Lois Menzel (4 page)

“I was hoping I might be able to speak with Mrs. Saunders,” Anne hurried on, “to explain my situation to her.”

Mr. Raymond rose and pulled the bell rope and Anne knew her short interview was over. “I am terribly sorry, Miss Waverly, but Mrs. Saunders desires a woman with experience. You admittedly do not fill the requirement. And without references ... well, I am sure you understand.”

“Yes. I am afraid I do,” she replied, rising to her feet. “Is Mrs. Saunders at home?”

“Yes, she is,” he answered, taken off guard by the question.

“Is there any chance I might speak with
her
?”

He smiled tightly. “I am afraid not, miss.”

“I understand. Thank you for seeing me, sir.”

Mr. Raymond crossed to the door and opened it as the butler arrived outside.

“Miss Waverly is leaving, Kimble. Please show her out.”

Anne dejectedly followed the butler back the way they had come. She had told herself this was exactly what would happen, yet she felt inordinately disappointed. She realized she had allowed herself to hope. If only she had been permitted to speak with Mrs. Saunders, perhaps she could have convinced her that she was capable of doing the job. The lady was home even now, possibly behind one of these very doors Anne was passing.

Anne’s thoughts were interrupted as the street door opened and a gentleman stepped into the hall. The muted light of the overcast afternoon filtered through the doorway behind him, accentuating the breadth of his shoulders.

As the butler said, “My lord,” and held out his hands to take the hat and cane the gentleman offered, a footman moved to close the door. Anne stood transfixed. All thoughts of Mrs. Saunders skipped from her head in that instant, for this gentleman was the gentleman of the milliner’s shop.

His hands now free, the gentleman acknowledged Anne’s presence with a simple, “Madam,” while she replied with an equally brief, “My lord.”

This formality disposed of, Kimble moved to open the door to show the lady out, but found she had not followed him.

Anne stood regarding the man before her. He was even more imposing than she remembered. He clearly did not recognize her. But then, why should he? He barely looked at her that day. For a moment she considered retreating and then realized she had nothing to lose.

“Lord Tenbury?” she asked tentatively.

He nodded slightly, and she continued, “Might I speak with you for a moment?” She felt she should elaborate somewhat but could not think what to say, especially before the servants. So she left it with the simple request, and held her breath waiting for his response.

Kimble turned back to the pair, forced now by circumstance to make an introduction he considered inappropriate. “This is Miss Waverly, my lord. She has come about the governess’s position.”

“I see,” Tenbury responded. “Perhaps you would come into my study, Miss Waverly. We can speak privately there.”

Kimble moved immediately to a door set to one side of the hall, the stiffness of his back declaring his disapproval as loudly as any words.

Lord Tenbury paused at the door. “Have Mrs. Heathwaite send up some tea, Kimble.”

“Very good, my lord.”

When the door closed behind them, Anne was the first to speak. “I apologize for taking your time, Lord Tenbury. I inquired if I might speak with Mrs. Saunders, and Mr. Raymond said it was impossible. I should like to apply for the position of governess. Even though I am qualified, Mr. Raymond said that without references or experience, I cannot be considered.”

Seeming not to have heard this rush of words, he motioned her to a comfortable chair near the windows. “Please sit down, Miss Waverly. Did you buy those flowers the day we met?”

“You
do
remember,” Anne said.

“Certainly. Why should I not? They have transformed your bonnet; it is most becoming.”

The bonnet was a simple straw, but the compliment nonetheless pleased her.

As she sat down, he continued. “You seem eager to secure this position.”

“Yes, sir, I am. I need employment. And I believe I am well suited to this situation.”

“Employment is difficult to find without references,” he said.

“Yes.”

“How is it that you have no references?”

“I lived with my father until he died last year. I am seeking my first position.”

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Eight-and-twenty, my lord.”

“Where did you and your father reside?”

“In Cambridgeshire, near the university.”

“And have you no friend or acquaintance there—a man of letters—a peer perhaps?”

“There is the vicar of our parish,” Anne offered, wondering why she had not thought to ask him for a letter of introduction.

“Anyone else?” he prompted.

