A Mysterious Governess for the Reluctant Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Ayles, Abby

  After Baron Edgley’s attack she had felt completely hopeless and afraid. Some days she could scarcely leave her room for fear.

  Poole had tried to exercise that power over her again, and for a while he had succeeded. But Hannah realized her time at Brighton Abby had seen growth in her.

  She was not the scared miss who hid herself behind caps and rough fabrics anymore. She no longer felt at fault for the cruel actions of others and would not hide away to shield herself from them.

  Thanks to Grannie’s encouraging words, she had found her own strength and courage to stand up for herself, first to her attacker and also to Lord Grimshaw despite the fears that he might not believe her.

  She rolled over in her bed to settle herself in for a peaceful night of sleep, something she hadn’t had in quite some time.

  Her eyes caught the light through the window. It was much brighter than it should be for the night. Blinking against it, she knew the curiosity was too much to resist.

  Rising from her bed and wrapping a blanket around her to stave off the cold, she walked over to the window and pushed back the curtain.

  The light of the moon and stars seemed to reflect in a kaleidoscope of color. Falling quietly to the ground was a steady flow of flakes.

  Hannah stood by her window watching her breath fog the pane as she studied the glittering shimmer reflecting off of each beautiful flake.

  She was sure there was no better sign for a peaceful night of sleep than the quiet coating of snow.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Hannah woke with a start to the sound of Mary knocking on her door.

  “Hannah, are you up?” she called after she knocked for the third time.

  “I’m sorry,” Hannah called sleepily. “Yes, come in.”

  Mary opened the door and poked her head in.

  “My goodness, are you still asleep? Oh, why is it so cold in here? Was the tinder box not filled for you?”

  “It was,” Hannah said, getting out of bed and stretching. “I was just too tired to light it last night.”

  Mary set down the basin of steaming water that seemed to steam all the more from the chill in the room.

  She walked over to the fireplace and started it herself.

  “You don’t have to do that, Mary,” Hannah said, still working to remove the sleep from her eyes.

  She could not remember a time she had slept so soundly. She should have been upset that she slept in. In fact, if Hannah had her wits about her she would be frantically getting ready so as not to be late getting the girls.

  But as of yet she was not fully awake and found she was still in a blissful sleepy mood.

  “You’ll catch your death if I don’t warm this room up,” Mary said as she lit the match.

  “I don’t know how you slept at all in this chill, let alone slept in.”

  “I suppose it felt kind of homey to me.”

  “Homey?’ Mary asked, confused by her words.

  “Yes, the only home I truly remember was Hendrick’s. There was rarely ever a fire in the dorms and even the ones in the classrooms and dining halls were so small we often joked that if you sat more than two people away from it your porridge would freeze.”

  “That sounds awful,” Mary said, coming to stand and wiping any soot from her hands onto her apron.

  “Perhaps, but when it’s really all you know…” Hannah said, shrugging the memory off.

  “I’m not saying I lived like the queen myself growing up,” Mary responded. “It was me and my six siblings. We slept on a pelt bed next to the fire. I suppose I should feel blessed we were always warmed through the cold months.”

  “Yes, I’m beginning to see how much your cold months here in Concordshire differ from London,” Hannah agreed.

  “Oh!” Hannah started waking up to the memories of last night. “It was snowing!”

  She hopped barefooted over to the window with the excitement of a child.

  “Yes, still is too,” Mary replied, not looking herself.

  “I suspect we will be in for quite a storm. It usually comes like this in big flurries then it will warm up and melt it off a bit, only to do it all over again.”

  Hannah stared out the window in amazement. If she thought the beauty of the frost at Mrs. McCarthy’s was mesmerizing, it had little in comparison to the sight before her eyes now.

  The whole world was blanketed in the white crystals she had watched flutter to the ground the night before. Still the snow was falling, adding to the blanket.

  Now instead of glistening in the light they seemed to fall like white down feathers underneath a grey fluffy blanket of clouds.

  “Oh, I wonder if I can take the girls out to play in it this afternoon?” Hannah said half to herself.

  “Oh, I won’t expect it to stop for some time.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, yes. It should go on like this for a day or two till we get a few feet on the ground.”

  “How marvelous,” Hannah said excitedly.

  “Not really. This is the wet kind. It’s heavy and soaks your clothes through. It’s no good for frolicking in. A little later in the year, perhaps after the Yuletide, we’ll get a good dry dusting and you can take the girls in that.”

  “I had no idea there were different kinds of snow,” Hannah said with appreciation for Mary’s wisdom.

  “Don’t you get snow down in London?”

  “Yes, but it was all covered in soot by the time I saw it. And I was never allowed to play in it as a child.”

  “Never allowed? That’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. Why I think my brother and I made our first toboggan when I was only seven.”

  “What’s a toboggan?” Hannah asked in anticipation.

  “My word,” Mary said. “And I younger than you.”

  “Not by much though. I’m just twenty.”

  “Still, I promise you this, by twenty and one you will know what a toboggan is,” Mary said with a giggle.

  “I’ll have my brother Jimmy bring one up to us when the snow is good and dry for it. Oh the girls will love that,” she exclaimed while clapping her hands together.

