Page 25 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
“I ... I don’t understand it, Lord Phillip; it all seems so very extraordinary,” William mumbled.
“It is only what I would have expected, Phillip,” Lady Davina snapped, showing her differing opinion to the butler’s. “We have just this minute discovered a missing item in a cupboard in the nursery. Which can only mean that either your nursemaid or your governess is stealing from you.”
“That cannot be true!” Mr Eli called out, as he too was unwilling to believe it.
“A thief will do all they can to mislead those around them, which is why I believe it to be Miss Evans,” Lady Davina announced. “She would never have imagined we would search the nursery, and we would not have done had I not been so suspicious of the woman already.”
“That is enough, Davina!” Phillip said with force, putting an end to her accusations. “I will be the one to decide on who is guilty. You are not in my home to go around accusing my employees of anything. Do you understand?”
Lady Davina looked shocked, taken aback by his warning. “Phillip, you must listen to my advice. I assure you that I have your best interests at heart. I care only about you; can you not see that?”
“Regardless, Davina, I will speak to the governess and the nanny,” he said, getting up to leave the room and be done with her confrontation. “And you will do nothing more.”
“But you have a thief in your home!” she called out, unwilling to let it go.
“If there is a thief among us, why would it be two long-serving employees? he snapped back at her. “Both of which have lived at Haroth Hall for years. Now please, stand down. I will hear no more of your accusations.”
With that, he glanced at Mr Eli and William, both showing worry on their faces, and he marched from the room. He felt annoyed, angry, and fed up with Lady Davina and her pushy ways. But right now, he needed to get to Miss Alice. Dread hit the pit of his stomach as he could see the nursery door. What must have happened in that room earlier, he didn’t want to think about.
Putting his ear to the door, he listened for the children, but all was quiet. Though he could hear something, it didn’t sound like the children; it was too quiet and muffled. Or was it little Lady Beatrice crying? He opened the door to check on her but found it was Miss Alice sitting on the floor sobbing.
She hadn’t noticed him enter the room, so as he approached her, he gave out a light cough. As she looked up, her face was a picture of horror, but he soon put her at ease as he went to sit by her side on the floor.
“You know, Miss Alice, that the French woman is upsetting a lot of people lately,” he said, hoping to lighten the mood.
He wanted to touch her, embrace her even, but instead, he simply stayed by her side, resting his forearms on his bended knees.
“I … I have never stolen anything in my life …” she stuttered, little sobs peppering through her statement.
“Know that I believe you,” he told her, thinking fast about how he could change her mood. “Miss Alice, I do not for one moment believe that you put the … whatever it was … in the nursery cupboard.”
Miss Alice looked up and stopped momentarily, “But it was not Betsy either,” she said and burst into sobs again.
That was all he could take, and he leaned over to wrap his arm around her shoulders. He could feel her delicate frame shuddering as she cried, and all he wanted to do was comfort her. It pained him to see her like this, so sad, so upset. All because of … well, he didn’t know what had happened, but he refused to believe Miss Alice capable of any crime.
“We will get to the bottom of the mystery,” he whispered into her ear, smelling lemons in her hair.
“I ... I feel such shame,” Miss Alice said quietly. “I cannot understand it,” she added, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Miss Alice, will you listen to what I have to say?” he asked, hoping to get her attention and stop her from crying.
She nodded her head, snivelling into a pink, lacy handkerchief, and he thought that even her handkerchief was pretty, just like her.
“I do not believe that you or Betsy have done anything wrong,” he began. “We will put this behind us and forget all about it because it was most likely one of the maids who cleaned whatever it was and put it back in the wrong place.”
“I do not see how that could be,” she whimpered. “All I know is that I have no need to steal anything. I have everything I want, so why would I jeopardise my position here?”
He stayed quiet for a while, waiting for Miss Alice to calm herself. When she did, he turned to take hold of her arms and looked into her very wet, but still very pretty face. Taking the handkerchief from her fingers, he dabbed it on her eyes before he spoke again.
“Miss Alice, do you know how to ride a horse?” he asked. She gave out a strained chuckle as if she didn’t believe what she was hearing. Though she nodded her head, “Of course I do. I learned to ride a horse at the age of five, on Mother’s farm.”
“And your brother is a blacksmith, is he not, so, of course, you can ride a horse,” he said, laughing lightly as he continued to look at her. “I want you to dry your tears and go to your room. Make sure you have a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, you shall do no teaching because you will join me on a horse ride over the estate lands.”
His suggestion stopped her from sobbing, so he was pleased to have achieved that much.
“I will arrange for a tray to be brought to your room for dinner,” he continued with his suggestions. “And how about a bathtub too? I always find that when I am fed up with the world, a hot bath helps to bring balance into my soul. Will you let me arrange that for you?”
She nodded in agreement and gave out a little laugh. “That sounds so perfect, thank you, Lord Phillip,” she whispered with a croak. “But I must do my teachings tomorrow. Lady Beatrice will be expecting her lessons and—”
