Evading the Duke

by Jane Charles

  “What a magnificent talent. All of the girls sound lovely.” Meredith was growing quite eager to meet them.

  Faded blue silk carpets muffled their footsteps as they walked through the corridor. They passed rooms with doors left ajar, which allowed sunlight to filter into the space. She took the opportunity to snoop along the way and spotted a medieval tapestry of a wedding scene hanging on a wall in one of the rooms. Danby Castle had its share of tapestries scattered throughout, and Meredith had always enjoyed creating small stories to match the vignettes. Perhaps she could use Lord Blackwood’s tapestry in one of her lessons.

  “We moved the classroom to one of the guest chambers recently,” the earl said. “I hope you find it to your liking. You should come to me if there is anything missing that you need, and I will see that you have it. It is important the girls have every advantage.”

  She murmured her thanks for his thoughtful offer as warmth swelled within her chest. Her father had valued her and her sister very much, and he’d prodded them to learn every subject that a man would be expected to know. Meredith had always thought Papa was an anomaly, but it appeared Lord Blackwood held similar attitudes toward the fairer gender.

  “There were no windows in the former classroom,” he said. “James, Gavin, and I dreaded spending our mornings there.”

  “Is Gavin another brother?”

  “He is the youngest, but he is not in residence at the moment. He is attending a house party in Sussex.”

  “Were you not invited?” Meredith blurted and immediately wanted to slap her hand over her mouth. She hadn’t meant to be impertinent—just curious.

  Lord Blackwood slanted a smile toward her. “I was, but I sent my regrets. Truthfully, I would rather be home.” He shrugged as he stopped a few steps in front of one of the opened doors. The sound of girls’ laughter spilled from the room. “I suppose house parties, assemblies, and balls have lost their appeal for me.”

  “They never appealed to me,” she said. “Well, I do enjoy spending the holidays with the family at Danby Castle. I am less enthused about large crowds of strangers, however. I couldn’t wait to leave London.”

  “I am certain you were not alone in your desire to escape the crush. Where do you call home?”

  It would be presumptuous of her to say she was home now that she’d come to Blackwood Castle. If the family was pleased with her teaching and kept her on for the long term, however, this would become her residence eventually. But that was fact, and her answer was based on an intuition. Blackwood Castle felt right for her.

  “My mother, sister, brother-in-law, and I took up residence in Bath five years ago,” Meredith said. “Felicity thought taking the waters would be helpful for our mother. She has rheumatism.”

  She didn’t know what had gotten into her; she was chattering on like a magpie. Usually, she was at a loss when it came to conversing with gentlemen, but she seemed incapable of being quiet now.

  “Julian—my sister’s husband—found a house to let within a month of our arrival, and we have been there ever since. He is rather indulgent when it comes to my sister.”

  “As any good husband should be,” Lord Blackwood said with a trace of humor to his tone. “Within reason, of course.”

  “Yes, you are right, my lord. Felicity is nothing if not reasonable. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.” A heated flush climbed her face as she considered what he must think of her discussing family secrets. “Please allow me to reassure you that I will manage your nieces’ expectations in such matters when we study household budgeting.”

  “I have no concerns about your influence, Miss Halliday.” His cynical smile suggested he felt differently about other sources of influence in his nieces’ lives, but he didn’t allow her time to ponder his comment. “Has it been helpful?” he asked.

  She blinked, feeling slightly lost. “I beg your pardon?”

  “The waters. Have they helped your mother?”

  “Oh!” A breezy laugh covered her slight embarrassment at having forgotten their conversation from seconds earlier. “Yes, as long as she visits the baths faithfully, they are helpful. The cooler climate in Yorkshire creates more difficulties for her, which makes bed rest necessary at times. Nevertheless, she insists on being present when Felicity gives birth, and the duke insisted Dr. Campion would provide superior care.”

  Lord Blackwood nodded as if digesting the information. “Dr. Campion married Danby’s granddaughter not long ago. One of the triplets.”