  Mary came over to the window and looked out it for a moment. She had seen snow plenty enough but Hannah’s excitement was beginning to catch.

  Hannah put an arm around the girl and hugged her close.

  “I’m so glad to have you as my friend,” Hannah said.

  It was the first time she had ever told a person that. She had the distinct memory of one other friend, a girl at school. Ruby and Hannah had slowly kindled a friendship when the teachers weren’t looking, as any form of talking was considered idle.

  How she wished she had told Ruby how much she cherished their little friendship before she left her behind at Hendrick’s.

  She wasn’t going to make that mistake again. She would make sure she told each and every person who came into her life how much they meant to her.

  Mary leaned her head on Hannah’s shoulder and they watched the snow in silence for a few more seconds.

  “I best be getting to my work, and you too,” she added.

  Hannah gave a sigh and agreed.

  “Though how I will focus, let alone get the girls to do the same with such a winter wonderland outside or windows is beyond me,” Hannah said with a smile.

  Mary paused just at the door and turned back, “I’m so glad that you’ll be staying on.”

  “Me too,” Hannah concurred with a smile.

  She waited for the door to close firmly before she turned away from the window and began to dress for the day. She couldn’t help but keep that smile on her lips. She was happy that she was staying on. More than that, she had no fears or reservations about it now.

  Lord Grimshaw woke to the glistening scene outside his window. He slumped into a very sour mood just from the sight of it.

  He had hoped to tell Lady Tara he had no intentions to marry her and send her quickly on her way back to town.

  With the
snow coming down as it was, there would be no point to such words. Lord and Lady Waldron as well as their daughter would be confined to the house until the wet snow melted.

  He was familiar enough with the area to know that trying to drive a carriage in such weather was not worth the effort.

  Every few feet the wheels would simply sink into the wet snow mixed with the mud below. It would make for a very long, slow, and arduous journey that none in their right mind would attempt if it could be helped.

  Now Grimshaw would be forced to continue his role as host to guests he had no desire to know any more personally than he already didn’t.

  Grimshaw tried to convince himself that the extra time would be welcome. He still needed to work out his own heart. The Marlow family would be a well enough distraction.

  “Good morning,” he said as brightly as he could produce to the three guests in the morning room.

  “Oh, Grimshaw, good morning to you,” Lord Waldron huffed from behind the paper.

  Grimshaw did appreciate that the man was of few words early in the morning. He detested, however, that Lord Waldron always seemed to grab the paper and spend the whole morning with it.

  “I trust you slept well,” Lady Tara said, perfectly dressed in a soft blue gown with white lace trimming.

  “Yes of course,” Grimshaw said with a tense smile.

  Without the pretense of withstanding the woman for the sake of his children, he was finding it hard to pretend.

  “Well, except for the interruption early on,” Lady Tara said with a gleam to her eye that spoke of secret interludes.

  Naturally Lady Waldron caught on this at once.

  “What is this? What interruption? I do hope you have more propriety than to leave your room at night?” the woman crooned to her daughter.

  “I didn’t leave my room, Mother. Poked my head out, was all,” she added in Grimshaw’s direction with a flirtatious hint.

  Lady Waldron looked to Grimshaw and was rather preparing herself to be scandalized.

  “Please ease your nerves, Lady Waldron. I had an issue with a member of the staff, but it was resolved.”

  “In the middle of the night? What issue could you possibly have in the middle of the night?”

  “Betsy told me this morning you had to have a servant forcibly removed,” Lady Tara cooed on.

  “No, not quite that severe but I did have to make arrangements for their dismissal despite the late hour,” Grimshaw tried to put as delicately as he could.

  He didn’t really enjoy talking over household matters with those outside the household. Nor did he think it was proper to gossip over dishonorably discharged staff no matter how much of a rake he was.

  “How unfortunate,” Lady Waldron said as to settle the matter and Grimshaw was glad of it.

  “Do you suppose it will snow all day?” Lady Tara asked after a few sips of her hot chocolate.

  “I expect it to. And for several more after.”

  “Really, how awful. I hate to be cooped up so,” she said with a pout.

  Grimshaw considered reminding her that she had yet to take a single turn around the garden since her arrival at Brighton Abby. Why snow would keep her in when the lack of it did the job just fine, he had no idea.

  “Well if this will brighten your mood, I just received a letter from Jayden with the morning post,” he said after opening the letter and scanning over it.

  “Oh lovely, what does he say?” Lady Tara asked, happy to have Grimshaw divert her to a happier subject.

  “He says he plans to come for the Yuletide. I do invite him every year but his schedule doesn’t always allow the visit,” Grimshaw said to the ladies by way of explanation.

  “I expect he will come within the week. Hopefully the chap doesn’t leave until this blizzard passes.”

  “Oh won’t that be wonderful,” Lady Tara said in her sing-song voice. “All of us together again. What fun we will have. And over such a festive time will make it all the merrier.”

  “Yes,” was all Grimshaw could manage to say in agreement.

