A Family for the Widowed Governess

by Ann Lethbridge

  Good thing she hadn’t given in to her urge, then. How embarrassing that would have been. And she could see he hadn’t slept from the hollows beneath his eyes. Likely he had not trusted her to watch over his child. And she could not blame him for being anxious. She had endured several sleepless nights when her younger siblings had been ill and Nanny had been perfectly capable.

  ‘I will leave you to your watch.’ She handed him the cloth she had been using. ‘I will bring up some tea and fresh cool water before I retire. I have been bathing her eye each time I wake her. It seems to help with the pain.’

  ‘You should not be put to so much trouble, Lady Marguerite. I will ring for a maid.’ His voice was gruff, as if he was somehow affected by her offer.

  ‘Why disturb them when I am already awake?’ she said lightly. ‘They all have their duties tomorrow and no chance for sleep.’

  ‘Whereas you may nap as you please.’

  Napping. It sounded lovely. She smiled. She also had duties, but they involved going home. But they would wait until she had caught up with her sleep. ‘Exactly. Mrs York gave me the key to the tea caddy, when I asked her, so I can deliver on my promise.’ The housekeeper had been a little surprised at the request, but had seen the sense of it. She also would not be able to sleep during the day.

  ‘Very well. I accept your kind offer,’ said His Lordship, his gaze drifting back to his daughter’s battered face. ‘A cup of tea would be most welcome.’ He frowned. ‘I should have thought to bring you tea before I retired earlier.’

  The man had a conscience, it seemed. Perhaps that was what made him so overprotective. She shook her head. ‘Mrs York brought me a tray before she retired for the rest of the night. By the way, I have looked in on the girls once or twice and both are fast asleep.’

  He glanced down at Netty and his expression was troubled. ‘Thank you. It could have been a great deal worse, I suppose?’

  ‘Yes, it could have been.’ And those were things she intended to discuss with him in the morning. ‘I will be back shortly.’

  He pulled the chair closer to the bed. How easily he lifted the armchair and how much more convenient it was now. She wished she had thought to ask him to move it before he had lain down to sleep.

  She quietly closed the door behind her and was surprised to find a footman waiting outside. He looked anxious. ‘Is Lady Netty all right?’

  ‘I think she will be better by morning,’ she said, warmed by his concern for the child.

  ‘Is there anything I can do for you, my lady? Mrs York asked me to stay here and be prepared to fetch the doctor should it be required.’

  ‘I don’t believe we will need the doctor again tonight, but you can assist me by bringing the tea tray up to His Lordship. Alfred, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, my lady.’ The young man frowned. ‘I am afraid the kitchen is closed, my lady.’

  ‘Well, you and I will open it again.’

  He grinned at her and together they went downstairs. While Alfred made the tea, Marguerite chipped ice off the block stored in the icebox and added it to water from the tap in the scullery. Another luxury. At her cottage, she had to fetch water from the pump outside the back door. The villagers had to go even further, to the public well in the centre of Westram.

  She brought the bowl back into the kitchen and set it on a tray with a fresh cloth. Peter had the tea tray ready and together they took them back upstairs. Lord Compton opened the door at her soft knock. He raised a brow at the sight of Alfred.

  ‘Mrs York asked him to stand guard,’ Marguerite said. ‘But I don’t think it is necessary any longer.’

  The footman looked at his master, who nodded. ‘If I need you, I know where to find you.’

  ‘I’ll not undress, then, my lord. Just in case.’ The lad marched off.

  ‘Will you join me for tea before you return to your chamber?’ Lord Compton asked, obviously noticing the two cups on the tray.

  ‘Yes. Thank you. I will bath Netty’s eye and then a cup of tea would be very welcome.’

  He followed her into the baby’s room. ‘I need to see what you do, if I am to do it myself later.’

  She showed him the way of it. He brought her tea and they sat together, watching the child fall back to sleep.

