The Enigmatic Governess of Buford Manor_A Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Emma Linfield

  “Your Grace!”

  “Is that any way to address a man who vies to steal your heart?” he asked teasingly and Rose met his gaze, her face aflame. She was powerless to look away.

  “You needn’t vie, Your Grace,” she replied quietly. “Tis yours for as long as you shall want it.”

  Nicholas nodded.

  “Then I shall always have it and I vow to you, I will treat it as if it is authored of glass.”

  For the first time since arriving at Rosecliff, the governess felt the weight of heaviness fly from her shoulders as if someone had dusted a hundred pounds of lead from her. The music commenced again and Nicholas pulled her close as they fell into a waltz and a foreign sense of bliss consumed Rose.

  “What say you?” the duke whispered.

  “Happy birthday, Nicholas,” she breathed back.

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later

  “Miss Rose, you are being stubborn,” Duchess Buford sighed and Rose laughed, shaking her lovely locks in protest.

  “On the contrary, Your Grace. I would think that my refusal to give up my posting would be much easier on all.”

  “It seems…improper,” the lady of the house muttered, casting Betsey a look as if seeking concession in the matter but the girl only smiled. Rose swallowed the response which threatened to escape her lips.

  I daresay, propriety seems to have been forsaken since we allowed that heathen into this house, she thought but wisely said nothing. The last thing Duchess Buford wished was a reminder of the hobble which Daniel Balfour had caused.

  His execution had been quite public and celebrated, the evidence mounting against him as word of his misdeeds became common knowledge. Lords from all parts of East Anglia had reluctantly come forward, declaring their own encounters with the man when they had fallen delinquent in payments.

  He had been stricken from the royal navy without honors, a mar on His Majesty’s good name when his role as a part-time bookmaker became known.

  Rose had hoped that his death would give the duchess some closure in the matter but she seemed consumed with a sadness that followed her through the halls of Rosecliff, no matter how they tried to forget.

  “Mother, Harry adores her,” Nicholas offered from the head of the table where he had been listening to their discussion. “There is hardly need to find another governess – ”

  “Find another governess?” Harry choked from the doorway, his near-sighted blue eyes bulging in horror. “Will you leave us, Miss Rose?”

  “I am going nowhere,” Rose replied, casting a small smile toward the duchess. “Her Grace merely suggested that I might be more comfortable in the role of house secretary, given Peter Alderson’s resignation.”

  “Good riddance to bad rubbish,” Nicholas spat and Rose wished she had not spoken the man’s name aloud.

  “We could not have known he was giving Balfour information,” Rose said quickly. “The captain had many of us fooled.”

  “Not you!” Nicholas reminded her. “From the first day, you knew something was afoul with Balfour.”

  “We will cease to mention his name at this table!” Duchess Buford cried, slamming her fist against the surface for effect.

  The family fell silent and Trudy entered the dining room, laden dishes in hand.

  “I would like to stay on as Harry’s governess,” Rose offered after a plausible rest had ensued. “I rather enjoy my position.”

  Duchess Buford nodded and glanced at her son whose eyes were fixated on Rose.

  “I daresay, it will be easier to explain to the other houses why she remains under our roof.”

  Rose tensed at the mention, a hot flush creeping up her neck.

  “I could see to other accommodations outside of Rosecliff,” she offered but she hoped the duchess refused.

  “Nonsense!” Nicholas snapped. “This is my house and I will not have you shipped off because of the loose-gapped villagers.”

  Rose knew that he meant it but the constant worry that she would not be accepted lingered in the back of her mind.

  I am being courted by the most eligible man in the land, she reminded herself. I have a position which I adore and I want for nothing whatsoever. I have left my past in Dartford and learned to move forward with my life, finding love and happiness in the most unlikely place. I have nothing of which to protest.

  Indeed, the damned hums about town were not going to shatter her newfound security, no matter how she was regarded as some carte-blanche by the others in the duchy.

  “You are not eating, Miss Rose,” Harry commented and Rose looked up.

  “I am lost in thought today,” she replied, reaching for her fork to sample the juice infused pig-chop on her plate. As she took a bite, her eyes met Nicholas who continued to smile at her as he always did.

  Could he sense her worries? Sometimes she was certain he could do just that, always inside her as if he had become a part of her in the thick of all they had been through together.

  Their bond had only intensified over the past months, Nicholas slowing his intense workload with the help of two very trusted advisors, men who were known to the duchy.

  He spent his evenings with his family when he was not traveling and Rose was reminded of a time before the first duke had died, when Nicholas was a marquess and she had been fighting her attraction to him.

  There is no fight any more, she realized, unsure of when that had changed. Perhaps when the scare of losing him became tangible, the thought of being without Nicholas before ever truly having him. Or maybe it was the understanding that she had never known the man she had married, that Philip Parsons was someone she had imagined.

