by Becky Lower
A British Governess in America
Revolutionary Women Book Three
Becky Lower
A British Governess in America
Copyright© 2020 Becky Lower
Cover Design Livia Reasoner
Prairie Rose Publications
www.prairierosepublications.com
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Chapter One
Sussex, England, September 1780
E leanor Chastain nibbled on her thumbnail as she waited in the study for the appearance of her employer. The earl had returned to Sussex late the previous day from depositing his youngest child at Eton, where Michael would finish his education before joining the military. She didn’t have to be told what would happen next. Her services were no longer needed and her days at Patterson House were at an end.
She brushed her hand over her stomach as the clock ticked away the minutes. Hoping to stop time had never worked before, so she was certain it wouldn’t work now, even if she manually held the hands of the clock. She would need to find a new governess job, starting tomorrow. Certain she’d at least get a letter of recommendation from the earl, for whom she had worked these past ten years, still it pained her to leave the house she had come to refer to as home.
Reginald Patterson bustled into the room, finally, and sat behind his desk. “Miss Chastain, I wish to thank you for all your years of service.”
Eleanor bent her head to hide her tears from the earl. “You’re quite welcome, sir. I have enjoyed my years here.”
“Look at me, Eleanor.” The earl’s voice was soft.
Eleanor brushed the tears from her cheeks and slowly raised her gaze. The earl was smiling! How could he? Did he have no grasp of how her life was about to change? No, he could not fathom how her life would be upended. Only his life was important to him. He was smiling because he was probably happy to reclaim the coin he’d had to pay her over the years to educate his large brood. She gritted her teeth and locked her gaze on him.
“Do you suppose after all these years, I’d simply kick you out?”
“No, sir. I’m certain you’ll provide me with a letter.” Eleanor lifted her chin. “I have ensured that all your sons were properly prepared for Eton.”
“Yes, you have. My wife and I have made certain everyone in Sussex is aware of your value to us. But I’ve also informed everyone in Sussex that simply because we no longer have children at home, we still have need of you, and they shouldn’t bother attempting to entice you away.” The earl grinned at her.
Eleanor sputtered. “You did…what?”
“There’s still a job for you, Eleanor.” The earl rose and strode to the globe he insisted on having near his desk. He spun the orb so it showed England, the Atlantic Ocean, and America. Pointing to the American side of the Atlantic, he shifted his gaze to Eleanor. “You are going to America.”
Eleanor’s stomach clenched and she fisted her hands over the knot. “I beg your pardon?”
“My nephew needs you in America, to care for his children. His wife died in childbirth a few years back and he’s had a difficult time of things since.” The earl pointed again at the globe. “He’s in a place called Connecticut. It’s somewhere near here.” He laid his finger on the coastline of America.
Eleanor stared in horror at his finger. “You aren’t even sure where your nephew is?” Her eyes widened as her voice squeaked.
The earl waved his hand through the air. “My map may not be the most up-to-date, but I have a vague idea where he is. It matters not. I’ve already sent him a letter telling him of your arrival. He’ll be waiting for you.”
Eleanor tried to speak past the bile forming in her throat. She jumped to her feet. “But sir, I have never been out of Lewes in my life, nor have I been out of Sussex.”
The earl nodded. “I am aware that you’ve never wandered far. So, this will be a grand adventure for you, right?”
“What if I refuse?” Eleanor’s body quaked so badly she had to retake her seat. She hoped she didn’t toss up her breakfast on the earl’s Oriental rug.
He resumed his seat as well. “Your parents are gone, Eleanor. And no one in Sussex will hire you, since I’ve put the fear of God into them. So, if you remain here, you’ll be without lodging or work. You won’t last long, I’m afraid.”
Eleanor could not stanch her flow of tears now. “I could go to London. There is plenty of need for governesses there.”
The earl crossed his arms over his considerable stomach. “Without a letter of recommendation, no one will hire you.”
Eleanor stared at her patron is horror. He was right. If her employer of the past ten years would not vouch for her, no one would have her. Her stomach heaved. “I have no choice in the matter, is what you’re saying.”
“Correct, Eleanor. You’re a governess. My nephew needs a governess for his children. So, you are moving to America.” The earl swiped his hand over his chin. “I’m extremely envious. What I wouldn’t give to join you.”
Eleanor clamped down on her lower lip to keep from wailing and stared at the globe. “How many children does your nephew have?”
“Five of them. Ranging in age from twelve to two. The child survived even though her mother perished. My nephew was able to hire a wet nurse for his youngest, but he’s now been sent to Connecticut to guard the Continental Army’s equipment. He’s not acquainted with anyone there, so he needs all the help he can get.” The earl raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have plenty to keep you occupied. Can you cook at all?”
Eleanor’s gaze snapped back to him. “Sir?”
“You’ll not only be a governess, but also a housekeeper, since there is no wife. You’ll need to cook and clean.”
“For five children?” Her voice squeaked.
“And my nephew. Patterson Lovejoy is his name. Haven’t seen him since he was a boy. Fine lad.” The earl rose again, so Eleanor stood as well. Her fate had been sealed before the earl ever entered the room. And she had no say in the matter.