  ‘I am not sure if I have properly expressed my gratitude,’ he murmured.

  ‘You have, my lord. More than once.’ He seemed in need of comfort. She hoped her assurance helped.

  He sipped at his tea and put the cup aside. ‘Go. Sleep. We will talk more tomorrow.’

  There was something about the way he spoke, as if he looked forward to seeing her in the morning. Once he heard what she had to say, he might be less pleased, but things needed to be said. And now was not the time. Once they knew Netty had fully recovered would be the time to tell him a few home truths.

  * * *

  Jack had gone to bed mid-morning, once more leaving Nanny, who had seemed to have recovered from what ailed her, in charge of the baby. The poor old dear had been mortified to learn what had happened. Jack had intended to dismiss her on the spot, but she had been so apologetic, so tearful, he had not had the heart to follow through. He had been horrified that her hands were affected by her rheumatism. She had become quite indignant when he pointed this out, and insisted she could manage.

  He had, however, told her that Lady Marguerite would oversee the care of Lady Netty until after the doctor’s next visit and that Nanny was to obey all her instructions. Fortunately, she had been pleased by the idea.

  * * *

  Jack joined Lady Marguerite and Nanny in the nursery when the butler came to tell him the doctor had arrived. He stood by, his mind churning with worry, as the doctor sat on the chair beside the daybed and examined his daughter.

  After peering into Netty’s good eye and putting his ear to her chest to listen to her heart, the doctor gently eased up the purple swollen eyelid.

  Netty squawked and squirmed. Nanny rushed to her side and the child quieted at her soothing words. The woman then had the temerity to give him a triumphant glance. He stiffened his resolve not to be persuaded by such displays of affection. His wife had pretended to care for him, then gone behind his back.

  The doctor rose with a satisfied nod.

  ‘I do not believe there is any harm done. The eye seems fine. A little bloodshot, but it responds normally to light. She was lucky.’

  Lucky? He shook his head. He did not want to rely on luck when it came to the safety of his children. ‘I still do not understand how it happened.’

  Lady Marguerite held out her hand—in the palm rested a square block of wood. One of the children’s building blocks. ‘I think she might have struck this when she fell. I found it on the floor this morning.’

  ‘It should have been put away,’ he said, glowering at Nanny.

  The doctor ignored him, looking at Marguerite. ‘I think you are right, ma’am. It seems in this case all is well that ends well.’ He picked up his bag. ‘There is no more to be done except wait for the swelling to go down. As I said, if there are changes, anything you consider at all untoward, call me. Otherwise continue as you have been doing.’

  Jack accompanied the doctor out to his waiting carriage. ‘Thank you for coming.’

  ‘It was my pleasure, my lord. I will send my bill tomorrow. At your governess’s request, I have provided your nanny with a physic for her rheumatism. One that will ease her pain, but not send her into such a deep sleep the way laudanum does.’

  Jack stared at him. ‘She took laudanum?’

  ‘You did not know? Between you and me, I think she has been taking laudanum for a long time. I am not sure she will be able to go without it.’

  He froze inside. He should have known. Why had he not known? ‘You think she is addicted?’

  The doctor looked grim. ‘I believe it to be so.’

>   ‘In other words, she is not fit to care for my child.’

  ‘Well, I didn’t like to say it. I know how attached we become to those who serve us well, but she is suffering a great deal of pain from her joints, so it is no wonder she needed something for the pain. I presume she was your nanny when you were a child?’

  ‘Not mine. My wife’s.’ And the girls had clung to her after his wife’s death.

  The doctor nodded and they shook hands. ‘Do not hesitate to call me if you think it necessary.’

  ‘Thank you, Doctor. I will.’

  Jack went back into the house. Laudanum. Good God, how could he not have seen it?

  Lady Marguerite was waiting for him in the hallway. ‘May we have that talk now?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes. Come into my study. We will be uninterrupted.’ And there would be no servants to listen in on their conversation. It was the only place where a footman did not stand on duty.

