Page 9 of The Secret Life of the Elusive Governess
“By Jove,” the Duke remarked, as his eyes traced over the drawings, “These are wonderful. I believe that I must now add virtuoso to your list of talents.”
If he is this astonished with mere outlines, he must not see my other book!Caroline swore to herself.I might just die if he sees the other one with him as the primary subject.
She sat quietly as the Duke flipped the book to the front, started from there, and examined every drawing without saying a word. As the book was fairly large with most of its pages filled with sketches, it took a while to do so with his in-depth inspection. Caroline felt her skin flush even more as his fingers traced over some that were deeply ingrained.
“I am amazed, Miss Robins,” the Duke murmured, and his low voice evoked a tight swallow from her.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Caroline laughed quietly. “But if I may be so bold, I doubt that I rank in the category of the Master, Leonardo DaVinci, to be awarded the honor of being a virtuoso.”
“Modesty is a grace, Miss Robins, but you must accept praise when it is due,” the Duke reprimanded softly. “And this work merits praise.”
Feeling slightly abashed at his soft censure, Caroline did not dare meet his eyes until bravery overcame her fear and she looked up.
Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi,she immediately thought about Cicero’s proverb,Eyes are truly the windows to the soul.And she felt trapped in the Duke’s. An eternal second of met gazes ripped her forced calmness apart and sewed it back together with the threads of anxiety.
“Father?” Nicholas’s animated voice cut in suddenly and the spell broke.
Caroline snapped her head up to look at the clock that was now creeping closer to one o’clock.Where did the time go?
“Father!” Josephine’s voice joined the chorus as the child ran to her sire and clambered—in an unladylike manner—onto his lap.
“Lady Josephine!” She called out in alarm, “It’s not proper for a young lady—”
“I will allow it,” the Duke overruled, “She is still a child, I can allow her a few liberties for now.”
But then again, she is a Lady. I hope she can enjoy her childhood for as long as she can and be happy…I will thank every angel in heaven if her youthful years are nothing like mine.
Unbidden, a memory of her childhood years came to her and her eyes dimmed. Her life right before the orphanage, a mere stint of days, had been dark and she tried to not remember them—days of hunger and darkness on the streets—but they flashed before her eyes, nonetheless. Memories of dark and cold nights and bleak days surged before her and she felt a residual shiver at the remembrance.
“Miss Robins?”
She snapped out of her reverie to see the Duke staring at her with a furrow between his eyes. She feared that he would ask questions that she was not prepared to answer and waited with bated breath. Their gazes met once more but this time Caroline feared he had seen something which she did not want him to see.
“I will be leaving now,” the Duke replied evenly, even though his tone was laced with regrets, and nodded, “Good day, Miss Robins. Children, be on your best behavior.”
Smiling weakly at him, Caroline uttered her farewells and then hid the book in her desk drawer. Calling them to order and carrying on the lessons tasked her as most of her mind was centered on trying to figure out what the astute Duke had seen by her moment of inattention.
By the end of the day, and half into the night, Caroline had run her mind into the throes of a headache. What if her inattention had given the Duke reason to question her right then and there? Caroline knew that she could have never answered his questions and was grateful that he had not asked.
But if he does…what can I tell him? His eyes can see right through me…what if he does ask?
Chapter 5
The very next morning the Duke was alerted early by Hinds with news he would have rather not heard—that his father-in-law, Peregrine Edge, the Earl of Crampton, had arrived and wanted to speak with him.
Moses had never made a connection with the older man, no matter how long and hard he had tried. The Earl had a gaze that Moses felt, if sharpened correctly, could peel the skin off a person’s face. If it wasn’t that, his gaze would shift to calculating or condescending. Rarely did he see humor or pensiveness.
Nodding, Moses spoke, “Please show him to my study, Hinds.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Hinds bowed and left.
Finishing arranging the papers on his desk, Moses’s mind was running through a list of safe topics to discuss with his father-in-law. He hoped the subject of his daughter—an unavoidable one—wouldn’t take a bad turn.
“Moses.” The smooth voice of Lord Crampton came from the doorway of the Duke’s study. Moses then straightened and looked to the dignitary. The tall Earl was clad in dark clothes and held a cane with a silver falcon head in his hand as he approached. Moses knew the man didn’t have a physical impediment and only used the cane as a power symbol.
The Earl was a shrewd fellow, canny and calculating, so on rare moments, Moses wondered why the silver head of the cane was not a serpent’s head instead of a falcon’s.
“Lord Crampton,” Moses nodded while reaching out to grasp the man’s un-gloved hand. “How are you?”
