by Jane Charles
Ruined
(To Love a Governess Regency Short Story)
By
Jane Charles
The characters, places and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Ruined
Copyright © 2011 by Jane Charles
Cover by Lily Smith
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.
Chapter 1
Edinburgh, Scotland
Audrey Rutledge paced in the front sitting room of the Downing Employment Services, her nerves taut and stomach in knots. She glanced around the room tastefully decorated in peaches, muted green and cream. She hadn’t known what to expect of an employment agency, but a well-maintained household was not it. Even the servants were no different than one would come across in a proper household owned by anyone in society.
“Mrs. Downing will see you now.”
Audrey took a deep breath and stepped forward to follow the butler. He led her to an office at the end of the hall. Audrey entered the warm room, decorated in lavender and cream. Mrs. Downey sat behind a delicate cherry wood desk and motioned her to the chair. It was hard to determine her age, but she must have been in her thirties or maybe forties. The only hint of her being older were the lines at the corners of her pale blue eyes and at the corners of her mouth. The rest of her skin was as smooth as a debutante’s. There wasn’t even a hint of white in her dark brown hair.
Audrey grasped her reticule tightly and settled into a carved, wooden chair before her future employer. If the woman would have her, of course. She kept her posture erect, shoulders back, chin straight and level.
“Roseanna has written of your situation.”
Audrey nodded. She had met Roseanna when she’d attempted to become an actress. Audrey quickly learned she did not have the talent for the stage, or the nerve. Roseanna had suggested the Downing Employment Agency because it would allow Audrey to leave London and start afresh.
“What type of position most interests you?” The woman arched an eyebrow and her light colored eyes speared Audrey, as if trying to see into her soul.
“Governess,” Audrey answered without thought.
Mrs. Downing pushed the papers together in a stack and set them aside. “The ladies we place in homes as governesses and companions must be virtuous. I understand there are some who have found their way here due to unpleasant circumstances. However, I still strive to find employment for those who remain above reproach, regardless of a fallen status. A young woman who wishes to practice flirtations and attract gentlemen need find employment somewhere else.”
“I understand. I promise all I want to do is work in a household teaching children.”
“Ages? Gender?”
“I’d prefer to teach younger children, those without older brothers.”
A smile pulled at Mrs. Downing’s lips. “I understand that is how you lost your last position.”
Audrey’s face heated and she nodded.
“Roseanna explained.”
Thanks goodness; Audrey did not want to repeat that experience again.
“If I place you in a home and there is a similar circumstance, report it to me before anyone else. I will not see you harmed, nor will I place another young woman in such a household.”
Audrey inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. There was finally someone who could help protect her, and others. “I am ruined in London because of that incident, and because of my father. Am I not ruined in Scotland?”
Mrs. Downing laughed. “Many families from here don’t venture to London—or do so rarely. If you are recognized, the parents will have the option of hiring you or not.” She picked up a stack of papers and rifled through them before she looked back up at Audrey. “I am sorry but we do not have any governess positions available.”
Her heart sank and Mrs. Downing went back to reviewing the documents.
“I am afraid at the moment we only have maid, nurse—” Mrs. Downing glanced up. “They wish for someone much older. There is also seamstress.”
“I suppose I could be a maid.” If it was her only chance at employment she would take it.
“Not a seamstress?” Mrs. Downy quirked an eyebrow.
Audrey cringed. “I can’t sew. I can’t even do needlework.”
“Yet you wish to be a governess?”
“I’d hoped to get around that one small issue.”
Audrey held her breath and waited for Mrs. Downing to dismiss her. What kind of governess could not teach needlework?
Instead she laughed and put the papers aside. “I don’t have the patience for needlework, either. And, you are not suited to be a maid. We will simply have to wait for a position.”
Alarm shot through Audrey, causing her to lurch forward in her chair. “I can’t wait. I am out of funds and have no place to stay.” Tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She traveled all this way, hoping and praying that she could find a job, and there wasn’t one to be had. “Is there another employment agency I could go to?”
Mrs. Downing relaxed back in her chair. “Please, calm down. I am not about to turn you out.”
Audrey took a deep breath. She out to work better on controlling her outbursts.
“You will be a valuable employee to someone. We just need to wait for them to make the request. In the meantime, I have rooms above-stairs, which young women share until they find a position.”
“That is very generous, Mrs. Downing.”
“I do what I can to help.” Her smile was gentle and warm.
“May I ask why, if I am not being too intrusive, the agencies in London do not take such an interest?”
“I found myself in your position a long time ago and I do not want to see other young ladies forced into unpleasant situations.”
* * *
Lord Alec Winters stomped into his library after visiting his cousin and slammed the door behind him. “He promised.” He threw his riding gloves on the forest green settee without a care.
James Jordan pulled away from the fireplace mantel he had been leaning against and wandered over. “Who promised what?”
