Page 59 of The Secret Life of the Elusive Governess
“I will take a chance,” Peregrine replied, “Since I assume that we both have the same goal and it would not profit you to have me dead, would it?”
“Smart man,” Lord Rowe said, and poured him out a drink. “So what tie do you have with this Miss Robins?”
“I suspect you already know that,” Peregrine said while swirling the wine, “But before I get to that, how did you track me down?”
“Breadcrumbs,” Lord Rowe smirked, “And I just happen to be the master of picking up clues, even when they are masked.”
A man after my own heart.
“I am the father of a lady whose life and reputation this Caroline is putting in peril. Who are you to her?” Peregrine added
“I am, sadly, her uncle,” Lord Rowe replied.
It took a lot of self-control for Peregrine to control his shock, “She is born into the peerage?”
“But pretends to be a commoner,” Lord Rowe sneered. “So disgraceful, isn’t it?”
Though it seemed fantastical, the Baron of Rowe quickly got his head around it the revelation and spoke, “Why did she run to the convent then?”
Lord Rowe leaned in with a crafty smile.
* * *
The Hayward Manor
“I…believe I have lost,” Caroline said dully as her expectation for learning more about her love seemed to wane into thin air. She had just lost her free chance and probably was not going to get one again.
“The military was a sort of haven for me,” Moses said suddenly, “Most peers do not send their heirs into the military—well some do, but only to gain a career position—but I was sent for another reason. I was rebellious.”
It took Caroline a hair longer to realize what was happening when she remembered that after the chess game—which she had lost—she had started speaking and, now, she realized that Moses was doing the same.
“That seems impossible to me,” Caroline admitted, “I have imagined you as a rakehell but not a rebel.”
“There is a thin line between those terms,” Moses surmised. “In fact, the terms could be interchanged. But I digress, when I was ten-and-eight, I fell out with my father. In short, I was a bloody arse. I felt as though he was putting too much pressure on me to be the Duke he thought I should be, which was actually a mirror reflection of himself, and I did everything I could to send him over the edge. Under all the bluster, I did not think I had the strength to be who he wanted me to be, but he sent me to the military to uncover the strength I did not think I had.”
The frank admission took her by surprise, “I can see where it would be an adjustment. Were you the only noble there?”
“No, I was not. There were three or four more but they were second or third sons of wealthy families. You know how it goes with second or third sons, they are completely expendable. I had just come from boarding school a year before, so sleeping in a room with other men was not foreign to me nor was bathing with them and dressing in front of them.”
“How long did you spend there?” Caroline asked.
A small furrow was in the middle of the Duke’s brow. “A year and a half. It was enough for me to understand duty and discipline, which is why I am contemplating sending Nicholas into it when gets to his rebellious years.”
Caroline’s lips twitched, “And are you sure he will be rebellious?”
“Oh, I am completely sure,” Moses shook his head and drank his sherry, “He is my son after all, and my blood flows in his veins.”
“Perhaps he will be just as brave, generous, and caring as you are, too,” Caroline added. “I also think those traits flow in his blood.”
The air suddenly shifted. Moses sat up, carefully laid his glass on the table, reached out and took both of Caroline’s hands. She felt the encompassing warmth that enveloped her hands and softly sucked in a breath.
His verdant eyes held hers before he dipped his head and kissed the back of both of her hands. She held them there before gently extracting one and flitted her fingertips over his jaw. Even with her light touch, she still felt the small pricks of his unseen beard and traced her index finger over his cheekbone.
“Caroline,” Moses’ voice was hoarse as he leaned into the touch, “You have my heart by its strings. But I am struggling. I cannot in good conscience to do this to my wife. I love you, but I am a married man, and it is killing me inside. My heart is with you, but my vow is with my wife.”
The governess’ lips pressed tightly, “I am beset by the same worry, Moses. I told you that I will not be an agent for the Devil, but I find…”it is so hard to not love you,she did not dare say.
“We certainly are a pair,” Moses sighed, “Have we already dug our graves?”
