The Duke and The Governess (10 page)

‘I find most people are attentive if they want to learn, but if it’s something they don’t like, then they will be as difficult as most children.’ She sighed. ‘It can’t possibly be as difficult as dealing with a recalcitrant Earl that’s in his dotage!’ She said with vitriol.

‘You were going to explain?’ Andrew prompted and Jessica launched into her life story, omitting any mention of the Duke of Warwick, he was her personal wish and had never been voiced to anybody,
not
even Cecily.

Chapter F
iv
e

London,
July 1812.

The Duke of Warwick turned
t
he Viscountess of Malv
ern around the floor again and tried to smile
at her
, but only managed a gentle curving of his lips
.
The Duke did not smile much anymore.
‘You m
ust come to our
house party, Your Grace.’ She said again. ‘It promises to be the delight of the season. We make it a family affair, you see, so I will expect to see the Lady Elizabeth.’

‘Who else will be attending this event?’ the Duke asked coolly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to drag his young daughter out into the country.

‘Well I had a tentative acceptance
from Lord Devon, the Duke of
Norfolk and
t
he
Marquis
of W
iltshire and his Marchioness is
excited because they are still new parents and I have made it a requirement that you provide your own Nanny. I’m afraid my Nanny won’t be able to cope with my four and all the guest’s babies, but my Governess is a very capable woman. She runs the school room with a rod of iron and my boys worship her.’
She chattered almost without a breath, her excitement obvious.

‘Mmm!’ John Farrington murmured non committally.

‘She has devised all the children’s activities for the five days and it looks to be a fantastic house party.’ She enthused, ‘I’ve relied heavily on Jessica and Mrs. Tabb
to help me sort it out
.’

The name made John jerk. ‘Jessica?’ He asked and centred his attention on the Viscountess.

‘Oh, yes. Jessica Gordon. She’s a wonderful Governess and has even got Peter started on his Latin...’ the rest of her eulogy went in one ear and out the other as John’s heart raced.
Jessica Gordon. He had been waiting for Lady
Carruthers
to pop up in society, her
deep
mourning period would be about half way through, but he still had wondered why her family hadn’t brought her out to small soirées and things.

‘Isn’t she the daughter of Lady Gordon?’ The duke asked softly.

‘I don’t know.’ Viscountess Clifton said airily. ‘Jessica never talks about her life before she came to us, I’ve gathered from Andrew, my husbands head groom, that it was an unpleasant experience and she doesn’t like to talk about it. But she came to us from the Earl of Dean and he was most unpleasant to her.’

‘What about her husband?’ the Duke asked.

‘Husband?’ The Viscountess looked genuinely perplexed. ‘She doesn’t have a husband. She is Miss Jessica Gordon and apparently nobody writes to her either, she must have led a very lonely life.’ The Viscountess sighed. ‘But, she’s found a home with us and my children adore her.’

‘In that case, I shall be delighted to attend your house party, Lady Evelyn.
’ The Duke said before he could think about it carefully. ‘Just send me the details and I shall bring my daughter along.’ He said brightly and many wondered why the Duke smiled so happily at the Viscountess and a whisper of infidelity started
immediately.

~*~*~*~

‘The guest list for this house party
reads like a page from Burke’s Peerage
!’ Mrs. Tabb moaned
, naming the huge heraldic tome from the library,
as she looked again at the names on the list of dignitaries. ‘Just separating the children will take an hour.’

‘Nonsense!’ Jessica said firmly. ‘I know most of them either by sight or reputation, so we shouldn’t have a problem.  Who’s at the top of the list?’ she asked and smiled brightly from across the school room. Jessica was putting the finishing touches to a costume for one of Susanna’s porcelain dolls.

‘The Duke of Norfolk.’ Mrs. Tabb said. ‘He
’s attending with his Duchess
and they must be bringing their nanny and two children. The
Marquis
of Norwi
ch,
the Countess of Cromer
and Miss Bates
.’

‘They sound very fine with their official titles, but I wonder what their names are?’ Jessica asked.

‘It doesn’t say. Next
are
the Duke of Warwick and his nanny and the Baroness of Cubbington.’

‘The Duke of Warwick?’ Jessica gulped out and looked at Mrs. Tabb with an expression between hope and despair.

‘Do you know him, Miss Gordon?’

‘I do, Mrs. Tabb. He was the first man I ever danced with, other than my brothers. He paid me the greatest honour and danced with me at my first ball.’

‘You’ve been to a ball?’ Mrs. Tabb exploded. ‘How did you get invited to a nobs ball?’

‘I was taken by my mother and father. My mother is the daughter of an Earl, so we all had seasons in
Lon
don. I had three, Cecily had four
and Abigail
had
six
before she decided to remain a spinster.’

‘I had no idea you were from the nobility!’ Mrs. Tabb said in horror. ‘We’ve been a little lax in finding this out?’

‘It is irrelevant, Mrs. Tabb. My family no longer exists for me, I disowned them the day they forced me into marriage with the Earl of Dean’s son, only to be left in the church as he ran away to Spain and the war.’

‘Did you never consummate the wedding?’ She asked gently and Jessica shook her head.

‘That’s why the Earl had the marriage annulled the week
we were told
David
had
died
and sent me here as a Governess for the Right Honourables.’

‘So you were Lady
Carruthers
?’ Jessica nodded again. ‘Maybe I should curtsey to you?’ Mrs. Tabb muttered.

