Instead, he gestured to the path leading down to the sunken fountain. “May I accompany you?”
Kissing a woman over her compassionate behavior toward frogs would be illogical. Especially given her rather frosty manner of a few moments before.
Although still put out with the demanding gentleman, Alice nodded her consent to his escort. The sunken fountain was not far. Enduring him for a few more minutes would not over-tax her.
They walked in silence at first, he with his arms tucked behind his back, still in his shirtsleeves. She kept her basket and notebook tucked tight against her stomach.
“I think I owe you another apology, Miss Sharpe.”
Alice darted a look at him from the corner of her eye, around the edge of her spectacles.
“Only one, Mr. Gardiner?” She bit her tongue the moment the words escaped her. A governess could not speak to people that way.
He cocked his head to one side, and she could have sworn he fought back a smile given the way his lips tightened, and his dark eyes danced. “Perhaps several.”
Alice pulled her gaze away from his, back to the path. The willow tree that acted as entrance to the sunken fountain’s garden was within sight. He could not know how much his notice had harmed her comfort. “What do you imagine yourself to be apologizing for, sir?”
“Taking up your valuable time, I think. Perhaps making you uncomfortable with my demands for your help? Or maybe inconveniencing you as a whole would be the best thing to categorize the rest of my offenses beneath.” He stopped walking and turned to face her, requiring her to do the same. “I am in earnest, Miss Sharpe. I did not realize until a moment ago how much my single-focus upon my task has become selfishness.”
Her mouth fell open, but she hastily snapped it shut again. She had nearly agreed with him.
“I have ambition, Miss Sharpe.” He tucked one arm behind his back and gestured to the garden with his other hand. “All of this might seem like no more than pretty greenery to most. Ornamental. Unimportant. But the plants and the insects living upon them are more than that. Recording them as they are now, noting how they interact with one another, might lead to remarkable discoveries one day. In my mind, I am compelled by the dizzying greatness of the future and frustrated by my own lack of understanding in the present. I am overzealous in my pursuit of discovery.”
He spoke with such an earnest expression, with a weight to his words that most men reserved for the weighty matters of war and faith. His eyes burned with purpose and a passion for all that he had said. Willing her, Alice thought, to understand him.
She considered his words and weighed them against her reluctance to help him. For all that he concerned himself with the future of the world and how his research might contribute to it, he had not comprehended her future. Or her present.
“You have been honest with me, sir. If you will permit me to speak freely?” She hesitated, waiting for his word.
“You do not need my permission,” he said instead, his brow furrowing. “A lady ought to be permitted to speak her mind.”
“But I am no longer a lady of consequence, Mr. Gardiner, and therein is the problem.” Alice hugged her basket closer. “Perhaps we might walk? These miserable creatures are so near the end of their suffering.”
“May I?” He gestured to the basket, and Alice handed it to him. Then they continued, stepping within the curtain of the willow tree. “Speak on, Miss Sharpe. I would have us understand one another.”
No one in her memory had ever treated her with such solicitude. It made her stomach twist and for a moment she forgot why she had ever been upset with him.
“I am only a woman,” she said, her voice quieter than she would have liked. “I am not an amateur botanist, or entomologist, or anything else of importance. I am without important connections. My own relatives do not want me in their homes, living upon their goodwill. The path I am on is all that is available to me—the path of work, sir. My position—even if it is in one of the finest houses for one of the finest families in England—is tenuous. With no more than a thought, they could send me packing.”
He appeared as though he wished to speak, to say something, but Alice hurried on. “I know the duke and duchess are honorable, good people. I have heard as much. But I should like to stay beneath their notice, and so beneath their displeasure. Taking the time away from my duties to assist you, and receiving permission from the duke in the first place to do so, has pulled me from the corner and into the center of the room.”