  “Lady Patience,” Meredith said before falling silent a moment to consider the implications. She hoped the duke hadn’t recommended Dr. Campion simply due to his tie to the family. “He is a good doctor, isn’t he?”

  The earl smiled reassuringly. “Danby and I rarely agree on anything, but Dr. Campion has earned my admiration as well. He has been summoned to Blackwood Castle on more than one occasion to tend to various family members, and all has turned out well.”

  Unfortunately, Lord Blackwood’s eldest brother seemed to be the exception, although there was a chance the former earl hadn’t been in Yorkshire at the time of his death. Meredith would like to know the details simply because he was her students’ father, but she couldn’t ask without possibly appearing insensitive and rude.

  The noise from the room was growing louder. She nodded toward the doorway. “May I meet the girls?”

  “Right this way, Miss Halliday.” Lord Blackwood preceded her into the classroom, eliciting a few excited squeals. Three beautiful girls charged him, each vying for his attention. Smiling at Meredith, he passed her books to her before ruffling his niece’s sandy blond hair. He hiked the smallest girl into his arms, even though she was much too old to be treated like a child in leading strings, and placed a kiss to her temple.

  Meredith’s heart fluttered. It was the most thoughtful and loving gesture—to recognize their hunger for affection and dole it out freely. Meredith had been close to the oldest girl’s age when her own father had fallen at a patient’s home and died suddenly. Many times, she’d longed for the reassurance and security that only a father could provide. To know Lord Blackwood was so sensitive to his nieces’ emotional needs...

  Law! She might be the tiniest bit smitten with him now.

  “I have brought someone to meet you,” Lord Blackwood said to his nieces. “Please welcome Miss Halliday. She is your new governess.”

  Rebecca, Emily, and Iris stayed close to their uncle, peering at her with equal measures of wariness and interest.

  Meredith greeted each girl in turn, and they dutifully responded. At first, the three oldest girls seemed reserved, but it didn’t take long before Meredith was able to coax them into talking about their favorite subjects and touting their accomplishments.

  “Let’s start our lessons with arithmetic,” Meredith said once she had their attention. “Please have a seat so we might begin.”

  Her students proved to be eager and raced each other to the table. Iris was the winner, but Emily accidentally plowed into her and sent her sprawling onto the table. The youngest girls issued great belly laughs. Rebecca, however, quietly claimed a chair, folded her hands on her lap, and regarded Meredith with an expression that was too grave by half for a girl of twelve. It seemed Meredith was facing her first test as a teacher, and her reaction would set the tone for their time together.

  She crossed to the table, chuckling, and assisted Iris to a chair while Emily found one for herself. “After our short lesson, I believe we should take exercise outside.”

  She caught a glimpse of Lord Blackwood’s approving smile before focusing her attention solely on her students. When she set her books aside and retrieved slates for the girls, she expected the earl would leave, but he sat in the rocker close to the window to oversee her first lesson. She might have been nervous to have an observer if it were anyone else. To his credit, he remained unobtrusive and allowed her to perform her duties.

  Each girl was given a different equation to solve designed to challeng
e them without causing too much frustration. Meredith was checking over their work with them when a waifish lady with golden blond hair entered the room. Her eyes narrowed a fraction when her gaze landed on Lord Blackwood sitting in the rocker, but she aimed a bright smile at Meredith and came forward to gather her hands in hers.

  “Miss Halliday, I cannot tell you what an honor it is to have you at Blackwood Castle. The earl assures me that your credentials are exemplary, and my daughters’ education is in the best of hands.”

  As Meredith had suspected, the woman was Lady Blackwood, and her warm welcome added to the perfection of Meredith’s first day as the new governess at Blackwood Castle. Her classroom was beautiful and bright. Her students were divine. And her employers were everything she’d dreamed they might be.

  She’d never been one to boast, but she was rather eager to tell Felicity just how perfect she had it at Blackwood Castle.

