Page 74 of The Precious Secret of a Loving Governess
“Yes. Dynamic. That is certainly true. And as a result of that, she is not always subject to society so much as she sets it. Lady Ingles is one of the leaders of those women who make the rules. And at the end of the day, my helping to arrange their marriage helps their cause, in that a bitter man who fell victim to adultery would never do such a thing,” he explained.
“So, as it happened, when I spoke with Lady Ingles, she responded with tears of gratitude. She begged me to help her wed Mr. Smith and I could not deny her for even a moment,” he said.
“And you did. You arranged it all?” she asked.
“Indeed. It was not easy. First I had to speak with her mother and father. Requesting an audience with them was not an easy task as they are…well, somewhat difficult people. They have a very determined view of what society ought to look like and having their daughter in such a prominent position might be a benefit to her, but they are quite frightened by it,” he explained.
“Nevertheless, I explained to them the situation. I shared how their daughter and I did not love one another, but each of us loved someone else and wished to marry someone else. It could not have been easy for them, but they listened, although I saw a fair amount of fury in her father’s face,” he confessed.
“But he soon settled. I promised them a great sum of money and I also guaranteed that Lady Ingles would have a good future ahead of her if she were able to marry the man that she loved. When I revealed who it was, I saw the shock in their faces. But I managed to persuade them. And finally, they agreed,” he said.
“They were happy for her to marry him?” Miss Jamison asked.
Reginald chuckled, thinking back to the moment and picturing the father’s face. He had been far from happy.
“I cannot say that they were happy, Miss Jamison. But they agreed. They allowed for it and were satisfied enough by my proposal and by how we intended to handle the marriage that they allowed it to take place, even if they were not going out of their way to ensure that it happened,” he told her.
Miss Jamison seemed to understand exactly what he meant and she nodded with him. She was an intelligent woman who knew the ways of a society that had abandoned her long ago.
Just as Lady Ingles had to handle the scandal of loving the wrong man, Miss Jamison had to live under the weight of her father’s mistakes. And Reginald was determined that he would make both situations right.
But, alas, he had not gotten so far as to tell Miss Jamison all of that yet.
“Now, after all of that, I contacted Mr. Smith,” he said.
“Oh? And how was that?” she asked.
“It was ideal. I arranged a wedding between him and Lady Ingles. A quickly done ceremony that could take place immediately. He was as overjoyed as she. Both were entirely relieved to be able to wed one another and enjoy their marriage without the disapproval of anyone,” he added.
“And to appease her mother and father, I gifted them a large piece of land and a sum of money. Those were things that I knew could only be of benefit to them and bring them a fair amount of fortune in the future should they invest it wisely.
“And that is the majority of this great tale that I was determined to bring you in the middle of the night,” he concluded, still on his knees before her.
Miss Jamison’s eyes were bright and searching, as if trying to find more answers within him or to see a part of him that, until now, had been hidden from her. It was clear that she was still holding back, keeping her emotions checked somewhere deep inside that she might not unintentionally show him everything that was feeling, everything that they had tried to keep from one another all this time.
“Surely you know what this means for us?” he prodded.
“For us?” she asked.
“Yes, Miss Jamison. For you and for me,” he repeated.
There was a defeat in her eyes. Something she could not allow to be overcome. Something she clung to. The belief that she was still unable to have the victory she wished for.
“You mean between you and your governess?” she asked, trying to make a point through her hesitant use of the words.
Reginald was silent for a moment before he began to laugh in disbelief. A small part of him was possibly even angry that she was so determined against having hope of any sort. But he knew that he still had a choice in how he proceeded.
Reginald wanted Miss Jamison to understand that he did all of this for one purpose and one purpose only. So that they could be together. That was all that mattered. And until she realised that this was his priority, she would never allow herself to be truly happy or content.
“Miss Jamison, I must ask you to wait here for a moment. Exactly here. Do not move at all. Is that understood?” he asked.
“Y-yes, my lord,” she replied, still seeming stunned by all of the events that had thus far occurred.
They would be together; he would find a way to express it to her. And if she was not able to hear his words, perhaps she would hear Marian’s.
Reginald entered his daughter’s room with a gentle knock. She rubbed her eyes and looked at him in confusion before it turned into excitement.
“Oh, Papa! You’re home?” she asked.