They came through the other side of the willow to the sunny clearing and pool of water. Lord James’s cobblestone faces still decorated the path beneath their feet. Dragonflies hummed along the top of the water, and a breeze mingling with distant birdsong kept the air from growing too quiet or too still.
Mr. Gardiner lowered the basket to the ground beside the sunken fountain. “It is not that you do not wish to help, then. But that you do not want the attention it brings upon you.”
Alice nodded tightly, not looking at him as she kneeled beside the basket. She began removing her gloves as she spoke. “I have always tried to make myself useful. I enjoy drawing, and painting, and flowers are a fine subject. But if being useful to your work puts my place as governess in peril—”
“It will not.” He came to his knees, too, and caught her hand before she could remove the cloth from the basket. She forced herself to raise her gaze to his. The earnest expression in his deep brown eyes nearly compelled her to believe him. “And if you believe the risk is too great, you have but to tell me and I will intercede on your behalf. Or—” His cheeks reddened, and he lowered his gaze to their hands. He removed his rather slowly. “Or you may withdraw your assistance now, Miss Sharpe. I will make it right with His Grace, if you wish to forget the whole of it.”
She took the cloth off the top of the frogs, then stared down into it for a long moment. They were so still. Barely moving even to breathe. The poor things had been trapped too long indoors, away from their home and all that they knew. She tipped the basket slowly on its side, forcing the animals inside to move and then catch themselves upon the grass.
They started at once for the water, some faster than the others, but all perked up the moment she took the basket away. She only had to give one an extra nudge with her finger, and it surprised her by leaping farther than the rest, into the water.
Alice could not stop herself from smiling as the little creatures paddled around, then disappeared beneath the surface. They would recover, and she would teach Lord James the importance of leaving creatures in their natural homes.
“They are surprisingly delicate creatures, frogs.”
Alice glanced from the corner of her eye at the gentleman beside her. “Indeed, sir.”
He turned his expectant gaze back to her. “And yet, resilient enough to spend as much time underwater as a fish, for all that they lack gills and breath air.”
She nearly smiled at that. “I suppose so.”
He picked up the basket and stood, offering her his hand in assistance. Alice considered his bare palm a moment before placing her own inside of it, her gloves tucked into her notebook.
“You have yet to tell me if I am forgiven, Miss Sharpe.” He spoke softly, his hand still holding hers. “If I must earn your good favor—”
The moment had turned too tense, too serious, for a governess and a gentleman. Alone. In a secluded garden. Mr. Gardiner possessed no little amount of charm, and he knew it. But Alice had hoped her irritation with him would make her immune to such things.
Apparently, she was as susceptible as before. Her shoulders sagged. “You are forgiven, Mr. Gardiner. You are guilty of nothing more than true dedication to your studies. How could I, a woman whose purpose is to educate others, ever disapprove?”
He brightened, his eyebrows raising and his wide smile returning. “Thank you.”
“And you need not make my excuses to His Grace. I will assist in your project, as I said before.” She withdrew her
hand from his, folding both arms over her chest and hugging her notebook to herself. “I will do my best to help, sir.”
“Only as your schedule allows.” He nodded solemnly, the grin fading to something more serious. “I will not take advantage of your time unfairly. I promise.”
Although Alice had a flicker of doubt over the fairness of the situation, she did not begrudge him the use of her time. Not really. She had read some of her cousin’s scientific journals. She understood the desire to study the natural world.
As she walked back up to the castle, empty basket in hand, Alice hoped she had not agreed to more than she could reasonably manage.
Chapter 9
Miss Arlen arrived for tea with a new guest in tow. Alice had done no more than glimpse Lady Josephine since the night she’d had dinner with the duke’s guests. When the dark-haired, graceful woman appeared in the doorway, Alice curtsied deeply.
“Lady Josephine, it is a pleasure to see you this afternoon.”
The duke’s eldest daughter returned the curtsy with the exceptional grace one would expect in a duke’s child. “Thank you, Miss Sharpe. I do hope you will excuse my rudeness, but when Emma told me how much she enjoyed your company, I had to come and make your acquaintance.”
