challenges … as you said.”

  The amusement on Augustus’s face was too much to tolerate, and I looked away, finally taking notice of the view. “It is lovely up here. Though the landscape is not so very different from Bath, is it?” I glanced around at the lush foliage that occasionally hid the stream from view. “Fewer hills, perhaps, but the same vibrant colors.”

  I watched him as he surveyed the landscape, a satisfied look on his face. “Perhaps that is why I was always so fond of Bath.” He sent me a wink.

  “Yet you prefer it here?” The question escaped me before I had a moment to think better of it.

  His expression was soft, but his answer was evident.

  I stared at the horizon in an attempt to conceal my irrational hurt. “It is your home.”

  Augustus stepped closer, and the sleeve of his coat brushed against my arm. “Do you know what aspect of Bath I have missed most?” His honey-brown eyes radiated the warmth of the sunlight so forcefully, I felt a need to look away, but I could not. “You, Bella. I missed you.”

  My whole body was abuzz at hearing the thing I’d longed to hear for so long, but I could not allow him to see the truth. It would do neither of us any good in the end. “I thought you intended to say it was taking the waters.”

  One side of his mouth lifted in a partial smile. “That was a close second.”

  The sounds of distant voices drifted on the breeze, filling the silence between us.

  Augustus flicked his chin. “It looks as though Sarah and Ruth have caught sight of us.”

  I followed his line of sight to find Ruth waving and calling to us, though she was still too far for us to make out her words.

  My gaze shot back to Augustus. How had I let the opportunity to speak with him pass? I was still desperate to know who had prevented him from contacting me or, more likely, confirm my suspicions. “Mr. Brundage,” I said, in an attempt to gather my courage.

  “Yes?” He closed the space between us and my legs nearly faltered beneath me.

  “I was hoping …” It was difficult to find the words with him standing so near, let alone the courage to speak them.

  “What is it?”

  I hesitated. The ladies were still some way off with a hill yet to climb. But even if I could find the resolve to ask my question, Ruth and Sarah would arrive before he could provide an adequate answer. “Mr. Brundage, do you recall the time Ruth was ill and we spent every free moment together, just the two of us, hidden away in the woods?”

  His mouth pulled into a slow smile. “Of course I do.”

  The warm air surrounding us suddenly felt thick as I attempted to draw in a breath. “I only mention it because I feel as though I have hardly had a moment to speak with you—alone.”

  Now it was his gaze that flicked back toward Ruth and Sarah. “We are alone now.”

  “For a moment. But it is never long enough.”

  He said nothing, but his brow pulled low, shading his eyes and making them appear colder.

  Instantly I was overcome by my own indignity. I took a step back. “Forgive me. I should not have suggested such a thing.” How foolish I was. We were no longer children. What must he think of me? Perhaps that I was exactly the type of lady he believed me to be—one who skittered about with gentlemen so I could have suitors lining up at my door. The thought nearly undid me, and I knew I could not allow him to entertain such a notion.

  I could not meet his gaze. “Mr. Brundage, let me assure you, my suggestion just now was rooted in a nonsensical moment of nostalgia, nothing more.” I paused, inhaling a shaky breath. “I am not the type of lady that—”

  A soft chuckle caused me to glance at him. “Let me assure you, that thought did not enter my mind.”

  Relief flooded over me. “It is a shame Ruth and Sarah were not near enough to have heard my unseemly suggestion, or they rightly would have called me on it.” I clasped my hands behind me. “Shall we start down and meet them?”

  His gaze was thoughtful, when it came to rest upon me. “I shall make a deal with you. If you will stop the unnecessary and agitating formality of calling me Mr. Brundage, I shall agree to meet you wherever you deem fit.”

  I couldn’t repress my smile, and his expression soon mirrored mine.

  “Agreed?”

  I gave an eager nod. “Tomorrow then. Two o’clock in the rose garden.”

  He drew in a slow breath, but nodded. “Two o’clock, then.”

