Page 4 of Enthralled in the Governess' Gaze
Victoria shook her head. “No, I am afraid not. But I promise, mother, I will be happy and content with this choice knowing that it provides my sisters and brother with the opportunity for comfortable futures. I do not want you to worry about me. I promise I know what I am doing.”
Nodding, her mother mumbled, “Very well. I do not like it, but I will no longer fight you on the matter.”
Victoria gave her mother a small, reassuring smile. “Thank you. I promise this will be a good thing for all of us.”
Her mother gazed back at her with an expression that was almost…sad.
“I hope you are right, my dear. I hope you are right.”
Chapter 3
She had thought convincing her mother to agree to let her be a governess would be the most difficult part of her plan. Victoria had not anticipated that actually finding a position would be even harder. She had started by putting advertisements in as many papers as she could afford. She had anticipated receiving a slew of responses but had gotten only two invitations to interview.
Her first interview had been brief and come to nothing. She had felt a tension in the air as she had spoken with the lady of the house and then a chill when she had explained who her father and mother were. The interview had ended shortly after that, and she had not heard from the family again.
Victoria had the sinking suspicion that she would be out of chances if this interview did not go well.
Reaching the house, she paused outside the gate and gazed up at the façade of the building. It was a stately-looking home, with wrought-iron bars along the windows and balconies. A family of good standing and wealth, it seemed. That was good. She could receive a decent wage if she could secure the position.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and made her way through the gate and up to the front door. Raising her fist, she knocked and waited, running her hands down her skirt in an agitated attempt to smooth out any wrinkles that might mar her appearance.
After several moments, the door opened, and Victoria was greeted by an older man whom she assumed was the home’s butler.
“May I help you, miss?” the man asked in French.
“Yes, good day,” Victoria replied, also in French. “I am Victoria Clifford. I am here to interview for the governess position.”
He looked her up and down before nodding. “Right this way, miss. I will fetch my lady.”
He stepped to the side and gave her room to enter the house. The interior was finely decorated with vases of flowers sitting on ornate side tables that filled the air with their sweet, floral scents. Victoria tried not to get too distracted by her surroundings, though. At one point in her life, she had lived in such luxury. When her father was alive and serving in his post as a diplomat to the French court, the world had seemed hers for the taking.
Now, she was just trying to carve out a small part of it that was safe and secure for herself and her family.
The butler led her to a lavishly decorated parlour and invited her to sit.
“I will go and fetch my lady,” he repeated before turning to make his way back out of the room. Victoria took another deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.
Everything will be just fine, she encouraged herself.Just be clear and calm. There is no reason I should not be granted this post.
By the time the butler returned with his lady in tow, Victoria was feeling more settled and far more confident. She stood and sunk into a graceful bow as the woman approached her.
“Miss Clifford, good day,” the lady nodded.
“Good day, Lady Dumas,” Victoria replied, straightening. “Thank you for your invitation to speak with you today.”
Lady Dumas looked her over, and her pink mouth formed a thin line that had Victoria’s stomach tightening. The lady was pretty and appeared only a few years older than Victoria.
Still, she possessed an air of sophistication and worldliness that Victoria suspected came from her position in society, her marriage, and her role as a mother. Her dark hair was pulled back into an elegant knot on the back of her head, and her dress was fashionable, if not a bit conservative.
Lady Dumas seemed to reside in an entirely different world than Victoria, and her cool expression only widened that distance. A bitter feeling rose in Victoria that she had to swallow back down. There should not be such distance between the two of them. They should be meeting each other as equals. As two ladies of society, but that was simply not the reality of their situation.
Swallowing, Victoria forced her expression to remain pleasant and polite as Lady Dumas finished her inspection.
“Please, sit, Miss Clifford,” the lady finally said, extending her hand toward a set of matching cushioned chairs in the middle of the room.
Victoria nodded and moved to sit. Lady Dumas settled into the chair across from Victoria and folded her hands in her lap.
“All right, Miss Clifford,” Lady Dumas began. “Tell me why I should hire you as the governess for my children?”