Alice darted a glance at Miss Arlen, whose tight-lipped smile and dancing eyes suggested her amusement rather than any regret.
“That is most kind of Miss Arlen.” She looked over her shoulder where the children were gathered. One side of the large schoolroom was set up rather like a parlor, to encourage the children and teach them how best to behave in such a setting. They would take their tea there.
When the children caught sight of their sister, they visibly brightened.
“Josie, you’ve come to take tea with us?” Lord James asked, bouncing to the edge of his chair.
“We thought you would be with Mother and Grandmama.” Lady Isabelle moved to the far side of her couch and patted the seat next to her in clear invitation.
Lady Josephine came into the room and sat between Lady Isabelle and Lady Rosalind. She put one arm around each of them in a brief embrace. “I had much rather be here, especially since there are no guests to entertain at present. Next week things will be different again. But here I might nibble on cakes without Grandmama remarking on what they might do to my figure.”
The girls laughed, and Lord James bounced again in his chair. “We have such good cakes, too. Miss Sharpe doesn’t mind it like the last governess.”
Despite her soldier-like stance, Alice returned his grateful grin. “I should not like to have bread and butter with my tea every day. I cannot imagine why children should have to do so.” She looked to Miss Arlen, whose relaxed posture gave Alice leave to stand at her ease.
Perhaps she need not fear Lady Josephine’s scrutiny as she thought she must, but wisdom dictated that she tread carefully. “Do sit, Miss Arlen. The tea will be here in a few moments, I’m certain.”
“Thank you.” Miss Arlen drifted to one of the remaining empty chairs. “Lady Josephine and I were discussing the deplorable lack of women our own age in the last round of guests. There were any number of matrons, and a few of their sons, but no unmarried women.”
Had they come in search of more company? Alice lowered herself into her favorite chair—a battered gray seat modeled after Queen Charlotte’s sitting room chairs, she had been told. It was comfortable, for all that it bore a few scuffs from its presence in the nursery.
“I am afraid I am not much better than a matron. The children will attest to that.” She gestured to the girls. “I am not the least bit amusing, am I?”
The girls giggled, trading a secretive glance with one another.
“Not amusing in the least,” Lady Isabelle declared with amusement.
“Absolutely the strictest of women,” Lady Rosalind put in.
Lord James pushed himself back into his chair and crossed his arms, eyes sparkling with the joke. “Dull as dishwater. That’s Miss Sharpe.”
Lady Josephine cocked one regal eyebrow at her younger siblings. “Dear me. Not amusing, strict, and dull. It seems Miss Arlen has misled me most terribly. What have you to say for yourself, Emma?”
The companion shrugged her delicate shoulders. “I cannot account for it, my lady. It seems I was horribly mistaken. When last I was here, Miss Sharpe made the opposite impression.”
Alice clapped her hands at the performance, fighting back her own laughter. “Wonderful, children. That is precisely what you must say should anyone ask if your governess is strict enough.” She cast Lady Josephine an apologetic nod. “I have told them if people think I am too wonderful, they might not believe I am doing my job properly. But we do attempt to find amusement in our studies.”
“We built a pyramid out of clay yesterday,” Lord James said excitedly. He jumped up from his chair and went to the cupboards lining one wall. Most were full of things for lessons, but he pulled out a baking tray with the miniature pyramid. “When it’s all dry, we’re to paint hieroglyphs all over it.”
“We have also been reading about the deities of Egypt.” Lady Isabelle said happily. “Did you know that the Greeks and Egyptians had many similar gods?”
“You sound precisely like a little heathen,” Lady Josephine said, rocking back in her seat with wide eyes. “You mustn’t tell Grandmama such things but do tell me all about it.”
