Page 54 of A Governess' Unbridled Passion
“No, Phillip, not if you wish to care for the children. Unless you send them away to a school, which I do not think Miss Alice would agree to,” Eli said.
“Thank you for breakfast, Eli, and, as always, for your sensible advice,” Phillip said, reaching the door. “You would make a fine Englishman,” he added with light laughter as he left the room.
He didn’t have all the answers to the precarious situation with his stepsister, but Mr Eli’s idea was a good one. Money always bought greedy people, and if he was firm, Lady Davina would accept the second prize if it was big enough; he was sure of it.
Once he was rid of her, he only had another million problems to deal with, such as how to get society to accept a duke marrying a governess. Then how to stay in England when he hated the place for that reason: high society and all its constraints.
He’d known he wouldn’t fit in. Going to the plantation had been his saving grace. He couldn’t bare being around the pompous English nobility. At least on the plantation he’d made the lives of the poor much better. If only the wealthy would do that worldwide, it would be better for all.
As he passed the parlour, he heard a familiar voice. There was no mistaking the deep, French lilt of Lady Davina Katz. He wondered who she was speaking with, but when he heard her words, they shocked him to the core.
“Lady Beatrice will be attending a school for girls in Paris,” she said. “And so, I suggest, Miss Evans, that you start to look for another position because Lord Jacob will require a male tutor.”
It took all his willpower not to burst into the room and put his stepsister in her place, but he resisted. Poor Miss Alice, she must be in there suffering a terrible shock. He would find her as soon as he could and assure her that would not happen.
Marching away, his temper was flaring up yet again.
Calm yourself, Phillip; she won’t be around much longer,he told himself as he arrived at his study.
“The sooner that woman is gone out of our lives, the better!” he said out loud as soon as his study door was closed behind him.
It was probably better to follow Mr Eli’s advice and do this thing properly, but instead, he intended to give her the letter immediately. If she didn’t attend the ball, all the better. Sitting at his desk, he took out a feather pen and ink pot and began to pen the words on a piece of parchment.
Lady Davina Katz
You are required to leave the residence of Haroth Hall forthwith.
In doing so, you will receive an income of £1500 per annum. A solicitor’s document will confirm this, sent to you as soon as it is drawn up, and thus make our agreement legally binding.
This income will only be due to you if you return to France and make no future contact with the Tilbury family or anyone working at the Haroth Estate.
Take this as our final farewell.
The Duke of Haroth, Lord Phillip Tilbury
Phillip didn’t wish to pen a long-drawn-out letter; he preferred to say what he meant and nothing more. The solicitor’s document should give her all she needed. Nor did he wish her to stay for the ball, not after he’d heard her speaking to Miss Alice in such a way. It would be better all-around if she left immediately.
Folding up the letter, he didn’t bother to seal it because he was about to deliver it by hand. Phillip went to the parlour room, hoping Miss Alice would be gone. He didn’t wish to cause her any more discomfort, so it would be better if he delivered the letter to Lady Davina without any witnesses.
The parlour was quiet, and he wondered if it was empty, but as he stepped inside, he found Lady Davina alone. Perfect, the scene was set.
“Ah … Phillip, you just missed your erm …maitresse, or should I say’mistress,’what a shame,” she purred, looking smug with herself.
“Good, because I wish to speak with you alone,” he said, handing over the letter without hesitation.
She took it and gave him a faux smile as she opened the piece of parchment. Phillip watched as she read its contents, but she only smiled again.
“Hmmm …” she said, bursting into a peal of laughter. “You think I will not attend my own ball?” she asked him, raising a single brow. “I will consider your offer, Phillip, after the ball. But I make no promises because this is a paltry offer. Let us say that it is a start to better negotiations. You will not get off so lightly. We will talk again.”
With that, she tore up the letter in mid-air, throwing bits of paper to the floor. Laughing out again, she swaggered out of the room, her strong perfume drifting in her wake.
Well, that didn’t go to plan, but no matter; at least now she knew he meant business. Phillip would bide his time, accepting that she wouldn’t disappear immediately. He’d avoid her all he could until after the ball, and then he’d hound her out of the manor house if that’s what was needed.
After she was gone, things could resume normality in Haroth Hall. There wasn’t one person who would miss the presence of the French woman, not a one.
Chapter 28
“Are you going to take her threat that you find another position seriously?” Clara asked, chatting with Alice in the servants’ dining area.
