A Very Unusual Governess

by Sylvia Andrew

  Octavia’s voice softened. ‘I know you haven’t. But if you’ll take my advice, you’ll be patient. I’ve promised Lisette that I shall make sure she’ll meet you in London, and you must wait till then. Once she has been presented to Society, then you can plead your case with her. Not before.’

  ‘But she’s so beautiful! Tavy, you don’t know what it’s like to be in love. I’d give up the Army and settle down like a shot if I could be sure it would be with Lisette Barraclough.’

  This was a new Harry. Octavia was impressed in spite of herself. She said gently, ‘Then you must bide your time and take your chance. You might well win. But don’t spoil it by pursuing her now.’

  ‘What will she think? I promised to meet her this afternoon.’

  ‘I’ve made sure she understands the situation. She knows I’m talking to you. Trust me, Harry!’

  ‘I suppose I’ll have to,’ her brother said glumly. ‘It’s clear you don’t want me to meet her at the moment.’

  ‘Much as I love you, I can’t let you. I would stop you if you tried. And now I must hurry back. Leave here as soon as you can, Harry. I shall probably see you in a week or two at Ashcombe! Meanwhile, behave!’ She hugged him. ‘Smile! Three months isn’t long! Think of what Papa will say!’

  He grinned at her then. ‘He’ll be amazed! The last time I saw him I wouldn’t hear of staying at home, and now…’

  Octavia laughed and kissed him. ‘Look after yourself, my dearest. Things will turn out right, you’ll see. For you, at least. Goodbye!’ She turned and hurried out of the inn.

  She and Harry had been so absorbed in their conversation that they had failed to notice an important-looking carriage that had stopped briefly outside, long enough for the driver to ask for directions, and had then carried on. Julia Barraclough was arriving at Wychford.

  Chapter Ten

  Julia Barraclough had sharp features, and narrow hands and feet of which she was inordinately proud. She thought it showed her breeding. She affected an aristocratic drawl, too, though her comments were usually as sharp as her nose. She was suspicious of everything her brother-in-law had done, including not only his choice of governess, but the freedom he had then granted her. She had not been very long in the house before she was making her views plain.

  ‘Where is this Miss Petrie?’ she demanded, after Edward and the girls had greeted her. ‘I expected her to be here to give me an account of her work! Where is she?’

  ‘I think Miss Petrie went out for a walk, Aunt Julia,’ said Lisette, timidly.

  ‘Out for a walk? What was she thinking of? Her employer is due at any time, and the governess goes out for a walk! Did you know about this, Edward?’

  ‘Not exactly. But I don’t find it a matter of concern, Julia. Miss Petrie is very conscientious. You arrived rather earlier than we expected, you know. She probably thought she would give you time to have a rest and a talk with the family, before you took up the reins. You can talk to her at dinner.’

  ‘At dinner? Surely you do not allow the servants to dine with the family?’

  There was a slight pause before Edward said in an even tone, ‘Miss Petrie is hardly a servant. And the girls benefit considerably from her conversation at the table.’

  ‘We shall have to make other arrangements now that I am here. I have no wish to be edified by the conversation of a country bumpkin!’

  ‘That is a pity. I’m not quite sure how to arrange matters to satisfy you. As long as I am at Wychford, Miss Petrie will continue to dine with us,’ said Edward courteously but firmly.

  ‘Well, that won’t be for very long, will it?’ Julia said sweetly. ‘But…did I hear you say ‘girls’? Does that mean Lisette and Philippa? I do hope you haven’t allowed Philippa to join you for dinner! She’s far too young to be down in the evenings. She should be in the nursery with the governess. Miss Froom would have understood that, of course. A most superior woman, from all accounts. She was for many years governess to the Ledburys, you know. Dear Daisy Ledbury was quite upset when I told her you had let Miss Froom go.’

  ‘Have you met Miss Froom?’

  ‘Of course not! But I met Lady Ledbury in London while I was passing through, though I didn’t meet her husband. He was staying with friends in the country.’

  ‘You surprise me. However, Miss Froom was, in my opinion, completely unsuitable for my nieces. We were all glad to see the back of her.’

