Page 8 of The Iron Duke's Flaming Christmas
Selene hesitated, then did as he bid. He sat opposite her.
“What experience do you have as a governess?” he asked, staring at her.
“I have none,” she admitted, trying to quell her nerves. “But I do have experience working with children. My most recent position was as a nursemaid.” She cleared her throat. “I have good references, Your Grace. And I have a thorough education, which I believe qualifies me for the position.”
“I see,” he said eventually, not looking particularly impressed. “I will be checking those references.”
“Of course,” she said.
There was a deafening silence.
“I am uncertain whether I want my daughter governed by someone who speaks her mind quite so directly,” he barked, his dark eyes glowering. “That concerns me, rather more thanyour lack of experience as a governess. You let your tongue run away with you last night, Miss Bomind. You spoke to me in an intemperate manner.”
Selene’s face tightened and she felt a flush rise up over her neck, staining her cheeks again. Yes, she had scolded him last night, but then, he had deserved it.
He is your superior. You knew he was a gentleman, with higher status than you, even if you did not realize who he was. You should never speak in such a manner to your superiors.
The stiff, reprimanding voice in her mind was loud. Such an attitude had been drummed into her since she was a girl. She knew that she was considered far too opinionated by some people, and that she let her mouth run away from her on occasions, especially if there was injustice involved.
She wanted to let her mouth run away from her now, to instantly defend herself. She restrained herself with difficulty. He was her superior, and she was applying for a position in his household. She didn’t want to ruin it completely.
“I do apologize if you thought I was intemperate last night when we encountered one another,” she replied eventually, through gritted teeth. “Perhaps I spoke in haste. I was taken by surprise and my disappointment about the gifts overtook me.”
He inclined his head slightly. There was a tense silence.
Selene took a deep breath. “I will say now though that I have heard that your daughter is very spirited,” she continued, her heart beating hard. “The lady has had many governesses. Why is that, Your Grace?”
He looked shocked, and a bit affronted. “My daughter is spirited, as you say, but it is not her fault that governesses come and go. To suggest such a thing is outrageous!”
Selene forced herself to smile. “I was not suggesting such a thing. I admire spirited girls,” she said, taking another deep breath. “As I am spirited myself—some might say intemperate–—I feel that I understand such natures. Perhaps most of your governesses have not understood such a nature.”
Selene held her breath. She was taking a big risk by speaking so candidly about his daughter and the fact he had difficulty retaining governesses because of Lady Lenore’s behavior. But as much as she needed this position, she couldn’t stop herself being honest.
He blinked rapidly, looking a bit intrigued. “What are you claiming?”
“I believe that I will be able to handle such a nature,” she continued, her heart beating fast. “I understand spirited natures, as I say. My approach toward educating the lady will be different to the governesses before me and as such, she may responddifferently to me and settle well, if you are willing to take the chance.”
She exhaled slowly. There was a tense silence.
He will never accept what I just said. He will take it as a criticism of his daughter. I have just ruined my chance. What was I thinking? When will I ever learn to toe the line?
“An interesting position,” he replied eventually. His face was still set in a hard line, and she couldn’t read anything in his dark eyes. “Have you always thought in such an independent way, Miss Bomind? How have you developed such a philosophy?”
Selene smiled. “I believe that I have always been an independent thinker, Your Grace. I believe that one is either born with an inquisitive mind or not.” She took a deep breath. “But my mind has been developed by reading the works of such great thinkers as Voltaire and Rousseau.”
He arched his eyebrows. “You are very well educated, Miss Bomind. I must say, that surprises me. The local villagers usually do not put much value in educating their daughters.”
Selene smiled slightly. “My father is unusual, Your Grace. He has always believed in the value of education to improve one’s life, and it did not matter to him that I was a girl. Hebelieved that I deserved a proper education the same as a male.” She hesitated “I am very lucky to have such a father.”
“Indeed,” he said, frowning slightly. “Although, I would temper that by saying that thinking too independently can develop insolence and a lack of humility, Miss Bomind. How do I know that you will not influence my daughter to higher spirits and be a bad influence on her?”
“I would never encourage insolence for the sake of it,” she replied, a bit stung. “I do not believe in mindless rebellion and anarchy. I simply believe that if one sees an injustice then it is far worse to remain silent, rather than speak one’s mind.”
There was silence. He tapped his fingers on his chin as he gazed at her, looking thoughtful. His dark eyes were blazing, now. She had no idea whether she was convincing him to give her a chance or doing quite the opposite. His expression wasn’t giving anything away.
Their eyes locked and held. Selene felt that frisson between them again. Hastily, she slid her eyes away, her heart thumping painfully. Her eyes lingered on his strong hands that were resting on his thighs, feeling a tingle all the way down her spine.
“I would also say that I believe in basic kindness and courtesy, Your Grace,” she said suddenly, the words just marching out of her mouth. “I may have let my tongue run away with me last night, as you say, but you did not help me save thosegifts that fell onto the ground, either. They were intended for orphans who will not get any other gifts at Christmas. How could you rail against it and say it was not a worthy thing?”
