Page 14 of The Trouble With Her Duke
Given how the Golden Duchesses had sprung the news on her and given Lydia’s initial impression of the duke, she couldn’t help feeling a tad apprehensive about the prospect of working for him. But since meeting Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins and touring the home, she was feeling good about accepting the governess post.
It touched Lydia that the couple had revealed so much about the duke and his children. The butler and housekeeper had been completely forthright. Considering the number of governesses who’d come and gone, perhaps they had not been as forthcoming in the past. She wondered if this was a new tactic—forewarned is forearmed. Nor could she help but wonder about the duke himself. Few men make their children a top priority.
After spending a pleasant morning with Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, Lydia returned to the duchess’s townhouse. As she made her way to the entrance, she noticed a short and bespectacled gentleman alight from a small black carriage and walk toward her with a determined stride.
“Excuse me, is this where Miss Hammond lives?” the older man asked, removing his hat.
“It is,” Lydia said, curious who the man was. “I am Miss Hammond. May I help you?”
“Yes. I have a matter to discuss with you.”
Lydia nodded and opened the door. “Please come in,” she said, gesturing for the man to follow.
The bespectacled man nodded and smiled.
“Good afternoon, Charles,” Lydia said, greeting the butler as he approached.
“Good afternoon, Miss Hammond.” The butler smiled at Lydia and turned to the gentleman hovering near the door. In a smooth voice, he asked, “May I be of help, sir?”
“My name is Nile. Steven Nile. I am here to see Miss Hammond,” the gentleman replied with a polite nod in Lydia’s direction. He withdrew a small brown velvet bag from inside his coat and handed it to her. “The Duke of Danforth asked that I return this to you as soon as I completed its repair.”
Lydia closed her fingers over the small sack, feeling the familiar shape of her beloved grandfather’s watch. The duke had had it fixed, just as he promised. “Thank you, Mr. Nile. Thank you so much,” she said. A small part of her had wondered if she’d lay eyes on the beloved timepiece ever again, let alone see it intact. She gave a slight shake of her head and, in doing so, must have conveyed her unspoken thoughts to the jeweler.
“Miss Hammond, may I say that I am fortunate to be His Grace’s jeweler, as fortunate as I was to have worked for his father for many years? In my experience, the late Duke of Danforth was a man of his word, and so is His Grace.”
“Thank you, Mr. Nile, for the swift repair of my grandfather’s watch and for delivering it to me in person,” Lydia said, moved by the jeweler’s sincerity.
“You are most welcome,” Mr. Nile replied. “If you have further need of anything, please contact me.”
Lydia smiled. “I will do that.”
“Good day, Miss Hammond.” The man put his hat back on and tipped it at Lydia.
“Good day, Mr. Nile,” Lydia replied.
The jeweler pivoted to the entrance where Charles was standing patiently, holding the front door open. With a nod to Charles, the jeweler left, hastening down the lane to his carriage.
“Her Grace asked that you join her in the parlor for afternoon tea,” Charles said.
“Thank you, Charles. Please let the dowager know I will join her presently. I’d like to freshen up. It’s been a long morning.”
“Very good, Miss Hammond.”
Lydia climbed the stairs to her room and closed the door behind her. Leaning against the solid wood frame, she closed her eyes and reflected on the life-changing events of the past few days. The duke’s handsome face floated in her mind’s eye, and she heaved a deep sigh as she pictured his emerald-green eyes and that appealing dimple that appeared when he flashed his charming smile.
How quickly everything can change.
She’d gone from arguing with the duke on the street in broad daylight, disparaging him to his face, and hoping never to set eyes on him again, to learning that within a few weeks he would most likely be her new employer, discovering his devotion to his children, and witnessing the admiration and respect that Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins had for him, not to mention the jeweler, Mr. Nile.
Her thoughts awhirl, she walked to her bed and sat on the sleek, blue satin counterpane. With trembling fingers, she opened the velvet bag and withdrew the timepiece. A gasp escaped her as she beheld her grandfather’s precious watch. It was as though it had never been broken. It looked practically brand new. Mr. Nile had done a remarkable job repairing the glass and buffing out the nicks and scratches on the watch’s surface. Clicking it open, her vision blurred with tears as she read the familiar heartfelt inscription.
Time spent on what makes your heart sing is never wasted.
Oh, how I wish you were still here, Grandfather. Her grandfather had always understood her—and had always encouraged her to follow her heart. Clicking the watch closed, she tucked it back into the velvet sack and placed it in her reticule. She wondered if the Duke of Danforth had read it. He didn’t see me for who I am, she reminded herself. Once we parted company, I doubt he gave the incident much thought.
She wondered what her grandfather would have said about her change of vocation. In a few weeks, Lydia was to be a governess to twins. According to Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, those two rascals had run off six governesses in less than two years.
Her lips twitched as she thought about her new position and how she would manage Michael and Amanda. The duke’s children sounded like her brothers when they were growing up, and the tactics they’d used against her when they didn’t want her tagging along with them and their friends. They’d handled every small reptile and rodent known to man . . . and so had Lydia. Thanks to her brothers’ tutelage, very little made Lydia squeamish.
