Page 29 of Under the Seductive Ladys Charm
Graham went to the conservatory but found it empty. A search of the upstairs yielded no Miss Browne either. When he did not find her in the library either, Graham could only think of one other place she might be.
He made his way out to the garden. At first he saw nothing. But as he rounded a corner in the hedgerow he found Miss Browne with her head bent. He could tell she was crying and he frowned.
Graham had not intended to startle the woman, but the grass and her sobs must have disguised his approach because, as he came to stand beside her, she nearly tumbled off the stone bench at his sudden presence. “Still yourself, or you will surely cause grave injury,” Graham said as he held out his hands, unsure as to whether he should attempt to steady the woman.
Miss Browne looked up at him through watery eyes. There were phantoms in her eyes that Graham wished he could banish. If only he could have been there for her after her father died.
The blame was on his shoulders for that, but he would make it right. “Why are you crying?” His voice held more tenderness than he had intended. He did not know himself even capable of such voice yet there it was.
“They say there is someone for everyone, Lord Easterly, yet I do not know if that is true.” She wiped her eyes with her damp handkerchief.
Graham sat down on the bench beside her, not too close but near enough that he could speak softly. “The poets do seem inclined to believe that. I should like to hope that perhaps we are given more than one chance at such things.”
Miss Browne whispered, “You have your duchess, but what have I? I have no fortune and without that, it seems happiness cannot be bought.”
“I assure you, Miss Browne, that you are a splendidly attractive and personable young lady.” Graham gave her a smile. “I am certain that you would have no trouble finding a husband if indeed that is truly what you want.”
Miss Browne looked down at her hands. “I thought I wanted a path to independence, to my own future, but…” She looked up at him. “I find that the more I think of my future that I do not see myself alone. I want someone to share it with.”
“Then that is what you should have if it shall make you happy,” Graham said, as if that were perfectly simple. Really was it not?
Miss Browne shook her head at him. “You are kind, but I know nothing of society. I know nothing of how to make a match for myself aside from all of the worries of not having a dowry.”
Graham laughed. “Well, it happens that I was coming to find you to discuss something that might just help with your lack of knowledge on society.”
“If it is your sister scheming up a new persona for me, then I shall pass,” Miss Browne said with a firm resolve.
Graham chuckled. “Do I honestly strike you as the person who wants you to be like his sister? No, Miss Browne. What I wanted to discuss was that I sent a letter of recommendation to a Mrs. Lennox who had been looking for a governess. If she still needs one, and I am not certain of that, then she would likely take my recommendation seriously.”
Miss Browne stared at him with her large brown eyes. It took her a full minute before she responded to him. “I do not know what to say. That is beyond kind, Lord Easterly.”
“Well, truthfully I hold a lot of guilt that I was not there for you after your father died,” Graham admitted. “I am merely seeking to make up for my past mistakes and set things right as I should have done then.”
Miss Browne gave him a gentle smile. Her hands were clutched in front of her chest, holding her handkerchief as if it were very dear to her. “I do not throw my fortune at your feet, Lord Easterly. I had no idea that you thought it your fault. It is not.”
“That is endearing of you to say, but friends should look out for each other, and I am afraid my family failed in that.” Graham drew in a deep breath. “If it would put you at ease there is one more thing that I would like to do.” She eyed him curiously. “I wish to put forth dowry for you to give you the best possible outcome, no matter what you choose.”
Graham had not known what it was he expected, but suddenly Miss Browne was hugging him. Graham hugged the young lady back. They were friends and he knew the spirit in which she embraced him.
Her face was light with happiness as she drew back enough to smile at him. They pulled away from each other, lingering just within the embrace for a long moment. It might have been an eternity.
His eyes met her gaze and they stared at each other as if they were not quite sure what they wanted or what they were doing. What were they doing? Graham’s mind held no answers, but somewhere in her brown gaze there seemed to be something, if he could just grab onto it ...
It was with a suddenness that Graham realised his hand was still on her waist from their embrace. He pulled his hand away to preserve her virtue and innocence. It was at that moment that she looked away and Graham mourned the loss of that contact more than any embrace.
Graham felt as if he should say something. “I promise you, Miss Browne, I will always act in your best interests,” he whispered. She still kept her eyes averted from him and Graham left her to her thoughts, even if he could not decipher his own.
*
She sat for a long moment after Lord Easterly had left. She did not know what to do, but she felt as if she should apologise. If only she had not done something so foolish.
What had possessed her to think she had the right to embrace him like that? He was an earl and far beyond her station. How often had Katrina taunted her for trying to be more than she was? Perhaps there was some truth in it.
Charlotte got up finally and made her way inside. When she was finally sequestered in her room she thought back to his grey-laced blue eyes and how they had searched her gaze. What had he been looking for? Had he found it?
She was left feeling raw and exposed. The day had been too much for her. She lay down on her bed and willed the day to be over with.
Perhaps if she went to sleep no one would wake her. How lovely that would be? The fact was that Katrina or Amanda would inevitably come to wake her.
