Page 14 of An Unforeseen Kiss (Captivating Kisses #4)

V al entered the breakfast room and went straight to the buffet.

He had asked Mrs. Quigby to discuss with Cook to serve one each morning.

Especially with additional guests in the house now, it simply made more sense than each of them ordering breakfast individually.

He would have thought it would have been something Mama suggested, but she still seemed too wrapped up in her grief to notice much of anything going on about her.

He filled his plate and took a seat at the round table, a footman immediately pouring coffee for him.

This was the calm before the storm, being by himself.

His mother usually breakfasted in her room, and Aunt Agnes had taken on the task of joining her closest friend each morning.

His sisters, though, always came down to breakfast, and he assumed his two cousins would, as well.

His only regret was that Miss Snow would not be joining them this morning.

Val wondered why he was so taken with the governess.

Of course, any man who met her would be charmed.

She had a remarkable, fresh beauty which would draw men to her.

He liked more than her looks, however. He liked how spirited she was, despite the fact that she had had a difficult time once her parents had passed.

It took a mature person to handle the situation dealt to them, especially one where a person’s place had fallen in the world.

Miss Snow seemed to be fully in charge of her emotions and happy to be on the path she now walked.

Tia and Lia entered the room together, talking and laughing as always.

He was fortunate to be close to all his siblings.

Over the years, they had spent many good times together.

He had grown closest to Ariadne, but he was growing closer to Lia and Tia again, simply from living in the same household with them since their father’s death.

He had not seen much of the twins after he left university because he had spent so much of his time at town and not at Millvale.

Val had become frustrated when his father would not allow him any say in the estate, much less permit their steward to share information with him regarding the tenants and crop yields.

Because of that, he had avoided Millvale.

It was good to be back, however. As much as he had enjoyed town over the years, he had forgotten about the serenity of the countryside.

While he promised himself he would find a bride of his own on the Marriage Mart next Season, he also wanted to make certain the twins made excellent matches of their own.

He would lean on Con’s advice for all this.

Once the current Season ended, Val would extend an invitation to his best friend to come to Millvale and spend a few weeks.

He missed his cousin’s company greatly, having seen him daily for years.

As his sisters seated themselves, his cousins entered the breakfast room.

They were sweet girls and certainly looked up to their governess.

Miss Snow had done a fine job, along with Aunt Agnes, in molding Verina’s and Justina’s characters.

He thought of their brother, Tray, whom Val had not seen in many years.

Hadrian had become the Earl of Traywick upon the death of his father.

His younger brother had also perished in the same carriage accident, and Val felt now that he had been remiss not reaching out to his cousin sooner.

He would write to Cousin Tray today, inviting him, too, to Millvale.

Since the spring term of university would be over by early June, he hoped Tray would accept the invitation.

His cousins joined them after filling their plates at the buffet, and Justina said, “Miss Snow said we are to keep to the schedule we usually follow at home. Lessons in the morning, with riding in the early afternoon. Sometimes, Miss Snow also holds additional lessons for us after our ride, when we are outdoors.”

“What lessons do you partake in outdoors?” Lia asked, adding milk to her tea.

“All kinds,” Verina responded. “Miss Snow has a particular interest in gardening, and she takes us through our gardens, teaching us about different plants.”

“Sometimes, she even has us digging in the dirt alongside the gardeners,” Justina declared. “All while we conjugate Latin or French verbs aloud!”

“She also has taken us fishing, as well as riding,” Verina added.

While Lia wrinkled her nose, Tia’s enthusiasm bubbled over. “I have never gone fishing,” she said. “I didn’t know girls did so. Did Miss Snow’s brothers take her fishing?”

“No, Miss Snow is an only child,” Verina shared. “It was her father who took her. Since he had no sons, he leaned heavily upon Miss Snow, and she accompanied him everywhere on the estate.”

“Miss Snow told us that you had said we could use your stables, Millbrooke,” Justina said. She looked to the twins. “We will ride today at half-past one. I hope you might join us.”

