Page 65 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
As she did so, someone opened the door from the other side, and she stepped back, praying that whoever it was had good news. The duke stepped into the room, though she could see he had no good news for them. She so longed to collapse into his arms, and he must have seen the desperation in her eyes because he approached and gently took hold of her arms.
“Do not worry, Miss Alice, the constable is on his way,” the duke informed her, making sure to hold her at arm’s length. “He will have some notion on what we must do in a situation like this.”
He tried to get her to sit down by leading her over to a settee, but she refused.
“I cannot stay still, Lord Phillip. Can you provide a list of every guest who attended the ball?” Alice asked desperately. “It has to be one of them; how can it be anyone else?”
“I can see no reason why any of the guests would take the children,” he replied, looking at Alice with raised brows in surprise. “But, I’m sure the constable will want to speak with them all. He will try to determine if anyone saw anything suspicious.”
“Do you have such a list, Lord Phillip?” Alice asked again, in the hope that she could see it first.
“It will be Davina; she will have that information,” he replied.
“Then where is she?” Alice asked, realising for the first time that she hadn’t seen Lady Davina for a long time, which was unusual in such a situation. “Where is your stepsister when we need her?”
“I suspect she finally got the hint that she was not wanted here anymore,” the duke told her, not divulging the whole tale. “I went up to her room to find her earlier, but it was empty of her clothing. It can only mean that she is gone because she hinted at some kind of surprise after the ball, and I think that was what she meant.”
“If I may interrupt, Lord Phillip,” Clara said as she came to stand with them. “Lady Davina often took one of the carriages to a house not far from here. I know this from gossip between the stable boys and kitchen maids, but I never paid it any mind. Do you think she has friends close by?”
“I was not aware of this. I will go and discuss it with the head groom,” Lord Phillip replied. “They will know the location of her friend’s house if, as you say, they took her there. Though I doubt she will be much help in this matter, seeing as she left the ball early.”
“And she hates the children, so she does,” Betsy called out, followed by a wailing noise as she continued her uncontrollable sobbing.
“But she can at least provide us with that list of the guests,” the duke pointed out as Clara returned to comfort Betsy.
“Perhaps we shall receive a ransom note soon,” Alice mumbled, thinking the worse must have happened. “Someone must have kidnapped them and will demand money for their return. You will pay it, will you not, Lord Phillip? Otherwise, we may never see them again.”
Tears welled up in the corners of Alice’s eyes as the duke pulled her in to embrace her. She didn’t object because she needed his closeness and didn’t care if they were seen together. But Clara paid them no mind, she was too busy trying to comfort Betsy.
Besides, the duke was only offering a comforting arm to a member of his household. He was well known for his compassionate ways, so it was unlikely anyone would read anything into his embrace at a time like this.
Alice allowed her head to rest on his chest, while his all-encompassing arms made her feel safe. If only he could be embracing the children right now, stopping any harm from coming to them.
He let go of her and walked over to a drinks cabinet to pour an amber liquid into small glasses. Handing out the glasses, he told Clara to make sure Betsy drank it. Then he gave one to Alice, telling her it would help to steady her nerves.
The liquid burned as it trickled down her throat, but it did give her a soothing feeling.
“How am I to ever leave the children and find a new position now this has happened?” she questioned, but more to herself than anyone else. She turned to the duke, “I do not think I can leave the children, as Lady Davina requested of me. I love them so very dearly,” she announced with a wide-eyed stare.
“Promise me you will not send Lady Beatrice to a school for young ladies, she is far too young?”
“Miss Alice, I will be doing no such thing,” the duke said, looking surprised. “And why would you need to leave them anyway? I would never want that.”
“But Lady Davina was most insistent, and …”
“Lady Davina is no longer with us, though I am as surprised as any at her untimely departure,” the duke told her.
“I had sent her a letter asking her to leave, after the ball, so one can only suppose she’d had enough. But I do not wish to send the children away. I only want their safe return and for them to live in a loving and nurturing home. One where I know that you and Nanny will help me care for them.”
“I do loves them, Lord Phillip,” Betsy called out between her sobs.
Clara had managed to calm her for now, but Alice knew it wouldn’t take much for her to start up again.
“Please, Miss Alice, do rest on the settee until the constable arrives?” the duke requested. “You must rest your mind, even if only for a few minutes. I will go along to my study and see if I can locate the list of guest names, but only if you agree to rest a short while.”
He led her back to the settee and assisted her to lay down. Alice did feel better resting her aching body, and she closed her eyes. It must have been the drink Lord Phillip had given her; it had made her feel so tired.
“I will not be long, I promise,” he said quietly to her.
