Risky Rules of a Passionate Governess

by Henrietta Harding

  Lord Garret was not impressed from the beginning, but he decided for once to give his brother the benefit of the doubt and merely observe Katherine for a few days. That very first day, Lord Garret could already tell that he was putting people on edge.

  The servants seemed tense, his brother equally so, and Katherine seemed completely unnerved by his presence. Although Lord Garret didn’t wish to have that effect on people, he couldn’t help but be anything other than who he truly was; a man with many opinions about things.

  Although day one was tense but smooth, it was towards the end of the day where Lord Garret ran into some disturbing emotions. The sight of Katherine in the dining room, looking lovely and with a smile on her face, unnerved Lord Garret no end. Why must she smile so? Why must she be young, lovely, and bright? The duke’s brother found all of it to be incredibly frustrating. He had never seen a governess join the dinner table at Bonhomie, nor did he ever wish to see it again.

  But, heavens, that brown hair, the high cheekbones, the sparkling green eyes. Did the duke bring this young woman into the house to merely vex him, for that was how it seemed! She was so effortless in her good nature that Lord Garret reasoned that there had to be something amiss.

  He scarcely looked at her as the multiple-course meal was being served. And then, Lord Garret was frustrated all over again, for why should Renee prepare so much extravagant food when it was just the five of them? It made absolutely no sense. Were they entertaining the Prince Regent? Of course not. So there was no need for foie gras and whatever other nonsense he was serving.

  Still, from the looks upon his niece and nephew’s faces, Lord Garret could tell that they were happy. The way that they gazed at their governess showed their admiration. Katherine smiled back at them affably, and that was when she turned to Lord Garret and their gazes met for the first time that evening.

  Daggers came through Lord Garret’s eyes, without him meaning it to happen. It was common for those around him to think that Lord Garret was always seeing fire, but often this interpretation was misconstrued. He was looking at Katherine with bemused curiosity.

  Once the meal was done, Lord Garret returned to his room and found that everything had been arranged for him. It was one of the largest, most extravagant rooms in the house; second only to the duke’s. The room looked out upon the back garden, and from the footsteps overhead, Lord Garret concluded that Katherine must be right above him on the top floor. Yet another thing to vex him.

  He tried to ignore the little patter of her feet and focus on some business matters at his desk before falling asleep. But something about that sound above gave him pause. A thought floated through his mind, of Katherine walking around in his own chambers, in a state of lovely undress.

  Lord Garret knitted his brow and brought a hand to his forehead, trying to steady his thoughts. Yes, these would be trying times for the duke’s younger brother.

  The following morning, Lord Garret thought that it was his duty to pass by the room where the children were receiving their instruction. In fact, he passed by several times, on that day and on the many that followed. What he saw each time frustrated Lord Garret no end. For he could clearly see that Katherine was playing games with them; word games, dancing games, silly games that had nothing to do with an upright, respectable education.

  The frustration continued to mount as he would see them in the afternoon coming back from the brook; Harry with wet hair and Constance and Katherine giggling and carrying on like schoolgirls. Surely this could not be considered a proper education, could it? That was not the rigorous sort of instruction that Lord Garret had received as a child, nor the gauntlet of the mind that he had experienced in his brief time at Oxford. Something had to give.

  Lord Garret decided that, after viewing this for days on end, he had had enough. He knew the duke to be in his study that afternoon, and Lord Garret went to him, not bothering to knock on the door.

  “Are you seeing what she’s doing?” Lord Garret asked.

  “What do you mean?” the duke replied, looking up from a rather large book.

  “I have looked in on some of her ‘classes,’ and I’m concerned,” Lord Garret said, keeping his voice flat.

  “I know that she has unconventional methods,” the duke replied.

  Lord Garret took a rather deep breath before proceeding. He wished to be delicate in the matter. Although he did not agree with Katherine’s methods of teaching, he had to admit his observations had suggested to him that she was also a genuinely lovely girl. She was a good person; it pained Lord Garret to admit to it. Yet still, she was not gainfully employed at Bonhomie in order to be a good person.

  “She teaches arithmetic with games? Encourages theatrical role playing so that Constance can improve her deportment? I hear them singing songs and engaging in all kinds of nonsense. It’s not schooling, it’s a circus.”

  “Listen, brother,” the duke said, motioning towards the chair across from him so that Lord Garret might sit. “I don’t know how to convince you, but try I will. Katherine has exceptional talents and manners, a great deal of knowledge about society and the world, and I see her imparting all of this to my children in a unique way.”