By the time tea arrived, the whole group discussed life upon the Nile River with as much interest as others discussed society’s latest gossip. Alice poured out amid a conversation on whether Egyptian cotton was superior to the cotton grown elsewhere in the world. The topic thrilled her, reaffirming she had done something right in their studies. If the children could discuss Egypt with ease and interest, that meant they had enjoyed learning.
“Next week, our studies turn to the Romans. We will study the history, mythology, and art.”
“Then I must come to tea again next week.” Lady Josephine took a little cake in one hand, holding her teacup in the other. “Truly, Miss Sharpe, I wish my governess had inspired me as you have inspired these horrid little beasts.”
Given the grins and giggles, the three youngest members of the duke’s family enjoyed being labeled beasts by their sister. There was obvious affection among the siblings, and adoration from Alice’s charges meant for their sister alone.
“They are apt pupils, my lady. We also make an effort to concentrate on the more interesting bits of history.” She hid her smile behind the rim of her cup. “Other subjects are proving to be more difficult, at times. We are struggling with botany.”
“Oh?” Lady Josephine exchanged a surprised look with Miss Arlen. “I thought you were acquainted with our guest, Mr. Gardiner? I had heard the two of you are working together on Papa’s catalog.”
Alice’s cheeks warmed. She had not seen Mr. Gardiner since they spoke that afternoon two days previous. Perhaps he had thought better of asking for her assistance. “We have met, and I agreed to help him when my duties allow. I cannot think of disturbing him with the children’s lessons.”
Miss Arlen’s teacup rattled against her saucer. “Why ever not? If you are to help him, he ought not mind helping you.”
Lady Josephine gave a succinct nod. “I quite agree. It would be ungentlemanly of him to refuse.”
Lord James had wandered away to a row of soldiers upon the table, and Lady Rosalind had taken up a book to read while she nibbled on a molasses biscuit. That left Lady Isabelle as part of their conversation, sitting precisely the way her elder sister sat.
“I do not think he would refuse, should I ask him. But I have no wish to put anyone out on my account.” Alice shifted in her chair, lowering her eyes to the carpet. “Mr. Gardiner’s work for His Grace is of great importance. Taking time away from that work for the children to learn more about flowers seems frivolous.”
Lady Josephine persisted, leaning forward almost eagerly. “Given that botany is such an important subject to Papa, and that
Mr. Gardiner is something of an expert, I doubt it would be seen that way.”
Why the duke’s eldest daughter felt so strongly on the matter, Alice could not guess. But Miss Arlen nodded along sagely with every word. Perhaps the entire household shared the duke’s obsession with plants.
A knock on the door prohibited Alice from making her answer. She rose from where she sat and went to the door, puzzled. Had the schoolroom become the center of household socializing?
Alice opened the door to reveal three maids, two bearing large, ornate pots full of flowers. The flowers were in every color imaginable, with two of each type of blossom, appearing rather like colorful explosions in the arms of the servants.
“What is all this?” Alice asked. The strong fragrance of several types of flowers wafted through the hall and into the schoolroom.
The maid without flowers handed Alice a folded sheet of paper, torn along the edge as though it had come out of a book. She held in her other arm a sheaf of paper tucked against her chest. Alice unfolded the note and read it, and with each word her heart beat faster.
Miss Sharpe,
Here are the first blossoms. I’ve made note of their names and where they were found in the gardens on this paper. If you feel any of my sketches need correction, know that I trust your judgement on the matter and do not hesitate to mend my mistakes.
Please have the sketches returned to me when you are finished with them.
Thank you for your efforts.
Most Sincerely,
R.G.
She stepped out of the doorway and gestured for the maids to enter. “Do put those on the table. Thank you for bringing them all the way upstairs.” The maid with the papers held them out, and Alice took them. She leafed through each sheet, noting the charcoal and pencil sketches of several flowers, all without color.
There were perhaps two dozen sheets.
Mr. Gardiner and the Governess: A Regency Romance (Clairvoir Castle Romances Book 1) Page 7