Page 74 of Indecently Employed
Susanna couldn’t have been happier.
They allowed themselves one more day to sightsee and enjoy the beach, and one more night to enjoy each other, before encumbering themselves with the realities of day-to-day life and the onerous task of informing their families.
The last thing they did before leaving town was pay a visit to the local jewelry shop. There Susanna selected a humble gold band, despite Ajax’s furious protestations and demands that the harried jeweler bring out more and better baubles, for something was sure to catch her eye.
They returned to a much quieter Elverton Bridge than the one she’d left, for Mrs. Hartley and her son, Mr. Hartley, had goneback to London along with Tiberius, who was now Susanna’s brother-in-law. She certainly did not mind this, for as she admitted to herself with some embarrassment, she was relieved to not have to stand before any more Sedleys as a newly minted Mrs. Sedley in her one good dress.
Mrs. Rickard had shot to her feet with a gasp, flitting her hands about her face as she chastised Ajax, claiming she hadn’t truly believed him until that moment. Mr. Rickard reached up to give her hand a brief squeeze, then returned to whatever pamphlet it was he had been reading.
Charlotte stepped forward and crossed her arms. Her giant, dark eyes were pools of black incredulity, with which she studied both of them without a word. Susanna felt Ajax shift next to her, his grip on her arm growing ever tighter.
At last, the girl nodded. “I see.”
Ajax scoffed, and Susanna placed a hand on his, fearing he might lose his composure. His daughter always seemed to have that effect on him.
“Did you not wonder—” he started, only to be cut off by Charlotte’s half-shrug.
“I did not care,” Charlotte said, then turned to leave the drawing room. But she halted at the door and looked back, one eyebrow arched. “Only… shall I have a new governess now?”
Ajax turned toward Susanna, the same question on his face. She cleared her throat, unsure of the answer. She cast about the room. Mrs. Rickard gave nothing away, watching them both with her hands clasped against her chest, eyes wide. Mr. Rickard was turned away toward the wall, wholly indifferent.
“I suppose it wouldn’t be completely without precedent if I continued with your education,” she started, but then Charlotte left quite rudely, before she could finish her statement about how it would be considered outside the bounds of propriety.Susanna didn’t let it bother her; she set it aside, still consumed with the joy she felt. She had finally found where she belonged.
And when they pulled into the drive at Gallox Castle several days later, it felt like home. Her home.
Mrs. Nathan barely flinched at the news, allowing only the hint of a smug grin. Gideon’s face broke into a wide, charming smile that matched his effusiveness, reaching for Ajax’s hand and shaking it vigorously. To Susanna, he clasped her hand in both of his, leaning in to place a congratulatory peck on her cheek.
Charlotte remained her usual self, present but still far away, her eyes always searching, roving, picking up nuance and suggestion where others saw nothing. But Susanna began to worry. Charlotte’s comportment had been off, in small ways here and there, and it seemed as though most of the progress Susanna had made with the girl had evaporated, dissipating further into the ether the more she reached for and tried to recapture it. From the moment Susanna and Ajax had announced their marriage upon their return to Elverton Bridge, Charlotte had been different. It was as if she didn’t approve of their union, but she refused to say why, or indeed anything else about the matter at all. She was simply more withdrawn, and less responsive, than she had been prior to the events that had transpired in Surrey and Dorset.
The idea of taking on the mantle of stepmother made Susanna blanch. Everything that had happened since Ajax had taken her from Deverill Green had been perfect, like a dream. But she had never before considered herself as a mother, and she now found herself thrust into the role, despite both her and her new stepdaughter’s trepidation.
Privately, Susanna wondered if she was the one Charlotte had a problem with. But she dared not take the matter to Ajax, not wanting to needlessly upset him. After considering her options,she decided on a direct approach, and set out to ride with Charlotte one afternoon.
They had ridden together in a tense silence for nearly a quarter of an hour when Susanna finally spoke of something other than the weather.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation today.” Although Susanna stared straight ahead, she could practically feel the disinterest emanating from Charlotte in waves.
“Of course,” the girl replied blandly, stretching the words out to fit around her yawn.
“I wanted to let you know that I’ve had a long think on it, and I don’t believe I shall be able to continue as your governess.”
Silence followed, and after several seconds she looked over to Charlotte, only to find she was no longer alongside her. Susanna glanced over her shoulder and spotted her several paces behind, gripping the reins and keeping her mount rooted in place.
Oh dear. Susanna had expected a negative reaction, but one in which Charlotte remained characteristically aloof. This was not like her. With some coaxing, Susanna managed to turn Mercury around, though the sorrel was not pleased about it and whickered in protest.
“Come now,” she called out as she approached Charlotte and her blank stare. “Would it truly be such a bad thing?”
“No,” Charlotte replied, her face still inscrutable.
“Well, what then? I am still very fond of you. We’ll still see each other every day, as often as you like.” Susanna felt a stab of fear, a worry that perhaps Charlotte’s feelings ran to the contrary; perhaps she wouldn’t want to see her at all. Charlotte’s hand rested on the pommel of her saddle, and Susanna placed her own comforting hand atop it.
Charlotte stared at Susanna’s hand on hers for a moment before ushering her horse on.
Susanna sighed. With even more difficulty than the first time, she turned Mercury back in their original direction once more. Her heart ached for the girl, despite the coarseness of her behavior. She’d been through upheaval after upheaval in a short period of time, and here Susanna was, effectively abandoning her just as she’d abandoned Lady Matilda earlier that autumn.
When she finally caught up, Charlotte spoke first, asking, “Has he put you up to this?”
“I beg your pardon?”
