by Fanny Finch
“Oh goodness, have I really done such a thing?” Amy laughed in reply.
“I fear so. I am quite certain that you have shamed your family by being in my presence. What shall the staff have to say of you should they see the two of us dallying about, trying to get earls to notice us?” Delia continued.
“You must stop,” Amy said in her fit of hysterics.
“Why must I stop? I am merely a classless vagabond who flaunts herself before her employer in a desperate attempt to garner his affections,” Delia said simply.
“Yes, of course. And the way you are so immodest at every turn,” Amy added, joining in the mischief.
“You noticed that? Oh dear, I rather thought I had remained subtle in my traipsing before him,” she said with wide eyes.
“Whatever are we to do with you?” Amy asked.
“Most likely, you shall all be terribly dismayed by me and fall into a terror of the Lord’s smiting this house. After all, he cannot allow for such a sinner as I to live in it,” Delia reasoned.
“I do believe Mrs. Andrews would be overjoyed by that prospect,” Amy said.
“I’ve no doubt of it. She should like it very much if I were smitten by the Lord himself,” Delia remarked.
“Perhaps that it because she is rather old and hideous, the crone. I should think she would be glad for someone to come and liven up the place. But I do believe she is terribly jealous of your youth and beauty,” Amy pointed out.
“My youth and beauty? And what do you see of yourself, Amy? Are you not young and beautiful?” Delia challenged.
“I am a maid,” Amy replied.
“And what of it?” Delia asked.
“Everything,” Amy replied. “Station is everything.”
These words lingered in Delia’s mind. Station truly was everything. And no matter how the stations of her family had changed, hers had remained the same. She was still a simple governess.
And as such, she should never expect to be noticed. However, knowing it was not to be expected, didn’t mean that she would have liked to be. Something about the Earl had affected her. For better or for worse.
Chapter 10
The air held a sense of light florals. The sun was bright and the breeze gentle.
The Earl was appreciative of the fresh air. It seemed as though he was always in his study, and while he preferred it that way, now and then it was nice to get out. More than that, it was nice to be out with Miss Caulfield and Grace.
After Miss Caulfield had confronted him about his lack of time with his daughter, his new resolution became even more devout. While he had already determined to spend more time with her, this was a new day. It was a new opportunity to put it into practice.
Miss Caulfield had a joint him wearing a simple, yet lovely gown. She was rather exquisite in the pale pink dress. It was not common for governess to wear such a color and he thought it must be a remnant of better days and her family.
There was still so much for him to learn about her. There was still a great deal that he did not know. Learning more of who she was would be intriguing and was an exciting thought.
Miss Caulfield held Grace’s hand. He watched as the two stepped beside him and walked calmly in the garden with him. The Earl then asked, through actions and gestures rather than words, to take Grace’s hand in his own.
Miss Caulfield smiled at him charmingly. He sensed her approval that he was choosing to love his daughter better than he had before. He was keeping his word.
And while it ought not to have, it seemed to matter a great deal to the Earl of Dulshire that his governess appreciated and approved of his fatherhood.
The joy on Grace’s face was evident upon her father taking her hand and walking with her. He was glad to see such a response from his daughter.
The Earl realized that Delia was walking slightly behind he and Grace, as if trying to give father and daughter a private moment. However, he recognized that Grace was growing weary. She wished to run off.
“Am I slowing you down?” the Earl asked his daughter.
“Yes, Papa. Why can we not run?” Grace asked in reply.
“I shall let you run, my dear. But you must stay close by. Within the gardens,” he instructed.
Grace’s face lit up at the prospect of being allowed to run off by herself.
“Yes, Papa. I promise I shall,” she said.
With that, the Earl reluctantly let go of her soft little hand. Grace took off towards the sunflowers, which he was delighted by. He had wondered, too late, if she might head for the rosebushes. The Earl of Dulshire had no desire to allow his daughter to be pricked by thorns.
“She is delighted,” Miss Caulfield pointed out.
“She is delightful,” the Earl replied, eliciting a smile from his governess.
“I am glad to hear you say as much, my lord. She has charmed me a great deal. And I can see that you have been remarkably changed by her of late,” Miss Caulfield told him.
“Perhaps I am fortunate enough to have been told a truth about the sort of father I ought to be. I wish only that I had recognized it sooner. Or been willing to be made aware of it sooner,” he told her.
“It matters not. It is never too late to begin something new,” Miss Caulfield said to him reasonably.
“I suppose so, Miss Caulfield. Just as you have begun your time here when she was already eight years of age and yet you have transformed my daughter utterly,” the Earl noted.
