“Oh yes?” Georgette, still sitting at the table, looked up at the housekeeper.
“You are first to meet the nurse and your new charges.”
“At ten o’clock when I was supposed to be meeting the Duke?” Georgette said, ostensibly seeking clarification.
“No, you are still to meet His Grace at ten o’clock, as initially arranged.”
“And when am I to meet the nurse and my new charges?” Georgette said, proud that she was able to keep her voice steady in the face of such open animosity.
“You are to meet them immediately. The nurse has made them ready early this morning, and they are awaiting you in the schoolroom.”
“Are the children ordinarily in the schoolroom by half past eight in the morning, Mrs Griffin?”
“No. Mrs Wells, their nurse, has made them ready early this morning so that they might meet you.”
“So, presumably this particular plan was well-known yesterday?” Georgette said, feeling her annoyance begin to rise.
It was clear to her that when the housekeeper had left her yesterday afternoon, she had been perfectly well aware that she would be returning at half past eight the following morning and not just before ten o’clock as she had intimated. It was another little act clearly designed to make Georgette nervous and flustered and rather harried by the time she was taken before her new employer. It was a little act which had clearly been decided between the housekeeper and the nurse rather than something that the Duke had decreed.
“I beg your pardon, Miss Darrington?” The housekeeper looked a little unsettled, and her face very much suggested one who had been found out.
“It matters not, for I am ready in any case,” Georgette said, deciding that she would not continue the argument any further.
After all, she had no need. As far as Georgette was concerned, her point had been made without any fuss. She would meet the nurse and the children and remain calm for the planned visit to the Duke. If the housekeeper had been told to have her there by ten o’clock, then Georgette knew that she would arrive on time. After all, if they arrived late to the Duke, it would undoubtedly be the housekeeper herself who was in hot water with their master, and not Georgette.
Georgette rose to her feet and, calmly walking past Mrs Griffin, took her breakfast tray out and laid it on the table in the corridor. She returned to the room and gave the housekeeper a watery smile.
“Well, I am ready when you are, Mrs Griffin.”
“Right,” Mrs Griffin said, clearly disappointed not to have caused great consternation in the heart of the newest member of the household. “If you would care to follow me, I shall take you directly to the schoolroom.”
“How very kind, Mrs Griffin,” Georgette responded without a hint of warmth in her tone.
Chapter 6
Georgette had been careful to make an absolute note of every turn they took on their way to the schoolroom. She would not leave herself in the position of having to ask for directions ever again.
The schoolroom, when they reached it, was really rather delightful. It was a much bigger room than Georgette had been expecting, and she could imagine herself quite content to spend her days in it. It was painted in a very pale lemon yellow with every piece of skirting and door and window frame painted white. The drapes were rather golden and in a light brocade fabric which did not detract from the light and bright feel of the room whatsoever.
The windows were numerous and gave out onto the rear of the great mansion, onto grounds which were as spectacular at the back as they were at the front. What made the view even better was the fact that Georgette could see clear across to the hills and the woodlands, some near, some distant. It was quite breathtaking, and she thought it a view that she would never tire of looking at, even though she thought herself quite a determined town dweller.
In the very center of the windows was a great glazed double door, leading straight out onto a small flagstoned area. At that time of year, Georgette thought the arrangement a most perfect one and already had it in mind to take the children outside for a portion of the day to learn a little about nature and to keep them alert.
The schoolroom itself did not contain little desks for the children, but rather one great table at which the governess and her pupils were expected to sit together. The very fact was highlighted by the sight of a woman she presumed to be the nurse and two small and very fair-haired little girls who were already sitting at it. The nurse did not look up when they entered but continued with some seemingly clumsy attempt at some sort of lesson with the children.
Having already prepared herself for a certain amount of rudeness, Georgette looked away from the table and surveyed the rest of the room. There was a large stone fireplace, larger even than the greatest of the fireplaces in her father’s home in London. The iron grate was truly enormous and was set, although it had not been lit. In truth, with the sun full up, the day was unlikely to find itself cold enough to need a fire.
On either side of the great fireplace were two high-backed armchairs, each covered in the same golden brocade as the drapes had been made from. There was a low and rather ornate little oak table between the two chairs, seemingly ideal for the placement of a tea tray.
A little further back from the chairs was a small couch which looked neat and just a little uncomfortable in a very pale blue velvet. All in all, the little seating area around the fire was very pleasing to Georgette, and she fully determined to make the little schoolroom her very own. After all, now that she was there to teach the children, there would be no need for the sort of clumsy lesson that their nurse was currently giving them, and therefore no need for the nurse to be present.
