Page 14 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
“Can we invite Flossy too?” Lady Beatrice asked faintly. “She will be upset if teddy has a picnic without her.”
Alice knew Flossy was a tattered rag doll that Lady Beatrice had owned since her crib. She clung to the doll whenever she was upset, so they had never taken it away from her.
“I think that is permissible. Do you not agree, Nanny?” Alice said with a smile as Betsy played along with the game.
The next problem showed itself as they put the food back in the basket, and Lord Jacob began howling. He didn’t understand why they were taking the food away, calling out that he was hungry. Alice gave the basket to Betsy to carry while she huddled the crying little boy, carrying him to the nursery.
Taking the children back indoors, Alice felt annoyed at herself for not standing up to Lady Davina. But in truth, she could have done nothing about it anyway. The children’s aunt was to be obeyed, being far above a governess’s station in life. Alice knew all too well that one must never disobey one’s betters.
She’d been lucky to be employed by such a lovely family, having heard terrible stories of other governesses who hadn’t been so fortunate. Now, she was beginning to understand what it meant to be working for someone unkind.
While the new duke showed himself as a caring gentleman, it was not Alice’s place to question instructions from any family member. If anything, she was starting to wonder if the duke’s intentions might not be good either.
Have I misread him?she pondered as she took the children indoors.
Yet, what could she do? These were the children’s only living relatives, and it was her job to educate and not mollycoddle them. But she loved them so very much, and while she had that job, she would care for them the best she could.
Settling the little ones onto the nursery floor with their pretend picnic, Alice struggled to keep her annoyance at bay. She took Betsy aside as the children ate their food, surrounded by teddies and dolls.
“Do you ever recall Lady Davina visiting the estate before?” she asked the nanny.
Betsy shook her head in reply. “As a child, she occasionally visited the nursery to be a companion for the young lords.”
“So when did their mother pass?’ Alice queried.
She could see Betsy was thinking hard as she spoke. “Lady Felicity was a kindly soul. But she, too, was much younger than the old duke. She adored her sons and the duke too. It was a sad day when she caught that cholera. They say she got it on a trip overseas.”
They went to sit down on the easy chairs provided for them as they watched the children.
“We all believed the duke went on to marry the French woman so the boys would have a mother. Her having a child already and all that. But not long after they wed, we didn’t see much more of the mother or child again. As I recall it anyway, they went to live in the London townhouse. I don’t be remembering why, but there’d been a falling out of some sort.”
“Oh dear, so the marriage was not a good one then?” Alice asked. “And the child was not raised with her stepbrothers?”
“The housekeeper will likely remember more about it all than me. When the old duke passed and the boys they be much older, there was another falling out with the dowager duchess. This time it was with the new duke and heir, Lord Robert Tilbury. I’m thinking he gave her what for, now that he was all grown up and all that.”
“Miss Alice, teddy is very hungry,” Lady Beatrice called over, giggling at the antics of her teddy.
“Tell him that Lady Beatrice needs to eat her bread and cheese too,” Alice replied, pleased that Lady Beatrice had put all the upset behind her.
“So, Lady Davina’s mother was indeed French?” Alice mumbled to herself, though more confirming things in her mind.
“I can tell you something, though, Miss Alice. None of the maids are over-fond of this Lady Davina Katz,” Betsy confirmed with a frown. “She be insulting them all the time, and they not be used to being spoken to like that. The late duke and his wife were kind souls. As Lord Phillip be too.”
“Lady Beatrice, take that wooden soldier from your brother’s mouth if you please,” Alice called to the little girl. She knew that Lord Jacob was still of an age whereby everything went into his mouth.
“Silly Jacob,” Lady Beatrice called out, grabbing the wooden toy from her brother and throwing it away at some distance.
“I begs you not to let Lady Davina know that you teaches me my letters, Miss Alice,” Betsy said, and Alice could sense the worry in her voice. “She might send me packing, so cruel she is.”
“I have told you before, Betsy. No one will ever know our secret unless you tell them, so do not fret over that,” Alice reassured her friend.
“She be so unpleasant that everyone frets when they sees her coming,” Betsy said with fearful laughter.
“Yes, it seems that we must all learn to put up with her ways.” Alice nodded, but it worried her. “I fear that she may be here to stay.”
Chapter 8
Following dinner, Phillip visited the nursery that night, hoping to see the children. As he arrived in the dimly lit room, he could see it was empty. Turning to leave, Miss Alice was coming in the other direction, and he couldn’t stop himself from bumping into her.
