Page 53 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
“It is worse than that, Eli, much worse.” Phillip waved his hand around in exaggeration of his declaration. “I will protect Alice at all costs against that stepsister of mine!” he yelled, raising his voice with his words.
“Dare I ask what Lady Davina has done now?” Mr Eli queried, watching the duke go to stand by the window.
“That woman ... that French fraud of a woman,” Phillip referred to her between grated teeth. “She is only trying to blackmail me; that is what the witch is doing.”
“Calm down, my friend,” Mr Eli said with a soothing tone. He went to stand by his friend. “And tell me all about it. Come, I will order breakfast to my room so we can sit and work this out.”
Mr Eli led the duke to a chair by the fire and encouraged him to sit down. “Stay there while I go and make the arrangements. Promise me that you will not move?”
Phillip nodded his head. “I cannot move from here, Eli, or I will commit murder. I am sure of it,” he proclaimed and believed his own words.
While Mr Eli was gone, Phillip went over and over in his mind what had happened with Lady Davina the previous night. She’d taken plenty of liberties, and thus far he’d been obliging with most of her requests.
But now she had overstepped all boundaries, and he was ready to send the woman away, though he hoped to speak with Miss Alice first because there was the possibility of a scandal where she might be the centre.
Mr Eli returned, and not far behind him, a couple of maids with trays of food. As they set the food on the table between the chairs, Phillip got up again and paced silently, though his mind was all but silent. In his head, he was shouting at Lady Davina Katz, telling her what she could do with her threats.
“Phillip, please come and eat something,” Mr Eli suggested as the maids left them alone. “It will help to settle your grumbling thoughts.”
Mr Eli poured coffee, the drink he knew his friend had grown fond of, and Phillip went to butter some bread, realising he was famished.
The scrambled eggs and fried kidneys settled well in his stomach, and now he was ready again to discuss his present difficulty.”
“As much as you are angry with your stepsister, she has organised a most prestigious ball,” Mr Eli said as they settled to drink tea after eating. “It is not wise to jeopardise that ball, and so you must make peace with Lady Davina for a little longer.”
“Are you out of your mind, Eli?” Phillip called out, not pleased with his friend’s advice. “You do realise that the woman thinks we are to marry?”
“I know, I know, but hear me out,” Mr Eli said, keeping his voice calm as he leaned forward. “Let’s not upset her yet, at least not until the ball is over.”
Phillip shook his head. “She will go around informing every guest that we are engaged or something equally abhorrent.”
“My next suggestion, Phillip, is that you write her a letter to be received after the ball.”
“What would I write in a letter that I couldn’t say to her face?” Phillip asked, knowing in his heart that his friend was right, but his head was ruling.
“Because, my friend, you are hosting a ball. Any sign of gossip about your family will devastate the Bodmin estate,” Mr Eli tried to remind him. “Remember, we are here for the children.”
Phillip didn’t answer, he simply sighed and accepted that his friend was right. “What should I say in this letter?”
“First, you must go along with Lady Davina and her games. Let her think she has won you over,” Mr Eli advised as he watched the duke rub his face with both hands. “Keep telling yourself why we have come to England for two innocent children that would be lost without your help.”
“Damn it all, Eli!” Phillip shouted out, shrugging his arms in defeat.
“Your letter will inform her that you agree to pay her a pension of sorts, but only if she returns to France,” Mr Eli continued, ignoring Phillip’s outburst.
“But if I pay her off, that means she wins,” Phillip said in exasperation. “She’ll be getting what she wanted.”
“No, Phillip, she wants you and all that is yours,” Mr Eli countered. “Lady Davina will get none of that, but she will get a generous income so she can live a comfortable life.”
“You are wise, my friend, but if I had my way, I would give that woman nothing,” Phillip said with a growl in his throat.
“You’ll get over that once you figure out a way to take Miss Alice as your wife,” Mr Eli said, sharing a warm smile with his friend. “Then you and the children can live in peace. The only problem you’ll have left to worry over is whether to stay in England or return to the plantation. Which, I might add, is where I must return soon.”
“Yes, you are right, Eli, but however will I manage without you?” Phillip asked, knowing he’d been dreading the day when he had to make that kind of decision. “You are the one who grounds me.”
“You will have a wife to do that for you,” Mr Eli said, as always, trying to reassure Phillip that all would be well. “I do believe that Miss Alice will be a good influence.”
Phillip stood up and reached to pat his friend on the shoulders. “Yes, I do too, but I will have a big empty space once you leave. Do you think I could live in the West Indies instead of England?”