Both Lia and Tia agreed to do so, and Val decided to speak up.

“If you do not mind my company, I would like to join you. Show you bits of the estate.”

“Yes, please do so, Millbrooke,” Verina said.

“We ride often with Val now that he has returned to Millvale,” Lia said. “My, we will make a merry party with the six of us on horseback.”

He remained quiet after that, ignoring the girls’ chatter and giving his attention to the newspapers Quigby had placed on the table for him.

Once he finished his breakfast, he excused himself, taking the newspapers with him, fully intending to go to his study and enjoy reading them in greater detail.

Instead, his feet took him in the direction of the library—and Miss Snow.

He entered, seeing her skimming her finger along the spines of books.

He wondered if she did so in order to locate things for her charges to read or if she looked for something for herself.

He noticed a volume of Blake’s poetry sitting out and then watched as she pulled a slender volume of Wordsworth from a shelf.

“Are you a romantic, Miss Snow, and always reach for poetry?”

She whirled to face him, and her cheeks tinged with a blush, Still, she looked composed and calmly said, “Good morning, Your Grace.”

“I thought I would come and see if you are settling in at Millvale, Miss Snow. How is your room? Is it to your liking?”

“It is very nice.” Mischief dancing in her eyes, she added, “I believe much nicer than the one I was supposed to stay in.”

They both chuckled, and he asked, “What will you be teaching my cousins today?”

She went to a table and picked up a book sitting on it.

“I have them write in their journals almost daily. I think it is good for the girls to get down their thoughts and reflect upon their day. It also lets them practice their handwriting. A good hand is something every lady should possess, as they will correspond with others throughout their lives. They may even wish to write out their own invitations to events they host instead of leaving it to be done by a secretary.”

She set the journal on the table again. “Today, I am asking them to write about their first impressions of Millvale. Justina will take the assignment literally. She will go into great detail about the land and the house and all the rooms she has seen. She will even detail the color of the bedclothes. Verina will go in a different direction. She will write about her impressions of her aunt and her cousins.”

“So, you do not tell them exactly what to write about.”

“No. I simply provide a topic and allow them to interpret it as they wish.”

Miss Snow brushed her fingers against the journal again, and he thought he saw her fingers tremble.

Was she nervous in his company?

Most likely, she was. Although he was the same man he had always been, Val knew the fact that he was now a duke changed his relationship with the world and those in it.

Even his own peers would appear nervous around him, so it stood to reason that a lowly governess would, as well.

Miss Snow had probably fretted about the conversation between them yesterday when they were alone.

She had said she was going to be more respectful, but Val did not wish for her to be afraid of him.

Wanting to put her more at ease, he asked, “Beyond journaling, what else will my cousins study today?”

“We will speak of geography, especially since this is their first time in Kent. Truly, their first time to travel anywhere beyond Traywick Manor and its nearby village. We talked about the route we would take before we left. Now that the girls have traveled it, we will look more closely at the counties and towns we passed through. We will also work on maths, a topic neither one is fond of.”

“I heard you will ride this afternoon. My cousins were most excited about that and invited my sisters to go along with them.” He paused and then added, “I invited myself to accompany you since you are touring the estate for the first time. I hope to show all of you a bit about Millvale which you might not see on your own.”

She made a small sound of distress and then bit her lip as if upset with herself for doing so. “Whatever you wish, Your Grace. Your cousins are your guests.”

“You, too, are my guest, Miss Snow,” he insisted, wanting to make her feel welcome.

Anger sparked in her eyes. “No, you are wrong about that. I am a servant of one of your guests, brought along to make things run more smoothly. I know Lady Traywick wishes to spend a good deal of time with Her Grace and help her through all she has suffered because of His Grace’s death.

That means even though Lady Traywick missed her daughters and wished for her girls to be with her during her extended visit to Millvale, they would be left on their own often with little to do.