Page 18 of The Precious Secret of a Loving Governess
“Curious about him?” Miss Franklin laughed. “I suppose he is rather handsome, although he is near enough my father’s age.”
Victoria gave her a scolding look.
“I am not asking about him for any purposes of romance. I am simply curious of his identity,” she explained.
“Right, I see. Well, that is Mr. Smith, the landowner. He’s a decent enough man. Wealthy to boot. He owns a great number of estates like this. Rents them out to nobility,” she explained.
“Mr. Smith? He’s not titled himself?” Victoria asked.
“No. I heard his father was a great businessman who bought a few homes, but it was Mr. Smith who turned things into quite a fortune. He’s got the brains for money and he knows how to take care of a grand home,” she continued.
“Is he here often?” Victoria asked.
“I think so. I’ve seen him now and then. He’s always here for the parties. But he also has other homes that he checks in on, so it’s not as if he’s always here. I think he and the Earl are friends. And his family has always been friendly with Lady Ingles’ family,” Miss Franklin continued.
“Oh, I see,” Victoria said, somewhat disappointed.
If Lady Ingles was simply a good friend to Mr. Smith then there was no reason at all for her to have felt suspicion. She ought to have been happy, but there was something deep inside that had secretly wondered if the woman was not who she made herself appear to be.
All over again, Victoria had to fight off her jealousy. She could be stronger than this.
In that moment, her eyes locked again with the Earl. His gaze was piercing and strong. That stirring in her gut made all the jealousy and bitterness melt away until it was only him in the room.
Chapter 9
Everyone had been called to the proper dinner portion of the evening, but the moment it was over, the crowd felt large and overwhelming, more so than before. The evening had been intense and strange already and she wished for nothing but to escape to her room.
The memories of her past continually crept in and overtook Victoria. She thought about trying to get away for the rest of the evening, and hiding out. She wondered if anyone would even notice.
All throughout dinner, the Earl had continued to glance at her and, although his betrothed was directly beside him, Victoria noted how little the two interacted.
There seemed to be not much affection between them and, once more, she wondered why they were getting married. The Earl of Hanover seems as though he was still in mourning so it made little sense.
Finally the dinner was over. The party was continuing and Victoria knew that for her it meant another few hours of standing against the wall, trying not to be noticed by people who cared nothing at all about her anyway. It was agony.
She would have to push through, for the sake of her employer, whom she dearly wished to impress. He had asked her to come to this party and she would not now let him down by retreating, no matter how tempting it might have been.
“Are you enjoying the party?” he asked her at one point, sidling up beside her.
“Very much, my lord,” she replied, the lie slipping out smoothly.
“I am glad to hear it. I feel quite confident that my guests would greatly enjoy your company if you were willing to make yourself known to them,” he remarked.
“I think your guests would wonder why a governess is bothering to interact with them,” she laughed in reply.
“You are more than simply a governess, Miss Jamison. You are my esteemed guest. And that places you in the same position as everyone in this room,” he said to her, gently.
Victoria had not expected this kindness from the Earl and she nodded quietly, accepting the compliment.
“Thank you, my lord,” she finally said.
“Oh dear, I’ve just seen another guest arrive that I must greet. Really, why do they think it is socially acceptable to come after the dinner?” he complained.
Pasting a false grin on his face, the Earl walked away and Victoria observed him greeting another gentleman and heard the man apologise and try to explain his lateness. She looked away, still feeling overwhelmed by the crowd.
Victoria decided that if she could not leave altogether, she had to at least give herself a small rest from all of the affairs that were going on around her. She slipped out through the door and into the hallway. There were still others crowded about so she took a few turns to try and find a space where she might be able to breathe on her own.
But as she took a final turn, Victoria saw a sight that shocked her to her core.
