Page 112 of The Enigmatic Governess of Buford Manor
Nicholas nodded.
“Then I shall always have it and I vow to you, I will treat it as if it is authored of glass.”
For the first time since arriving at Rosecliff, the governess felt the weight of heaviness fly from her shoulders as if someone had dusted a hundred pounds of lead from her. The music commenced again and Nicholas pulled her close as they fell into a waltz and a foreign sense of bliss consumed Rose.
“What say you?” the duke whispered.
“Happy birthday, Nicholas,” she breathed back.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
“Miss Rose, you are being stubborn,” Duchess Buford sighed and Rose laughed, shaking her lovely locks in protest.
“On the contrary, Your Grace. I would think that my refusal to give up my posting would be much easier on all.”
“It seems…improper,” the lady of the house muttered, casting Betsey a look as if seeking concession in the matter but the girl only smiled. Rose swallowed the response which threatened to escape her lips.
I daresay, propriety seems to have been forsaken since we allowed that heathen into this house,she thought but wisely said nothing. The last thing Duchess Buford wished was a reminder of the hobble which Daniel Balfour had caused.
His execution had been quite public and celebrated, the evidence mounting against him as word of his misdeeds became common knowledge. Lords from all parts of East Anglia had reluctantly come forward, declaring their own encounters with the man when they had fallen delinquent in payments.
He had been stricken from the royal navy without honors, a mar on His Majesty’s good name when his role as a part-time bookmaker became known.
Rose had hoped that his death would give the duchess some closure in the matter but she seemed consumed with a sadness that followed her through the halls of Rosecliff, no matter how they tried to forget.
“Mother, Harry adores her,” Nicholas offered from the head of the table where he had been listening to their discussion. “There is hardly need to find another governess – ”
“Find another governess?” Harry choked from the doorway, his near-sighted blue eyes bulging in horror. “Will you leave us, Miss Rose?”
“I am going nowhere,” Rose replied, casting a small smile toward the duchess. “Her Grace merely suggested that I might be more comfortable in the role of house secretary, given Peter Alderson’s resignation.”
“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” Nicholas spat and Rose wished she had not spoken the man’s name aloud.
“We could not have known he was giving Balfour information,” Rose said quickly. “The captain had many of us fooled.”
“Not you!” Nicholas reminded her. “From the first day, you knew something was afoul with Balfour.”
“We will cease to mention his name at this table!” Duchess Buford cried, slamming her fist against the surface for effect.
The family fell silent and Trudy entered the dining room, laden dishes in hand.
“I would like to stay on as Harry’s governess,” Rose offered after a plausible rest had ensued. “I rather enjoy my position.”
Duchess Buford nodded and glanced at her son whose eyes were fixated on Rose.
“I daresay, it will be easier to explain to the other houses why she remains under our roof.”
Rose tensed at the mention, a hot flush creeping up her neck.
“I could see to other accommodations outside of Rosecliff,” she offered but she hoped the duchess refused.
“Nonsense!” Nicholas snapped. “This is my house and I will not have you shipped off because of the loose-gapped villagers.”
Rose knew that he meant it but the constant worry that she would not be accepted lingered in the back of her mind.
I am being courted by the most eligible man in the land,she reminded herself.I have a position which I adore and I want for nothing whatsoever. I have left my past in Dartford and learned to move forward with my life, finding love and happiness in the most unlikely place. I have nothing of which to protest.
