Callie Hutton (3 page)

“Now you’ve gone and frightened the girls again.” She regarded him from her position on the floor, not making the effort to stand and re-arrange herself.

Penrose drew in a deep breath through his nostrils and attempted to soften his expression. It wouldn’t do
for
the young girls
to fear
him, or he’d never be rid of Miss Chambers. “I apologize, ladies, I did not mean to startle you.” His eyes
shifted
in the direction of the governess. “May I have a word with you, Miss Chambers
?
Outside.” He turned on his heel and left the room.

He paced the
corridor
waiting for her to join him.
Hands behind his back, he tried to calm himself. She was an American, the land of savages. It would bode him well to remember that in his dealings with the woman. Why his friend, and
,
of all people, Lady Eleanor, had seen fit to allow Miss Chambers anywhere near their daughters was a mystery.

Finally, she stepped from the doorway, her hair pinned up, and
his
quick glance at her feet showed she’d put on her shoes as well.  At least the woman had
a
smidgen
of
dignity.

“Is there a problem, Your Grace?” She stiffened her shoulders and regarded him.

“The problem, madam, is I instructed you to join my family tonight for dinner. At exactly eight o’clock.” He withdrew his pocket watch. “It is now eleven minutes past eight. And my maid tells me you informed her you already took your dinner with the young ladies.”

“Correct. They’re trying to get used to their new environment. I felt it would be in their best interests
for me
to forego a formal dinner with your family tonight, and spend the time with the girls.”

“Whether that was a good decision or not is irrelevant since I requested you join us.”

“Ah, Your Grace. That is where the problem lies. You see, you did not
request
that I join your family
.
As you stated a few moments ago, you
ordered
me to join you.”

His eyebrows rose. “What is the difference?”

Miss Chambers sighed. “Exactly.”

“What the devil does that mean? You’re speaking in riddles.” He
bent close to peer directly into
her eyes. “I will
allow this one bit of defiance,
as it might have been
wiser for you to share their
dinner tonight.” He rose to his full height. “However, in the future, I will decide what will be done with the young ladies, and you,
Miss Chambers
, will abide by my wishes as long as you are under my roof.”

By God, it actually looked as though she fought to keep from smiling. The woman had managed to rile him up more than anyone else in his life thus far. Not wishing to give her any more time to further vex him, he pivoted and strode down the
corridor
.

*

Merry returned to the nursery. Neither girl had moved an inch. Charlotte stared at her lap, and Clare sucked her thumb, her fingers busy twirling a lock of hair that had come loose from her braid.

“Does the duke
dislike us?” Charlotte asked.

Merry smoothed the young girl’s hair back.
“No, of course not. The
duke
was your father’s
dear
friend. It’s probably that he isn’t used to young ladies.
”

“He sure doesn’t like you
,
Miss Merry.” Clare
mumbled
around her thumb.

“I don’t think he doesn’t like me, exactly. He wants what’s best for you, and we disagree on what that is.”

“Will he really make you leave?” Charlotte studied her with wide eyes.

“All right, girls. I think we’ve had
enough conversation about the
duke
. It’s past your bedtime, and we’re all tired from our trip today. Let’s say our prayers and off to bed with you.”

****

Dowager Duchess
of
Penrose, known as Kitty to her close friends and family, glanced up from her place
on the settee in the drawing room
as her son entered. Eyes flashing, his body held rigid, he
extended his arm to her. She rose and laid her hand on his arm, then they walked toward the dining room.

“Are we not waiting for Miss Chambers?”

He glared in her direction. “She will not be joining us this evening.”

Lord Brandon
, her younger son, chortled. “Don’t tell me Miss Chambers has defied your edi
c
t?”
As they settled in their places, h
e reached for his glass of wine, drained it, and held it out
toward a footman.

“She has already
taken dinner
with her charges. I’m afraid you will all
need
to wait until tomorrow to make her acquaintance.”

“What? She didn’t grovel at your feet and scurry down here to do your bidding?”
Lord Brandon
’s eyes danced with mirth. “I am truly anxious to meet this woman.”

“She’s an American,” Penrose said through tightened lips
, as though that explained it all
.

“How very interesting.” Kitty took a piece of roasted salmon from the serving plate the footman held. “I wonder what possessed Lord Bedford to hire a
foreigner
?”

“When he and Eleanor visited
there
a few years ago, their nurse caught a fever and died. I imagine they must have
felt
quite desperate to engage
the likes of
Miss Chambers.”

“Is she that bad?”

“Remarkably unsuitable. She has no sense of propriety, no appreciation for the world the
girls
will enter in a few short years. She’s opinionated, stubborn and impertinent.” He took a deep breath and attacked his food.

