Page 30 of The Earl's Disguised Governess
“We are always but a letter away,” Graham said, meeting her gaze. “And whether it is here at Little Harkwell or a visitto my townhouse, with your aunt, of course, you are always welcome.”
“I wish I lived a little closer,” Lady Samantha admitted. “For it would be nice to have comfort closer to home.”
A stab of guilt hit Ernest. Archibald lived on the same street as Lady Samantha. They were almost neighbours, which was how she had been matched with him at the start, anyway. Things should have been so different. Ernest should have done more. He should have saved his friend, should have tried harder, should have known back then what he did now.
Ernest had thrown himself into his research since returning and had discovered new ways of surgery and medical care. There was no guarantee it would have saved Archibald, but there was always that doubt that haunted him before he fell asleep.
Lady Samantha should have been planning her wedding to Archibald. Instead, she sat with her despair around her shoulders like a cape, and Lady Katherine no doubt lurked somewhere nearby, ready to pounce on her to be rematched.
“He always said you were very quiet,” Ernest commented. “But that whenever you spoke, you shone with kindness.”
She laughed softly. “That was the first thing he told me, actually.” She pitched her voice deep to imitate the great captain.“Why, Lady Samantha! You are very quiet, I have noticed. But when I hear your voice, it is only when you are speaking kindly.”
Graham and Ernest laughed with her. Even Graham puffed up his chest and took on Archibald’s voice as well. “Why, Graham, do you not know the beauty of my fiancée? She is radiant! I would write a library’s worth of books on her rosy cheeks alone!”
And although their light-hearted play brought tears to all their eyes, remembering the man who ought to have been there with them, there was laughter ringing through the air, and Ernest felt a sense of comfort settle in alongside his sorrow.
“Lady Samantha,” he said once their laughter died down. “Would you care to spend some time in Little Harkwell? A night or two, perhaps. We have guest quarters set up. I do not wish for you and your aunt to depart so late in the day when dusk is near. You may return to your hosts in Bath whenever you are ready, of course, but please feel free to stay.”
She blinked in surprise, and even Graham glanced sideways at him, raising his brow. It seemed that remembering Archibald tonight and Lady Samantha’s presence was bringing him out of his shell once more. But he did not want to get his hopes up.
“That would be very lovely of you, My Lord,” Lady Samantha said, inclining her head. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” he said. “I shall have my housekeeper show you and your aunt to your room.”
“I believe she is drinking a glass of wine in the parlour with Lady Katherine. I would like to leave her undisturbed and retire quietly if that is okay.”
“Very well.” Ernest stood up, wishing that he could end his day with Miss Gundry as he had the morning before, but fatigue came for him, spurred by the emotions of the day. He bid farewell to Graham, who gave him a sad, tight smile, and the three of them departed the drawing room to go in different directions. Lady Samantha chattered with the housekeeper about how lovely she was and how her own housekeeper in London was not a very kind woman.
Ernest sighed before retreating to his own room. He did not know how to proceed with Lady Samantha, but he was glad to have met her properly in person and become acquainted with her. Still, there was much to learn and much to unravel about his mother’s plans.
Soon, he thought. All that mess can be figured out soon.
And underneath the worries there was the thought that he had not finalized his plans for his next visit to the playhouse. He needed to remember to go into town and purchase the tickets. Miss Gundry had enjoyed sitting in the box, and he would have her settle for nothing less when he next took her.
It is about Lady Florence, he reminded himself sternly. Chiding himself, he shut the door to his bedroom without bidding his mother a good night. Usually, he would, but he was far too angry with her.
Readying himself for bed, he paused a moment before getting beneath the bed sheets.
He really felt in a predicament with his mother’s intentions.
But what of his own feelings?
He could not deny how perfect it had felt that morning at breakfast. Ernest couldn’t imagine it happening with anybody else: that brief feeling of right.
What was he to do?
Chapter 10
“I suppose her hair blends very well with the snow,” Claire muttered to herself. “And the way the flowers have been woven into her hair, do make her look rather beautiful.”
Her words were as bitterly cold as the winter snow outside and lacked assurance to herself as she watched Lord Bannerdown and Lady Samantha take a turn around the garden. Further down, Mrs Elizabeth Brooks followed. They left footprints in the snow, the side-by-side prints matching one another: one strong, booted, and the other dainty and small. What would Claire’s look like alongside Lord Bannerdown’s?
Lady Samantha had her delicate hands—hands of a lady, hands that Claire herself had once had: soft and unmarred by the hardship of working life—tucked away into a cosy sheath that enveloped both hands in a fur-lined muff that covered the length of her wrists. She would clasp her hands together inside the tube, keeping them warm.
Envy burned Claire’s throat as she watched them until they passed on, out of sight. She even craned her neck to watch them better. And then she berated herself for doing that, wishing she did not feel this way. She had no claim on Lord Bannerdown. She was not even truly the woman he believed her to be! She needed to calm down. She needed to be realistic.
I need to get away from Lady Florence’s window and return to my duties before somebody sees me watching them. Embarrassment flooded her as she withdrew from the window and returned to the closet, where she had prepared Lady Florence’s gown for the evening dinner. But she needed to pair it with jewellery and perhaps pick a matching bow to adorn the young woman’s hair.
