Page 3 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
“Yes, though it’s highly irregular,” Hughes said, looking most perturbed.
The butler coughed from behind the duke, and Phillip could only assume he was hinting that the housekeeper play along.
“Well … yes … my name is Clara, Your Grace,” she answered, reluctant to part with her Christian name.
“I thank you, Clara.” He smiled at her with a slight bow of his head.
Now it was time to move on to the children, and as he took a step forward, the first face he saw was that of a stunningly beautiful woman. She was holding the little boy in her arms and looked almost as if she could be the boy’s mother; her hair was so light in colour.
“Ah, so this is little Jacob,” he said, looking into the bright blue eyes of a happy little boy. “That means that you are little Lady Beatrice, he added, leaning down to the small girl.
The girl moved to hide behind the dress of the fair maiden holding onto his nephew, Jacob.
“Well, Beatrice, I am your Uncle Phillip,” he said, realising his voice was too loud, which might have scared his little niece. “I am very pleased to meet you and your brother.”
“Come along now, Lady Beatrice,” the woman tried to encourage her charge from the folds of her dress. “We need to speak nicely to your uncle.”
Phillip didn’t push little Beatrice anymore and stood up to turn his attention to the two women with the children.
“I am Miss Evans, erm … I mean, I am Miss Alice, the children’s governess,” the blonde woman said, and he wasn’t sure who was the most nervous, him or her.
Turning to the older woman by her side, “And you are Nanny,” he said. “I know because I had fond memories of you when you cared for my brother and me.”
The older woman curtsied, “I am, Your Grace,” was all she said, appearing a little shy, sohe turned to speak with the governess.
“I would like to meet with you later, erm … Miss Alice, and learn more about the children,” he said to her, smiling.
“I look forward to that,” she answered, smiling with a quiver on her bottom lip.
“Good, good.” He nodded, giving her a full smile. “The children are to be my top priority.”
“Of course,” she said with a croak to her voice. A strand of blonde hair fell into the middle of her face, tickling her nose, and he had an urge to stroke it away but pulled himself together in time.
“Following dinner then, Miss Alice,” the duke said her name on his lips, liking how it sounded.
Phillip stood in front of the main door and turned around to address the servants.
“I thank you all for your warm welcome,” he began.
“You may think me unconventional, but I do not want the people I live with to refer to me as Your Grace. Please call me Lord Phillip if you must use a title and allow me to address each of you by your Christian names. I will not have many rules but let this be my first one. I will meet each of you again soon, and I want to learn more about you as individuals.”
With that declaration, he allowed the butler to lead him into the manor house.
“And I would know your name, too,Mr Banks,before we continue the tour?” he asked the old man.
“I am William, Your … erm … Lord Phillip,” he replied, also looking uncomfortable with his new lord’s ways. “I served your father and your brother too. Now, if you will follow me, I would like to show you around your home. Much will have changed since last you were here.”
“Let us keep the tour to the ground floor, William. I can’t see the bedchambers being much different, other than the décor,” Phillip said, not the least bit interested in the tour.
As they walked on, Phillip recalled the house layout as he’d lived there for the first eighteen years before leaving for the Americas. The butler informed him that an additional glass garden room had been built at the bequest of the children’s mother, the Duchess of Haroth, Lady Henrietta Tilbury. She’d loved to be surrounded by flowers.
The ballroom was a huge hall filled with large, framed artwork, mainly of his ancestors. Phillip walked over to a portrait of his father, which stirred sadness in his heart. Next to it was a portrait of his brother, a dimple at either side of his upper mouth, exactly as he remembered.
As children, he’d always made fun of his brother because his ears stuck out, but now it was an endearing feature of his image. If only he’d been able to speak with him again, but tragedy had little respect for people’s wishes.
“I have seen enough for today, William,” Phillip informed him. In truth, he was choking back his spiralling emotions at seeing the pictures of his father and brother.
“As you wish, Lord Phillip,” William said. “Would you care to take tea?”