  The night before, when Lady Marguerite had come for him, her hair had been a beautiful mane about her lovely face. Later it had been plaited, the way a woman plaited her hair before bed. The sight of it had given his wayward body all kinds of ideas.

  This afternoon, it was pinned back severely, in her usual manner. But for some reason he did not understand, it was no less erotic. Much as he liked to think he was in control, his desire for this woman was almost more than he could handle.

  Which did not make a scrap of sense.

  He went behind the desk and gestured to her to take the chair opposite. He stared at her for a long moment, trying to think how to phrase his question without sounding rude. Or too much like a magistrate investigating a crime. In the end he could think of no other way to ask than point-blank. ‘Lady Marguerite, were you aware that Nanny took laudanum on a regular basis?’

  A crease formed in her brow. ‘Not before today.’ She closed her eyes briefly, ‘But now I think about it—’

  Guilt filled him. ‘I was not aware either. The doctor thinks she is addicted to the stuff. She is certainly not capable of caring for my children.’

  ‘No, indeed. It was my reason for wanting to speak to you. Taking care of three children by herself is too much. And she has some very odd ideas about their upbringing. Apparently, she ordered that the children should have nothing but gruel for supper. Something about their digestion. Those children go to bed hungry every night. Which brings me to my second concern. She locks the nursery-room door at night and hides the key because Lizzie made a midnight foray to the kitchen. If there had been a fire—’

  His blood ran cold. ‘Why did none of the staff bring this to my attention?’

  ‘About the food? The cook simply provided what she requested. About the other, the laudanum, I think Mrs York may have started to guess. She would have no doubt come to you eventually. Nanny is terribly sorry about what happened to Lady Netty. She was in tears over it.’

  ‘She has to go.’

  Lady Marguerite’s gaze held sympathy, which after their argument the previous evening was a blessed relief. Their discord at dinner had left him unable to settle, which was why she had found him wide awake when she came knocking at his door with news of Netty.

  ‘I agree that things cannot continue as they have, but to dismiss her out of hand would be cruel after so many years of service,’ she said. ‘And a sudden departure will only upset the children, who love her dearly, despite her odd ways.’

  ‘I certainly do not intend that she should be turned off without a penny,’ he said stiffly. ‘She is of an age when she should retire. I will see to it that she is comfortable.’

  She tilted her head, her lips curving in a small smile as she nodded. ‘I would expect nothing less, my lord.’

  He relaxed, pleased by the compliment. ‘I should have noticed something was wrong. I cannot believe I did not.’ Guilt weighed on his shoulders. How could he have missed such an important problem beneath his roof?

  ‘We all make mistakes,’ she murmured.

  Was she trying to comfort him? The idea that she might care to do so eased some of the burden, though why that should be was a mystery.

  ‘May I offer a suggestion with regard to the children?’ The hesitance in her voice gave him pause. It was unlike her to beat around the bush when she had something to say. No doubt it was something he was not going to like. Or she recalled the forceful way he’d told her at dinner last night to look to her own affairs instead of interfering in his.

  ‘You may,’ he said, rather more gruffly than he intended.

  She took a deep breath as if preparing to beard the lion in his den.

  ‘I think Lucy, the maid assigned to me, might be a good choice for the nursery. She has several younger siblings and before she came to work here she helped her mother a great deal. Lucy could help Nanny with the baby during the day and sleep in the nanny’s room at night, while Nanny James is given new quarters where she can rest undisturbed.’

  The woman knew more about the members of his household than he did. ‘These are good suggestions.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘Thank you. In addition, the older girls need a governess. That should be arranged as soon as possible. Their education is falling behind.’

  An idea struck him. It stole his breath. It was so outrageous he almost refrained from asking, yet he could not stop himself. ‘Lady Marguerite, I know this is a horrible imposition, but would you consider becoming my children’s governess?’