After a moment’s thought she offered, “Sir Hugo Scoville owned the cottage we rented.”

“Write to them,” Tenbury suggested. “Ask them for references. Then apply again to Mrs. Saunders. If the position is still open, I am certain she will consider you. If not, you will be well armed to secure another place.”

The door opened as the butler and a housemaid appeared to lay the tea. Anne rose self-consciously, the arrival of the servants making her aware of the impropriety of her private meeting with the earl.

As she backed slowly toward the door she said, “I think I will not stay for tea, my lord. Thank you for your help; I cannot imagine why I never thought to ask Sir Hugo—”

“Please sit and take some refreshment, Miss Waverly,” he interrupted. “I had not quite finished.”

Though his words were seemingly polite, his tone was imperious, and she knew she dare not disobey if she were to have any hope of getting the position. She returned to her seat and took the delicately painted china cup and saucer the maid offered. When the servants had left the room, the earl continued as if they had not been disturbed.

“Tell me about yourself. How came you by your education?”

She told him about her mother, how she had died when Anne was six. “I was taught by my governess and by my father, who was a scholar and translator.”

“Waverly,” he mused. “Was your father by any chance Maxwell Waverly?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. Did you know him?”

“He gave a series of lectures at Cambridge while I was there. I remember finding them quite fascinating. I am sorry to hear—”

He paused as the door opened abruptly and a young man strode into the room. “I say, Nate. Would you mind if I took the grays this afternoon? ... Oh ... excuse me ... thought you were alone.” Turning in Anne’s direction he sketched a bow. “How do you do, ma’am?”

“Allow me to present Miss Anne Waverly,” the earl said. “This is my brother, ma’am, John Saunders.”

Anne regarded Mr. Saunders with interest and immediately liked what she saw. He was a man in his early twenties, nearly as tall as his brother. His blond hair was a shade darker than the earl’s, and his eyes gray. He smiled warmly at her, while his pleasant voice said, “Delighted, Miss Waverly. Sorry to interrupt. Did not know Tenbury was engaged.”

“Miss Waverly is interested in the governess’s position,” the earl said.

“That is a round one,” his brother replied. “When did it become your duty to interview household staff?”

Once again made aware of the inappropriateness of her interview with the earl, Anne rose to her feet, wishing to be gone.

Ignoring his brother’s question, Tenbury said, “Please be seated, Miss Waverly. My brother is a perennial rattle. More than half of all he says should not be attended to.”

“He is correct in this instance, my lord,” Anne replied. “My employment is not your concern, and I have imposed upon you long enough. I must go.”

“As you wish. Kimble will see you to a hackney carriage.”

“I would prefer to walk, Lord Tenbury,” Anne objected. “It is only a few steps.”

“Kimble will call you a hackney, Miss Waverly,” he said, smiling. “Good day.”

Since his tone was one that brooked no argument, she offered none, but merely echoed his “Good day,” and followed the butler from the room.

A footman was sent running, and within a few minutes a hackney was waiting at the curb. She wanted to object, not wishing to spend the money when she could as easily walk, but when Kimble tossed several coins to the driver, she entered the vehicle without a word and in a few minutes was deposited at her aunt’s door.

Even this short drive made her queasy, but she refused to let it dampen her spirits. She felt she had a chance for this position if only she could obtain sufficient references in time. She knew she could do the work and do it well. She smiled as she mounted the front steps of her aunt’s house. If her father had been there today, she knew he would have been proud.

* * * *

Even with all its leaves removed, the Sheraton table in the dining salon of Tenbury House would accommodate twenty people; therefore, the Saunders family dined together at one end. Lord Tenbury occupied the place of honor at the head of the table; his brother Jack sat to his right, while his sister-in-law Arelia was on his left.

Arelia Saunders allowed half the meal to pass before she raised the question. “Is it true, Tenbury, the servants’ gossip I have been hearing?”

“It is not my custom to listen to servants’ gossip, Arelia,” the earl replied. “You must tell me what you have heard.”

“I understand that you spoke to a candidate for the governess’s position.”

“For once, servants’ gossip is accurate. I did indeed do so.”

