Capturing the Governess’s Heart by Sally Forbes
Chapter Twenty Two
Robert waited patiently at the bottom of the staircase to formally escort his niece to her party. Several guests had already gathered in the great hall, where the company would mingle before going into a splendid supper served in the dining hall, followed by a ball.
The great hall, the dining hall, the ballroom, and all the spaces in between, had been lavishly decorated with white and gold garlands, coupled with great sheaves of pink tulips, as befitted the celebration of the birthday and formal introduction to society of young Abigail, the niece of a duke. It seemed as if a million candles lit the place, bathing it in golden light.
The whole event reminded Robert so much of when his sister Agnes had come out at age seventeen, just as her daughter was about to do that evening. It was a joyful occasion yet tinged with sadness and loss. He had loved Agnes very much and still missed her greatly. He wondered how Abigail and Henry were feeling. His mother too, he supposed, must be feeling the loss, but it was difficult for him to feel any sympathy for her just then.
Robert smiled when he saw Abigail carefully descending the stairs. Dressed in a stunning lilac silk ball gown with matching gloves and slippers, diamonds on her wrist, in her ears, and around her neck, she looked grown-up and so much like his sister had at the same age, he had to swallow the lump which formed in his throat.
“My word, Abigail, you look so much like your mother, I was quite taken aback. In fact. I think I have something in my eye,” he joked, brushing a tear aside.
“Do I really, Uncle? How wonderful! Thank you for saying so.”
“Yes, I can remember her coming out ball as if it were yesterday. She was a beauty, too,” he said, offering Abigail his arm proudly.
“Thank you again, Uncle,” said Abigail beaming and blushing at the same time. “You have never said I am beautiful before.”
“Ah, that was only because I was saving it up for tonight,” he said, squeezing her arm. “Well, are you ready to have the time of your life, dear niece?”
“I think I am. I am looking forward to it immensely. Especially the dancing, and I’ve been practicing my best curtsey,” Abigail said.
“Well, watch out for that Elsby fellow. I’ve already warned him to be on his best behavior,” he teased, making Abigail blush once more.
Just then, Emma appeared at the top of the staircase, arm in arm with Henry, and Robert caught his breath. My God, she’s stunning, he thought, taking in the emerald-green dress, which matched her eyes. The gown showed off her neat yet curvaceous figure to perfection.
But it was her glorious hair which caught his attention; though the front was fashionably styled with long ringlets, her back hair fell in shimmering auburn waves over her shoulders, a halo burnished by the candlelight. He had to fight the urge to run up the stairs, take her in his arms, and kiss her deeply, sinking his hands into that soft, inviting mane. Abigail looked at him, a glint in her eye.
“Miss Emma looks beautiful too, doesn’t she, Uncle,” she said.
“Hmmm?” he said, absentmindedly, not taking his eyes off Emma as she came elegantly down the stairs toward them. For a few moments, everything around him seemed to fade, and he felt a falling sensation. She was special, this woman, and she affected him in ways he had never before experienced, that he wanted to go on experiencing. At last, she and Henry arrived in the great hall and crossed to join Robert and Abigail.
“Hello, Sis, you look nice, for a change,” Henry joked, making Abigail smile and feign a swipe at his head.
“Well, I thought you might have dressed up a bit for my party, little brother. What is that you are wearing?”
“Well, you chose it, so if you don’t like it, it’s your own fault,” Henry said laughing.
Emma broke in, saying, “I think he looks terribly grown-up. Don’t you, Your Grace?” She turned to Robert, to find him staring at her.
“Er, yes, very smart young fellow, very smart indeed,” he told Henry, as if seeing him for the first time.
Blushing, Emma said, “Well, I see your party is already well underway, Abigail.”
“Yes, Miss Emma, and I am truly excited.” The two women shared a glance that Robert could not interpret, so his gaze returned to Emma.
“Miss Emma, may I say how simply beautiful you look tonight? What a lovely gown.”
Emma curtseyed, then grinned. “Thank you, Your Grace. It was a gift from Abigail, for helping her to choose her party dress,” she told him.
“She deserves it,” Abigail put in, linking her other arm through Emma’s. “I don’t know where we would all be without Miss Emma,” she added. How very true, Robert thought, feasting his eyes once more on the beautiful governess.
“Have you forgotten we have guests waiting?” the dowager, bedecked in dove grey satin, hurried toward them. “Most have arrived, and supper will be served soon. It is time for you to present Abigail before we dine. Do hurry up and get on with it, will you, Robert?” She looked at him piercingly; probably she had caught him admiring Miss Emma's appearance and was furious with him. He was irritated to see she had not mended her ways after his warning and ignored Emma rudely, except to flash her a contemptuous look as she hurried off again.
With Abigail on his arm, he began the short speech formally presenting her to society and opening the celebration.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, as most of you know, I am the Duke of Dalwater, and my family and I are truly delighted to see you all here today, to help us celebrate with great joy the birthday and coming out of a young lady very dear to our hearts.” There were cheers and applause, which delighted Abigail. Robert continued. “Without further ado, then it is my great pleasure to present to you … my beautiful niece, Miss Abigail Egerton!”
Amid further applause and cheers and cries of Happy Birthday, he raised Abigail’s hand high, and she curtseyed deeply to the company in all her glory. Almost at once, she was carried off by a giggling group of her friends, leaving Robert free to glance around to find Emma. He desperately wanted to be at her side, to talk to her., to tell her again and again how ravishingly beautiful she looked.
