Page 6 of A Governess' Forbidden Flame
Ready to face the earl anew, Amelia opened the door and stepped back into the enigmatic embrace of Ravenscroft Manor.
Chapter 4
Sebastian Blackthorn, the Earl of Ravenscroft, was pacing about his study like a caged animal. The room, adorned with rich mahogany furniture and bookshelves lined with leather-bound times, spoke of erudition and a passion for knowledge, although Sebastian had found little time for that in the past three years. The subdued glow of candles added a warm ambiance, casting a play of shadows on the ornate Axminster carpet that adorned the polished wooden floor.
As he continued to pace about the chamber, unable to steady himself, his steps resonated with this exact restlessness, an energy that oozed out of the complexity of his thoughts. He mulled over the events of the evening, unable to steady his nerves.
He had been caught off guard, something that hadn’t happened in a long time. First of all, he wasn’t expecting Anna’s prospective governess to be so pretty. So utterly ravishing, to be exact, even when soiled from the journey. The way her hazel eyes met his with a blend of curiosity and composure, the subtle grace in her movements, all of this was a tapestry of allure difficult to ignore.
He appreciated not just her physical beauty but the resilience that radiated from her. The journey to Ravenscroft Manor, the laughter with Anna, and the composed demeanor she maintained in the face of unexpected challenges only heightenedhis fascination. In the solitude of his study, he found himself drawn to the complexities that Amelia had brought into his meticulously controlled world.
He wondered if hiring a woman like her would be a good idea. He didn’t want a disruption of the rules he had imposed in this household, but rather a mere continuation of the same. As it turned out, the moment Amelia arrived, things had shifted. He could sense it. Her quiet intensity was bold and powerful, and he wondered if he should simply allow her to spend the night at the manor, thanking her for her troubles and sending her back.
A knock on the door brought him back to the present moment. He lifted his gaze, clearing his throat before speaking.
“Come in,” he said.
The door opened slowly, almost apprehensively, and Amelia peered from behind it with that curious, almost childlike look in her eyes.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked.
“No,” he said as he shook his head, gesturing at the chair where she was to be seated. “Please.”
She moved slowly, now dressed in a gown more befitting of a governess. It was beyond prim and proper, a delicate silkwith intricate lace cascading in folds that hinted at meticulous craftsmanship. The neckline was modest, curving around her neck, with a hint of embroidery tracing along the collar.
The gown’s silhouette was tailored to perfection, accentuating her slender frame with tasteful grace. The sleeves, three-quarter length, revealed only a hint of her wrists adorned with subtle lace cuffs. The skirt flowed gracefully to the floor, pooling around her feet in a cascade of fabric that whispered of restrained opulence.
The way it draped over her figure, its primness suggested there was so much more beneath the surface. The lace and silk, while exquisite, left much to the imagination, concealing yet hinting at the contours of her body. He watched her take a seat, then he did the same, facing her.
“Thank you for coming,” he said. “I know it is a long way.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” she replied, with a prim and proper smile that stood in perfect alignment with her gown.
Unable to take his eyes off of her woman who was now seated across from him, Sebastian’s mind regressed to the events of the previous month, during which he had invited as many as five different women to visit the manor and interview for the position of governess. Unfortunately, all of them had turned him down. Every single one of them.
Sebastian considered himself a reasonable man, aware of the nuances of the world he had been confined to. Namely, his reputation in thetonwas based on the deaths of his family members. It seemed that the entire country knew of their family tragedies, and instead of leaving them be, they preyed on their pain and anguish like the vultures that they were. Sebastian himself had been running from that for the past five years.
Evil eyes and tongues kept flicking around his family, of whom only he and little Anna were left now. And not even this was enough for the rest of the world to leave them alone.
“I am quite interested in this job position, especially now that I have met Anna,” he heard her say, much to his delight. Although, he did his best not to show it. It was too soon to be hopeful about anything, but at least she was here, unlike the rest of them. Perhaps her curious, joyful nature would be something that Anna would thrive on, regardless of the tumult she might bring to the household. Despite everything, hope started to blossom slowly inside of him, like a flower after a bout of rain.
“She is…a handful,” he said, tilting his head a little as if to take a closer look at her.
She smiled at the comment. “I like my hands full.”
A mischievous thought inside of him joined that blossoming of hope.She likes her hands full? Of what?Despite all consciouseffort, his mind treated him to a titillating sight of her with her hands full of his hair, gripping him, pulling him closer, moaning his name.
He quickly cleared his throat, banishing the dangerous thought. It was merely something that was aroused out of a dry spell he had sentenced himself to willingly. He couldn’t get a governess to come here, let alone a woman he might have been able to court. Not that he was interested in any such nonsense right now. There was too much danger lurking about these corridors.
But Anna’s well-being was more important than anything else, and she needed a governess. She was slowly becoming a young lady, and Sebastian knew that she needed the constant presence of a woman in her life. Maybe this woman would be who he had been looking for?
Once again, his mind’s eye reverted back to how he came across her name. It was pure chance, the luck of the draw…or perhaps fate? Sebastian didn’t believe in fate, just in a happy, albeit coincidental set of circumstances that worked in his favor. That was exactly what had happened that night at White’s when Lord Davenport spoke of his governess, who had recently been forced to leave his employment because of her background.
The man did not speak of the particularities, not that Sebastian believed in much of what thetonsaid. He had felt the cold whip of gossip on the back of his own family, so he knew that this woman might be desperate enough to accept his invitation, after the previous five women had refused.
The following several days were spent in researching the woman in question. Sebastian had to admit that he liked what he found out. She was from a humble background, and until her last employment with Lord Davenport, her reputation and work had been impeccable. Curious and willing to invite almost anyone to interview for the position of governess at this point, he had extended an invitation to her.
Now that she was there, he still couldn’t get accustomed to her. He had envisioned her differently. Perhaps slightly older. Certainly less beautiful. Although he had expected her to be so well-mannered and intelligent.