Alec looked up at his closest friend since Eton, surprised to find him here. “My cousin, Fairfield, had promised to return to London for the Season.”
“But?” James took a sip of the wine cradled in his left hand.
“He still has not found a governess for the girls so he doesn’t know how he can manage to assist me.” Alec marched over to the sideboard and poured himself a glass of brandy. “What is wrong with the bloody nurse?”
“I thought he had a governess.” James lounged back against the desk and crossed one foot over the other.
“He married her,” Alec snapped. “The next one he hired married before she could even begin her duties.”
“I don’t know why you need Fairfield’s assistance to begin with. You have me.”
Alec looked up over the rim of his glass. He trusted James when it came to horseflesh or gaming hells, but never concerning ladies. “I am looking for a wife, not a doxy.”
James laughed, not the slightest bit insulted. “I’ve always thought a doxy would make a better wife than any well-bred lady of the ton. At least they know how to pleasure a man.”
“So would a wife, if her husband bothered to have a care for her.”
James snorted before he took a deep drink. He drained the contents of his glass an
d placed it on the desk. “You are set that marriage is something you must do?”
“It is.” It was time, he knew it was time, and he wanted it to be time. He was tired of enduring Season after Season and not finding a lady he wished to marry. Alec had hoped to find love, but there had only been one glimmer of hope, last year. But the lady was already betrothed, and then she disappeared.
Why lie to himself? It was more than a glimmer. She was the one he’d wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And even though he could not have her, Alec tried to be as close to her as he could. He danced with her as often as possible, but not so much as to bring attention. There were even shared kisses, passionate kisses in the darkness of gardens that led to intimacies he had no right to take. Her father chose her betrothed and they were helpless to change anything. All other ladies paled in comparison, so he was now resigned to make the best match he could and hope for happiness. He just wished he’d had a chance to experience the obvious affection Fairfield and his wife felt for each other.
“Why do you need Fairfield anyway?”
“My cousin is the best judge of character of anyone I know. I would like the benefit of his advice and opinion before I make a decision that will affect the rest of my life.”
James straightened from the desk and picked up his glass. “What if you found him a governess, then he could come to London.” He strolled to where Alec stood and poured brandy into his goblet.
Alec crossed to a leather chair in front of the fire and sank down into it. “I wouldn’t even know how to go about such a task.”
James settled into the opposite seat and stared into the fire. A sly smile came to his lips before he focused on Alec. “I know exactly how to go about finding a governess.”
Alec narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “I have no doubt as to your abilities when it comes to actresses, willing maids or courtesans. I do doubt your ability to secure a proper and virtuous governess.”
James brought a hand to his chest in mock insult. “I will have you know that there is an employment agency in Edinburgh that caters to these situations.”
Alec sat up. “Employment agency?”
“Yes.” James swiveled in his seat to face Alec more fully. “A friend of my mother’s opened it years ago to help young ladies—well-bred ladies— find positions.”
“Why would such paragons need to find employment?” He knew James well enough to be suspicious of any plan he hatched.
“Young women, sometimes ladies even, left destitute by family, no dowry, lower rankings, and such. Without my aunt they would have nowhere to go.”
Alec sat forward. “Why haven’t I have heard of it?”
James laughed. “When was the last time you were in Edinburgh?”
It had to be at least three years since he had been north. There really was no reason why he shouldn’t though. Edinburgh was much closer to Willanton than London.
“And,” James continued, “even if you had been there, why would you have concerned yourself with an employment agency?”
Alec took a sip of his brandy. There was truth in his statement. “I shall send a note to Fairfield.”
James sat forward again. “Don’t.”
Alec snorted and took a drink of his brandy. There probably was no employment agency, just another of James’s schemes.
“I don’t think your cousin wishes to go to London at all. He’ll just keep coming up with excuses.”
Alec suspected as much himself.
“When you show up on his doorstep with the perfect governess he will have no more excuses.”
Alec nodded. “I think I shall visit Edinburgh.”
James grinned. “Excellent plan. So glad I stopped by.”
“Why are you here, James?” He hadn’t seen James since he left London a few months back.
“I am actually on my way to Edinburgh and hoped to talk you into going along.”
“Why?”
James sighed as if the weight of the world was on him. “You left London five months ago, and I know you don’t dally with your maids, so I thought to make sure you enjoy yourself one last time before you become leg shackled.”
Though he hated to admit it, James was right. It had been months since he enjoyed the intimate company of a woman. Traveling to Edinburgh would serve two purposes. “I’ll be able to leave in a few weeks, if you can wait that long.”
James made a face. “I’ll go on ahead. I am not the type to resuscitate in the country while you do, well, whatever it is you do.” He gestured around the room.
“It is called running an estate.”
Chapter 2
Alec settled into the chair before Mrs. Downey’s desk. He wanted the interview behind him. He simply wanted to hire a governess and be on his way. He arrived in Edinburgh only three days ago and was already desperate to return home.