  And she’s bloody lovely.

  “I still have my reservations,” Lord Garret said.

  “You always do! I’m sure that you recall that nearly all of the previous governesses have been fired by you. Each for very different reasons.”

  “No one has been suitable,” Lord Garret replied.

  “Yes, you have found countless reasons why this one or the next is unsuitable. They were either too lazy, too demanding, or too uneducated, etc. Now, in my opinion, some of those women did deserve to be let go, but there were a few who had their merits. Now I have the glorious reputation of being the duke that always fires his maids, and I have not fought this impression, so as to save your character. But I must put my foot down this one time and express to you that Katherine is the best that we’ve ever had. I’ve never seen the children so engaged. I’ve never seen Constance frown so little and Harry throw so few tantrums. They’re not fighting with one another and they’re not crying in the afternoons. This is the best that they have been, brother, and it’s all because of Katherine Chance.”

  It was the first time that Lord Garrick had ever heard her last name before, and for whatever reason, he thought it remarkably beautiful. How fitting it all was; beautiful girl, beautiful name, beautiful temperament. Katherine might undo him in the end.

  “You wish her to be a mother to them?” Lord Garret finally said.

  “What’s that?”

  “You wish for them to have a mother figure. Not someone that can merely teach them, but who also loves them like a mother should.”

  “That’s not true,” the duke replied with a confused expression upon his face.

  “How can that not be true? I see the way that you look at her during supper. I see the smiles upon your face as you watch her interact with your children. The governesses that we had before, I selected them as role models and then banished them after they proved unfitting. I was never looking for a replacement mother for the future heir.”

  The duke looked dumbstruck and for several moments didn’t know how to respond. It was the truth, in Lord Garret’s estimation. For the Duke of Easterly, Katherine seemed like a fitting mother. That was his reason for fighting so adamantly to keep her.

  “I think that you have gone too far,” the duke finally replied.

  “In my estimation, you have turned a blind eye upon your children’s education because you’re more interested in their affections. They are bright and cheerful and well-behaved now, but what is happening to their young minds?”

  After saying all of this, Lord Garret was filled with his first twinge of guilt. Was he going too far? Was there something about Katherine that got under his skin and made him say such things? Lord Garret was unsure, but from the pitiful expression on his brother’s face, he could sense that he had crossed
the line.

  “I shall never look for anyone to replace my wife,” the duke finally replied, ever so softly.

  “What I meant was . . .” Lord Garret said, fumbling.

  “Perhaps it’s your own frustration coming through,” the duke went on, and Lord Garret lifted his brow. “Your own frustration that springs from having never taken a wife, nor, from what I can see, having any intention to.”

  “Do you really accuse me as selfish when you are the one that lost a wife and would not take another?” Lord Garret asked, momentary anger filling him.

  “Are you going to sit there and make me explain why I have not taken another wife?” the duke asked through his teeth.

  “I will not ask you to explain anything, just like you should not ask me to explain why I have not taken one.”

  They were at a standstill, the two brothers looking at each other from across the desk. Neither would look away. It was an unspoken tension that had been between them for years. Lord Garret’s original plan was that, upon graduating from Oxford, he would move to London and then take a wife once his career was established.

  After the duchess died and he needed to return to Bonhomie, finding a bride seemed to be the last thing on his mind. What, would he take a bride and have her live under his brother’s roof? The notion was absurd. Lord Garret did not feel the need to explain any of this to his brother, nor did he wish to. There were some matters that a man must be allowed to keep to himself.

  “I have nothing else to say on this,” the duke said, opening his ledger in front of him and signifying that he was ready to return to business. Lord Garret could tell that his brother was backing away because they had trodden into deep waters. And although the duke denied it, Lord Garret could still sense that Lord Roland fought to retain Katherine because she was a fantasy bride of sorts.

  She interacted with the children in a dear and motherly way. Lord Garret would still not be surprised if, in the future, the duke decided to ask for Katherine’s hand in marriage. Perhaps while Lord Garret was away abroad, and then send him a letter telling him of the whole ridiculous business.

  Lord Garret’s mind was spinning. Too many important thoughts had been stirred up in that afternoon’s conversation.

  “I shall leave you,” Lord Garret finally said, getting up from his seat.

  “Do as you will,” the duke replied, still looking down at his ledger.

  “But there is one last thing I wish to express,” Lord Garret went on.

