Page 33 of The Enigmatic Governess of Buford Manor
Rose’s breath caught in her chest and she knew he was studying her face carefully. There was nowhere to hide the creeping blush.
He had been watching me!She thought, confusion settling in. She did not know what to make of such attention.
Lord Buford had been friendly toward her, yes, but he was the noble son of a duke and therefore not her peer. She had no reason to expect any amount of notice from such a man. Abruptly she recalled what the day was meant to bring.
“Oh,” she whispered miserably. “He will be unable to attend sledding this afternoon nor caroling in the eve. He shall be saddened.”
“We will go on another occasion. The winters are long here on the North Sea and Christmas is weeks away yet. There is time enough for everything.”
Rose found herself blinking at the nonchalance of his words. He seemed unfazed by the turn of events, yet she was certain that he had been equally excited to take the children.
Or perhaps I imagined his eagerness,she thought but she was certain she had not. Regardless, he was not even remotely troubled about the fever which plagued his cousin.
“I worry for him,” she heard herself say. “I have seen far too many children grow ill and…”
She stopped, horrified at herself for almost saying such a thing and to Lord Buford no less!
What has gotten into you? Why would you speak so frankly to a nobleman?
Yet as Rose’s face paled, her companion seemed more perturbed by what she had said rather than what was implied.
“You have endured much in your life,” he said, a gruff note in his tone. “More than anyone so young and lovely should see. Orphaned by death, surrounded by suffering children in youth and widowed while you were still no more than a girl. It is a wonder you are as kind-hearted as you are. Most would have become embittered by the disadvantages they have been dealt in life, Miss Rose. I daresay, you are remarkable and an inspiration to everyone.”
The words touched Rose’s heart in a way that brought tears to her eyes and she could not stop one from sliding down her porcelain cheek.
“I did not mean to upset you!” Lord Buford said, alarm in his tone. “Forgive me.”
Rose shook her blonde tresses, a loose strand teasing Harry’s cheek.
“No, my lord, it is I who begs your forgiveness for such a display. I fear my concern for Lord Arlington has taken a toll on me.”
“Nonsense,” the marquess chuckled. “Harry will be himself in no time at all. He is prone to bouts of illness, but he has since infancy. The physicians assure us that he will outgrow it. Did my mother not tell you?”
The discovery filled Rose with both elation and upset for the duchess had made no mention of such a history.
That would have helped to ease my mind, would it not?
Rose could not be certain.
“Are you quite sure, my lord? He seems so weak, so…”
Instantly, she wished she could recapture the question. It was uncouth, and she had no right to inquire anything of her employer’s son, a marquess no less. Yet, he seemed unbothered and he nodded assuredly.
“Quite certain. I have spent my own days tending to Harry’s bedside. Albeit, never have I seen him at such peace in all the times I have seen him unwell.”
Rose knew he was paying her a compliment and she smiled softly. Knowing that her charge was already on the mend gave her a sense of relief. Moreover, she realized that she had found an unlikely and tentative friend in Nicholas.
Have I just referred to him as Nicholas in my own mind?She wondered, aghast.For shame!
“I will return in a short while,” Lord Buford told her, casting one last look at Harry who remained still in her embrace.
As he turned to leave, Rose could not resist calling out to him.
“Lord Buford?”
“Yes, Miss Rose?”
“Thank you for putting my mind at ease. Before you arrived, I was feeling hopelessly inadequate.”
