Page 71 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
“May I ask, are you going to marry her?” Miss Alice asked, and he heard her choke as the words came out.
Rubbing the back of her small hand with his, he looked into her sky-blue eyes. “I do not need to marry Lady Davina; I only need to provide her with the wealth she desires,” he said.
Noticing the watery tears in Miss Alice’s eyes, he kissed her, placing one hand behind her head to gently pull her towards him. Their kiss was warm and sensual, a kiss that only two people who loved one another could enjoy.
“Soon …” he said as she pulled away and looked down at the moist, green grass. “Soon, this will all be over. We will have the children back, and we can return to Haroth Hall, where we will discuss their futures.”
“Yes, I would like that.” She nodded with a half-smile. “I have known little Lord Jacob since he was born. He was a baby in my arms when I arrived. Although I was employed to teach Lady Beatrice, I could not help loving them both. They were motherless, and now … now …”
Miss Alice burst into tears, and Phillip was quick to take her in his arms. “Shhh … I promise, Alice, the children will be well, and we will be well too.”
“You cannot know that. For all we know, that woman may have already taken them to France or America.” She half sobbed. “Or she might even have sold them, thinking you did not care.”
He embraced her, allowing her to weep on his shoulder, “You should not have come on this journey, Alice. Let me deal with Davina alone. I will bring the children from her house too. We could meet up at the local church?”
“No, I want to be there for the children. They will need me while you talk to that … that … their aunt,” Miss Alice said, rubbing the wetness from her face and looking more determined. “It has been too much for us all, but I want to help take the children back to their home, where I know they will feel safe.”
They sat a while longer, neither saying another word as they prepared themselves for the final leg of the journey. After a few moments, Phillip broke the silence.
“When we get there, if you can see to the children, I will deal with Davina,” Phillip suggested as they began to stand up and ready themselves for another part of the journey.
Alice nodded, straightening out her dress. “I will take them to another room so you can converse alone with your stepsister,” she agreed. “But if it takes a long time, we will go outdoors and walk to the church, as you said earlier. There we can await your return.”
“Very well, if that is preferable, so long as the rain holds off,” Phillip said. He was willing to do whatever it took to get things back to normal, whatever normal was these days.
His life had been turned upside down since his brother’s death. He still didn’t know if he could stay in England, but then what of the children? Would it harm them to be raised on a plantation in a country on the other side of the world?
Shoving such thoughts aside, he assisted Miss Alice onto her horse and then mounted his own. Soon, they were off yet again. At least now, they had almost arrived at the village they sought.
By midday, they arrived at the village of Wharem, and Phillip led the way through the single main roadway. In the background, he could see the square tower of a Saxon church, and he hoped it was near the cottage.
Not that the village was large; the population couldn’t have been more than forty folks. They were in the middle of sheep farming land, and most of the villagers would be a part of that, in some form or other.
They steered the horses towards the cottage, which his head groom had given him directions for. According to him, Lady Davina was staying at the cottage alone. But then, he’d told him, she never talked much to her driver on the odd occasion they had taken her there. It had come as a surprise to him, learning that she had her own cottage.
He’d mulled over many scenarios on their journey, none including marrying Lady Davina. Phillip felt confident that a large sum of money would suffice, but he wouldn’t give her it all; otherwise, she’d soon be back again.
Instead, he’d offer he a regular income, of which she would no doubt be greedy and want a large one. It would be worth whatever she asked for to be rid of her. Though he would negotiate the price; otherwise, she might suspect him of some kind of trickery, should he agree on it all too easily.
He led his horse to stop in front of a small, white stone cottage. As they both dismounted, the door opened, and there she stood. Lady Davina greeted him with a huge grin on her rancorous lips. It was time to do battle and finally rid his family of this French woman. He did not want her to be a part of his family ever again, determined to ensure the children would be safe from her forever.
Chapter 37
Following the duke to the door of a typical thatched cottage, Alice noticed that Lady Davina had a smug look on her face. It gave her a longing to go and slap the woman’s face, but she dutifully remained behind the duke. If she didn’t, she might be unable to constrain herself if she got any closer to the French woman.
“Well … here we are,” Lady Davina said, not taking her eyes away from Lord Phillip’s. “I hope you are ready to make me a good offer, Phillip, or I may have to slam my door in your face.”
“First, I must see the children,” Lord Phillip replied sternly. He showed a remarkable calmness, considering his seething anger inside. “May we come in?”
“You can, my dear Phillip, but not her,” she said with a sting in her tongue. “I do not want that harlot near the children.”
The duke was about to argue back when little Lord Jacob’s crying could be heard echoing from the house.
That was all the encouragement Alice needed. Charging forward, she pushed her way by the duke and then by a surprised-looking Lady Davina to enter the house. She entered a small, damp room, dark and dingy. As her eyes adjusted to the change in light, she spotted a small child lying on a cot. Dashing over, she picked up Lord Jacob, holding him tightly in her arms.
“There, there, my little one. All is well now, shhhh … I am here; you are safe,” she whispered, rocking him like a mother would hold a child in her arms.
“What are you inferring? The child was never in danger. Nor does he need fussing over,” Lady Davina spat at Miss Alice as she turned to watch her tend to him. “They were fed, and they are warm and safe; that is all a child needs until it grows to care for itself. Get out of this house!”
