Capturing the Governess’s Heart by Sally Forbes
Chapter Thirty One
For Emma and Elizabeth, it was the best breakfast they had enjoyed for a long while. Next to them at the table, eating toasted bread, was their father. Emma was relieved and pleased to see that he had color in his cheeks at last. He was still frail, but he was definitely on the road to a full recovery.
And it was all thanks to Robert, the Duke of Dalwater. Until Dr. Frazier had come to see their father, she and Elizabeth had worried constantly about what was going to happen, thinking the worst.
Just knowing that their tender care was working, even if they couldn’t see it at first, and that their father was going to recover, set their minds at rest and took a great burden from their shoulders.
However, although she felt happier about her father’s health, she knew there was still a long road to travel until he completely recovered. Therefore, returning to London was out of the question. She had reluctantly accepted the fact, and though her heart ached with missing Abigail and Henry and the special bond they shared, she would never be able to take up her old position as their governess.
Accepting it had been very hard, and she had shed many tears in private over her loss. But the harsh realization had forced her into practical action. In the last week she had been into town searching for suitable employment opportunities. She had been interviewed for the post of receptionist at a surveyor’s office, and the gentleman there had seemed to be impressed by her.
She had hopes she might have been successful in getting the position and was waiting to hear the outcome. If she got it, it would provide the family with a small but regular income on which they could live if they were economical.
Elizabeth was at the stove making coffee, the delicious aroma filling the small kitchen. Lucy Brown had sent the packet from Dalwater, parceled up with long letters from Abigail and Henry. It had also contained two five-pound notes, more than her wages owed, sent by the duke. She was enormously grateful, but she knew the money would not last long, with creditors chasing payment of their father’s debts.
It would have to be carefully managed to eke it out for as long as possible. It was just another reason for Emma to appreciate her friends at Dalwater, but also to miss them dearly.
“Here you are, Father,” said Elizabeth, pouring the hot liquid into cups and bringing one over to her father. “And for you, Emma.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” she said, accepting the cup with a smile. She took a sip. “It’s delicious!” It was also heartening to see her sister looking so much better. Now their father was improving, both the sisters were getting a better night’s sleep, and the change in their mood was remarkable, despite their financial worries.
They were enjoying the luxury of a second cup of coffee when someone knocked at the front door. “I’ll go,” said Emma, thinking it might be the butcher’s boy with an outstanding bill to be paid. She wanted to pay it herself, as she hadn’t told either her father or Elizabeth about the money the duke had sent.
“Coming,” she called, hurrying down the hall, smoothing her hair and dress. She opened the door and was not at all prepared to see the person standing there, a bag of apples in his hand.
“Good morning, Miss Emma. I have brought you some apples.” He held out the bag, and she took it with nerveless hands, staring into his warm, hazel eyes, eyes she had never thought to see again. “To make up for the ones you lost in Covent Garden.” Smiling at her, he swept off his hat, and she saw the tousled ash-blond curls beneath. The handsome face was so familiar, so dear to her, that she dropped the bag of apples and threw herself into his arms.
