Page 2 of The Duke and the Enigmatic Governess
“Don’t tell me my mother has recruited you to her cause!” laughed Jude, slapping Daniel on his back before waving him goodbye.
The rain had eased, leaving a clear, moonlit sky. As he got into the carriage Jude, glanced up, longing to be in the countryside at his estate in Hertfordshire, but business had called him to London and his townhouse.
At least he got to see Daniel, not just his friend, but also his advisor. They had completed his business that afternoon, and he planned to return to Clairville estate the following day, to see the first signs of spring in that historic landscape. He’d left his spaniel, Tess, at the estate, and missed those walks across the fields every morning.
As soon as he was back at Clairville, he would go out for a long ride, gallop over the heath, and plunge into the lake and feel alive. It was only mid-March, the last day of winter, and the water in the lake would be cold, but Jude had grown-up enjoying swimming in the lake in all weather.
As they headed back to Jude’s townhouse, the carriage wheels clattered on the road, wet from the torrents of rain which had been falling only a few hours earlier.
In places the road was almost flooded, the horses’ hooves pounding out a rhythm as they splashed through the water, throwing it up to the height of the carriage window as it trundled through the city.
It had been good to spend time with Daniel; an evening of cards, cognac, and conversation had been just what he needed to improve his spirits. They’d arranged for Daniel to visit Clairville Hall the following month, with the promise that his friend didn’t return to the topic of marriage and settling down. He knew he would need to marry and secure an heir for the Clairville estateat some time in the years ahead, but he had no plans for that quite yet.
He closed his eyes, almost drifting off to sleep, as he got used to the rhythm of the carriage.
He woke with a start, holding the side of the seat as the carriage lurched to a holt, horses rearing, and a loud cry from Barton, his driver.
What the… a highwayman? Surely not in town?
A flash of white through the window and a crescendo of voices. Jude opened the carriage door and called to his footman, whom he could see kneeling on the road, a few feet away from the carriage. Barton was still trying to steady the horses, and it would be dangerous to dismount until the horses had quietened.
“Whoa, whoa,” Jude heard Barton’s voice, coaxing to calm down the frightened animals. Deciding he could now get down from the carriage without endangering his life, he jumped, landing in a large puddle. Jude’s Hessian boots, and the bottom of his frock coat, were soaked by the water pooling under the carriage wheels.
The voices grew clearer, and then the shrill cry of a child piercing the night. Above windows opened, and he heard a voice saying they would go and fetch a constable and a doctor.
Then a scene of anguish unfolded in front of his eyes.
The body of a woman, clad in a dark day dress and shawl, lay on the ground, collapsed in front of his carriage. Moving swiftly to give aid, he breathed a sigh of intense relief that the carriage had not hit her. Barton the driver had managed to stop the horses before they plowed over the frail body.
A child stood cowering near the woman, weeping and moaning.
“Mama, Mama,” the tiny voice called. A couple of stable lads had run out from an inn and helped Barton secure the horses.
There was no response from the woman. Jude crouched on the cobblestones, assessing her condition, and called for the footman to bring a horse blanket to put under her as she was laid in the muddy, fetid water. Taking the blanket, he gently placed it under her head. She moaned and opened her eyes for a second.
“Sasha,” came a faint, croaking voice, “my baby. Look after my child…” She tried to move her head and he almost felt the shock of pain coursing through her body.
He lifted her in his arms, knowing these were her last moments, so she could see the child. Her eyes caught sight of her daughter and she sighed. “Please, sir, my child,” the voice fading as she slipped into unconsciousness. Holding her shoulders he spoke toher quietly, telling her a doctor was on his way and her daughter was safe.
Where was the doctor?
He looked up, hoping to see a doctor, and caught sight of a woman running out of the inn, not looking where she was going as she raced across the road.
For a split second, he gazed spellbound at this vision of ethereal beauty, and almost forgot where he was as his eyes were drawn to the woman in white, hair streaming behind her and her robe billowing as she ran to join him. He blinked to clear the bewitching image from his mind. Was this whole thing a dream? Was he hallucinating?
“Is she alive?” asked the woman.
“Barely. I thought she’d been hit by the carriage, but it seems it was pure chance that she collapsed in front of my chaise. Something must have caused her to collapse.”
The woman leant across and put her hand on the woman’s forehead.
“She’s burning up with fever, poor thing.”
“Her child is over there. When she spoke, that was all she said, to look after her child,” Jude told her.
Her voice was calm and refined. “Has anyone sent for a physician?” Despite being dressed in just her nightclothes; this was a lady of quality.
“Someone has gone for a doctor and the constable, I believe,” Jude answered her.
