Page 6 of Cinderella's Charade With the Duke
The first thing he saw was a worn, mud-splattered boot. Then, an askew bonnet as the woman leaned forward to monitor the ground before her. She appeared to be a rather plain-looking young woman dressed entirely in…brown. The young woman secured her footing on the drive, lifted her head and stood staring out blankly towards him. She started at the sight of the entire household before her.
He wasn’t sure how this young woman with her rather dated and forgettable ensemble and slightly rolled-in shoulders was the same person from her letter. She looked more like a baby wren having fallen out of its nest than a governess. She was a bit bedraggled and wide-eyed…and looked, well, a touch…frightened. But it was also far too late for him to rally any other options and first impressions could be deceptive as he well knew.
Best get on with it.
William sucked in a steadying breath and approached the petite, timid creature. Time was wasting as it was and this was the path he had chosen. He would give her a chance and try to trust his decision despite how uncertain he was now.
‘Miss Potts?’ he said as he settled in front of her.
She stilled and studied him, her brown eyes widening. ‘Your Grace? Duke of Wimberley?’ she replied in the form of a question followed by a staggering curtsy.
‘Yes,’ he answered simply, tucking a hand in his trouser pocket. ‘I hope you had a safe journey,’ he enquired, sticking to generalities for now.
‘Indeed,’ she said and flashed him an unexpectedly brilliant smile that showcased a dimple in her left cheek.
There was something. She had a lovely smile. He felt her joy in that smile. He almost sighed aloud in relief as some of his worry loosened in his chest. Not all was lost yet. She appeared to be the warm, kind woman he had hoped for.
‘Then I am glad for it, Miss Potts. This is Mrs Chisholm, my housekeeper, as well as our butler, Mr Simmons,’ he said, introducing those most essential to helping her in getting settled in the coming days. ‘Ask them for anything you require.’
He glanced over to the carriage. Eddie removed the smallest travelling trunk William had ever set eyes on along with a rather battered portmanteau. Surely this was not all she had. ‘Is your larger trunk being sent on later, Miss Potts?’
‘This is all I brought along with me, Your Grace. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity in sending your own carriage for my comfort. I have never travelled in anything other than a stagecoach before.’
Her large brown eyes settled upon him. They were wide, soft and, well, a bit charmingly innocent. He shifted on his feet, disarmed by her trust and belief in him and undone by her gratitude. It had been some time since anyone had thanked him for his kindness and looked at him with such belief and trust.
He wasn’t sure he deserved it.
‘I am pleased to hear it,’ he replied and cleared his throat, uneasy with her appreciation and uncertain what to do with it. ‘You must be tired. Please come in and, when you are ready, we can meet to discuss your role here as governess at Blithe Manor in the coming weeks. I can also introduce you to Miss Bellows, Millie’s day nurse, and of course my daughter, Millie.’
‘Thank you, Your Grace.’ She flushed, brushing at her skirts. ‘I shall freshen up. I apologise for my appearance. I did not expect you to greet me upon my arrival. It was kind of you to make the time to do so.’ She again bobbed her body up and down in an attempt at a curtsy, then scurried up the stairs behind Mrs Chisholm before he could utter a reply.
Simmons edged over to him, dropping his voice low. ‘It is not too late to send her on her way home without harm, Your Grace.She does not look the sort to be a governess to a family of your standing.’
William was tempted, but then remembered her smile. There was something there in that smile and he had to believe and trust in his choice and at least try.
‘Let us not give up just yet,’ William replied. ‘There may be a hidden gem within all those shades of brown. We must have the patience to uncover it.’
The lie sounded fine upon his lips. Now he merely needed to believe it to be the truth.
Chapter Three
Hattie wasn’t sure she was even walking. Her limbs tingled at the opulence and luxury surrounding her. Was this even real? The soft pastels of the hallways and the glimpses into lush, wallpapered sitting and reading rooms with their fine pillows and sofas as she walked past reflected the kind of wealth she had only heard of in tales told or those fantastical stories she read about in books.
Her skirts made a delightful swish on the polished, dark-wooden floors as she moved, and gentle light cascaded through the numerous windows. Family portraits and tasteful landscapes hung in graceful and precise intervals along the corridors as Hattie followed the housekeeper, whose name she had already forgotten, to wherever it was she was taking her
Drat.Why had she not paid better attention?
When she was nervous it was hard to hold anything in her head. At least she had not forgotten His Grace’s name or to curtsy. Ophelia would be proud of her. Hattie pulled back her shoulders and smiled. She was proud of herself, too. She had travelled from Stow alone, except for the kind driver, Eddie, and now she was beginning her new post as a governess for a duke. It was a long way from her humble beginnings in the orphanage.
A door squeaked open as she walked past and Hattie turned back, catching a glimpse of a little girl who looked to be about five or six years old with a sweet cherub face, dark ringlets and wide blue eyes. The moment the little girl realised Hattie had seen her, she jumped back into her room and shut the door.
Hattie smiled and felt a flutter of excitement. That must be her new charge. She could hardly wait to meet her. While Hattie might not be the most attuned to the ways of proper Society and the people within it, she knew and understood children, especially nervous or scared ones. She’d been one most of her life.
The housekeeper stopped suddenly and Hattie nearly ran into her back. Hattie recovered and chuckled when the woman studied her with a curious glance. ‘Apologies,’ Hattie muttered, clutching her reticule. ‘It is absolutely beautiful here. I have never seen such finery. I was distracted.’
The woman smiled and winked at her. ‘Wait until you see your chambers, Miss Potts.’ She opened the door wide and Hattie’s mouth gaped open. She sighed aloud.
‘This is where you will be staying while you are here, so you will be close to Lady Millie if she needs you,’ the housekeeper explained.