  In all honesty he rather hoped that Lady Tara and her parents would be out of Brighton Abby and his life by the time Christmas was upon them.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Hannah watched the snow fall for three more days. The excitement of it slowly melted away and was replaced with something else. Worry.

  She worried greatly for Joanna McCarthy all alone in her small cottage. With every feather of snow that floated to the ground, Hannah wondered if that was just another flake to block Grannie in her house.

  Hannah knew well that the old widow only had so much wood kept in the house and the rest behind the shed. With the chill that came with the storm she would be going through it fast just to keep a reasonable temperature in the house.

  With the snow piling up to almost mid-calf now, could Grannie even push open her door? This snow was far wetter than she had known it to be in London. Hannah learned quickly the truth of all of Mary’s warnings on the second day of the blizzard.

  Both girls begged constantly to go out and play. Finally when the afternoon of the second day got a very small reprieve, Hannah allowed the two to bundle up, double their stockings and go outside. It was thick and wet and melted easily, clinging to the hems of all their dresses.

  They had only lasted ten minutes before the biting wind began to pick up again and Hannah insisted they return inside. For the remainder of that afternoon they sat by the school room fire, with stockings hung to dry, while they sipped hot chocolate and read stories.

  Her worry for Grannie by the third afternoon was more than she could bear. She waited till after the girls’ school tasks were completed for the day before going down to the large drawing room where she knew she would find Grimshaw and his guests.

  “Beg your pardon, Lord Grimshaw,” she said with a curtsy.

  “You’re still here!” Lady Tara blurted out rudely.

  All eyes swiveled to her. Lady Tara went promptly red in the cheeks and fanned herself against the outburst.

  “Forgive me. I was under the impression that a new governess was going to be seeing to Lord Grimshaw’s children’s education.”

  “I have decided that it is in the best interest of Caroline and Rebecca for Miss Jacobson to stay,” Grimshaw said with finality.

  Perhaps Lady Tara thought she would still have a future say in the running of the household, though Grimshaw had done nothing but give her the cold shoulder since the blizzard began. She simply narrowed her brown eyes on Hannah, sure that once she was lady of the house, Miss Jacobson would be no more.

  “Is there something you need, Miss Jacobson?” Grimshaw said, giving his full attention back to Hannah.

  “Yes,” she said with a little huff of breath. “It’s Grannie, Mrs. McCarthy that is,” Hannah corrected for all present. “I’m worried about her.”

  “What do you mean, worried about her?” Grimshaw asked, pinching his dark brows together.

  “Well, she lives all alone. With this storm, I’m afraid she might be snowed in. She only had enough wood in her house for a few days at a time. I’m worried she might freeze,” Hannah finished, laying her worries bare.

  “Is she not the lady that you said Caroline ran off to? I dare say she doesn’t sound like a good influence on the child to condone such action.”

  “She is a wonderful widowed woman,” Hannah said back a little too sharply.

  Lady Tara’s eyes grew big in disgust and Hannah quickly looked to the ground. She had to remind herself that she and the earl had discussed this future union with this woman, or at least the possibility of that.

  She had no notion if it still was on the cards. If that was the case, Hannah would have to learn to watch her tongue around the lady. Though Hannah feared such a thing wouldn’t necessarily be an easy task, she was used to standing silently among those who felt they had a higher superiority over her.

  “I appreciate that you are worried, but I am sure Mrs. McCart
hy is just fine. Matthew lives only down the road a bit over the village shop. He is quite capable of seeing to his own mother’s needs,” Grimshaw tried to reassure her.

  “I know he is capable, but I fear he isn’t willing.”

  “Why is this a concern she is bringing to us?” Lady Tara chimed in again in an attempt to keep her foot in the conversation.

  “I am asking Lord Grimshaw because I would require the use of a carriage to go visit Mrs. McCarthy.”

  “Even my most skilled driver would tell you that is unwise,” Grimshaw said, choosing to ignore Lady Tara. “The snow is too deep. You would sink right in and get stuck yourself. I don’t see how you freezing halfway to Concordshire will help the widow.”

  “Then a horse?” Hannah said, raising her chin in defiance.

  He smiled at her. He couldn’t help but admire her stubborn tenacity.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Jacobson. I cannot permit you to go. It is still snowing hard outside. I will see if one of the stablemen can ride out when they are free to check on her.”

  “But when will that be? She could be freezing to death,” Hannah took a step forward, shrouded with worry.

  “If you don’t allow me the horse, I will find another way,” Hannah added with determination.

  Grimshaw struggled to hide his smile. He couldn’t believe that he had fallen in love with a woman so unlike his Ann. Ann had always been quiet, obedient, and open to any of his suggestions or advice. Hannah on the other hand was willing to fight him on anything and everything. Sometimes he thought she just did it out of sport.

  “That was very rude,” Lady Tara countered.

  Hannah took a step back, realizing she had taken things a little too far.

  “Fine, forgive my impertinence, Lord Grimshaw,” she said before curtsying and leaving.

  “Hannah,” he called out to her, not caring that Lady Waldron gasped at his familiar tone.

  Hannah turned around.

  “I give you leave to go, but fear I cannot spare the horse,” he said in a teasing manner.