Page 75 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
Within another hour, they were losing daylight, and both children had fallen asleep. As they rode through the gate of Haroth Hall, a young boy jumped up from the long grass, running at speed to the manor house.
“No doubt he was on the lookout for us,” Miss Alice remarked. “Everyone will be worried for the children.”
By the time they rode to the courtyard, Mr Eli, William, and Clara were all coming out of the front door, with Betsy trailing behind them.
“It is a wonderful sight to see you all safely returned,” Mr Eli greeted, sharing one of his wide smiles with them.
“If I am honest, it is good to arrive home finally,” Phillip said, carefully passing his half-sleeping nephew down to Eli’s strong arms.
He could see that Miss Alice was also passing Lady Beatrice down to a pair of waiting arms as a tall steward took her, carrying the child into the house.
The servants chatted with Miss Alice, and she was busy assuring them that all went well and they could put everything behind them now. He felt a tinge of pride as he watched her reassure everyone when she had gone through so much turmoil herself.
“Betsy has taken the children straight to their beds,” Miss Alice informed him as he approached the small group of servants who had gathered.
“Shall we all go inside?” he suggested, exhaustion now catching up with him too.
For the first time in many years, it felt good to be back in his home at Haroth Hall. It was filled with good people who cared for his family. Servants who’d lived at the Manor House even longer than he had, and he felt contentment to be back.
Walking into the house, his mind wandered off, recalling how he’d ended up home again. When he’d first discovered that he was to take over the dukedom, he wanted to refuse.
But that would have meant a cousin, or some other distant family member, taking over because Lord Jacob was much too young. He’d changed his mind, intending to keep the dukedom in his close family so his young nephew could one day take the title.
But that day was a long way off yet, so he needed to decide whether Haroth Hall could become his home for the next twenty years. Perhaps then, one day, he could return to the family plantation when he was much older. There, he could retire to a part of the world where the sun warmed one’s soul.
He also had other things on his mind. He’d not yet had a chance to speak with Miss Alice, and he had a very important matter to discuss with her.
Chapter 39
Lord Phillip, Alice, and Mr Eli all ate the late warm meal that Cook had gone to such lengths to make for them.
“Are you going to tell me what happened then?” Mr Eli asked his friend, tucking into the meal on his plate. “I’m famished with all the worrying I’ve gone through.”
Alice watched as Lord Phillip smiled at this friend. “We are famished too, with all the travelling we have done this day. Is that not so, Miss Alice?”
She nodded in agreement, glad to finally put something warm in her belly. “It has been a vexing day after a very long evening, Lord Phillip.”
“I agree, but I can inform you of one good thing that came out of it all, Eli. I have finally made sure that my stepsister is out of our lives once and for all,” Lord Phillip said, with a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
“Did you have her arrested?” Mr Eli asked, his brows knitted together in angst.
“No. Though I should have done exactly that. It turned out that she had been stealing from me, too,” Lord Phillip informed his friend.
It surprised Alice, as she thought he might have kept that part secret, but he didn’t hold back.
“Well ... I’m glad to see you’re not to marry her, so what did you do to rid yourself of her?” Mr Eli asked, showing genuine interest.
“Money, my friend, what else would such a woman be happy with?” Lord Phillip replied, stabbing his fork into a piece of beef soaked in a thick, savoury gravy. “This is delicious, exactly what we needed after our adventure. Anyway, I have offered her an allowance. It is enough to keep her comfortable, though she will most likely ask for more in the future.”
“Bravo, my friend, and no doubt you, Miss Alice, are glad to see the back of her,” Mr Eli stated, looking over at Alice with sympathy in his tone.
“I am, Mr Eli, but only because she put the children at risk,” Alice replied, with a feeling of relief that she did not need to leave Haroth Hall just yet as well.
“Tomorrow, I will thank all the servants for their assistance in this difficult time,” Lord Phillip said, sipping his red wine. “Oh, and I’ll be thanking them for helping you to attend the ball so that I could dance with you. That was ingenious.” He laughed, raising his wine glass in acceptance.
Alice smiled; she had all but forgotten about it, even though it had been a most unforgettable moment in her life. She must remember to put the ball gown away properly to keep it from fading. The chances were that she’d never wear it again, but she could look upon it and remember when she danced with a duke. Not any duke, either, but a man she had fallen in love with.
Eating her dinner, she pondered quietly on whether it was true that the duke loved her. Could it mean there was a possibility of true romance? Shifting in her seat, she didn’t pay much attention to the conversation between the duke and his Mr Eli. A shiver of excitement rippled through her at the prospect of a future with Lord Phillip.