“Do you believe so, my lord?” she asked him in reply. “Have I been a benefit to her?”
“Far greater than a benefit. She is an entirely new child, I should say. I have never seen her so delighted and overjoyed by the world,” the Earl commented.
“That is a great blessing to hear. It is my wish to be the best governess I might possibly be able to be,” Miss Caulfield said to him.
“You are greater than any I might have anticipated,” he replied.
Seeing the blush in her cheeks, the Earl wondered if he had spoken out of turn. Had he embarrassed her?
“Have I spoken to freely?” he asked openly.
“No, my lord. I am merely humbled that you should say something so kind to me,” she answered.
The Earl noticed that they were being watched from across the field by the stablehands. He wondered what they might be thinking and if they were the sorts who would spread gossip about this encounter.
It mattered not. He was their employer. He need not tolerate anything he did not wish to tolerate.
Still, the Earl hoped that Miss Caulfield was not aware of the fact that they were being watched. She might not feel so comfortable.
The Earl noticed that, upon seeing him watching them, the lads went back to work and seemed not to notice the presence of the Earl or Miss Caulfield at all.
A twinge of something shifted in his chest. The Earl of Dulshire wondered if, perhaps, the boys had been noticing Miss Caulfield, rather than noticing the two of them together.
Was it possible that they held an interest in her?
Furthermore, and more distressing, was it possible that Miss Caulfield actually might hold an interest in them? After all, she was a beautiful young woman of marriageable age.
He had lost his previous governess to her relationship with one of his staff members. What was to stop Miss Caulfield from taking the same course of action? He, after all, could promise her nothing.
Once more burdened by his role as an Earl and a prominent member of society, the Earl of Dulshire wished to shove all of his titles and nonsense aside. He wished to push it away and prove to the world that he could be a man in his own right.
Would Miss Caulfield ever see him as anything other? Was he a mere employer and titled man to her?
“Miss Caulfield,” he began.
“Yes, my lord?” she responded.
“Do tell me more of your own education,” he urged. More than anything, the Earl simply wanted to learn more about her. If he had to do it by asking such simple questi
ons, he did not mind.
“My own education, my lord? Well, there is very little to tell. As I have already mentioned, my brothers studied away from the family home, but I learned under my mother and elder sister.
“While it was informal, I also learned a great deal form my father. He is a lover of books and, as such, would indulge me regularly by taking me to the library,” she told him.
The Earl tried to imagine Miss Caulfield as a young girl. He thought about what she must have been like and the joy she must have had going to the library with her father.
“My sister preferred to read literature, but I enjoyed history. While we both read an assortment, we typically argued over genres,” she added with a laugh.
“Truly?” the Earl asked, amused.
“Yes. She believed that a mind was stretched when it read fiction and creative works. She is a lover of the great poets and playwrights. I, however, believe that we must learn more about the world as it is. I suppose now I believe that both are equally important at different times,” Miss Caulfield confessed.
The Earl liked hearing her perspective. He found her intelligent and unique. He wished that he could find an excuse to spend more time around her for these discussions.
Grace was still weaving her way about the flowers and bushes. She called for him.
“Papa! Where am I?” she asked, disappearing behind an artfully pruned bush.
“Oh dear!” he cried nervously. “Where has my Grace gone to? Is she in the rosebushes? I hope not, for she would surely be pricked by thorns there. Perhaps she is by the lilies?”
Beside him, Miss Caulfield giggled at his behavior. She was amused by him and it warmed his heart.
Grace jumped back into view.
“I am here, Papa! You needn’t worry!” she called.
“Oh, thank goodness! I was terribly frightened that I had lost you,” he exclaimed in a dramatic voice, pacifying his daughter and causing her to laugh at her own perceived cleverness.
“You are really very good with her,” Miss Caulfield said, leaning towards him ever so slightly.
“You believe so?” he asked in surprised reply.
“You saw how she was terribly delighted by your response. You have indulged her fantasy and encouraged her childishness.
“While it is important to educate a young mind,” Miss Caulfield continued, “we must also indulge in the fact that children deserve to have a youth. We must not stifle that.”
The Earl considered this and was amazed by the ways that his governess was opening his mind. She was brilliant. She was clever and kind and generous with his child.
Often wondering, the Earl of Dulshire had thought about the sort of mother his late wife would have been. Much beloved by many, and for good reason, she was also very selfish.
He had never seen her with a young child, and she spent the entire pregnancy complaining and commenting on the fact that the child had best be worth her agony. These had not been the sort of comments he wished to hear from her.
