Page 15 of The Precious Secret of a Loving Governess
Just in that moment, Miss Franklin entered the room with a quiet knock at the door.
“Forgive me, Miss Jamison, but might I intrude for just a moment?” she asked.
Victoria nodded and turned fully to face the maid.
“Of course, what is it?” she asked patiently.
“I have been informed that the Earl is hosting a grand dinner tomorrow evening. He expects that you shall be there. His betrothed shall be attending, you see. And as she is soon to be Miss Marian’s stepmother, he deemed it rather necessary that you and she meet one another,” Miss Franklin said.
“Oh dear. Right, of course I shall. And can you tell me why it is that he thinks she should have any interest at all in meeting me?” Victoria asked, anxiously.
“Well, he said that Lady Ingles loves Marian as if she were her own daughter and that she should like to know what sort of lady is taking care of her education. I, myself, can’t say as much, but that is what the Earl believes and therefore that is what we are meant to honour,” Miss Franklin said, vaguely giving her own thoughts on the matter.
Victoria sighed.
“Yes, I suppose I understand,” she said.
Thinking about this woman that she was going to meet, Victoria was overwhelmed by nerves and the fears that she had about being introduced. She had met no noblewomen since her disgrace and she wondered if her name would be familiar to Lady Ingles even though she knew nothing of the woman.
Was it possible that Lady Ingles had entered society at the same time she had been meant to? Or that she might have known well about the fall of the Jamison family? She tried to push those thoughts aside. Her family’s humiliation could hardly be of any concern.
Truly, there were more pressing issues at hand, which caused her a great deal of anxiety. What if this woman was truly unkind to Marian? Or what if she felt a need to exert herself over Victoria in the home?
Victoria had agreed to work for the Earl, not for a noblewoman who was detested by her future stepdaughter.
And more than any of that, she still simply could not understand why the Earl was choosing to get married when he had made it rather clear to her that he was still in mourning over his late wife.
This bothered her a great deal. She could not wrap her mind around it. Why would he not refrain from a marriage until he had settled his thoughts on the fact of having lost his wife? He could not easily recover and he had been unable to even speak with Victoria on the matter. Surely if it had been so difficult for him as that, he would not be likely to move on so quickly now.
Miss Franklin was looking intently at Victoria and she noted it the moment she allowed her gaze to travel up again. She disliked being watched and stared at, but it was clear that Miss Franklin could see into her mind that there was something amiss.
“Might I ask what it is you are staring at?” she asked openly.
“I can see the something is bothering you, Miss Jamison,” she replied.
“I suppose I am not so skilled at hiding my emotions as I wish to be,” Victoria confessed, to her own dismay.
“What is it?” Miss Franklin inquired.
“Well, I simply do not understand it all. I mean, Marian has made it quite evident that she dislikes this Lady Ingles and I have seen that the Earl is still grieving the loss of his late wife. So why is it that he is seeking to marry?” she asked, knowing that it was not her place to ask such a question.
For a moment, Victoria began to panic, wondering why she had been so bold as to make such an inquiry to another of the household staff. What if her questions should be reported to the Earl and he deemed her a gossip unworthy of his household? He had already been angry enough with her at the mere mention of his late wife, and she had not seen him since then.
“I wish I had an answer for you, Miss Jamison, but I do not. I have wondered it myself. You see, it is not my place, but I’ll share with you a few of my observations about him,” she offered.
Victoria silently nodded that she would like to hear what Miss Franklin had to say on the matter.
“You see, I like the man. He is as good a man as any. But I think he is rather sad. I know you have seen it; I believe most can see it in his face when he speaks or does just about anything. And it makes me pity him,” she confessed.
“You pity him?” Victoria asked, recognising the feeling in her own heart towards the sad man.
“Indeed. He is so unhappy most of the time and I can’t help but wish I could spend some time with him just trying to cheer him up. Not that he would appreciate the sort of humour a maid could offer, but anything to spark his spirits. He is always so sad,” she said again.
Victoria had seen this but didn’t feel as though she could comment, having only been in the house a little more than a day.
“I cannot help but pity Miss Marian as well. I mean, no wonder she acts out so much. The poor dearie has no mum and has to try and vie for her father’s attention when he is such an important and great man that it can hardly be done. Do you think she likes trying to misbehave for the sake of his affection?” Miss Franklin asked rhetorically.
“No, I imagine she does not. Does he give her no attention when she is behaving properly?” Victoria asked.