  ‘That’s right, Aunt Julia! Miss Froom was a horror!’ cried Pip, unable to hold her tongue any longer. ‘And you mustn’t say things about Miss Petrie! Miss Petrie is the best governess you could want!’

  ‘She has apparently failed to teach you to be quiet until you’re spoken to, Philippa!’

  ‘Miss Petrie likes to hear what I say!’

  Lisette took Pip’s hand. ‘Shall I see if Miss Petrie is coming up the drive, Edward?’

  ‘Do!’ said her uncle with relief. ‘Your Aunt Julia would probably like to have a rest. Tell me, Julia, are you completely cured?’

  Lisette and Pip made their escape.

  ‘It’s going to be awful,’ said Pip gloomily. ‘I’d forgotten what Aunt Julia was like. She hasn’t even brought Uncle Henry with her. He’s not much but he’s a lot better than her.’

  ‘Uncle Henry wanted to stay in London for a few days longer,’ said Lisette. ‘He was going to look for a suitable house for us to rent there. And Aunt Julia was worried about us, so she said she would leave him and come down to Wychford alone.’

  ‘If I were Uncle Henry I’d want to stay in London for weeks! I hope he does! Edward said he would leave as soon as Uncle Henry arrived, and I don’t know what it will be like without Edward!’

  ‘No,’ sighed Lisette.

  ‘Perhaps Miss Petrie would agree to stay a bit longer?’

  ‘I wish she would, but I somehow don’t think Aunt Julia will want her to. We shall have to see, Pip. I suppose it isn’t too long before we all go to London.’

  ‘Oh, why couldn’t things stay as they were? We were so happy at Wychford with Edward and Miss Petrie! I don’t want to go to London! I love this house!’

  ‘So do I. Though I’d like to see London…and the people there. But wait! There’s Miss Petrie coming up the drive. Pip, you’re not to repeat the things Aunt Julia said about her, do you understand? They would hurt her.’

  ‘Well, I won’t! Miss Petrie! Miss Petrie!’ and with her usual enthusiasm Pip ran off down the drive.

  Octavia hugged Pip, then looked to where Lisette was waiting for her. Her heart gave a pang. It was so like the first time she had come to Wychford, and she had met Pip, then Lisette, almost at this very spot. She looked at Wychford. The house looked somehow closed…remote…It was astonishing how it changed with the weather!

  ‘This is nice,’ she said, as she came up, with Pip hanging on to her arm. ‘I must go for a walk more often!’

  ‘Did you enjoy it?’ asked Lisette. It was clear to Octavia, at least, what she meant. Lisette could guess that she had been to see Harry.

  ‘It was entirely successful, Lisette,’ she said with a smile. ‘It cleared the air completely.’

  Pip looked slightly puzzled, but Lisette breathed an audible sigh of relief. She said, ‘Aunt Julia arrived while you were out. Her leg seems to be not nearly as bad as we thought.’

  ‘So your uncle will be leaving us soon?’ said Octavia, trying to sound casual.

  ‘Not yet. Uncle Henry has stayed in London and Aunt Julia can’t manage on her own. He’ll come down in a week or so, and Edward will leave then.’

  Octavia didn’t know whether to be glad or sorry at this news. Of course, things would not in any case be the same with Julia Barraclough there. ‘I must hurry,’ she said. ‘Your aunt will be annoyed that I wasn’t here when she arrived.’

  ‘She was,’ said Pip. ‘Very.’ Octavia saw Lisette frown and shake her head at her sister and she laughed.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I deserve her disapproval. Come on! We
mustn’t keep Mrs Barraclough waiting any longer.’ Octavia started to walk very fast, and, laughing and protesting, the girls tried to keep up with her.

  Dinner that evening was once again rather strained. Mrs Barraclough made her disapproval of Octavia’s presence at the table very plain by addressing her remarks exclusively to her elder niece and her brother-in-law. Lisette obviously felt her aunt’s rudeness even more than Octavia, and was painfully embarrassed. She hardly said anything at all. Octavia remained calm, and responded to such remarks as came her way from Edward Barraclough with perfect self-possession, but did not feel inspired to expand on them. Even Pip was quiet. As they rose after the meal, Mrs Barraclough said coldly, ‘I should like to see you in the library, Miss Petrie. In ten minutes, if you please. I should like a few minutes first to talk in private with my family.’