  “I’m listening,” the duke replied, looking up from his desk.

  “What you pay little consideration to is the safety of your family. The girl showed up on your doorstep asking for work, and you gave it to her.”

  “That is true.”

  “Did you ever think for a moment that she might just be a random girl you met in a garden, who wishes to deceive your family?”

  The question was met with silence.

  ***

  It was that time of afternoon when Katherine was accustomed to coming to the duke’s study in order to report upon the children’s progress. She found that the day had been going quite well. Harry was reading better than ever before and Constance had one of her best piano sessions yet. Katherine wished to convey all of this to the duke before going in for tea.

  As she approached his study, Katherine could perceive voices within. No doubt the duke must be talking to Lord Garret.

  “Did you ever think for a moment that she might just be a random girl you met in a garden, who wishes to deceive your family?”

  Katherine stepped back from the door in terror. Did Lord Garret really just suggest to the duke that she wished to deceive their family? Why on earth would he say such a thing? Katherine felt her heart sink in her chest, thinking it beyond what she expected from Lord Garret in terms of conduct.

  Katherine felt a wave of panic come over her and was instantly out of breath. Instead of returning to the lesson room, she proceeded to run out the back of the home to the garden in order to secure some fresh air. Once there, she tilted her face towards the sun and willed herself to breathe deeply. Did Lord Garret wish to undermine her? Clearly he wanted to see her banished, but did he need to go to such lengths to do so? And why was he so adamantly opposed to her?

  In the preceding days, Katherine had found the duke’s brother to be colder than ever. When he would view their classes for a moment or two, there was always a look of distain on his face. What could she possibly have done to offend him enough to elicit the statement she had just heard coming from the study? Katherine was beside herself with grief.

  Just then she watched as Nigel came out onto the veranda, no doubt seeing that she had fled on foot in a state of distress.

  “M’Lady?” Nigel said.

  “Yes?” Katherine replied, trying not to look as bereft as she felt.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, I just needed some air,” Katherine replied, still willing herself to breathe. As though sensing that she was not accurately conveying her distress, Nigel walked down towards her.

  “Is it Lord Garret?” he asked, clasping his hands behind his back.

  Katherine sighed to herself, thinking that she could not lie to Nigel. “It is.”

  “He’s a tough one, although I think that he does mean well.”

  “How could he possibly mean well?” Katherine asked, no longer masking the dismay in her voice.

  “Lord Garret wishes the best for Bonhomie and the Easterly name. He has always thought his brother unfit in his title.”

  “From jealousy?” Katherine asked.

  “I’m unsure,” Nigel went on. “I have known them both since they were wee boys, and they have distinctly different personalities. I think this is why they quarrel so much. One does not entirely trust the other.”

  “It’s a shame,” Katherine said softly, looking back towards the house.

  “It is a shame, I agree,” Nigel went on. “Lord Garret fears that Lord Roland is not doing enough, and Lord Roland thinks that his brother is doing too much. There’s surely no way that either of them can win.”

  “But how can Lord Garret be so impossibly against me?” Katherine asked.

  “He has never cared for any of the governesses that he has hired, and there have surely been none as young as yourself.”

  “Lord Garret has hired them in the past? I thought that it was the duke.”

  “Nay, it was Lord Garret. He’s very particular when it comes to education.”

  “That explains why he despises me,” Katherine said with a shake of the head. “I’m not entirely orthodox in my approach.”

  “No, you’re not,” Nigel said with a laugh. “But I do like to hear all the singing and play-acting. It brings new life to this house.”

  “I’m glad that you enjoy it. I know that the children do,” Katherine said with a warm smile.

  “You’ve quickly become an asset in this house. And that’s why, if I might give my opinion,” Nigel said, looking from side-to-side to make sure that there was no one nearby, “you should fight for yourself. If Lord Garret delivers a blow, you deliver one right back.”

  “It’s not in my nature to deliver blows.”

  “Speak up for yourself! Defend what it is that you’re doing here. It’s not only for your own benefit, but also for the benefit of the children.”

  Nigel had a remarkable point. She did need to speak up on the children’s behalf. Of course she was worried for her own future at Bonhomie, but the children would come first. Katherine was sure that her teaching methods were effective, and even if Lord Garret had a chip on his shoulder, she would not allow him to push her out of that house simply because he could not stop quarreling with his brother. There needed to be order at Bonhomie, but there also needed to be peace and stability and that’s exactly what she intended to provide.