Capturing the Governess’s Heart by Sally Forbes
Chapter Twelve
Robert was the first at breakfast, much to the surprise of Lucy Brown and Mr. Williams. Normally, the dowager presided over the table at least fifteen minutes before anyone else in the house entered the breakfast room. Today, though, it seemed the duke was up with the sunrise and looked just as bright. He grinned at his astonished staff and further confused them with a simple request:
“Please see that the children join us as soon as possible,” he told the housekeeper.
Lucy Brown curtsied low, shot the butler a look, and then went to summon the children. Mr. Williams, on the other hand, decided his dignity required him to conduct himself as if he had not noticed anything wrong. He called in the footmen with the hot food and made sure His Grace’s coffee was brought in as soon as possible. The only time his placid expression changed was when the duke started humming happily to himself.
“Your Grace? Is anything, ah, the matter?” Mr. Williams asked.
“Quite the opposite, Williams. It’s a fine day, and I have a fine surprise for my wards,” Robert said.
The duke was finding it quite hard not to grin and rub his hands together in anticipation. He could already imagine the joy on Henry’s face when he announced the day’s plan, and Robert was sure he’d see Lady Abigail smile as well. Her smiles were pale and rare, and Miss Emma’s arrival brought her happiness back. The thought of Emma and her inclusion in the day’s outing made him fight the urge to whistle a tune.
“Why, Robert. What brings you to the table so early?” The dowager swept into the room with the housekeeper at her heels. “I’d like to think you are finally showing an interest in our upcoming social engagements. Would you like to know what I have planned for today?”
Robert ignored his mother’s lofty tone and kept an eye on the door. He had discovered that one of the joys of guardianship was keeping a secret he knew would delight his wards. The anticipation of delivering the surprise was almost too good for him to contain. Happily, he soon heard Henry’s rambunctious trot, and the boy, followed by his sister, burst into the breakfast room.
“So early?” The dowager was clearly displeased to have her quiet morning routine upset. She frowned at the children but finally gave them the nod to enter and sit down.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace.” Lucy Brown curtsied and gave Mr. Williams another astonished look. “His Grace asked they be brought down.”
Henry beamed at his uncle as he took hold of a giant pastry. “I was ready. I’m hungry!”
“Well, eat up then,” Robert told him with a wide smile. “We’ve got a busy morning, and you’ll need your stomach full.”
“You’ve planned a busy morning for us?” Lady Abigail looked at her uncle hopefully. She then glanced at the dowager and dropped her gaze. Lately, her grandmother had been trying to schedule every second of the young lady’s life with preparations for her debut.
“I did indeed.” He sat back and took another sip of his coffee, his eyes twinkling at everyone over the rim of his cup.
“Do we have to guess?” Henry asked eagerly.
“Oh, yes, what fun!” Lady Abigail seconded the idea.
Robert sat up and nodded. “Excellent idea. Go ahead and try to guess what your fun for the morning shall be.”
Henry leapt from his seat in order to go first. “Fishing?”
“No, but there will be animals,” Robert replied.
Lady Abigail sat forward eagerly. “Has the gardener’s dog had her puppies at last?”
“No, though I will make sure you are the first to know when they arrive.”
The Dowager refused to enjoy the lively looks on the children’s faces or the smile on her son’s lips. “Oh, really, Robert. What is all this nonsense?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to guess, Mother?” Robert asked her.
“Yes, please, do guess, Grandmother. You are cleverer than us, for certain,” Henry cried.
The dowager only softened slightly at the compliment from her grandson. “Just go ahead and make your announcement, Robert. Some of us do not have all morning to play such silly games.”
“You’re right,” Robert said. “Some of us will be too busy … riding.”
“Horses?” Henry cried. “All of us?”
Robert clapped his hands, happy to see his announcement had the desired effect. Henry could not sit down for excitement, and Abigail’s eyes were bright above her excited smile. “Yes, all of us. My friend, the Duke of Elsby, has an excellent stable, and he is more than happy to host us for the whole morning.”
