Rising, Regina hit her head on the mantelpiece, “Oh,” she cried out startled.
“Here, allow me,” the Duke came to her aid leading her over to a chaise lounge. “Is it terribly painful?” he asked searching for signs of injury.
“No, Your Grace, I was simply startled,” she replied rubbing her head.
“My apologies, Miss Buxton. I shall attempt to be less frightful in the future.” He smiled mischievously.
“See that you do,” Regina replied, instantly regretting her impertinence. His words from the stream came back to temper her rebellion. She could not risk angering him and being sent away. “Forgive me, Your Grace.”
The Duke, however, only chuckled and returned to his desk. Regina rose from the lounge and quickly finished her work before silently retreating from the room.
As Regina exited, she heard an unknown masculine voice warn the Duke. “I would be careful with that one if I were you.” Something about the tone of the man’s voice made her feel uneasy.
“I fear you may be right, Uncle,” the Duke responded.
Hearing footsteps in her direction, Regina turned and fled. The last thing she needed was to be caught eavesdropping even if the conversation had been about her. Slipping into one of the manor’s many rooms, she was startled to find the footsteps had followed her. Looking about for a place to hide, she felt her heart racing in panic as the bedroom door hinges squeaked open.
Whirling to face her fate, her feet became tangled in the small rug at the foot of the bed. Regina cried out in horror as she found herself falling face first into the room’s newly lit fireplace.
God in heaven, help me!
Chapter 4
“Miss Buxton!” the Duke’s voice broke through the panicked haze of Regina’s mind.She felt his arm encircle her waist pulling her clear of the flames. “What in heaven’s name were you thinking? You could have been killed or at the least badly burned.”
Pushing both hands against the Duke’s chest in protest to his close proximity, Regina shoved him away. Breathing heavily from anger and fear, she opted not to answer his question and awaited her demise. Servants had been fired for less, and he had warned that he would not tolerate anything remiss on her part.
“I owe you an apology, Miss Buxton.” The Duke began straightening his vest. “I realized too late that you would have been close enough to hear what my uncle and I were saying. It occurred to me that given the terms in which you came to be in my employ that you might take our words to heart and opt to leave. I wanted to assure you that I was not perturbed in the least about your words in the library. In truth, I found your impertinence to be amusing.”
Regina relaxed enough to allow her gratitude for his swift saving of her life to replace her anger. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
“In the future, you might save us both some trouble if you simply speak with me directly when I approach instead of running away.” The Duke chided in jest.
“Yes, Your Grace,” Regina curtsied hiding a smile by bowing her head.
Chuckling softly, the Duke moved aside clearing her a path to the door. “Good day, Miss Buxton.”
“Good day, Your Grace,” Regina responded as she quickly but quietly exited the room.
Regina cautiously walked into the kitchen and set to work assisting with breakfast preparations. She could still feel the heat of the flames dancing across her face. The Duke had saved her at the last possible moment. A blink of an eye longer and she would have been as fried as the meat in Mrs. Harrington’s cast iron skillet. The thought made her shudder; gooseflesh crept along her arms and neck.
You are braver than this, she admonished herself as she prepared the trays to be carried to the dining room.
She had dealt with fire her entire life and it was not the first time she had nearly fallen into the flames. She had been about six or seven chasing the neighbor boy around her father’s shop. They had both known better than to run indoors, but he had pulled her hair and Regina had responded by giving chase.
Their playful shouts and quick movements spooked one of the horses her father had been hired to shoe. The horse broke loose of his bindings and ran for the open doorway. Regina had been knocked backwards in the kerfuffle, her tiny body flying straight for the forge.
It had been her father who had saved her then, but not before she had badly burned herself. Her skirts had caught fire, burning her leg before her father could submerge her in the shop’s water barrel. From that day forward, instead of fearing fire as one would expect, she had feared horses. She had never run in the shop again.
