Page 21 of Enthralled in the Governess' Gaze
She smiled with relief, the gesture lighting up her entire face. He swallowed, caught off guard by how much lovelier it made her.
Tearing his gaze from her, he cleared his throat, growing more uncomfortable with each second that passed.
“I am Mr Edward Harford,” he said with an irritable growl.
“Miss Victoria Clifford,” she replied, dropping into a rather graceful curtsy.
When she stood, he held his hand out for hers. She stared down at it for a moment, her brows pinched, before slowly sliding her palm against his. He had meant for the contact to be nothing more than a cordial handshake, but he felt a pulse of heat shoot through him, stunning him. Even more shocking than that, though, was Miss Clifford’s reaction to his touch.
Her cheeks turned bright pink, and she refused to meet his gaze. She was clearly flustered and nervous, which he found…interesting.
What was causing such a reaction, he wondered? Why would she not look him in the eye, as she had boldly done so in their previous meetings?
He held onto her hand a moment longer than necessary. A part of him enjoyed her discomfort and wanted to prolong it. Wanted to see just how pink her cheeks could get.
The thought startled him, and he immediately released her.
“Excuse me,” he said in a gruff tone, moving past her to hurry out of the room.
He was not certain why, but her presence was unnerving and left him rather shaken. It was her eyes, he thought. Those lovely hazel eyes. When he looked at them, he risked becoming lost to her – something he refused to do. He would never lose himself to a woman again.
Miss Clifford was beautiful, there was no denying that, and he was attracted to her because he was a red-blooded male. All the more reason to avoid her, then. Nine months away had not changed his mind regarding women. They were not to be trusted, and if he found himself being drawn to one, he needed to do everything in his power to resist her thrall.
Miss Clifford was a danger to him with her sharp tongue and big eyes, and the best way to avoid her temptation was simply to avoid her.
He would simply stay out of her way, and she would likely be so busy with Lily she would stay out of his. There was no reason for him to fret. Miss Clifford was a small inconvenience in his life that he could easily ignore, nothing more.
No woman, apart from Emily, would ever be more to him than that.
Chapter 13
Over the next few days, Victoria settled into her role as governess. Lily was a true delight, and she and the little girl quickly bonded. Mrs Radcliffe was also the epitome of kindness and graciousness. She would check in on how Lily was faring now and again throughout the day, but she was not overbearing and trusted Victoria to care for the girl and dictate how her days typically went.
The only dark cloud hanging over her idealistic situation was the presence of Lord Harford. After their initial meeting in the breakfast room and his abrupt departure, she had worried he would go out of his way to make her miserable or plot some way to drive her out of the house. The mere idea had left her on edge during her first few days in the house, but it was soon apparent that he simply wanted nothing to do with her.
He was gone from the house most days on business for his father and their estate, and she did not see him at breakfast as she had started taking the meal with Lily in the nursery. The only occasions she would really interact with him at all was during dinner when he was even present. Most nights, he did not come home until late into the evening, and they would miss seeing each other entirely.
Which was a perfectly fine arrangement in Victoria’s mind. She did not need to worry about crossing him when her focus needed to be on her charge.
So it was that Victoria found herself one afternoon in the library with Lily, completely at ease with the girl and with no thoughts of her uncle on her mind.
“What story would you like me to read to you today, Lily?” Victoria asked as she perused the bookshelves in search of a tome. “Would you like to hear more fairy tales…?”
“Miss Clifford, look!” Lily exclaimed with a giggle.
Turning, Victoria let out a surprised laugh when she found Lily standing in the middle of a wall of books she had built up around her. A quick glance at the empty shelves nearby was proof of where the girl had gotten her bricks.
“What in the world are you building?” Victoria asked with a grin.
“I am building a fort,” Lily declared in a very serious voice.
“Indeed?” Victoria drew closer to the fort and looked it over with a careful eye. “I see. It seems to be a very good fort so far. Would you like me to help you continue to build it?”
Lily’s eyes widened with excitement. “Oh, yes, please! We can make it so very tall if you help!”
Victoria laughed again. “All right, but perhaps you should come outside of the fort so that it is easier to build.”
The girl nodded. “Yes, yes, a very good idea.”