While James enjoyed himself immensely, Alec couldn’t find the same enthusiasm for the city. Nor did he have any desire to take part in any of the planned activities. He simply wanted to be with a lady with whom he could share a future.
James didn’t understand. He went from one lightskirt to another and Alec was hard pressed to explain why he had no wish to do the same. Alec wasn’t even sure he understood it himself. In the past, he and James had been of a same mind. But not after last Season. Damn! What if he didn’t find a lady in London? Was he doomed to live as a monk for the rest of his life?
“We only consider employers on the recommendation of others,” Mrs. Downing began. “Lord James spoke highly of your character, and that of Lord Fairfield and his wife, when he called on me yesterday.”
“Of course,” Alec assured her. He hadn’t really interviewed and hired anyone before. All of the servants in his household had been retained by his mother or father before their deaths and he’d found no reason to replace anyone. Still, he was surprised Mrs. Downey was so particular. Maybe it was because the ladies came from good families instead of the working class. Mentally he shrugged. As long as he retained a governess for Fairfield it didn’t really matter what she asked him.
She placed a sheet of paper before her and dipped her quill in the ink. “I understand you wish to hire a governess?” An eyebrow rose with her question as if there was more to being a governess than teaching small children.
“Yes.” Since James had already spoken with the woman, Alec didn’t feel the need to elaborate more.
“Is there an age you prefer?”
He hadn’t given it much consideration, but the girls were young and it wouldn’t do to have a cranky older woman. “Early twenties, I suppose. With a pleasant disposition. Not someone who will be cross or short on patience.”
“What if the young lady has little experience? Would you see this as a hindrance?” Mrs. Downey laid the quill on the desk. “Her education has not been lacking. Of that I can assure you. She is prepared for anything that may be required of her.”
Most ladies of society were well educated and all they needed to teach was what they’d learned themselves. It wasn’t as if Fairfield’s chits were all that old. “I shall trust that you can vouch for her knowledge.”
Mrs. Downy smiled. “If this young lady accepts the position.”
“Shouldn’t I meet her first?” Alec interrupted.
“In a moment. We have a few more questions.”
“I am not sure I understand.”
Mrs. Downey leaned forward and folded her hands on the desk. “Lord Winters, I run an exclusive establishment. I do not allow young ladies to be hired and sent off just anywhere. As much as you are concerned with your needs at the moment, I am just as concerned with what will happen to the ladies when they leave here.”
Did all employers take such an interest in their employees?
“How will she be treated?”
It was an odd question in regard to a governess. But, knowing his cousin and his wife, the governess would want for nothing. He knew of no household who spoiled their servants more. “Any need she
has will be met and I imagine she would be quite happy with the arrangement. Fairfield treats his servants almost as if they were family.”
Mrs. Downy smiled. “Very well. I will ring for Miss Rutledge.”
His heart seized at the name. Could his Miss Rutledge have found her way here? No. Impossible. Besides, there had to be several Miss Rutledge’s out there. He paced in the office for a few moments before Mrs. Downey returned with the woman who captured his heart last Season. What was Miss Rutledge doing here, of all places?
He knew the answer before he could finish his own question. Miss Rutledge had been betrothed to Herbert Vickery, future earl and reprobate, who publicly humiliated her when he ended their betrothal because he would not be associated with a family such as hers. She was lucky to have escaped being married to that gentleman. On top of it all, her father had disappeared, leaving Miss Rutledge to face society on her own without a shilling to her name. She was gone before he could help her.
No wonder she came here to find employment. Miss Rutledge was ruined in London, which was entirely unfair. She was simply a victim of circumstances. She would also be perfect for the Fairfield children. Perfect for him.
Miss Rutledge offered a quick curtsey. “Lord Winters.”
“Miss Rutledge, it is lovely to see you again.” She looked more beautiful than the last time he’d seen her in London. Her hair was just as golden and her eyes, still the deepest, richest brown. Why couldn’t he have met her before Vickery? If all had gone well, she would have been betrothed to him instead of that scoundrel. He wouldn’t have cried off because of her father. In all likelihood, they would have been married.
“The two of you know each other?” Mrs. Downey questioned.
“I had the honor of dancing with Miss Rutledge last Season.”
“Do you approve of Miss Rutledge for the position or would you like me to find someone else?”
Miss Rutledge’s eyes darted between Mrs. Downey and Alec. Her teeth worried her bottom lip. The poor thing probably feared not obtaining the position because of her past. Or maybe because of what they’d once shared. Fairfield knew nothing of the woman’s circumstances, and why should Miss Rutledge be made to suffer any further because of her father? If only she hadn’t run off. But now was the perfect time to rectify the matter. Either Fairfield would end up with a governess or Alec would find the lady who would make his life complete. Only time would tell.