The Forbidden Passion of a Governess: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Lucy Langton

  She gazed out the windows towards the roundabout where the rain came down more gently. A carriage approached, and Emilia’s curiosity was piqued yet again. Unlike the earl’s intrepid approach, the modest carriage came to a gentle halt and the driver came around to open the door, taking the hand of whom Emilia assumed was Lady Deirdre Forest, a girl of diminutive height. Her cloak covered her head and face, much the same way as the earl’s did only, unlike her brother, she did not lift it to expose herself to the rain.

  What was the young lady going to be like? Emilia pondered. Would they become fast friends? Would the girl take to her council or discard it? It would be hard to compare Deirdre to her former charges, who were so amorous to Emilia that is was as though they were her own family.

  As Deirdre ran towards the house, mud splashing up from her boots, Emilia was filled with curiosity yet again. A new charge, a new master, a new home. There was no telling what the future held.

  Chapter 4

  It seemed as though an age had passed between tea and supper. Emilia sat again at the modest wooden table in the kitchen and surprisingly enjoyed her bowl of rabbit stew, accompanied by peasant bread and black tea. The dark bread was for Winnifred, Hugh and Emilia alone, as the earl had more refined tastes, but Winnifred insisted that the staff ate the coarser bread as she believed it was good for the constitution.

  When she had completed her meal, Hugh immediately got up from table and informed Emilia that the time was ripe for introduction, and that the earl was insistent upon their meeting in the study. Emilia scarcely had a chance to wipe her mouth with her napkin before she was up from the table and following Hugh down the hall. She had little chance to check her appearance in the mirror, and wondered whether the long, rainy day had left her in disarray. There was no time to worry about it, so she resigned herself to the idea that the earl would be party to a very honest picture of what her appearance really was.

  Upon entering the study, the first thing Emilia noticed was a hot fire burning in the fireplace, numerous candles lit, and the earl himself sitting sullenly at his desk, brow knit, and hand tensely upon his forehead. He was doing some work, that much Emilia could tell, and off near the fireplace sat Deirdre, a book on her lap and her brow soft, face dreamy with abandon. Once the earl finally looked up, his demeanour did not soften, but his eyes went wide with wonder at the sight of Emilia. She thought that maybe he was surprised by her short stature, or her state of weary disarray. In truth, she did not know why he looked at her the way that he did. But quickly his wide eyes went narrow and his brow tensed again.

  “Be seated,” the earl said, motioning to the chair on the other side of his desk.

  “Yes, M’Lord,” Emilia replied, taking a seat and watching as Hugh quietly left the room.

  “This is my sister, Lady Deirdre,” Hugh said.

  “So pleased to meet you,” said Emilia with a smile, turning to look at her new charge. She thought it awkward that she was sitting. It seemed much more fitting to her position to be standing whilst her employer and future pupil sat, but as it was the Earl of Cunningham’s bidding that she should sit, then sit she must.

  “I have been so keen to meet you,” Deirdre said, standing and walking towards the desk. The young girl, no older than six and ten years in Emilia’s estimation, clutched the book to her chest and her cheeks were aflame, no doubt from sitting so close to the fireplace. “Do you like books?”

  “I positively adore them,” Emilia replied.

  “So do I. There are so many books that I want to read,” Deirdre said with childlike wonder. “I mostly prefer scandalous books.”

  “Sister, now that’s enough,” the earl scolded.

  “I do, I love novels. My brother thinks they’re ever so scandalous,” Deirdre went on, seating herself upon the desk. “I especially like romantic novels.”

  “Deirdre!” the earl admonished again.

  “Oh Joshua, steady yourself,” Deirdre said precociously, “there’s nothing wrong with a good romantic novel.”

  Joy filled Emilia as she realised what a witty, charming, fiery person Deirdre really was. She had enough confidence and pluck to be playful and disarming with her brother, and Emilia could see that it vexed the earl no end. But what filled her with the most happiness was to see the love that was between brother and sister.

  “Now that your new governess is here,” the earl went on, “it’s high time that you begin reading some serious works. I have no doubt that Miss Stewart can take care of that,” he said, lifting his brow and looking at Emilia sternly. It was not a suggestion but rather a command, and Emilia keenly understood that her job was to make a serious girl of Deirdre, even if it pained her heart to do so.

  “That is something I can accomplish,” Emilia replied softly.

  “And do ensure you teach her Shakespeare and Latin,” the earl went on, returning to his business. His expression was pained, and Emilia wondered what it was that made Lord Joshua Forest so heavy and filled with cares.

  “Those are all subjects I am schooled in,” Emilia replied, trying to fill him with confidence in her.

  “Oh brother, must you make me so boring?” Deirdre asked, still clutching the novel to her chest.