As he made his way through the cheerful throng in search of her, he paused many times to exchange cheerful greetings and pleasantries with his guests, until he suddenly found himself waylaid … by a determined looking Lady Beatrice.
“Good evening, my lord,” she said, smiling coyly and batting her eyelashes. As usual, he saw she was woefully overdressed. In her frills and furbelows, she reminded him rather of a fruit trifle. If only she were so inoffensive.
“Good evening, Lady Beatrice. I hope you are well and enjoying the party.”
“Don’t I look well?” she pouted, moving uncomfortably close to him.
“Er, yes, very well. Will you please excuse me, I am looking for someone, and I’m in rather a hurry. I am sure we will meet later.”
She moved to block his exit. “And you are looking exceptionally handsome tonight … if I may be so bold as to say so, my lord,” she simpered. Surprised at her boldness, he looked at her brittle beauty; her rouged cheeks and powdered skin. and he couldn’t help thinking how much he preferred Emma’s radiant complexion and naturally rosy cheeks, and her complete lack of artifice.
“You look rather bothered by something, my lord; can I help to take your mind off it?” She tried to sound caring, but Robert knew her pretense concealed a vicious nature.
“I assure you, Lady Beatrice, as I have already explained, I am merely in a hurry to find someone, so if you wouldn’t mind…” He moved away again, and this time she stood aside, pouting once more.
“Is it by any chance Miss Fletcher you are looking for?” she suddenly asked, taking him by surprise. She nodded, her eyes flashing. “I thought so. Well, she is over there, talking to the Duke of Elsby.” She inclined her head, and he looked over to see she was right, Theo and Emma were deep in conversation. He felt instantly relieved.
“Ah, thank you, it is the duke I am searching for.”
“Very well, I shall release you, But I’m sure we shall meet later, my lord … on the dance floor. Perhaps more than once, my lord?” she added with meaningful look that made his blood run cold. He knew instantly what she meant: to dance with a young lady more than once was to be considered almost engaged. Over my dead body, he thought, at last making his escape. He glanced across the room to see his mother glaring at him. Clearly, she had seen him trying to get away from Lady Beatrice and was very unhappy with his conduct. He smiled at her sweetly, then made his way through the guests to where Theo and Emma were standing, with Henry at their side. They were laughing and joking, and Robert wondered what about.
“Ah, Theo ... here you are! Welcome, my friend, thank you for coming,” he said, embracing Theo. Theo looked at him oddly.
“Yes, well, old chap, wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Miss Abigail looks marvelous. Splendid turnout, eh? How are you? Is everything going smoothly?” he asked.
“Yes, yes, thank you. I see you and Miss Emma and young Henry here are enjoying yourselves.”
“Yes, Uncle,” said Henry, “we were talking about the time when we went to the duke’s estate to ride when Miss Emma first came. She told us about how she hid her fear of horses from us all because she was so embarrassed. Emma giggled sheepishly, a full-throated sound that set his body thrumming like a taut wire.
“I can confess it now that I have overcome my fear, mostly, at any rate,” she joked, and everyone started laughing. “Well, they are such large creatures, aren’t they? One never quite knows what they are going to do next.”
Robert joined in the laughter but was genuinely surprised to learn of her fear. “I am so sorry, Miss Emma. I had no clue at all. And to think that I forced you to go. You must have been terrified!” he felt terribly guilty.
“Yes,” she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously, “but I couldn’t let Henry down, could I, Your Grace? So, I had to do my best to hide it. And it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Now, I have learned to bribe the horses with sugar lumps simply.”
“I taught her that,” Henry boasted proudly, and Emma beamed at him. It lit up her whole being, Robert thought. Her affection for the boy was clear to see.
“That’s my boy,” Robert joked, patting his nephew on the head.
“Not my hair, Uncle, please!” The boy complained comically.
Just then, the dowager called for the guests’ attention and announced that supper was served. Everyone was to make their way to the dining hall.
***
As the company seated themselves at table, Robert was both disappointed and annoyed to see that his mother had seated Emma with Henry near the bottom of the table, far away from him. Lady Beatrice, however, was only two chairs distant, just beyond Abigail, to his immediate left, and the dowager, to his right. He resigned himself to the fact, as he rose to his feet at the head of the table to make the necessary toast in honor of Abigail, which drew more congratulatory cheers and clapping. At last, the company fell to dining.
Robert couldn’t fault the dowager on her arrangements. Supper was splendid affair, with the guests enjoying, among other luxuries, roast quail and swan and suckling pig for the second of six courses. The ladies picked genteelly at their food, mindful of their restrictive corsets and the dancing to follow supper. The gentlemen, however, partook enthusiastically of the feast and drank lavishly too. It all made for merry company, except that Robert could not wholly enjoy it.
Throughout the meal, he found it almost impossible to keep his gaze from straying down to the far end of the table, where his nephew and the governess sat together, apparently deeply engaged with each other. Emma was clearly amusing Henry by making a game of pointing out the finer points of table etiquette for each course of such a grand occasion. It seemed to be a source of much laughter for the lad, and Robert was pleased by the improvement in his table manners. Why couldn’t his mother see what a good influence Emma was on the children? As for the governess, the impact upon him of her appearance did not lessen. Just looking at her from that distance made him grow warm. But more than that, the way she so devotedly cared for Henry impressed upon him that his heart’s judgment of her was correct: She was born to be a good wife and mother.
