Page 76 of The Enigmatic Governess of Buford Manor
She hurried out of the study, a deep feeling of sadness gripping her heart. While she would never admit it aloud, she too, yearned for the days when life was much simpler.
If the duke had not perished, would he and I have pursued our affections for one another? If Captain Balfour was not here, would we have maintained our close friendship?
There was no way to answer such questions but if Rose had to wager, she would guess that there might have been a worthy future between them should life had not dealt them all such a stunning blow.
Will there ever be a chance for us to reclaim the tentative friendship we built?
Rose was sure that it would be impossible as long as Daniel Balfour remained in Rosecliff.
How long will he remain? Is he a permanent fixture here, now that Nicholas has accepted him?
The idea filled her with sick, seeing the man day in and out, his leering smile as he reminded her of all she had lost.
It is as if Captain Balfour first took Philip and then took Nicholas. Has he a personal grudge against me?
Rose knew the idea was ridiculous, but she could not imagine why the man seemed to shadow her across the countryside. The odds of him appearing in the wake of two deaths seemed insurmountable and yet, there he was.
You are the common denominator.
The realization sent shudders up her spine and Rose rushed up the servant’s staircase toward her apartment as if attempting to escape the shadows on her trail.
An umbra hung over her head and no matter where she journeyed, it would always find her.
Is that umbra’s name Daniel Balfour?
Chapter 26
“Your Grace, shall we recess?” Captain Balfour asked, and Nicholas gazed at him.
“What? Oh, yes. A short recess is in order,” he agreed, nodding dismissively at the men who rose to stretch their legs and light pipes.
“You are quite distracted, Your Grace. Is something the matter?” the captain asked.
Nicholas watched as the men filtered out of the boardroom before turning to his advisor.
“Have you any business with my cousin, Lord Arlington?” he blurted forth, not permitting himself a moment to consider the inanity of his words. He studied the captain’s face as it contorted into several different expressions, finally resting on confusion.
“The boy? Lord Harry Arlington?” Balfour asked. “Goodness, no. He is all of ten, is he not?”
“Indeed, he is,” Nicholas replied sighing. He felt foolish for asking but he had been unable to forsake the concern he had read in Rose’s eyes the previous night, no matter how he tried to dismiss it.
She had never been hysterical nor given me cause to question her and yet, it is so farfetched to imagine Captain Balfour intimidating Harry.
In the end, Nicholas knew his only option was to ask the captain in a forthcoming manner.
I know people well enough to gage if they are lying to me,he decided but as he studied Captain Balfour’s face, he found himself inundated with questions he had not considered before.
The conversation with Rose repeated in his mind. Had he been too hasty in dismissing what she said? Why would she bring Harry into the matter if the biases were hers? It seemed to go against everything he had learned about the compassionate governess. Rose would not bring the children she adored into such a matter.
She truly believes that Harry is afraid of Captain Balfour but why? It is a matter I must bring to Harry.
“From where has such a strange inquiry arisen, Your Grace? Has Lord Arlington said something to you?”
“No,” Nicholas replied but something stalled him from mentioning Rose’s concerns. Inherently he felt that she needed to be protected.
If you trust Balfour, why would you not mention what Rose said?
“I believe we have concluded our talks for today,” Nicholas said suddenly.