  Her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened. ‘Me?’

  ‘I have duties that call me from one end of the estate to the other. I need someone I can trust.’ And he did trust her. As much as he trusted any woman.

  ‘I am sorry, my lord. I do not think—’

  ‘I will pay you double the rate you charge for drawing lessons.’ He held his breath when her jaw dropped, just a fraction.

  * * *

  More money would solve all Marguerite’s problems. She would be able to pay off her blackmailer once and for all and perhaps there would be enough left over to buy good quality art supplies... But she would be taking advantage of Lord Compton’s worry for his children. It would not be fair or right. ‘I do not think—’

  ‘You said you brought up your siblings.’

  ‘Yes. In the way of a mother. Not a teacher. I am qualified to teach drawing. That is my area of expertise. But as for the rest of it—’

  His brow furrowed. ‘You had a governess, did you not? You can pass along what you learned? It seems a simple matter to me.’

  ‘Certainly not. It is years since I was in the schoolroom and your girls deserve far better.’

  ‘It is a temporary arrangement I am seeking. Until a suitable applicant shows up.’

  The temptation was too, too much. She tried to hold her ground. ‘The work for my publisher requires a great deal of my time,’ she said weakly.

  ‘We can come to some sort of arrangement in regard to that. I need to be sure the girls are safe. I have to be honest with you, Lady Marguerite. I trust you as I can trust no one else.’

  Marguerite stilled. There was something about those words that struck somewhere near her heart. The ache was both sweet and terrifying at the same time.

  She did not want to feel that sort of pain. Or the warmth radiating out from it. Yet what sort of person would she be if she refused her aid? Not to mention it really would solve her financial problems.

  ‘A temporary position, you say?’

  ‘Yes.’

  This was one man she could trust to keep his word. She hoped.

  ‘I sent an advertisement to the newspaper for a governess yesterday,’ he said as if he read her mind, or saw her doubts in her face.

  ‘So, it will likely be three or four weeks before you have someone hired and in place.’

  He nodded. ‘To get the right sort of person. This time I must be sure she is up to the t
ask. The last two left after only a very short time.’

  ‘Did they say why?’

  He winced. ‘The girls did not behave as they ought and the ladies were not pleased with my refusal to allow them to be given the strap. It is one of my rules.’

  ‘Your rules? The same ones you gave to me?’

  He looked...embarrassed? ‘More extensive than those, I believe.’

  He rummaged in his desk, found what he sought and handed over a sheet of paper.

  She perused the list. It was almost identical to the one he had given her, except that it put Nanny in charge of the two older girls and the governess was merely in charge of education. ‘May I?’ she asked and picked up his pen from the desk. She struck out several items. The most egregious being the one about never leaving the house. She held his gaze as she handed it back. ‘I will agree to be your temporary governess, if you can agree to change your rules.’

  He grimaced as he glanced down at what she had done. ‘This is blackmail.’

  He had no idea what blackmail was. She shot to her feet. ‘Well, I wish you luck in finding...’

  ‘No. Wait. I—’ He took the pen and added something.

  She frowned at the change. ‘You will allow them outside, but only if there are three footmen in attendance? One is quite sufficient.’

  ‘Two.’

  Heaven help him. But his wife had died in his grounds. No. Not died. Been murdered. She really could understand his fears. And he had let her delete three of his rules. ‘Very well. Two.’ She took the pen from his hand and made the change and wrote in the rate he had suggested.

  He held out his hand. ‘We have a bargain.’

  ‘We do.’ She shook his hand.

  And just like that she had become a governess. ‘I will need to go home to collect my things.’ She rolled her lips inwards, thinking it through. ‘I will tell Mr Barker to forward my mail on to my sister at Compton Manor. She will forward them to me here, once she returns from Bath.’

  He frowned. ‘So much subterfuge. Is it necessary?’ He did not sound pleased.