The Redemption of Lady Georgiana
Page 10
Chapter 9. A Thousand Henry Trentons
Nathaniel Edwards had kept more of proper distance between them on the tour he gave her of the estate in a fine surrey later that week with nothing but the fringe on the canopy above them to obstruct her view of the man and his property. A driver obediently snapped the reins to instruct the horses to carry them in every direction the Earl commanded. Along the way he pointed out the barns, the wells, the kitchen house, ice house and spring house, the stables and cowshed, barns, various outbuildings and the estate chapel. She listened astutely and learned of the meadows and crops, met a number of tenants and heard stories of other tenants. She surveyed many of their humble but clean and neat housing and dwellings, and was finally introduced to the business manager, Mr. Henry Trenton.
“My Lady,” Mr. Trenton swept his three corner hat off of his head, reached for her gloved hand and from his stance down on the ground beside the surrey, looked her up and down. Her cheeks were burning with displeasure and she hoped she never had to make his acquaintance again. Georgiana immediately disliked him. He lowered his head and kissed the hand he held trapped in his own as if the Earl wasn’t even present. “The pleasure is mine, entirely.” His voice was husky and he eyed her wildly again.
Georgiana blushed again, nodded something ladylike in return and snapped her fan open. She had to fight off a vision of her foot escaping the folds of her skirt and booting him away from the surrey until he landed on his buckskin britches in the dirt road. Seated across from the Earl at a safe distance, she hid behind her fan without stepping out of the surrey, relieved Nathaniel didn’t require her to step down and look over the shed that had obviously been updated and now housed the office of the estate manager.
Lord Edwards shook with indignation. What had come over Henry Trenton? He hadn’t known him in all these years to be a drinking man… but if he didn’t know better, Trenton was acting as though he was in his cups! He couldn’t help but bestow a glaring look at the man. He refused to tip his hat or acknowledge Henry. He would rather convey the message to Trenton that he had overstepped his bounds and made the lady uncomfortable. Nathaniel saw her discomfort at once. He loudly and firmly tapped his walking stick on the floor of the carriage and the surrey lurched gently forward to continue both the journey and her delight. He could see that his governess was going to draw attention without trying. He would have his hands full trying to protect her.
He quickly and somewhat nervously began to give her a brief history of his family and the estate, promising to point out some of the faces he spoke of when they toured the main house more thoroughly. All the while, he reminded himself he would have to have a very stern word with Trenton before the day was over. He would not abide by someone else in his employ making overtly conspicuous and foolish notions towards someone he considered to be under his protection and household.
Giving Lady Georgiana and Lady Margaret positions within his house was merely his way of making them feel needed and useful so they would not consider themselves merely charity cases of a benefactor. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t hire anyone he so chose as companion or governess for his children. The fact he was in need of both positions to be filled was immaterial. He could have an advertisement in the papers in London tomorrow if he had wanted. It was apparent Trenton had taken a great liberty and overstepped his reach when he’d introduced Georgiana as his governess. He blamed himself. As a governess for his children, Trenton would see her as someone equal to his own working class and as a widow, he might even consider her desperate enough to marry beneath her first marriage. Apparently Bradley hadn’t spoken of his wishes to Trenton and he had completely forgotten to do the same. Why had he not seen that coming?
“Are all of your ancestors included in the paintings housed in the gallery?” she asked in a sweet tone when she had recovered from the very forward behavior of Mr. Henry Trenton. She felt some degree of composure again the further the surrey sped away from the shed built of rocks and lumber. Once again, it seemed the Earl was rescuing her from an undesirable situation. She had stopped fanning herself as if her life depended on the very action of it and her chest wasn’t heaving with indignation anymore. Her cheeks weren’t enflamed and her eyes had softened their expression.
Amused at the reactions of the opposite sex and yet agitated within himself at the audacity of Trenton’s flirtatious behavior, he replied, “All great estates seem to have ancestors glaring down upon us from the walls of our galleries and yes, Wellbrook Hall, is not lacking in this regard. You will enjoy that part of the tour as much as I always do.” Trenton probably thought his actions were completely harmless. He’d been the overseer for years… maybe too many years.
Thinking of the portraits they might find in Wellbrook Hall’s gallery, some of which her father-in-law had probably painted in earlier years, gave her a feeling of comfort again. “Lady Margaret would enjoy seeing the gallery.”
“If I can convince her to leave Madalene and Selina for an hour,” he said. “And Edmund has been showing her his insect and rock collection.”
“They have taken a liking to her,” she admitted. “They are planning a picnic luncheon for us later today and they were having a morning tea when we left, from which they insisted they could not be parted. Even Edmund was hanging about making menu suggestions for Briggs to carry off to Mrs. Foster and Jenny.”
He chuckled when reminded of his son’s voracious appetite. “Edmund is always concerned about the amount and types of food he can consume, but that being said, I do believe he has taken a rather fond view of Lady Margaret. As far as his appetite, I honestly don’t know where he puts it except that he keeps getting taller and keeps outgrowing his attire.”