“How wonderful!” Lady Abigail cried, then checked herself. She caught Henry before he attempted to gallop around the table and directed him back to his plate. “Come, Henry, let us eat so we can ride for longer without having to stop.”
The Dowager satisfied that the children were focused elsewhere, turned to her son with a sharp look of reproof. “Really, Robert, you’ve done a terrible disservice to the Duke of Elsby by making plans you cannot keep. I’ve already promised our morning to the Duke and Duchess of Irrisoll.”
“I was not aware of any such plans, but I will make sure to send my deepest regrets,” Robert said. He noticed how Abigail’s head bent lower as she overheard her grandmother. Henry, luckily, was too busy eating to notice his plans were in jeopardy.
“That simply will not do, Robert. And, I would think, you of all people would want to be at Irrisoll,” the dowager said.
“I? What business do I have at Irrisoll?” Robert asked. “Surely nothing that could keep me from a promise I’ve made to my wards.”
The dowager gave her son an impatient sigh. “Perhaps it is not the duke and duchess that you should think of. I’m certain Irrisoll has other pleasant inducements. Can you not think of a single one?”
Robert frowned at his mother and refused to answer right away. He did not like how immediately she sought to reschedule the children’s joy for her own ambitions. Finally, he rose to pour himself another cup of hot coffee and said, as evenly as possible, “I do hope you are not referring to the Lady Beatrice.”
“Of course, I am!” Since she had left her cane in the corner, the dowager rapped at the table with her knuckles. “Surely such an accomplished and beautiful lady is worth giving up a morning of being jostled around on some beast.”
“I’m certain that the Duke of Elsby would be hurt to hear you refer to his prize horses in such a manner,” Robert said.
“Oh, nonsense,” the dowager sniffed. “Your friend Theo has a great deal more sense than you and, if you’re not careful, that marriage-minded duke may take your place in Lady Beatrice’s affections.”
Robert laughed. “Again, I think Theo would be hurt to hear you doubt his discernment in such a manner!”
The dowager rapped the table again, causing Henry to drop his spoon and notice the argument going on. “We simply cannot be engaged at two places at once.”
“You are quite correct, Mother.” Robert took a deep breath to calm his irritation and then gave the dowager his sweetest smile. “And I would never ask you to break your word. Please, Mother, enjoy your morning at Irrisoll and give them all my best.”
“You insist on going horseback riding?” The dowager’s mouth worked with anger, and she had to put her teacup down without taking a sip.
“I insist on keeping to the plans I’ve made, and I suggest you do the same.” The challenging look in his eyes sharpened robert’s smile.
His mother refused to let the subject drop. She surveyed the table and laid eyes on poor Lady Abigail. “Very well. If you do not accompany me, I shall expect Abigail to be my companion. As it was, the children could have had the whole morning free, but, now that you are not available to escort me, I shall have to depend on my granddaughter.”
Lady Abigail did not look up from her plate except to hush Henry’s outraged cry. The young woman was back to looking pale and wan, but her grandmother took no notice. Robert, on the other hand, was enraged to see the joy he had so happily anticipated taken out of his niece’s eyes.
“Perhaps the children would be so good as to let us discuss our plans in private,” he said.
Lady Abigail rushed from the breakfast room, but Robert was able to catch Henry and whisper, “Never fear. We shall prevail.”
He watched the young boy race to reassure his sister, and then Robert turned on his mother once again. “Could you not see their excitement? Surely that is what I am supposed to provide as guardian.”
The dowager frowned. “Children never know what is best for them.”
Robert could not miss her meaning and he scowled. “Let your grown son be clear then, Mother: I will not be entangled in your marriage schemes. I will not forego my guardianship duties in order to submit to another of your contrived meetings.”
“Do not dare to use your sister’s children as an excuse.” The dowager looked down her thin nose at her son. “It is strange that you have so suddenly taken such an interest in their welfare.”
“Yes! As soon as I was named their guardian, I took their welfare to be my highest priority,” Robert said. “What offense can it be for me to enjoy my duties, and even find some joy in them?”