  Chapter 7

  Colin moved to the edge of the rocker the moment Audrey entered the classroom. The wisest course of action would be to allow his sister-in-law to do what she did best—antagonize the governess until she tendered her resignation—but he found he liked Miss Halliday, and he wouldn’t allow her to be abused.

  Before he could fully push from the chair to run interference, Audrey swept toward Miss Halliday with a smile and welcomed her to Blackwood Castle. Colin cautiously sank back onto the seat and watched the unexpected exchange. His sister-in-law was the epitome of graciousness as she engaged Miss Halliday in conversation and politely answered the governess’s questions. When Miss Halliday was finished gathering information about the girls’ education, she requested permission to take Rebecca, Emily, and Iris for a walk.

  “What a lovely idea.” Audrey beamed at Miss Halliday. “I believe the girls would enjoy it very much.”

  Iris released a whoop and skipped toward the door.

  “Just a moment,” his sister-in-law called, waving her daughter back. “Allow your mama to kiss your cheek before you go.”

  Iris dutifully trudged across the room to stand in line behind her sisters to accept a kiss from her mother. When it was her turn, she tossed her arms around Audrey’s neck and squeezed her tightly. Audrey laughed, hugging her in return.

  Miss Halliday corralled his nieces and ushered them from the classroom. Audrey’s smile stayed in place well after her daughters left the room. Colin had never seen this side of his sister-in-law. He began to wonder if he had been too harsh in his judgment of her—until she spoke.

  “Poor Colin, whatever will you do now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I am sure you will figure it out,” she said as she sauntered in his direction. “Eventually. You are rather dull-witted at times.” She stopped inches in front of him, her skirts brushing against his knees, and tipped her head to the side as if studying him for the first time. A mix of malice and anticipation churned behind her eyes.

  Audrey took too much pleasure in goading him into losing his temper. He’d not oblige her today. Gripping the arms of the rocking chair, he imagined holding tightly to his faltering sense of calm.

  “When I look at you,” she said with a sneer, “I cannot help but compare you to Malcolm, and you fall short every time. I am beginning to suspect you don’t really share the same father.”

  “Enough!” Colin snapped and bolted from the chair.

  Audrey stumbled back a few steps. Her complexion suddenly appeared flat and chalky.

  “Malcolm’s mother—our mother—treated you like a daughter,” he said. “You will not insult her. Apologize at once.”

  “To you?” Her voice quivered slightly, but she straightened her spine. Her brazenness was returning in a rush, brightening her cheeks and eyes. “I will never apologize to you. You do not deserve it. Not with what you are trying to do to my daughters. They need an education, you blackguard.”

  Gads. The woman was impossible. “I am seeing to my nieces’ education. They are with their governess now.”

  “Not for long if you have your way. I heard you talking with James last night.” She skewered him with a malevolent glare. “You want Miss Halliday to resign, so you can tell everyone that you tried to provide for Malcolm’s daughters. You want to use me as the scapegoat—to tell everyone Blackwood’s governess problem is my fault, when the truth is you are too miserly to employ one.”

  “Any time you want to know something, you could ask me. Lurking outside the door is unnecessary.”

  Her sour expression conveyed her thoughts on conversing with him like a reasonable person would.

  Colin wasn’t surprised to learn that she’d been spying on him and James before dinner last night. Her behavior had been suspicious, the way she’d hurried to her seat and refused to look at either of them throughout the meal.

  “If you had begun eavesdropping earlier,” he said, “you would know the advertisement is still being printed in the newssheet. The search for a governess continues, and I hope to have a replacement arranged by the time Miss Halliday resigns.”

  Audrey cursed his stupidity and threw her hands in the air. “She is not going anywhere. She is a perfectly good governess.”

  “I am afraid she must.”

  “You are making no bloody sense. Give me one reason why Miss Halliday cannot stay.”