She suppressed the urge to giggle and smiled demurely instead.
He added, “I suppose we shall be noticed then if we are absent from the picnic. I did offer several times to bring Lady Margaret along on the tour of the grounds. She emphatically stated she remembers most everything from years gone by and could not be persuaded to join us. The children have completely won her over. They haven’t had a grandmother around or a mother to dote on them in years, so having you both here is more of a blessing to them than you can imagine.”
Her gloved hands gripped the reticule and fan in her lap a little more tightly as she listened to his explanation of the situation happening to his household as a result of their arrival in the shire of Essex. Bracing one hand on her fashionable straw bonnet with the large, emerald bow tied to one side of her chin, she couldn’t help but look up at the blue sky outside the surrey fringe… not a cloud in sight. She smoothed the white muslin gown with the thick emerald sash and the exquisite emerald satin ruffled trim accenting her puffy short sleeves, the square neckline and the hem of the skirt. Emerald satin even covered the buttons down the back of the gown. She was glad they’d been able to spend a few days in Paris and Geneva to acquire a few fashionable items for their wardrobes with the funds the Earl had sent ahead. It had cheered Lady Margaret considerably. They hoped to find more time to acquire a few more items when they reached London and perhaps a local seamstress could be of help in Essex. Now that she knew for certain that they would be expected to live in London during the Season, it was clear they would need a few more dresses. The children probably needed clothing items as well. She would have to give this more thought as soon as possible, but for now, her mind was whirling from what her heart was doing.
Are you showing me that you really do exist after you let my heart fall and break wide open? Lord, are you really doing this? Are you allowing this to happen to make us feel loved, embraced and comforted again? Are you really the God of Israel who loves me so? Do you realize I’m slowly falling? Do you plan to let my heart become intertwined with the kindness and love of this man and his family? You can’t break Lady Margaret’s heart again… to say nothing of my own… Lord, this is too great a kindness to bring us here to t
his place of refuge. Governesses don’t get asked to marry Lords, or even those of the peerage. They are hidden away among attic school rooms and children and books.
Are you stirring my heart to have me die of another broken one? Do I even know this man? Is he everything Lady Margaret says he is? Can I trust him with my heart? Why does he look at me that way? Why do I want to live in a land of fairy tales? Those are only for books. Can any of this be happening to me? I’m not going to be able to cope with Lady Juliana when she finally comes around to stake her claim. He is just being kind. I must remember he is already involved with someone else (who has not been mentioned one time from his lips since my introduction to him)!
Just be content to have a roof over your head and a purpose in life and food to eat! Don’t pay the Earl any bit of extra attention. It will all come crashing down when Juliana appears. Then why is he driving you all over this estate giving you a personal tour? He is just being kind. Just kind.
Besides the main drive leading to the main gate, she discovered which paths and roads led to wooded areas, which led to the village and town nearby and which led to well-traveled roads leading to London. She saw field after field of wheat, hay, oats and corn and pastures filled with English cows and sheep. She was not surprised to be reminded that he owned a second home in London where they would move to during the Season. Frequently he would pause and ask if she had any questions. She found that he wasn’t only a man in charge with a stern voice and firm tone, but he had another side; a side with tremendous capacity to be considerate, kind and compassionate of others. He was filled with ideas about how to improve tenant housing, irrigation and the management of his land. He was slowly revealing this part of his character and personality to her but it seemed to only make her more nervous and wary. Her heart seemed to be observing a man in which she found few, if any flaws or undesirable traits. The trouble was, she could hardly find a way to stop her heart from fluttering with every word he spoke, every glance in her direction, every point of interest he shared with her… it all endeared her the more.
He stared at the lovely face seated across from him framed by the elegant summer bonnet as the team of horses carried them past more rows of crops. Normally he would be scanning the crops with his eyes, looking for potential problems. Today, he couldn’t even see the crops. A thousand Henry Trenton’s would steal her outright in London… only they would be the finest of the peerage and not mere tradesmen… the finest gentlemen in London. They won’t care that she is a governess if they have one solitary glimpse of her. She exudes kindness, loyalty, propriety, purity, thoughtfulness, humility, gentleness and love, sensibility… a combination I haven’t found in a dozen women since my wife died. I’ve seen firsthand how she takes care of her mother-in-law and has already begun to look after my children.
Heavenly Father, how good you are to allow me a chance to discover who she is… if she is the one you’ve set aside for me since the losses I’ve endured… That is what you’re doing…isn’t it? Then he shook his head. He had to try to remain focused. What about Juliana? He thought he had something special beginning to develop with her, but now, he wasn’t so certain. He was glad he would have time to sort it out later. For now, he was simply going to enjoy the picnic. And then he was going to instruct Henry Trenton on how to behave toward his guests and relations if he wanted to remain on staff at Bridesgate Park Estate.
Colossians 3:1-4 (Authorized King James Version)
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.