  “It is not my intention to make you boring, but rather a woman of intelligence and acumen. It is necessary in this life,” the earl replied.

  “Very well,” Deirdre replied with a sigh.

  Emilia thought it endearing that the earl wanted so much to educate his sister. She herself had been fiercely educated due to her father’s bidding.

  “I do hope you’re accustomed to rigour,” the earl went on. “In this household we awake at dawn and fall asleep no later than ten. It’s important that the majority of her studies are completed before tea so that we might enjoy wholesome exercise in the afternoon and until supper.”

  Emilia was struck by just how serious the Earl of Cunningham really was. It was as though the weight of the world were on his shoulders, and there was a darkness there that frightened her and also filled her with curiosity. He refused to look at Emilia for any length of time but rather avoided eye contact. She could even perceive that he was trying not to look at her, with all of his strength, and his strength seemed considerable.

  “Does that mean that in the afternoons we’re free to play in the gardens?” Deirdre asked with delightful wonder.

  “Your time is much better spent with riding lessons,” the earl went on. “Your skill on the horse is not yet admirable.”

  Deirdre sighed again, and huffed.

  Emilia thought it strange that Deirdre mentioned the gardens. Did Glastonbrook even have any gardens? The environs were so sombre and empty, was it possible for anything to grow in that part of Castle Comb?

  “Deirdre, leave us. I must have a word in private with Miss Stewart.”

  “Do feel free to call me by my given name,” Emilia said, wishing to endear herself to her new employer.

  “I think that Miss Stewart shall suffice,” the earl replied darkly.

  “Must I go?” Deirdre asked.

  “Yes. Tell Hugh to prepare a warm glass of milk and be soon to bed,” the earl commanded.

  “Very well,” Deirdre replied. “So nice to meet you Miss Stewart.”

  “So nice to meet you too, Lady Deirdre,” Emilia replied.

  It all seemed so stuffy. In the Hutchinson home she was never referred to as Miss Stewart. She was always Emilia to Anne and Sophie. It was clear that things were going to be much more formal at Glastonbrook.

  The earl watched as Deirdre took her leave, then he pushed aside his papers and folded his hands upon the desk, still not making eye contact with his new employee.

  “She can be difficult at times,” the earl said heavily.

  “Lady Deirdre does not seem difficult to me,” Emilia replied.

  “That is because you have only spent moments in her company. I expect that you will teach her with the gravity that I require.”

  “I often find
that gravity is not the best method for imparting knowledge,” Emilia replied with assurance.

  “And what is the best method?” the earl asked.

  “Quite the opposite. I would say that levity makes the knowledge sink in with more ease.”

  “Levity is the last thing that Lady Deirdre needs. She is a girl that has her head in the clouds, and I’d like her to be brought down to earth, for her own good.”

  “I see,” Emilia replied, finding herself frowning, and she wondered if the Cunningham sullenness was already having an effect on her.

  “And above all, modesty is key,” the earl went on, standing from his chair and walking over to the fireplace. He leaned his elbow upon the mantle and looked into the fire with a pensive stare.

  “I understand,” Emilia replied.

  “She must always be modest in demeanour and apparel, and I trust that you will do the same.”

  “I was informed of that by Hugh, and I promise to always dress modestly,” Emilia replied.

  The earl finally turned to her and their gazes met. His eyes were steely and untrusting, and they dropped down from upon her face to briefly examine her gown.

  “Not modest enough,” the earl replied with a pained expression, then looked away.

  Emilia looked down at herself in embarrassment and wondered what the problem with her apparel might be. It seemed modest enough to her. But upon closer inspection, she did note that her bosom did protrude ever so slightly from the top of her gown. Once the earl had turned away, Emilia adjusted the problem and felt a warm flush come to her cheek.

  “I’m told by Lady Barbara Hutchinson that your schooling has been capital,” the earl went on.

  “Indeed, M’Lord. I was well schooled in literature and the arts by my father.”

  “And what was his employment?”

  “He was a bookseller,” Emilia explained, a little smile coming to her lips. “A hard-working man, and his business was most successful . . . for a time.” Emilia’s voice trailed off as the tender remembrance of her father became darker. It was far too soon to tell the earl the entirety of the story.

  “Was,” the earl replied, not as a question but as a statement.

  “Indeed. I’m afraid he passed away some years ago,” Emilia replied.

  “And that is why you find yourself employed as a governess?”

  “I do not think of it as employment but rather as a joy of mine. The two Hutchinson girls became my own family. I had the great pleasure of watching them mature from young girls to young women, and I must say that I’m proud of their intrepid minds and spirits.”

  “This is what I wish for Deirdre,” the earl went on, now walking around the room and inspecting the books upon his shelves. “I fear that since our parents passed away whilst she was at such a tender young age, she has not the grounding force that she needs to be a disciplined young lady.”

