Page 17 of The Enigmatic Governess of Buford Manor
I have been insufferable and stubborn,Rose thought with shame. She swallowed the lump in her throat, a gale of emotions threatening to bring her to tears.
No,she told herself firmly.You have cried enough tears. You will go to Buford and leave your grief behind. Philip would not wish to see you like this. You must honor his memory by living your life.
“I shall write a reply to Mrs. Boyle now,” she told Bridget. “Thank you, Bridget. The kindness you have shown me will never be forgotten.”
“The only gratitude I require is that you live a life without sadness,” she replied, gently touching Rose’s fair cheek. Rose nodded slowly but shifted her eyes away so that Bridget might not read the lie in her gaze.
I will live my life without tears,she promised quietly.But not without sadness.
Chapter 6
Theodore entered the bedchambers, setting down a sterling silver coffee set on the table before attending to drapery. A grey light filtered into the quarters and Nicholas blinked against it slightly, stretching.
“Good morrow, my lord.”
“Good morrow,” Nicholas replied, sitting up beneath the canopy, his dark curls falling over his face. “Has it snowed?”
“Indeed, my lord. Quite a lot from the looks of it.”
Nicholas put his feet into his slippers and reached for a dressing gown to combat the chill in the apartment.
“I had the hearth heated in the night while you slept, my lord,” Theodore added, and Nicholas noted the flames dancing in the stone fireplace.
“How is it the winters seem to be growing colder?” he mused as he drew toward the rectangular windows. “Or perhaps I am merely growing older?”
“You shall never be as old as me, my lord,” Theodore intoned as if he had the answer precisely on hand.
A harsh draft wafted through the mortar, drenching Nicholas in a sea of chills but he barely noticed. He was instantly captivated by the endless sea of white, capping the forest beyond his view. At the clearing, he saw a family of deer prancing through the freshly fallen snow, nudging one another in play.
It was a sight to behold and he did not notice that Theodore had retreated from his bedchambers to empty the bedpan.
We are nearing Christmas already. How did time pass so fluidly?
In days, the boughs of pine and holly would adorn the bannisters and doorways in a comely display of green. Nicholas was not oft prone to bouts of sentimentality, but he could not help enjoying the season in its beauty.
A fondness overcame him, a childlike wonderment, one he kept very much to himself, lest he be jested by his peers.
“Lord Arlington has requested an audience,” Theodore announced, returning to the bedchambers and Nicholas stifled a smile, turning to see young Harry on the heels of the butler.
Has he come to stand levee?Nicholas thought with some amusement. It was hardly their way but he was not one to dismiss the boy on such a beautiful morning.
“You have taken torequesting, have you?” Nicholas teased and Harry smiled bashfully, his earnest blue eyes embarrassed. “Have you come to divert me, Harry?”
“Her Grace says it is my terrible manners which has driven Miss Eloise away,” he confessed, and Nicholas was aghast by his mother’s untruth. He did not correct his cousin, but he reminded himself to have a word with his mother.
She means well, instilling proper form in the children but she must mind her wording. He is but a boy, after all.
It was commonplace knowledge, after all, that Eloise Boyle was betrothed to a secretary in the Pearlman estate and the jointure was set to occur in the new year. She had been a loyal member of the family and given decent notice, finding her own replacement et al. There was no ill-will toward her departure, something she had done only two days earlier. None of which had played a part in the behavior of the Frampton’s ward.
Eloise had found love, or at least a strong arrangement to suit her needs and the household had wished her well in her endeavors. Yet it was not Nicholas’ place to undermine his mother and he did not.
“Does she?” he replied. “How unfortunate. Do you believe you were so incorrigible?”
“I think that Betsey is more so than me,” he quipped and before he could stop himself, Nicholas found himself nodding in agreement. Happily, Harry’s forlorn face turned brighter as he shyly shuffled toward Nicholas. For the first time, the man realized the child was dressed finely, a skeleton suit of deep brown accenting a mop of newly brushed hair properly. The ruffles of his neck were white and starched, black shoes shining with fresh polish. It was not attire for bounding about in the snow by any means and for a concerning moment, Nicholas wondered if he was tardy for worship.
How long have a I been asleep?
“Is it God’s day?” Nicholas mused, eyeing his cousin with confusion. “Why are you dressed so finely this morn?”