  ‘Certainly, ma’am. In ten minutes.’ Octavia left the room. If this was a foretaste of what life would be like under the new regime, she was not sorry it was to be short-lived! Mrs Barraclough was worse even than she had feared. An overbearing snob! But worse was to come.

  In the library Mrs Barraclough gave her a merciless grilling, during which Octavia was forced to reply with less than complete candour. Some of the questions verged on the offensive, and Octavia dealt with these as she thought they deserved, with cool disdain—a reaction that did not endear her to her employer. But just when she had started to congratulate herself on avoiding the pitfalls in Mrs Barraclough’s interrogation, her complacency was brought to an abrupt end when Mrs Barraclough suddenly said,

  ‘I think I saw you at the inn in the village this morning. Who was the young man?’

  Octavia did her best but she could not prevent the colour rising in her cheeks. ‘Did you, ma’am?’ she said, playing for time.

  ‘I did, so don’t try to fob me off, young woman! Who was he? Does Mr Barraclough know you have a follower in the neighbourhood? I can’t imagine he does. It’s something I have never allowed among the servants in my household!’

  ‘Mr Barraclough has never asked me what I do in my free time, Mrs Barraclough. But you need have no further worry about the young man in question. I was there to bid him goodbye. He is leaving today.’

  ‘And how long has your affair with him been going on?’

  ‘There has been no affair,’ said Octavia, suppressing her anger. ‘He has been here for a mere three days. I assure you, Mrs Barraclough, you need not concern yourself with him any longer.’

  ‘That is surely for me to decide, Miss Petrie! I insist on knowing his name, if you please!’

  Octavia hesitated, then said, ‘Smith. Mr Smith. He is an old friend of my family.’

  ‘Really?’ Mrs Barraclough’s tone conveyed what she thought of this. ‘Well, unlike Mr Barraclough, I do not permit mysterious walks, or secret assignations, Miss Petrie. For the remainder of your employment here, you will please inform me when you intend to leave the house.’

  Octavia took a deep breath. ‘Does that include my afternoon walks with the girls, ma’am?’

  ‘Yes, of course it does! Well, I think I have made matters clear. I suppose, since my brother-in-law wishes it, you will continue to sit with us at dinner. At least when he is in residence at Wychford. Not otherwise. But I do not expect you to take part in any conversation. Your views are a matter of indifference, at least to me. Miss Froom would, of course, have appreciated that fact, but then Miss Froom is a well-trained servant and knows her place. That is all, Miss Petrie. I shall see you again tomorrow or the next day, after I’ve had an opportunity to judge what you have been doing with my nieces. You may go.’

  Octavia came out of the library, quivering with suppressed rage. She had never in her life been spoken to in such a manner. What was more, she did not believe that her mother would ever have spoken to any of her governesses so. The woman was a viper, an ill-mannered, ill-bred viper!

  Octavia thought she would explode if she didn’t get some air. She walked rapidly up the stairs, fetched a thick shawl and slipped out of the side door on to the terrace. The sky was stormy, and a cold wind was blowing. Clouds raced across the face of the moon, sending eerie shadows over the terrace. Octavia hardly noticed any of it as she walked swiftly to and fro in an effort to master her fury, muttering imprecations, kicking a branch blown there by the wind quite unnecessarily out of the way. The branch was hard and her slippers thin. It hurt. She swore, stopped and nursed her foot.

  By the time she put it to the ground again she had recovered enough of her equilibrium to start laughing at herself. She had always thought she had the least pride, the least self-consequence, of any of the Petries. She and Harry had always laughed at Arthur’s air of self-importance. And here she was, giving way to a fit of fury just because some woman from the Colonies had dared to insult her. Lady Octavia Petrie at her most top lofty!

  ‘If you stand still for very much longer you’ll get cold.’ The voice came from the shadows at the edge of the terrace. She peered in its direction and could just make out the figure of a man. Edward Barraclough. He went on, ‘That was quite a fit of rage. I can guess what—or who, rather—caused it. She’s a most unpleasant woman. Don’t let her affect you, Octavia.’