  Guilt pricked at me as I took notice of his tightened jaw. “Are you certain you will have no regrets?”

  He shook his head. “I’m certain I will.”

  I narrowed my eyes, unsure of his meaning.

  “Regrets will come by either choice, but I have now sorted out which of those choices offers the regrets I can live with.” He lifted his arm to me. “Shall we?”

  With a touch of hesitation, I placed my arm on his, wondering what sort of regrets I had just accepted.

  Chapter Ten

  “We are finished for today?” Ruth glanced at the clock. “But it’s not even two yet.”

  I gave a taut nod. “But you have both done so well—”

  “Done well?” Ruth gave an exaggerated pout. “I was an absolute catastrophe! I shall never be an accomplished lady.”

  “Learning to pour tea correctly, especially for guests, is not an easy feat,” I replied, desperate to hurry the conversation along. “A little more practice, and you shan’t spill a drop.”

  “If it is so difficult, why did Sarah accomplish it with little trouble?” Sarah’s face reddened at Ruth’s inquiry. “I’m older, yet she manages it all so much better than I. I’m utterly hopeless.”

  I dropped my shoulders at the hurt in Ruth’s voice. “That is not true.”

  “It is,” she whispered with a quivering chin.

  I moved in close to her side. “May I share something with you? Something I have not spoken of since its occurrence?”

  Ruth nodded her head with a sniffle.

  “My mother had retired upstairs after a particularly tiresome caller, when an acquaintance of hers was announced and shown into the drawing room.” I drew in a quick breath to calm the constricting sensation that had settled in with the memory. “I sent word of her arrival to Mother and even had a tray brought in for tea, thinking Mother would be down soon. But when she didn’t come straightaway, I decided to take advantage of her absence, and the unlocked tea cabinet, to display my talents as a hostess.”

  Both Ruth’s and Sarah’s gazes were now fixed upon me.

  “I had done everything right. I remembered to ask her how strong she desired the tea. I put the leaves in first, added the milk after, and placed the spoon p
erfectly on the saucer. My mistake came in conveying the tea to my guest. I had very nearly made it, without a drop spilt, when my toe caught on the rug.” I paused, my heart racing as I recalled the vivid scene. “It was as if time slowed for a moment, allowing me to see the consequence of my foolishness played out for an eternity before me.”

  “You spilled the tea on your guest?” Ruth whispered, lifting her hand to her mouth.

  “The horror on her face as the hot liquid flew through the air toward the skirts of her expensive gown is forever seared into my memory.”

  A giggle escaped Ruth, pulling me from my mortification. Both hands covered her mouth and amusement shone from her eyes. “That must have been dreadfully embarrassing.”

  “It was,” I said, surprised to find a smile coming to my own lips. “And the worst part of it all was that I had not only dampened my guest and stained her gown, but that my guest happened to be a very influential countess.”

  Both ladies glanced wide-eyed at each other before breaking into laughter.

  The sound beckoned for me to join them and, when I did, years of hidden shame dissipated into the air around me. “So, you must not be so hard on yourself, my dearest. Until you have poured tea on a countess, I will not hear of your hopelessness.”

  Ruth’s smile was so brilliant it radiated warmth through me. “Thank you, Bella.”

  I touched her hand. “Now go. I shall see you both at dinner.”

  Ruth took hold of Sarah. “Can we stop by to see Cook before heading upstairs? All that interaction with tea and no cakes has left me ravenous.”

  I grinned at her ridiculousness, but for once I had no desire to correct her for it. I watched the ladies walk from the room before retrieving the bonnet I’d placed out of view on the under shelf of a small table. I glanced at the clock one last time before hurrying to the garden.

  “I do hope you have not waited long,” I called as Augustus came into view.

  He stepped to greet me. “Some things are said to be worth the wait.”

  My blush was immediate and entirely unreasonable. I had conquered nearly every visible reaction except this one, and each encounter with Augustus made my desire to triumph over the vexing response even stronger. “Do you suppose it will rain?” I asked, glancing at the sky for distraction.