  Nicholas was real, and he was not going to leave her for years on end, wondering if he was alive. He would not get himself involved with a black spy like Captain Balfour.

  Tis blasphemous to speak ill of the dead, she chided herself but she also knew she did not think poorly of her late husband. The love she had felt for Philip had been true and she had nothing but fond memories of the man, despite what she had learned in the aftermath of his death.

  Yet Rose could not wonder if it had not been God’s plan for her all along to find the man meant to keep her heart.

  “Miss Rose?”

  Harry’s worried voice caused her to turn to him, his mouth fixed into a perplexed frown.

  “Yes, Lord Arlington?”

  “You will not leave us, will you?”

  Rose snuck a small look toward Nicholas who seemed to be waiting with baited breath for her answer.

  As if there is any doubt that I am here to stay.

  “Where could I possibly go?” she asked him, smiling softly.

  “Perhaps back to Dartford?” he suggested, and Rose shook her head.

  “My home is here in Buford, Harry,” she murmured. “With you and Betsey…”

  “And Nicholas,” Betsey piped up, giggling. “You mustn’t forget Nicholas!”

  “Betsey, for shame!” Duchess Buford scolded. “Mind your manners, child!”

  “No,” Rose replied, offering the table a warm beam, her eyes pausing to linger on each face individually. They had taught her so much since she had come to Rosecliff, almost a year earlier. How things had changed, their chairs, their faces, her heart.

  “No,” the governess said again. “I could never forget His Grace any more than I could forget anyone of you.”

  A surge of energy seemed to rise from the table, a quiet sense of joy flowing through them as if the spirits of Rosecliff past came to bless them in their togetherness.

  “We will never forget you either, Miss Rose,” Betsey assured her.

  “You will never have the opportunity,” Nicholas interjected before Rose could reply. “She is precisely where she is meant to be, and she is not going anywhere, are you?”

  Their eyes locked meaningfully, and Rose knew the question did not require a response but she shook her head for the sake of the children.

  “Of course not,” she re
plied. “As I said, this is my home.”

  The End?

  Extended Epilogue

  Eager to know more on how Rose’s and Nicholas’ relationship evolved? Then enjoy this free complimentary short story featuring the beloved couple.

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  But before you go, turn the page for an extra sweet treat from me…

  The Betrayed Lady Winters

  Chapter 1

  The pale green dress cinched in a little too tightly around Lady Ivy Winters’ waist as she made her way down the stairs to greet all the high society guests that had come to her home to see the woman that she had become. The style that the handmaidens had spent most of the afternoon crafting in her hair pulled and tugged every single time she turned her head, and the makeup felt heavy on her face, making it very hard to smile.

  It was safe to say that she did not feel too happy about the way that she looked, or the party that her father was throwing on her behalf. She had not ever felt so uncomfortable in her life.

  Lady Ivy Winters always knew that this day was coming, it was one of those things that were inevitable. Being a Lady from a family with a well-respected name, she was always going to be expected to marry someone from a family with equal wealth and reputation, but at just turning twenty years of age, she felt much too young. She could not consider being a wife or a mother, nor could she imagine all the responsibilities that came with that.

  She was not. Her father had allowed her to put this off for much longer than other girls. Ivy’s two best friends, Elizabeth and Mary, had both been married for almost a year, but that did not make her feel any better. Elizabeth already thought that she might be with a child which was a terrifying prospect all on its own, and Mary was desperately unhappy with her much older husband, who she certainly did not love, nor really even like very much. Her story was enough to put Ivy off the idea for life. She did not want to be so sad.

  “Ah, Lady Ivy!” her father called out in his usual jolly tone. “There are some people you must meet.”

  He took her arm and guided his daughter around the room, introducing her to the most important people he felt were there. Lord Winters was extremely proud of his daughter; he felt like she was a testament to him, especially since her mother had died in childbirth with their youngest child, Ivy’s brother, Ewan. He had raised both of his children alone, with only the assistance of the nannies and the house staff while running a successful accounting business at the same time, and he was proud of how she had turned out. He was also well aware of her beauty, and he knew that the Winters’ name would mean a lot, so Lord Winters needed to ensure that the man she chose to marry was the right one. He thought that he had found him, too. A gentleman with the right title, a wonderful ambition, and a good fortune behind him. He would be able to take care of his little girl very successfully, giving her the life that she deserved. He had a grand home, a good business, and a staff of his own. He was perfect.

  “This is Duke Royce Merrick,” he said with great pride. “A gentleman who is very keen to meet you.”