“Well. She has certainly gotten under your skin.” Kitty smiled at the
pique
she rarely saw in her always-in-control
eldest
son.

“Nonsense. The woman
doesn’t trouble me at all. In any event, she’ll be leaving soon.”

“Leaving? Has she another position already?”
Lord Brandon
pushed away his half eaten dinner and signaled for
more
wine.

Penrose glared at his brother’s actions.
“Not that it is necessary to keep you apprised of my decisions, but to quell any curiosity on your part, Miss Chambers
has
a week or two to see the girls settled into their new routine. At that point I will give her a stipend sufficient enough to tide her over until such time as she can secure a new situation.”

“Dear, do you suppose the
girls
will feel secure enough in that short period
of time
? I believe you told me this governess has been with the family for some time now.”

“Don’t concern yourself, M
other. Now let us enjoy our dinner with a more pleasant topic.”

Kitty smiled behind her wine glass. Whatever or whoever this Miss Chambers was, she’d gotten more of a reaction from Penrose than anyone she’d ever seen in his life. At
four
and
thirty, her son, very much
the duke
, kept his feelings and emotions well hidden. Even as a child, he’d been like his father, pompous and haughty
, a
lways aware of his station. She’d been waiting for years to see a crack in that armor, and it seems a cheeky American governess was the one to do it.

Yes, she definitely would need to meet Miss Chambers
, and a
s quickly as possible. She took another sip of her wine and listened to
Lord Brandon
and Penrose argue over her younger son’s latest escapade.

****

The next morning
Merry summoned a maid to help her
dress. After assuring  the girls were busy with their meal under the watchful eye of the nursery maid, she left with instructions on how to find the breakfast
room. She could probably wander around a bit and get there, but with h
er luck she would run into the duke
who would
see
another reason to chastise her. What a stiff-necked man. Lord Bedford had been warm and friendly, Lady Bedford the same. But this man
−
this aristocrat
−
embodied all she disliked of
Polite
Society.

She and L
ord and L
ady Bedford had agreed the girls would
enjoy
a carefree childhood. In another
couple of
years Lady Charlotte would
begin
preparations
for her coming out, but until then the gi
rls enjoyed the activities all young children should be allowed to engage in.

Once she arrived outside
the breakfast room
,
Merry took
a deep breath to quell her thumping heartbeat,
then
slowly opened the door. The duke
,
s
e
at
ed
at the head of the table
, had
a plate
filled with
kippers,
eggs, fruit,
toast and bacon
s
teaming
in front of him
and
a newspaper
at his elbow.
Aside from him, the room was empty.
Her stomach tightened.

He rose at her entrance. “Miss Chambers. I hope you had a comfortable night’s sleep.”

“Yes, Your Grace.
The governess’s room is q
uite comfortable
,
a lovely room. Shall I be vacating it today?
Is this not the day the new governess comes?
” Good heavens, she was babbling. One look from those
penetrating
eyes and all rational thought left her head.

Penrose
held out a chair for her
,
and
after s
he slid into it, he
returned to his seat. “Why don’t
we enjoy our
breakfast, and then we will discuss the plans for the day?”

An older woman swep
t into the room, nodded at the duke
who
stood as a footman pulled out a chair for the new arrival. She sat
across from Merry. “You must be Miss Chambers
.
”

The duke
regarded her with raised eyebrows.
“Mother, I haven’t seen you at the breakfast table
in
quite
a while
.”

The woman
dismissed him with a flick of her fingers.
“
I rose early
and decided to join the family.” Sh
e turned her attention to Merry, ignoring Penrose’s stare.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m Miss Chambers.”

“I am Dowager Duchess
of
Penrose, and I am delighted to meet you.” She
cast
a bright smile and g
lanced in the direction of the duke
who watch
ed
her
through
slit
t
ed eyes.

The dowager was pale where Penrose was dark
, h
er features striking rather than pretty. The
enthusiasm in her expression brought beauty to her face. A light fragrance
had
emanated from her as she
’d
moved from the door to her seat, settling in comfortably
. After what
Merry had witnessed
of the duke
thus far, it was hard to reconcile the dowager as his mother.

Merry sighed in relief. At least the entire family
wasn’t as
arrogant
as the duke
. “And it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Grace.”

“Ho. It appears our little governess has deigned to join us this morning.” A man, perhap
s a few years younger than the duke
, but bearing
him
a striking resemblance
nevertheless
, strode into the room. He stopped
before
Merry,
bowed slightly before taking
her hand, and raising it slowly to his mouth as he stared into her eyes, kissed it. “I am
Lord
Brandon
Worthington, brother, and
unworthy
heir apparent, to
Penrose
. At your service.” He bowed slightly and
moved to the sideboard to fill his plate.