“You’ll spend the next two weeks with Cook, learning all she can impart to you. Then, you’ll be on your way. I’ve already booked your passage. The voyage should take no longer than six weeks.” The earl sent her one last appraising look. “You need to grab this opportunity, Eleanor. Some changes may appear negative on the surface, but space is now being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
Eleanor bowed her head. “Yes, sir. Thank you.”
The earl left the room. Eleanor sat again.
A fortnight. That was all the time she had left to either form a new life course for herself, or to follow the dictates of the earl and board a ship bound for America. She could possibly leave Sussex and head to London. There were plenty of homes in need of governesses there. But no one in an upstanding household would hire a 28-year-old woman with no references, regardless of how accomplished and well-spoken she appeared. No, neither option was a good idea.
She was terrified.
• ♥ •
Groton, Connecticut, November 1780
Usually, boats coming to America from England meant bad news in one form or the other. More soldiers, more restrictions, more tyranny to make Patterson Lovejoy’s life even more miserable. Except for today. Today, the ship captained by his friend Daniel Simmons was coming into port with a lifesaver, hopefully. His uncle was sending help in the form
of a housekeeper and tutor for his children. Patterson prowled the docks in Groton, inhaling the salty air of the sea as he waited for the ship to tie up so he could board. Usually, the scent of the ocean and the waves lapping the shore calmed him, but today neither assuaged him. He was tied up in knots. He desperately needed the aid his uncle was sending. He only hoped the woman could handle the tumultuous life she would find here.
He bounded up the drawbridge as soon as it moored on the dock. “Permission to come aboard, Captain,” he saluted his friend from Boston.
“Good to see you, Pat.” Daniel shook Patterson’s hand and drew him close so he could whisper. “There are some goods below for you.” Then, he straightened and released Patterson’s hand. “I’ve got some precious cargo for you. You will be pleased with your uncle’s gift. She’s quite comely.”
Patterson shook his head. “I care not for her looks. Can the woman cook?”
Daniel laughed. “Aye, she can. She helped out in the galley several times, more out of boredom than a wish to lend a hand, I fear.”
Pat raised an eyebrow. “So, she’s not agreeable, then?”
“She never admitted it to me, but I got the feeling it was not her idea to come to this country.” Daniel glanced toward the stairs leading to below deck. “Ah, here she comes now.” He left Pat’s side to assist the lady.
Patterson stood in place while Daniel helped the new housekeeper with her bag. He took her hand and guided her up the final step in the steep and narrow stairway. A muffled question in an unmistakable English accent resounded in his ears. Russet curls danced in the breeze coming off the water as she emerged from below deck. She was a head shorter than Daniel and had a slim body. Patterson wished, once again, that he had no need of her.
But he could not deny the fact he needed her desperately.
Her brown eyes met his as she glanced around deck. Daniel led her over to where Patterson stood.
“Pat, meet your new governess, Eleanor Chastain.”
She curtsied slightly toward him, and Patterson’s stomach clenched. He grasped her elbow. “Please, don’t do that. You have no need to curtsey in front of me. You are no longer in England.”
She rose to her full height and locked gazes with him before lowering her head. “Yes, sir.”
“And don’t call me ‘sir’, either. Mr. Lovejoy will suffice.”
“Yes, sir.”
Patterson grimaced and tore his gaze from her. He followed the movement of the waves splashing on shore before they merged back into the ocean, as if they were attempting to run away.
He wished to run, too. He did not relish the idea of having a strange woman living with him, teaching his children God knew what. Probably how to bend to the wishes of England’s king.
Bloody hell.
He inhaled sharply and took the bag from Daniel. “Let’s be off, then. Daniel, I’ll see you later.” Daniel held up eight fingers and Patterson nodded. He’d collect the rest of the goods Daniel had for him this evening. Right now, he had to transport the woman to his home and introduce her to his children.
Eleanor’s small hands fisted as he took a seat beside her in the small open-air cart after stowing her bag and trunk. Patterson stole a sideways glance at her and noticed she was worrying her bottom lip, as well. The reality of her situation appeared to be hitting home. She was in a strange land, heading to a strange house with a strange man. The least Patterson could do is to calm some of her fears. Starting by controlling the growl in his voice.
“I’m pleased my uncle arranged for you to come here, now that his children are all off at Eton.”
She did not reply. He tried again.
“You’ll find Groton to be a pleasant community, although we are knee-deep in a war, at present.” He pointed out the various shops and buildings along the way. “That church is where my children and I worship each Sunday. You’ll find it oddly comforting.”
She gazed at the large white structure before turning her gaze to him. “Why would it be odd to be comforted in a church?” Her voice quavered as she finally spoke a complete sentence to him.
Patterson shrugged. “I find it very much a holdover from England, whom we are fighting against. Yet, even with its grounding in Britain’s form of worship, I find it oddly comforting.”