Regina absently rubbed the old burn wound on her thigh. I miss you, Father, she sent her thoughts heavenward hoping he might somehow hear them. Did she imagine his deep, baritone voice reply, I miss you too, Daughter? The familiar sharp pain stabbed her heart, and an errant tear dripped down her cheek.
She wondered what her father had found to do with himself behind the pearly gates. Did God need metalsmiths to maintain his golden streets? She had come close to finding out today were it not for the Duke’s swift actions on her behalf.
It wasn’t the fear of dying that had caused her such terror or even the pain that she knew so often accompanied it. No, it was the fear that Mistress Smith had been right; it would not be heaven, but hell that awaited Regina.
When she had shared her concerns with her father, he had bent down to meet her eyes and said, “Do you honestly believe that God is going to allow the sweetest angel in his choir to burn in hell?” He had shaken his head in response to his own question, tears glistening in his eyes, “Not for all the gold in heaven, sweet girl, not for all the gold in heaven.”
Like rain dripping down a pane of glass, tears from her lashes rolled down her cheeks. Her father’s ghost faded to be replaced with an image of a living, breathing Duke. She owed him for her freedom and employment, but now also her life. She felt tiny pricks where his arms had encircled her waist and saved her from a disastrous fall into the fire.
Regina attempted to lose herself in the mundanity of servitude. She would figure out later how to dispatch the ever-increasing debt she owed the Duke, but for now she just needed to get through the rest of the day without incident. Being in the Duke’s presence made her nervous, which had thus far led to a headache and near roasting, and the morning had not yet ended.
Much to Regina’s relief, the rest of the day did indeed pass without incident, and by evening time, she decided she had had enough of being stuck indoors. Though her body had been saved from the morning’s events, her thoughts had never fully recovered. Come nightfall, instead of retiring to her room to sleep, she slipped out of the servants’ entrance.
Walking some distance from the house, she ducked behind a hedgerow and found the edge of the woods. She listened for signs of anyone that might be near, but heard nothing. The night held naught but peace and silence. Pulling the knives hidden beneath her skirts, she vented her ever-present frustrations on a knot in one of the nearby trees.
She watched the metallic flash of the projectiles in the moonlight as one after another she launched them into the tree’s rough bark. With each throw of the knife, she flung her emotions into the darkness with it, unburdening her spirit in the sheer familiarity of the act. She repeated her assault on the tree knot over and over again until she caught sight of someone moving through the darkened woods toward her. Turning, she prepared to launch a blade at the oncoming target.
“I would advise against coming any closer,” she warned.
“And I would advise you not to kill the man who saved your life,” the Duke’s voice admonished from the darkness.
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Thank you very much!
Also by Emma Linfield
Thank you for reading The Extraordinary Tale of the Rebellious Governess!
I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, may I ask you to please write a review
HERE? It would mean very much to me. Reviews are very important and allow me to keep writing the books that you love to read!
Some other stories of mine:
The Perilous Quest of the Rejected Duchess
The Odd Riddle of the Lost Duchess
The Unusual Story of the Silent Duchess
Dangerous Games of a Broken Lady
The Dukedom of Deception
The Curious Life of the Unfortunate Duchess
* * *
Also, if you liked this book, you can also check out my full Amazon Book Catalogue HERE.
Thank you for allowing me to keep doing what I love!
Emma Linfield
About the Author
Emma Linfield has always been passionate about historical romances. Ever fascinated with the world of Regency England and being utmost inspired by Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s work, she decided she wanted to write her own stories. Stories of love and tradition being mixed in the most appealing way for every hopeless romantic, much like herself.
Born and raised in Southern California, Emma Linfield has a degree in Creative Writing and English Literature, and she has been working as a freelance writer for the past 10 years. When she isn’t writing, Emma loves spending her time with her own prince charming and two beautiful children, all the while enjoying the famous Californian sun and ocean.
So, hop on to this exciting journey of Dukes, Earls and true love with Emma and find pleasure in the old fashioned world of Regency - an Era of pure romance, elegance and high fashion!
The Extraordinary Tale of the Rebellious Governess: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 32