  The coffers are dwindling. Your husband mismanaged the flock, and he was too prideful to ask for help. He allowed you to incur debts he could not pay. The reasons were plentiful, but he was tired of arguing with his brother’s wife. His morning had started so well with Miss Halliday’s arrival, and he wished he could bottle the contentment he’d felt watching her interact with Rebecca, Emily, and Iris.

  “It is complicated,” Colin said. He gave his sister-in-law a brief overview of their financial situation and explained the arrangement he’d made with Danby to use his land. “Our future depends on the survival of the flock this winter.”

  “No.” Audrey crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve made a mistake in your calculations, and the new steward is worthless. Malcolm would have told me if the estate was in trouble.”

  “He didn’t tell anyone, Audrey. I will show you the accounts if you like. If we lose any of the flock, we are facing many lean years ahead.”

  “Malcolm never would have trusted Danby.”

  “He’d have had no choice. I have no choice.”

  “I don’t know whether to believe you.” The fire in his sister-in-law’s eyes began to dwindle, and she ran shaky hands up and down her arms. “What manner of man insists on an arrangement such as this? What if the girls form an attachment with Miss Halliday? They could be crushed when she leaves.”

  Colin grimaced. Audrey’s concern was legitimate. Hurting his nieces was too steep a price to pay, but if he didn’t fulfill his part of the bargain, how much more would they suffer?

  “Perhaps if you lend your assistance,” he said, “we can send Miss Halliday back to Danby Castle before she earns the girls’ admiration.”

  Send her back to marry Lord Lovell. The thought was like a splinter trapped beneath his skin, irritating and difficult to dislodge. A sweet girl like Miss Halliday deserved better than to be tethered to a libertine. Danby must be mad to have brokered a match with the baron.

  “You will receive no help from me,” Audrey snipped. “Be a man and get rid of her youself.”

  She stomped toward the exit and almost collided with James. He allowed her to leave then strolled into the classroom. “I heard arguing when I came above stairs. I thought you might need assistance.”

  “Not with Audrey. I think I’ve become immune to her theatrics.” Colin moved to the window overlooking the gardens and searched for Miss Halliday and the girls. It took him a moment, but he spied them at the far end of the hedge maze. Caroline, Nora, and their nanny had joined the group. The older girls ran ahead while the youngest two, who were trying very hard to keep pace with their sisters, fell behind. Miss Halliday and Mrs. Browning didn’t allow any
of them to go far before urging them to come back.

  His brother joined him at the window. “It is good to see them laughing again.”

  “Yes, and it is concerning.” Colin relayed their sister-in-law’s worries about the girls becoming attached to Miss Halliday and then losing her. “Perhaps Audrey is right about renegotiating with Danby. I should request another meeting. Either way, she refuses to help drive away her daughters’ new governess, and I cannot say that I blame her. Miss Halliday is a splendid teacher.”

  James slapped his back. “Making Danby see reason would be quite the feat, but I agree you should try. In the meantime, I will do what I can to encourage Miss Halliday to tender her resignation in case you are unsuccessful. The less time she spends with the girls, the better.”

  Colin slanted a glance at his brother and was troubled by the cocky smile on his face. “Just don’t touch her.”

  James chuckled. “I hadn’t even considered it, but taking liberties could speed the process along.”

  “I mean it, James.” Colin’s gaze followed Miss Halliday as she strolled hand in hand with Nora now. “If you touch her, I will punch your face inside out.”

  He could say his threat was motivated by concern that Danby would renege on their agreement if Miss Halliday were compromised, but he would be lying. He wanted her for himself.

  Chapter 8

  Meredith practically bounced out of bed the next morning. Even though she had stayed up late the night prior preparing her lessons, she didn’t feel the slightest bit sluggish when she yanked the bell pull to summon her maid.

  Her first day in the classroom had filled her with energy and purpose, and she was eager to see what this day would bring. If she arrived earlier enough, she would have time to set up the room before the MacBride girls had their breakfast. The youngest girls’ nanny planned to bring them to the classroom this morning to listen to their older sisters read aloud.