“How extraordinary,” Arelia said.

The earl allowed her comment to pass and merely replied, “Her name is Waverly, Miss Anne Waverly. She is in the process of obtaining references. I believe she plans to apply to you for the position. If she does, I strongly suggest that you consider her. She seems highly qualified.”

“What is she like?” Arelia asked with interest.

“She is tall, dark, extremely thin,” Tenbury replied. “Her features are unremarkable.”

“I disagree,” Jack offered. “I found her eyes quite unique. They are green and unusually alive ... most expressive.”

“When did you meet her, Jack?” Arelia asked.

“He invited himself into my study in the midst of our conversation and then offended the lady with thoughtless chatter,” Tenbury said.

“Not so!” his brother objected.

“You have not completely answered my question, Tenbury,” Arelia persisted, “What of Miss Waverly’s character?”

“She is highly intelligent,” he replied, “candid, tenacious—traits I find desirable in an educator.”

“And her family?” she asked.

“Her parents are both dead. Her father was Maxwell Waverly, a scholar, translator of the classics. I met him years ago and admired him. His father was a baronet of an old Yorkshire family. Miss Waverly’s mother was the daughter of Sir Giles Pentworth of Norfolk. That is all she told me.”

“She sounds like someone I should like,” Arelia offered.

“Perhaps,” was all the earl replied, as he appeared to lose interest in the subject and nodded for a footman to refill his wineglass.

Chapter 4

Anne’s letters to Mr. Boone and Sir Hugo were answered within a week. Armed with these references, she applied again to Mr. Raymond and was granted an interview with Mrs. Saunders, the position of governess having not yet been filled.

If the truth were told, Arelia Saunders had several excellent applicants but had purposely delayed choosing a governess on the outside chance she would hear from Miss Waverly. Mildly surprised that Tenbury had met with the woman, she was even more intrigued when he recommended her.

Arelia hoped to meet her and discover what it was that had left such an impression upon her brother-in-law. She had never heard him describe any woman in the terms he had applied to Miss Waverly.

While Arelia Saunders looked forward eagerly to the interview, Anne traveled the short distance from Oxford Street to Grosvenor Square with a combination of anxiety and dread. She had worked diligently to secure this meeting, but now that the moment had arrived, she was filled with doubt. She knew her education was unconventional, and she was well aware of her deficiencies. Trying desperately to think of some excuse that would explain her lack of musical skills, she climbed the steps of Tenbury’s residence and sounded the knocker.

Kimble greeted her with an expressionless face, and she could not decide if he bore her any ill will as a result of her previous visit. He led her to a parlor hung with gold and ivory paper and furnished with great elegance. Dark blue curtains were swept back to reveal a private garden enclosed by a vine-covered wall.

Seated on a sofa near the fire was a strikingly handsome woman. In a morning dress of deep amethyst, her golden hair arranged to curl riotously about her face, Mrs. Saunders looked nothing like the widow Anne had expected to see. Anne had had misgivings about her dress from the moment she put it on. Advancing now to greet Mrs. Saunders, she was wishing both herself and her dowdy dress at Jericho.

Anne’s feeling of unease did not survive five minutes in Arelia Saunders’s presence. With a generous smile and a straightforward manner, Mrs. Saunders conducted a painless interview. She asked many questions, listening patiently with interest and without interrupting as Anne answered. When Anne enumerated her academic accomplishments, Mrs. Saunders shook her head.

“Belinda will need little of that at present, though I should like her to start French as soon as possible. She reads well but needs a great deal of practice with penmanship. I suppose she must learn history, though I never understood why girls must do so. All those horrid foreign wars—they always bored me. She could begin mathematics—sums and so forth— whenever you decide it is necessary.”

“You speak as if I have the position, ma’am.”

“And so you do, Miss Waverly, if you wish it. I liked you from the moment you arrived. In fact, I have been curious to meet you since Lord Tenbury recommended you for the position.” As Anne’s eyes widened, she asked, “Does that surprise you?”

Embarrassed by both the compliment and the question, Anne hesitated before answering. “His lordship and I were interrupted that day before I could finish. There are some areas where my abilities are less than admirable.”