  ‘How can I not? She is in charge here.’ She stopped and pulled herself together. ‘And this is a most improper conversation. You should not be saying such things to me. Mrs Barraclough is your sister-in-law.’

  ‘The history of my battles with Julia is a long one. She is aware of what I think of her.’

  ‘You at least are in the fortunate position of being able to answer back!’

  He came towards her. She could now see that he had been smoking a cigar. ‘What’s wrong? In the past you’ve quite often obviously disagreed with something I’ve said to you. I’ve even been amused at your efforts not to answer back. But I don’t remember your ever being as angry as this.’

  ‘That’s because you have never made me feel like a servant! Mrs Barraclough does. I find it intolerable!’

  He looked at her with a faint smile. ‘That duchess air of yours is most intriguing, Octavia. Where did you pick it up?’

  Octavia said woodenly, ‘I don’t know what you mean. Sir.’

  He shrugged his shoulders and threw his cigar away. ‘Julia has an unfortunate effect on a good many people. She is essentially a cold woman with very little imagination. I hope you’ll stay with the girls as long as possible. They need you, they need your affection, your warmth.’

  He was very close. His body was sheltering her from the wind. The temptation to lean against it was very strong…She made an effort and pulled herself away. ‘I’m not sure…’ she stammered. ‘I’m not sure I can. The two months is very nearly up…’ The moment of weakness had passed. ‘No,’ she said in a firmer voice. ‘I can’t stay longer. In fact, I somehow doubt I shall last even as long as that! I don’t think your sister-in-law approves of me.’

  ‘It’s a damnable mess,’ he said bitterly. Unconsciously he echoed Pip’s sentiments of the afternoon. ‘Why does everything have to change? Why the complications? It was so pleasant at first…’ He turned again to her. ‘I’m off to London tomorrow for two days. Don’t let her get you down, Octavia. I expect to see you still here when I return. And now you must go in. Come!’

  Julia had disliked Miss Petrie from the start. She disliked the obvious affection her nieces had for their governess. She disliked Miss Petrie’s youth and charm. And she particularly disliked the manner in which she, Julia Barraclough, had been made to feel somehow impertinent during her interview with someone who was, after all, no more than a servant! It took a few minutes before she could feel composed enough to walk out of the library and go upstairs to her room. Once there she gazed critically round. What a dreadful place this house was! Old-fashioned furniture, dark rooms, musty passages…Impossible to keep clean! The sooner they could leave and go to London the better.

  The maids had been careless. The curtains at the window overlooking the terrace w
ere not quite pulled to, and with a frown Julia went over to close them. Her eye was caught by two figures down below, clearly visible in a patch of moonlight. Julia quietly opened the window in order to see better. Edward and Miss Petrie very close together…too close. Well, well, well! That was how Edward had kept himself amused at Wychford! That was why he was so eager to have the governess at his dinner table! She leaned further out as they moved to go inside. Edward even had his arm round the woman. Julia’s lip curled. Typical! Edward up to his tricks as usual! As for the young woman…!

  She jumped back, gasping and spluttering as the rain spout over her window suddenly emptied the contents of its gutter on to her head. This awful house! She was drenched with foul-smelling water and spattered with dead leaves. Her cap sodden, her hair dripping down over her shoulders, she yelled angrily for her maid. The girl came running, but stopped, amazed, at the sight of her mistress. Her exclamations were soon cut short, however, and she was sent scurrying round to find more help, towels and hot water. After some minutes of furious activity accompanied by a stream of impatient commands, the maids had bathed Julia and put her to bed with a warm drink. Then they left, thankful to escape, and the room was quiet again.

  Julia leaned back against her pillows with a sigh of relief. As she settled down for the night she was filled with a warm feeling of righteousness. Miss Petrie would have to go. Assignations at the inn with ‘Mr Smith’, an affair at home with her employer…For all her airs the girl was nothing but a light-skirt! Julia looked thoughtful. It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of Octavia Petrie. Edward would probably deny Julia’s accusations, and he could be annoyingly obstinate. He might well demand proof if she tried to tell him about the episode with Mr Smith. Well, proof was what she would give him, and the inn was the place to start looking for it. She would send her maid down there tomorrow. She blew out her candle and composed herself for sleep.