“There are more important things than horseback riding, Robert. You are the one who must show them their priorities,” the dowager said.
“Fresh air, exercise, and the company of a generous friend. I believe my priorities for the children are far sounder than a morning spent scheming up a marriage that will never take place.” Robert stood up.
The dowager pushed back her chair,and a footman rushed to bring over her cane. She then rapped it hard on the ground. “Never? I think you will find the fun and games of being a guardian will wear out soon. Then you will wish for a wife to share your burden.”
Robert was seething but he still offered his mother his arm. “I do not wish to argue anymore, Mother. Let us enjoy our different mornings and continue our disagreements later.”
She sniffed haughtily but did not speak against him any longer. Instead, they walked together into the Great Hall and found the children waiting, wide-eyed, at the base of the stairs. Henry could barely contain himself, but his sister had obviously cautioned him to behave. He jumped from one foot to another, gazing at his grandmother and guardian in agony.
“I won’t go riding if Abigail can’t come!” Henry finally burst forth.
The dowager stiffened but, at long last, gave up with a sigh. “Oh, for goodness sake, take them both riding. Lady Abigail certainly could do with some color in her cheeks.”
Henry gave a great whoop of joy and cried out. “Did you hear, Miss Emma? We are going horseback riding!”
Robert glanced up the staircase and almost forgot all about the morning’s excitements and arguments. The new governess hesitated on the landing, accidentally caught in a patch of golden morning light. Her auburn hair was all alight around her face, and he found himself arrested mid-stride.
The dowager pulled her arm impatiently from the crook of Robert’s elbow and rapped her cane again. “You are taking the governess as well?”
“Yes.” Robert pulled his eyes from Emma and faced his mother’s displeasure. “The Lady Abigail should have a chaperone, and there is no more fitting choice besides yourself.”
“Well, seeing as she is already dressed for riding, I shall continue with my plans.” The dowager shot her son one more disapproving look and then sniffed. “Good day to you all.”
The governess waited, frozen, until the dowager had left and then continued her descent down the grand staircase. Robert’s smile followed her graceful movements, and he found himself even happier than he had been while waiting to surprise the children. Miss Emma was dressed in the riding habit he had requested.
The dress was of the deepest sapphire-blue velvet with a matching tailored coat. She held both the matching hat and gloves in her hands, and he saw her fingers were curled tightly around them.
“I do apologize, Miss Emma. My mother and I had a scheduling conflict, but all is well now, and our plans to go riding are still in place,” he told her.
“When do we leave?” Henry was jumping up and down with excitement.
Robert grinned. “As soon as you and your sister are properly dressed. Miss Emma is not the only one to be gifted a new riding habit today.”
The children raced upstairs to change, and, once they were gone, Robert extended his hand to Emma. She shrank back from his gallant gesture and kept both hands tightly on her hat and gloves, prim and proper as always. Part of Robert was frustrated at a distance she insisted upon, but he was glad of it when he heard his mother approaching again.
“Now, really, Robert. I must point out that you ask too much of your friend to include the governess in your riding party. As her guardian, you are a more than adequate chaperone, and there is no need for the girl to go with you,” the dowager announced.
The hand Robert had extended to Emma now balled into a fist. He felt rather than saw the governess shrink back a step as his mother shot her a stern look. “What possible reason could you have against her going? Theo already has a horse prepared for Abigail’s chaperone, and, you know, it was no trouble to him at all.”
“I’m happy to stay back, Your Grace,” Emma told them both with a neat curtsy.
He turned and studied her face. Emma had looked nervous enough on the stairs, and he expected to see her petrified by his mother’s disapproval. Instead, the governess looked almost relieved. Was it his company she wished to avoid or something else?
“I assure you, Mother, and you, Miss Emma, there is no impediment to us all enjoying a simple morning ride.” He watched the nervous pallor return to the governess’s cheeks and was even more determined to discover the cause of it during their morning together. “My friend has horses to spare, and I believe it is important for the children to have their governess along to guide their manners and learning.”