Also in the room was a large piano, positioned just under the windows for maximum light. Georgette smiled as she looked at it and remembered her own governess as a child teaching her how to navigate what seemed to her then to be giant keys. In truth, she rather looked forward to the idea of teaching a little musical accomplishment to the children.
“You must concentrate, both of you.” The nurse had rather a deep voice, something akin to a man’s. “Eleri, please read the word I have written there,” Mrs Wells said, sounding rather agitated.
Since Georgette and Mrs Griffin had entered the room, the nurse had, quite unsuccessfully, attempted to get the child called Eleri to read the word. Again, she was greeted with silence.
Georgette turned her attention to the table and the little scene which had obviously been set up for her benefit. No doubt it had been meant to show her that the services of the governess were not required since the nurse had everything working like clockwork. However, the plan likely had not been made to cover the fact that the children had not been taught properly and to simply write a word, thrust it beneath the child’s nose, and expect them to know it was hardly a constructive lesson. Georgette bit back a smirk of amusement.
“Read it,” the nurse said, clearly feeling a little foolish and taking the whole thing out on the child.
“I cannot read it, Mrs Wells, for I do not know what it says,” the little girl responded in a surprisingly clear voice, despite the tremor it held.
Not only was the little voice quite clear, but the accent was not English. Georgette had heard the wonderfully lyrical tones of a Welsh accent before now in London, many times, in fact, but never from such a small child. It sounded truly beautiful to Georgette, and she smiled as she looked at the little girl.
“Eleri, I have already shown you a picture of a horse. You knew what that was,” the nurse said, her tone quite unforgiving. “Now I am showing you a word. Is it not obvious that the word I am showing you is horse?”
“No, Mrs Wells,” came the beautiful little Welsh voice.
“Well, you look long and hard at that word, my girl, because it says horse. Now you remember that; you learn it so that you know it in future.”
Georgette had to bite her tongue for fear of exclaiming aloud. Whatever system of learning was the dreadful nurse hoping to show o
ff?
“Good morning,” Georgette said, keen to be ignored no longer and certain that she wanted to put an end to the little girl’s misery. “Forgive me for interrupting your lesson, Mrs Wells, but Mrs Griffin rather told me that you were expecting me.”
“Yes,” the older woman said, scowling for all she was worth.
In truth, she had made a fool of herself with her pathetic attempt at undermining the governess before she had even started, and it was clear to Georgette that the woman knew it.
“Tell me, have you been long without a governess? I see that you yourself are helping to teach the children.” Georgette smiled as she spoke, keen to give the impression that she was simply interested.
“It has been some weeks since the last one left,” the nurse said, her face a picture of disdain.
The nurse looked to Georgette to be well into her fiftieth year, if not beyond. She was rather a large sort of a woman, with broad shoulders and big hands and eyebrows which, quite disconcertingly, seemed almost to meet in the middle. The eyebrows gave her the impression of perpetually scowling, and Georgette could not help thinking that her very countenance must frighten the children.
“Oh dear, that must have been a sore trial to you, Mrs Wells.”
“It certainly was. I am only supposed to work with the children at mealtimes and getting them into and out of bed. Since the last governess left, it has been down to me to spend all day with them also.” Mrs Wells seemed entirely put out by that.
Georgette could not help being perplexed by the curious behaviour of the upper-level servants in the house. It would appear that Mrs Wells was to be no different. While she resented the fact that she had been forced to work all day, instead of her rather more comfortable hours as nurse, still she was keen to point out that the services of the governess were not needed. Were all of the servants this contrary, Georgette wondered, or was it simply a little handful at the top?
“Then you must be pleased to relinquish the extra duties which have been dropped upon you, are you not?” Georgette said, rather painting the woman into a corner.
“Well yes, of course,” Mrs Wells said, quickly realizing that the new governess had blown their little plan clean out of the water.
After all, she could not one moment complain about her working hours and, in the next, complain that somebody had come to relieve her of such hours. Perhaps Mrs Wells had made enough of a fool of herself that morning and did not wish to continue to dig the hole she had begun to make for herself.
Georgette could sense Mrs Griffin stiffening at her side and turned to look at her, another frozen smile on her face.
“And I must say, this is a rather wonderful little schoolroom, Mrs Griffin. I think I shall like it here.” Georgette held the housekeeper’s gaze and saw the annoyance there. Still, she would not look away.
“That is what they all say,” Mrs Griffin said, entirely abandoning the last vestiges of good manners.
“Is it really?” Georgette said, her voice determinedly incredulous. “How very curious that every governess who walks into this room says precisely the same thing.” Georgette shook her head to indicate that she thought the housekeeper’s words entirely without merit.
