Page 30 of The Duke and the Enigmatic Governess
He had been out when Mrs. Weston had called that morning, but he had already received a letter from her, telling him that she knew Lady Audrey Rowe and the description of Miss Banks fitted. She would visit later that day and indeed she had.
Hearing a tentative knock on the library door, he bid the caller to enter. The door opened slowly, and he knew he did not want this conversation.
He felt a stab of temper as he saw Miss Banks standing before him, looking more composed than he had expected. The scene of a distraught young lady, pleading with him not to return her to ancestral home, with weeping and declarations of true love was not going to happen.
He couldn’t leave her standing there like a naughty child, so he beckoned for her to take a seat near the fire.
Miss Banks nodded her thanks and walked across the room with grace and dignity. Jude could see she was avoiding eye contact with him as much as he was with her. He expected at the very least an apology and a sincere apology seemed quite appropriate to him.
Once she was seated, he moved to join her, but he struggled to know what to say. He looked across at the fragile figure sitting upright in the wing back chair. She raised her head and looked towards him, and their eyes met, and he felt again the pull of magnetic connection which happened whenever he spent time with her.
He nodded, took a breath, waiting before he spoke.
“Lady Audrey Rowe?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Miss Letitia Banks is an alias?”
“It is a name I took for my work as a governess,” she spoke quietly, barely audible.
He sat back in his chair, brushing his hand through his cinnamon hair. “This is a sorry business, Lady Audrey. You are living in my house, under an assumed name, pretending to be a governess and risking ruin to your reputation and scandal in my household.”
At first Audrey hung her head, but then he noticed a change as she looked at him, eyes wide open with a hint of defiance.
He drew a quick breath, waiting for her to speak.
“I could hardly seek employment as Lady Audrey Rowe. You know nothing of the reasons for my hiding my identity. Will you make assumptions, or will you allow me an opportunity to defend myself?”
Anger flowed with her words.
“Forgive me,” he spoke sarcastically, “I find you are an imposter in my house, and you expect me to take tea with you? Afterwards, I may ask you why you felt it necessary to lie to me, and my household?”
Lady Audrey stood up, eyes blazing, nostrils flaring with indignation. “You judge me unfairly. I would like to tell you how—”
“Enough, madam, I have no interest in your stories. They are no doubt a product of your imagination.” He continued, ignoring the look of wounded defeat in her eyes, “I have, today, made contact with your brother, Lord Cheshire. He has sent word by return that he is delighted to know you are safe. He arrives tomorrow, so you need to prepare to leave the house.”
“But what about Sasha?” Lady Audrey asked.
Jude noted her care and concern for the little girl and not for herself, but he trusted nothing about Lady Audrey.
“I will consider how best to break the news that you are leaving. That is my concern. For now, you will keep to your routine. I’ve thought carefully about this, and you have shown nothing but care for Sasha, so there is no reason why you cannot spend time with her today. I cannot believe you lied to me this way” He stood and went to open the door, “Be ready to leave in the morning.”
As the door closed after Lady Audrey, he slumped over the polished walnut table feeling a mixture of anger and intense sadness.
An hour later and Jude was still in the library when there was a rap on the door and Robert joined him. “There are rumors flying all around the house,” Robert said. “I thought you might need company, but I see you have found the bottle of fine cognac.”
“Join me, take a glass, Robert. I admit to feeling sad, frustrated, and perplexed all at the same time.” Jude confessed. “She isn’t who she said she was!”
“She may have had good reason,” suggested Robert.
“Her brother is coming to collect her tomorrow morning.”
“Ah, the valiant Lord Cheshire. What a delight that will be,” Robert grinned.
“Robert, that has a touch of sarcasm.”
“You remember I told you about Ethan Rowe. He seems to be one of life’s more unpleasant characters.”
