Page 35 of From Rakes to Riches

She was doused in drinking chocolate with shattered bits of porcelain tangled in the hems of her skirts, and she thought this was about thecat? Was the woman mad, or merely dull-witted?

But the cat hadn’t helped matters. There was only one circumstance under which a man appreciated claws in his back, and this wasnotit. He eyed the furry gray menace, who was still glaring at him from the safety of Miss Templeton’s arms. “I’m dismissing you, Miss Templeton, because it’s obvious to me you aren’t suited to act as governess for two energetic young boys.”

For one glorious moment she was rendered speechless, but she regained the power of her tongue before he had a chance to relish it. “May I ask, Lord Hawke, how you came to the conclusion that I can’t properly care for your sons?”

How? Surely, that must be obvious? “I arrived home less than two hours ago, Miss Templeton. In that time, you’ve abused my tree, reduced my porcelain to a powder, and now you’resprawled at the bottom of my staircase in a puddle of drinking chocolate. Are you somehow under the impression you’ve presented yourself favorably? On the contrary, it’s abundantly clear to me you aren’t proper for this post.”

Though to her credit, shehadlasted much longer than the six previous governesses who’d held it prior to her arrival. His boys were high-spirited, or perhaps boisterous was a better word, or…oh, for God’s sake, very well, then. They were rowdy, wild imps, their natural exuberance gone feral from a succession of spineless governesses who let them do as they pleased.

“Not qualified!” Her brows lowered, and her eyes darkened with such fury for a moment he thought she’d hurl her attack kitten at his head. “I beg your pardon, my lord, but as you said, you’ve only just returned home. I grant you we’ve had a few, er…unfortunate mishaps this morning, but it hardly seems fair for you to assess my fitness as governess based on those events alone.”

He didn’t give a bloody damn whether it was fair or not. He was theearl, and he didn’t need any reason at all to dismiss her. “I think it’s perfectly fair, Miss Templeton, and as I’m the earl, my opinion is the only one that matters.”

Angry color surged into her cheeks. “And your sons, Lord Hawke? What of them? Does their welfare matter? Are their best interests of any concern to you at all, or?—”

“You needn’t trouble yourself with my sons’ welfare any longer, Miss Templeton. I assure you they’ll be properly cared for. My decision is final. Once you’ve gathered your things, a servant will take you to Steeple Barton to catch the mail coach.”

She raised her chin with far more dignity than a lady who’d fallen on her arse had any right to command, shook the loose bits of porcelain from her skirts, and offered him a glare that could have drawn blood from a stone. “You’re making a mistake,Lord Hawke, but I can see it’s pointless to argue with you. I’ll be ready to leave within the?—”

“Noooo!”

The shout came from Etienne, spilling from his lips like a thunderclap. It bounced off the timbered ceilings and hit Adrian’s eardrums with the force of a blow. “God in heaven, Etienne! What?—”

“No, no, no!” Etienne had clambered to his feet and was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his arms rigid at his sides and his small body shaking, his head thrown back and a howl of pure fury on his lips. “No!”

Adrian stared at the boy, shocked. “Etienne, what the devil is the?—”

“I don’twantMiss Templeton to go away!” Etienne’s face was scarlet, tears streaming down his cheeks. “You can’t make her go!”

“We’ll discuss it later, Etienne, after?—”

He was cut off by a deafening crash, and whirled around to find his namesake and heir had snatched up the silver chocolate pot and hurled it at the wall with all the strength in his six-year-old body. The dented pot hit the floor and tumbled down the last few steps, chocolate dripping from the spout.

Ryan dove for one of the larger bits of broken porcelain, no doubt intending to send it the way of the chocolate pot, but Adrian shot forward, stumbling over the mess on the floor, and seized Ryan around his middle before he could cut his hands on the sharp edges. “No, Ryan! Don’t touch that!” He held the boy’s arms to his side. “Stop this at once!”

But Ryan was well past the point of stopping. He raged like a wild thing, heaving and thrashing in Adrian’s arms, kicking his legs and twisting like an eel in his effort to be free. “No! Let me go! I don’t wantyou, I want Miss Templeton, and now you’re sending her away, and we’ll be all alone again!”

Adrian stared down at his son’s red, twisted face, frozen with shock. Never before, notoncehad his boys shown the least loyalty to any of their previous governesses. On the contrary, they’d driven them off one after the next with their mad antics, but now they were ready to tear the house apart in defense of Miss Templeton?

He whirled around to face her, but she didn’t spare him a glance. She’d taken Etienne into her arms and was murmuring to him, smoothing his hair as he sobbed against her shoulder.

“Let me go!” Ryan screamed. “You’reneverhome, and now you’ve come and ruinedeverything! I hate?—”

“That’s enough, Ryan.” Miss Templeton’s calm voice cut through Ryan’s hysterical shrieking. “I know you’re very angry right now, but you may not speak to your father that way. Now, take a deep breath, and beg his pardon.”

Adrian waited for another shriek of fury in response to this command, but somehow Miss Templeton’s quiet voice pierced the bubble of Ryan’s frenzy, and all the fight drained out of him. His body went limp, his thin shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry, papa,” he mumbled, wiping an arm over his eyes.

“I…it’s…” What? He hadn’t the vaguest idea what to say, or how to make sense of what had just happened, so he said only, “Miss Templeton, I would appreciate it if you would take the boys upstairs to their bedchamber.”

She cast him a flinty look, but she did as he bid her, taking each of the boys’ hands in hers and disappearing up the stairs without a word.

He turned on his heel, strode to his study and closed the door behind him.

What had just happened?

He was shaking as he reached for the crystal decanter and glass Mrs. Norris had left on the sideboard, poured himself ameasure of brandy, then dropped into the chair behind his desk and let his head fall into his hands.

Pain throbbed in his temples, his eyeballs were sticky with grit, he needed a bath in the worst way, and there was hardly enough brandy left in the decanter to get him through the rest of the morning.

---