“At least you concede that you still need expert advice when it comes to your wards,” the dowager said. “Now, if you would only take my advice on your own choices.”
Robert drew himself to his full height, done with the dowager’s attempts to mar his happy plans. “As a man who has reached my majority, and as the current Duke of Dalwater, I believe my choices are final. Whatever opinions you may have of them, Mother can wait until we return.”
He was greatly relieved when the children bounded back down the stairs and his mother finally took her to leave. Once they were ensconced in his carriage and on their way to Elsby, Robert could finally recover his good spirits. He was curious about the governess’s less than enthusiastic expression and often glanced in her direction to wonder at it. She was a very pleasing sight, with her new riding hat balanced jauntily over her auburn hair, and the vision made him smile at everyone.
Lady Abigail was also smiling brightly, and it was she who finally broke the governess from her quietude. “You will see, Miss Emma, Elsby has the most excellent stables. Simply the most divine horses!”
Robert watched as Emma’s eyes rose to study his niece. She seemed to see and hear more in the girl’s expression than he noticed, and he wondered at her sudden smile.
“I am glad this Elsby is such a delightful place,” Emma said.
Robert glanced out of the window to hide his own grin. The young governess had no idea they were talking about the Duke of Elsby, and he was very curious to see how she would react to meeting another peer. Was Miss Emma wary of all titled gentlemen, or was it himself in particular who made her so standoffish?
“Oh, you’ll see! Elsby is a dear friend and so generous. I’m not at all surprised he has invited us all to ride.” Lady Abigail smiled with happy anticipation.
Robert stole another glance at the governess. The sapphire blue of her riding habit brought out the bright jewel tones of her green eyes, and he was very pleased with it. He knew his mother had doubted his motives for giving an employee such a gift, but Robert reminded himself it was only proper the governess should be outfitted correctly. He couldn’t very well have his wards followed by an improperly dressed servant! Though, with Emma’s bright eyes and the stunning figure she cut in her new clothes, it hardly seemed right to call her a servant. No, it was obvious she was a gentlewoman, and he looked forward to introducing her to Theo.
The Duke of Elsby was good enough to meet them on the driveway of his fine estate, and he eagerly gave the ladies a hand down from the carriage.
“Good morning to you all!” Theo beamed. “Welcome. Lady Abigail, I am so pleased to see you again, and Mister Henry, you are really much taller than the last time we met.”
“Ah, Your Grace,” Robert said with a grin. “Please let me introduce Miss Emma Fletcher, the children’s governess.”
“Wonderful to meet you, Miss Emma. I am so glad you were able to join our party this morning.” Theo said with a gallant bow.
Robert could have crowed with laughter. The prim governess had just realized his ‘friend’ was a duke as well, and all she could do was return his bow with an unsteady curtsy. He stepped forward to offer Emma his arm, and she had no recourse but to take it. Theo was escorting Abigail towards the stables, with Henry racing ahead. As part of the party, so generously welcomed by their host, Emma couldn’t very well disdain Robert and walk behind them. So, he was able to stroll arm and arm with her along the path to the stables.
Perhaps Emma’s glacial propriety would have to thaw now she realized Robert wasn’t the only member of the peerage who deigned to treat her respectfully. She would simply have to accept the fact that she was gentlewoman, and not as far below his notice as she had previously thought. Finally, they would be able to meet as friends instead of strangers!
The delightful thought slowed his steps, and Robert excused his delay by pointing out all the wonderful vistas Elsby’s estate had to offer. By the time they approached the stables, the young governess’s arm was not quite as stiff as it had been. She’d even answered an inquiry or two. Robert still had yet to see her emerald eyes meet his, but he was certain that, by the end of the morning, Miss Emma Fletcher would soften towards him. He then vowed to make her smile and wondered if he dared hope he could make her laugh.
His nephew beat him to both conquests as he raced back to them and breathlessly urged them to hurry. “Come on, Uncle, Miss Emma. Aren’t you excited to see the horses?”
“Certainly,” Robert answered, sure that he would enjoy nothing more than riding with such a fine party on such a beautiful day.