“Your uncle explained to me what this revolution is all about, so I can see your side of the argument, although you could have chosen an easier country to go up against than England.” Pat glanced at her then and witnessed a hard edge to her lips. “Just because you Americans wish for freedom from England doesn’t mean you should give up everything England has influenced.”
Patterson pondered her line of reasoning as he snapped the reins over the horse’s flank. So, the woman had a brain and a compelling argument. England had thousands of years of civilization on which to draw, while America was a new country who was only now forming a civilization. They should use some of the knowledge from England and mold their way of governing in a similar fashion. There was nothing wrong with learning from the past as America forged her future. Eleanor Chastain might just do to teach his children.
And that’s why she was here. To care for his motherless brood of five. He’d provide her with a room and shelter in exchange for her taking control of his children. But he had no interest in her beyond that.
Although the sprinkle of freckles across her nose was quite fetching.
Chapter Two
P atterson stopped the cart in front of a small red brick home, sandwiched between two other similar-looking dwellings. “Here we are.” He hopped down, tied up the horse, and removed the luggage from the back of the cart before assisting Eleanor to the ground. She stared at the house in front of her with an expression of both fear and disdain.
At least, that was the way Patterson interpreted the look. So far, neither he nor America were making a good impression on this woman.
“It’s not anywhere close to the grandeur you’ve been used to, having spent all those years at Patterson House with my uncle’s children. Here in America, we are not handed homes and wealth. We have to make our own way.” He could feel his spine straightening as he apologized for his country. “What you see as a detriment is what makes this country so great.”
She sent a glance his way before returning it to the house. “Yes, sir.”
He growled again as he picked up the bag. “It’s not ‘sir’. Mr. Lovejoy will do fine.”
She wrestled the bag from his grasp. “I can take this.”
He shrugged, and lifted the trunk, carrying it toward the door. “Come along, then.”
Just as he opened the door, a projectile was sent flying, the biscuit hitting him in the chest before it broke into a hundred little pieces. Adam, his eldest, stood at the edge of the foyer, flanked by his siblings. The flour on his fingers gave him away. Patterson set the trunk inside the door and tried to control his expression, which threatened to break out into a grin. “That, I assume, was meant for your new governess?”
Adam grinned. “I know better than to launch an attack at you, Papa.”
Patterson grabbed Miss Chastain by the wrist, tugging her in front of him. “Miss Chastain, these are my unruly children, with whom you’ll have your hands full.” He nodded toward each one. “Adam, the biscuit-thrower, Benjamin, to his left, Caleb, to his right, Daniel, next to Caleb, and my daughter, Elizabeth.” He bent over to pick up his little girl, who had come forward with her arms outstretched.
“Papa.” She threw her arms around his neck.
He faced Eleanor as she ran her hand over Elizabeth’s light locks and their gazes met.
“What a lovely child.” Eleanor held out her hands to Elizabeth and Patterson drew in a sharp breath when the child willingly left his arms and latched on to her.
He glanced at the two of them and his heart clenched. “She is the only child of mine who most resembles her mother. The boys all take after me.”
Eleanor nodded. Patterson fought to speak over the lump
in his throat. “Let me show you to your room. I’m certain you’re exhausted from the trip.” He glanced at the line of boys in front of him. “Adam and Ben, take Miss Chastain’s belongings to her room.”
She carried Elizabeth as she followed along in Patterson’s footsteps, hanging onto the little girl as if she were a lifeline, patting her tiny back softly. Patterson wondered if the motion soothed Eleanor as well as it did his daughter, who rested her head on Eleanor’s shoulder.
He led her to a small room at the rear of the home. A cot was positioned up against a wall, a series of hooks near the door allowed for clothes to be hung, a dresser was next to the cot with a pitcher and basin on top. A threadbare braided rug covered the rough floor. The boys set the trunk and bag inside the doorway and quickly disappeared. Patterson took his daughter from Miss Chastain’s arms. “I’ll let you get settled in. Mrs. Goodhouse has been doing our cooking and she’ll be over later to show you around the kitchen.” He took a step toward the door and spun back around. “Welcome home, Miss Chastain.”
He caught the sudden tears that formed in her eyes before she fought them back. “Thank you, sir. Er—Mr. Lovejoy.” She placed her hand over her stomach.
Patterson could relate, since his stomach had not yet settled, either. Seeing his daughter, who so reminded him of Margaret, in the arms of another, a woman sent by his uncle to take Margaret’s place in his home, had truly upset him. He was supposed to appreciate his uncle’s generosity, and on some level, he did. But allowing a woman into his home—where his wife should rightly be—annoyed him, upset him, and terrified him. He bit back the bile in his throat. He wished to never be this close to a woman again.
• ♥ •
Eleanor dashed away her tears as she sorted out her clothing. Her fate was now in the hands of Patterson Lovejoy, who would give her a place to live in exchange for her care and feeding of his brood. Or he possibly could put her on the next boat back to England, if she did something to upset him or realized she had only the basic skills needed in the kitchen. He did not appear happy with the situation, either, so she’d have to tread lightly, or he might send her packing. And then, what would she do?