‘Do not do that ever.’ Jessica said harshly. ‘I’m not a lady and have no titles. The Earl made it abundantly clear that I was nobody
and I’m quite happy to be just Miss Gordon, the Governess.’

‘Still, you sho
uld have told the Viscountess.
She’ll be gutted when she realises that you out rank her and you’re the governess.’

‘Mrs. Tabb, I don’t out rank her. I’m a mere miss.’ She said and immediately she saw Verity Farrington say the same words at that first ball as the Right Honourables charged into the school room.

‘Mama says.....’ al
l three of them started at once,
making each of their
messages
unintelligible.

Jessica held up her hand. ‘One at a time please
,
your right royal highnesses!’

‘It’s Right Honourables, Jessie, you know that.’ Susanna said petulantly.

‘Yes, I do. Now what did your mother ask you to tell me. Peter?’ she raised
her eyebrows at the eldest boy, who was the image of his father.

‘Mama would like me to remind you that the revised guest list should be ready by teatime.’ Jessica
nodded and looked at James, who was like his father with his mother’s eyes.

‘Mama wante
d me to tell you that the mad old
Earl had passed away, whatever that means.’
Jessica swallowed and nodded again and looked at Susanna.
She was the image of her mother, complete with golden hazel eyes and sable ringlets tied into pigtails.

‘Mama told me to tell you that four of the children will be under four.’

‘Thank you, children.’ Jessica said softly.

‘Who is the mad old
Earl?’ James asked. ‘I asked mama but she wouldn’t tell me.’

‘Well it’s not nice to mo
ck the afflicted. But the mad old Earl was the
Earl of Dean. I must assume Anthony will now become the new Earl
, as David died in Spain
.’ She patted James on the shoulder. ‘Passing away is a polite way of say
ing
that somebody has died.’

‘Died?’ Susanna asked. ‘What does that mean?’

‘When you cease to live, it’s called dying.’ Jessica said evenly. ‘Just like the toad that Peter had in his tank last year. He came to find it floating on the top. Well his frog had died.’

‘I understand.’ Susanna said airily, reminding everyone in the room of their mother as she waved her hand.

‘So let us continue with the paper flowers for the treasure hunt.’ Jessica said and pulled out
a ream of tissue paper. ‘Remember I’ve got to be able to write the clue and stick it on the middle.’

All three children went to the utensil drawer and fetched a pair of scissors and a pot of glue each. They sat quietly and worked on the flowers, making Jessica so proud.

‘They’ll set a good example for all the other children.’ Mrs. Tabb said softly as she nursed the new baby Christian in her arms.

‘Jessie?’ What will the house party be like?’
Susanna asked perkily.

‘Well, you
r
mama will have devised entertainment for the adults as I have for the children. They will do archery and play charades, find treasure and the whole week starts and finishes with a ball. Monday’s will be a black and white ball and Friday’s will be a masquerade ball.’

‘Jessie, w
hat’s a masquerade ball?’
Peter asked like a small adult.

‘It’s a ball where the guests wear mask
s
to hide their identities. It make
s
for amusing moments as people try to identify their partners.’

‘It’s trouble if you ask me.’ Mrs. Tabb said darkly from the corner. ‘No good comes from a Masquerade. Too many husbands end up with the wrong wife and that’s when the trouble starts.’

‘Mrs. Tabb!’ Jessica said firmly. ‘It is a bit of fun!’ She made hard eyes a
t
Mrs. Tabb to be quiet.

‘Could you go to the ball?’ Susanna asked softly.

‘No, Susanna. I could not go.
’ She looked down at the sombre gown that hung on her body.
‘
I’m not a guest and I don’t have anything to wear.’ Jessica said as she fetched down the box for the flowers.
‘All my best gowns are still at Ross-on-Wye. The
mad
old Earl decided not to send them on.’
She w
ould spend a morning dispensing
the flowers all
over the house and the pri
zes were a secret that she shared with Andrew, the Head Groom
.
She sat a
nd
remembered the fine ball gowns she
’d
had before her ill fated wedding and had a moment of regret that she’d ostracised her family. She shook it off and concentrated on the task at hand.

The first of the guests was due to arrive in the morning and her heart was palpitating that the Duke of Warwick would be the first. While the children worked, she debated on how to get all the other children under control. Some of the older ones with ancient titles would be arrogant and she would have to make it clear to the parent there will be no favouritism and they will all be disciplined equally.

Soon enough it was time for the children to join their parents for dinner and Jessica escorted them down to the
family
drawing room. While the children were eating and entertaining their parents,
Jessica took the last clue from the flower box and went to the stables.

‘Hello Andrew.’ She said brightly to the head groom. ‘I’ve come to hide the last flower.’

‘Yes, I remember you asking for a place for it, Miss Jessica.’

‘I’ve told you Andrew, you don’t need to call me Miss anything.’

‘I know, but I like to call you Miss.’ He put his hand out for the flower and she followed him into the tack room. He carefully attached the flower to a head
harness. ‘This is T
hunder
’
s
best
head gear and I’ll have it on his head and his face out of the door.’ He smiled and
finished what he was doing.

‘Just make sure the Viscount doesn’t take him out during the children’s treasure hunt.’

‘There’ll be no chance of that. The Viscountess has made sure that the Viscount knows exactly what the children’s itinerary is!’

‘Good.’ Jessica said and turned back into the yard.

‘Miss Jessica?’ Andrew called and she turned and waited for him to emerge from the tack room. ‘I was wondering if you’d like to walk out with me on Sunday.’