  “It seems like you’re a rather grounding force, and besides, discipline is not the most important virtue.”

  “Discipline is indeed the most important,” the earl replied, stopping in his tracks and looking into Emilia’s eyes. “Without discipline one’s life can veer perilously off course. I could teach her myself, but I lack the time to do so, and not only that, she will not obey me as a pupil ought to. You must be an authority for her and take pains to be serious in her presence.”

  “I will do my best,” Emilia replied with a warm smile, “though I must admit that, as I have already stated, a gentle hand goes much further than a tight fist.”

  The earl returned to silence. He seemed quite restless, tired and weary. Though her curiosity was piqued from the first moment that she saw him approaching on horseback in the rain, it had become positively overwhelming. What kinds of dark shadows lurked within Lord Forest? What could possibly lead him to be so captivated by his own concerns? Emilia did wish to have the answers to these questions in time.

  “Did your father train you to be a governess?” the earl finally asked, returning to his seat at the desk and briefly looking up at her. When their eyes met Emilia’s heart skipped a beat, and she watched as the earl quickly looked away and she looked down at her own hands.

  “He had no intention of my being so. My father very much wished that I might take on the family business, but seeing as I am a woman and the only heir, it was quite impossible. Therefore, I began to teach at a local school. In recompense for my diligence I was given room and board. With time, my teaching skills became more refined, and a family known as the Kennerlys asked if I might devote all of my time to their young daughter by the name of Regina. It was not long before Regina was introduced into proper society, and from there I was introduced to the Hutchinsons. And so on and so forth. That’s how I find myself where I sit today.”

  “I see,” the earl replied. He took a deep inhalation as he collected his thoughts. “So you’re a dedicated young lady. That much is sure.”

  “I consider myself a dedicated young woman. As I have already bridged the gap of womanhood.”

  In response, the earl looked up again and their eyes locked. Was he questioning her? Scolding her with his gaze? Emilia couldn’t tell.

  “Your dedication will be quite necessary here. And from your story, I take it that I have made an excellent decision by bringing you to Glastonbrook.”

  “I intend to prove to you no less. I will do everything in my power to not jeopardise this marvellous opportunity.”

  “Very well, I am satisfied,” the earl replied, clasping his hands and placing them upon the desk. “You will begin tomorrow at dawn. The lessons are for your choosing. But I do suggest that you begin with the classics and progress from there. I have an ample library from which you can draw materials for your lessons, and I require a report at the end of each day describing what has been covered and what the following day will entail.”

  “Yes, M’Lord.”

  “And also, seeing as I hope that you school Deirdre not only in matters of the mind but also in conduct and comportment, you’re welcome to join us at table if you find it agreeable.”

  Emilia went silent for a moment as she considered how best to reply. She had not expected the earl to be so inviting in that regard.

  “I thank you for the invitation.”

  “I shall have Hugh procure you a new wardrobe, as what you have brought with you is not fitting,” the earl added, looking away. “And from time to time Deirdre likes to go into town to attain a new gown or hat. On these occasions, nothing is to be purchased until I approve, do you understand?”

  “Yes, I do, M’Lord.”

  “Very well then, Miss Stewart. See yourself up to your room and asleep by ten.”

  “Yes, M’Lord,” Emilia replied, getting up from her chair and walking towards the door. All the while that she made her exit, she could feel the earl’s eyes on her back, and she speculated as to why her heart was yet again beating so fast.

  Chapter 5

  The light in the day room was as dreary as Emilia might have imagined. Yet still she chose to instead infuse it with the light that was naturally within herself, if only to brighten up Deirdre’s spirits. The young girl did have hope and life in her, but Emilia could see that years of solitude at Glastonbrook had taken their toll. No doubt she lived a life of tedium, and Emilia wished to amend that.

  “Romeo and Juliet,” Emilia said, opening the little Shakespearean romance and beginning on page one. “Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”

  “Civil hands unclean?” Deirdre asked, unsure of the meaning.

  “Their feuding leads the two houses to perform uncivil acts. There is blood upon their hands.”

  “How vicious,” Deirdre replied, her eyes growing wide.

  “Yes. When people don’t share the same perspective on things, it can lead them to do inhumane things. It’s the very nature of war,” Emilia explained.

  �
��I do not like war,” Deirdre replied.

  “And neither do I.”

  Emilia could see the curiosity in Deirdre’s eyes, and it warmed her heart. Being a woman of intense curiosity herself, she felt that having a keen interest in the lives of others was instrumental to being a well-rounded person. For that reason, she felt it necessary to begin Deirdre’s studies with Shakespeare, someone who brought complex humans to life and put them on display for all to see.