In truth, she wondered if she was doing the right thing or if she was simply needlessly antagonizing a woman who could make life very difficult for her. However, Georgette rather thought that the housekeeper and her little group had already fully determined to make life difficult for the new governess, and she thought that there would be little reward in seeking to ingratiate herself. In truth, ingratiating herself would simply have come as painful to her.
“Well, since I have now met Mrs Wells, perhaps it is time for me to meet the children. After all, is that not the purpose of our early morning visit?” Georgette continued to hold the housekeeper’s gaze.
When the housekeeper did not speak, and the nurse shuffled awkwardly in her seat, Georgette simply made her way over to the table. Taking one of the seats opposite the little girls, she sat down and smiled at them broadly.
“So, I already know that your name is Eleri,” Georgette said, reaching out to touch the little girl’s hand. “But I do not yet know your name.” With her other hand, she reached out to touch the other little girl.
“My name is Ffion, Miss,” the little girl said in a much quieter voice than her sister’s.
“What beautiful names you have.” Georgette continued to smile at the girls, feeling a little sad that they both appeared so very wary of her. “And I am Miss Darrington.”
The girls did not speak but merely continued to regard her with suspicion.
“And I can tell from your names and your lovely accents that you both come from Wales,” she went on when the silence seemed to have opened up just a little too much.
“Yes, Miss Darrington,” Eleri said, and Georgette noted that both girls seemed pleased by her observation.
“Yes, we are,” Ffion added, just a little after her sister.
“And what part of Wales do you come from?” Georgette looked at them with a great show of interest which both girls visibly responded to.
“His Grace doesn’t encourage this,” Mrs Wells said and sniffed loudly in disapproval.
Georgette, annoyed by the intrusion, simply looked at Mrs Wells and smiled before turning her attention back to the girls. She could see that they were, once again, unsure of themselves and rather more unsure of their governess. Well, Georgette would not stand for such interference from a woman who thrust a piece of paper with the word horse written crudely upon it in front of a small child, expecting them to learn from it.
“Are you from the north or the south of Wales?” Georgette went on, ignoring the rather unpleasant sound of the large nurse clearing her throat in annoyance.
“We are from the north, Miss Darrington,” Eleri said, keeping her eyes averted from the imposing figure of Mrs Wells.
“And what is the name of the place you are from?” Georgette looked at both girls but felt sure that Eleri would be the one to answer.
It was clear that Eleri was the protector and tiny spokesperson for the twins, and Georgette knew that she would have to give Ffion a great deal of attention to draw her out a little more.
“Beddgelert, Miss Darrington.”
“Bethgellet?” Georgette said, trying to imitate the pronunciation.
“Yes, Miss Darrington,” Eleri said, and both little girls looked amused.
“I have not said it quite right, have I?” Georgette said, smiling broadly at them.
“Nearly, Miss Darrington. It sounds funny when you say it,” Eleri went on, whilst Ffion smiled but essentially remained silent.
“Well, it is a good thing that I have you both here so that you can help me to say Welsh words properly,” Georgette said. “We shall be able to teach each other, shall we not?”
“The master will not be happy about that,” Mrs Wells went on, quite determined. “He does not want Welsh spoken in this house, nor place names talked of. He is quite determined in it.” Mrs Wells sat back in her seat with an air of one who was entirely satisfied with herself.
“Bethgelert?” Georgette said, trying again and ignoring the children’s nurse entirely.
“That is right, Miss Darrington,” Eleri said, mightily impressed.
“Yes,” Ffion said simply but with a certain amount of determination.
“Well now, I have learned something already,” Georgette said with a smile.
“But perhaps not everything that you are being taught,” Mrs Griffin said, her voice coming out in rather a hiss.
“Perhaps I ought to deal with matters of the children’s education, Miss Griffin, and leave you to the no doubt arduous tasks of the housekeeper,” Georgette said, suddenly serious. “And perhaps any other such concerns you might have could be made to me outside of the children’s presence. After all, I am sure that none of us here would wish to upset Eleri and Ffion in any way, would we?” Georgette raised her eyebrows at the hou
sekeeper and then turned to look directly at the nurse. “Would we?” she said again, her tone full of authority.
“Well, it is perhaps best we leave the schoolroom for it is almost time for you to meet His Grace,” the housekeeper said, quite determined not to give in to Georgette.
However, Georgette had expected nothing less and no longer feared antagonizing the woman. Obviously, her presence was enough to antagonize the sour-faced housekeeper and her rotund compadre.
“Yes, of course,” Georgette said, regaining her tone of neutrality. “Well, girls, it really has been a pleasure to meet you both, and I am very much looking forward to the time that we are going to spend together.” She turned to look at the girls and smiled at them encouragingly.
Georgette was pleased to see the two little faces brighten when she looked at them and knew that she had a way of getting into the hearts of the little girls after all.
A Governess for the Brooding Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 5