  Lord Winters stepped backward to give the pair some space, and gave them both an expectant look. He had been thinking about this for a very long time and this was the best match he could think of. There was a lot riding on this, and he desperately wanted it to work. He wanted them to get along well, he did not want his daughter to end up married to someone that she did not like, but he needed her to be looked after, too.

  “Oh, I am pleased to meet you.” Ivy bobbed into a curtsy before she extended her hand for him to take, which Royce took and kissed gently, like any gentleman was supposed to do.

  “It is also wonderful to meet you,” he said in a smooth sounding voice. “You look lovely tonight.”

  Ivy felt flattered, the words that Royce spoke seemed genuine and pleasant to hear. She liked the way he looked as well, even if he appeared to be a little older than she would have liked. At a guess, Ivy would have put him at six and twenty years of age. He had dark hair and dark eyes and a friendly-looking smile. His stature was tall and muscular, which made her feel small and petite, prettier than she had all evening long. She smiled up at him through her eyelashes, wondering if it wouldn’t be so bad after all…

  Royce loved the way Ivy looked as well. Her pale blonde hair had been curled up into a complicated chignon on the top of her head, and her face looked a little heavy with makeup, but underneath all of that he could tell she was a real natural beauty, someone he very much wanted to impress.

  “You have a truly lovely home,” Royce told Ivy. “It is wonderful, I can tell that your father has worked hard.”

  Ivy darted her eyes towards her father and smiled. It did not escape her notice that her father had worked hard to give them the life they all had. She knew that it must have been hard for him to do it all alone. She could not remember her mother well, she had been only two years old when she died, but from what she had heard she was one of those women who could do it all effortlessly. She ran the household efficiently without even batting an eyelid. It must have been so hard for her father to take on all of those roles on top of his own.

  “Thank you very much, that is kind of you to say.”

  Lord Winters wanted to continue listening to the conversation to ensure that it all went to plan, but one of his business associates grabbed his attention and offered him a drink. He did not want to appear rude and refuse, so he attempted to do both. He tried to keep one ear out as he drank and talked.

  Ivy wished that she could have something more interesting to say to this mysterious Duke. She felt a little silly with Royce’s expectant eyes upon her. She could also tell that her father wanted her to make a good impression, which put more pressure on her shoulders to do well. Much as she did not want things to progress in the way that her father wanted, she did not want to let him down either.

  “It is lovely to have you here,” she eventually said quietly, cringing inside. “For everyone, I mean.”

  “It was not easy for me to get the time off work. I have a very successful shipping and trading business. It is one of those things that takes up all of my time, so yes, it is good that I managed to make it.”

  “That is wonderful news; it is not easy to make a success of shipping, is it?”

  Ivy simply wanted to show Royce that she was an intelligent woman. Just because she had spent most of her life stuck in the four walls of her home, not seeing much of the world, did not mean she was unaware of what was going on. Ever since she had learned to read, she had spent most of her life with her head in a book, learning as much as she possibly could. She felt very proud of herself for that, but Royce did not seem impressed.

  “It is not easy unless you know what you are doing,” he snapped back, almost angrily. “I have worked hard to get where I am today. I am not one of those people who inherited a successful company from my father.”

  Ivy stepped back inadvertently because Royce’s words seemed so filled with hatred. It could not have been with her, she had not done anything to upset him, but she felt the sting of his rage all the same.

  “Oh, I see…” She did not know what to say to him any longer. “I understand that.”

  All of the pleasant emotions that Ivy had been feeling upon first meeting Royce dissipated into nothing. She had almost allowed herself to open up and believe that it would not be so terrible to start considering the man, just at the moment he changed his attitude completely. As Ivy looked up at him, he did not look so friendly any longer.

  “Yes.” Royce nodded slowly, almost distractedly as he answered Ivy. “You understand. Right.”

  There was a patronizing tone as he spoke which only confirmed to Ivy that his being nice was all for a show. As soon as her father had moved away from the pair, Royce’s attitude had changed completely. He wanted to seem like a good man so that her
father might encourage her to wed him, but he did not care about her opinion. Most men were probably like that, but that did not mean Ivy had to accept it. She certainly did not have to pick a man to be her husband who would treat her in that way. If she was going to be forced into marriage, then she at least wanted it to be with a man worthy of her who would have some respect for her.

  Her expression glowered. Her father had told her not to let her fiery side out as the party progressed tonight, because it was not the right way to behave in public, but it was growing increasingly hard to do so. With this man and his arrogant attitude, all Ivy wanted to do was shoot a scathing remark at him. But she could not. She could not embarrass her father and do anything to ruin the family reputation. Reputation was vital in polite, high-class society. It took many years to build up and only a second to destroy. If Ivy did anything to ruin her father’s hard work, it would also affect his life negatively and her brother’s, too. She could not do that.

  With a deep breath, Ivy forced a small smile on her lips before making her excuses to leave.