And yet, she might have made a wonderful mother, given the chance. He would never know now.
Miss Caulfield, on the other hand, was a tremendous caretaker from Grace. She knew exactly what to do, seemingly in every situation. He could not fathom how it had taken her so long to secure employment.
“Tell me, did you not wish for employment prior to this?” he inquired.
Miss Caulfield eyed him questioningly. She took a moment to think.
“I suppose, my lord, that my circumstances, and that of my family, changed,” she told him.
He assumed this to mean that they had fallen on difficult times. As often was the case, when a family found itself destitute financially, all older children were out on their own.
Miss Caulfield’s family must have been such a one. Her father must have been well employed but found himself out of work or in debt or any number of possibilities.
The Earl was sorry to consider this. He imagined that to have a child like Miss Caulfield, her family must have been quite wonderful.
“Yes, changing circumstances are never what we hope them to be,” he replied softly.
Sending that she had become quite rigid, the Earl of Dulshire decided to change the topic.
“But you are satisfied here?” he asked.
“My lord, it is a delight. A greater happiness than I could possibly express,” she told him.
“I am relieved to hear it. Now that we have you with us, I should think that we should be very sad without you. Grace at the very least, and, I myself would be at a loss,” he confessed.
Once more, the blush lit her cheeks in the loveliest way.
“You do know, don’t you, that you have quite changed our household,” he said, wondering if his words were overwhelming to her.
“In what way, my lord?” she asked, turning her wide eyes to him.
“While you seem to have my housekeeper rather vexed, I must say that we are a great deal more joyful on the whole since your arrival,” the Earl said with a sigh.
Miss Caulfield was quiet and seemingly uncomfortable. The Earl allowed the silence to mend the discomfort.
As it did, he watched his daughter and followed the pace of the woman by his side. Whatever was changing within him, he was quite glad of it.
Chapter 11
Delia sat quietly in her room with the pen, ink, and paper. She first allowed her thoughts to wonder, but knew that she had to bring them to words quickly. There was much to do ahead that evening and she had little time remaining.
But how could she possibly tell Thea the truth? How could she confess what had happened? Was there a way to inform her of her change without telling her what had occurred?
Finally, Delia decided that she did have a choice. She did not have to tell Thea everything. She could tell her some things, but leave out the parts that would shame the family. It was the best option, though it left her feeling quite deceitful.
Allowing the pen to scratch against the page, Delia first addressed the letter.
My dearest Thea,
It should seem as though a great deal has occurred in the time since I previously wrote to you. I have learned of the birth of your son and I am more than delighted for you and for the Duke. I give you my greatest wishes and must tell you how deeply I should have liked to have been with you during your confinement and birth.
I can hardly fathom what it must be like for you, having a son. I am sure you are delighted. I know that you were an excellent sister and I imagine you will be the greatest of mothers as well.
While I am certain, without a doubt, that your life has taken a great turn, I must tell you of mine as well.
Indeed, I have a new position. The previous was a delight enough, but it was not the place for me. Upon learning of a governess role in which I would work with one child for better pay, I knew that my time had come to depart. It was no secret to me that I might have a better opportunity here than I did there. I do hope that you understand my reasoning.
My former employer, of course, was displeased with my decision. It was not entirely the reputation that I should like to have. I suppose he had a right to be frustrated, but he was unwilling to meet such terms as those graciously offered by my new employer.
At this point, Delia lifted the pen from the page. She knew her lie and deception were wrong. And yet, she could not tell Thea the full truth. And although she could not tell her everything, she could still confess to a mistake. She could downplay her errors to simply leaving her position for another rather than the reality.
This confession would at least allow her to get by should Thea hear any word against her. It was a good excuse to give if paths should cross that Delia did not wish to cross. Such as her sister and someone among her former employer’s household.
Looking back at the paper, she decided to continue.
My new position is a rather delightful one. I am working for an Earl on behalf of his daughter. Miss Grace is a joy to be around. She is eight
years old and has no mother. However, she is deeply intelligent. She is skilled and joyful.
We like to spend many of our days outside. After we conclude her lessons Miss Grace and I typically go out and enjoy the fresh air.
Her father seems to approve of this. He is delighted by her progress, as am I. While perhaps the whole staff has not warmed up to me yet, I have made a good friend among them.
I do hope to visit you soon. Please understand that in my new position I should not like to ask for time off too quickly. My employer would certainly grant it to me. However, I am not yet in a place where I am prepared to request it.