Page 27 of An Unforeseen Kiss (Captivating Kisses #4)

T he hardest thing Eden had done was to walk away from Val in the library yesterday.

Especially because she loved him.

But it was because she did so that she knew she had to pull away.

Their friendship had grown with the time they had spent alone, and nothing could come of it.

Governesses didn’t belong in the world dukes inhabited, and she was fooling herself to think she did.

The more she was in his company, the more she craved time with him, and it had already caused her to fall in love with him.

She had once told him that she must guard her heart.

Well, she had certainly done a poor job of doing so, because it was breaking in two.

She had determined she must end all private contact between them now, even though she would be at Millvale until the end of the summer.

Eden saw no sense in continuing to spend time with Val.

It gave her false hope, and she was a practical woman who must depend upon herself to earn her living.

The sooner she broke ties with him, painful as it might be, the better it would be for her own heart.

Of course, she would miss their conversations dreadfully and believed he would, as well.

His sisters and cousins were several years younger than he was, and while they were family, they had little in common.

Being of a similar age, and having spent many years in her father’s company so that she understood the responsibilities of a titled gentleman, Val had been able to confide in her, especially about what he wished to do at Millvale.

He had listened thoughtfully to her suggestions and even implemented a few.

But he needed to find friends of his own social standing in the neighborhood.

That was one reason she had encouraged him to ask his cousin to come to Millvale.

Val trusted Lord Dyer implicitly, and Eden sensed the viscount would always be there for Val, for decades to come.

Unfortunately, his cousin was tied in with the Season, helping his sister navigate the waters as she made her come-out.

When Val had told her that his friend could not come for a visit now, she nudged him into the idea of going to town himself.

Perhaps with their parting of ways, he would do so.

Let him be hurt she had abruptly ended their friendly outings. He would recover and move on.

She would miss him terribly, but she could no longer be around him and keep silent about her love for him. That would be a secret which she took to her grave.

Changing from her riding habit, she washed her face with cool water from the basin.

She was proud of how she had handled today.

Her attention had been solely focused on her charges this morning as they had worked on grammar, French, and did a bit of dancing in preparation for tomorrow night’s assembly.

She had taken them riding, along with their cousins, and fortunately, Val did not join them.

Eden would see him at tea now, but she doubted they would interact much, if at all.

Once she was in the drawing room, she took a seat, encouraging Verina to sit with her. Val came in at the last minute. No, His Grace. She must not ever think of him as Val. It was too intimate.

After the duchess had poured out, he cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I have something to share that will affect all you, some more than others.”

“What is it, Val?” Lady Tia asked impatiently. “Tomorrow night’s assembly?”

“It has nothing to do with the assembly.”

“Oh, I cannot wait to dance at it,” Justina said, steering the conversation back to the assembly and ignoring that the duke had something to share. “I have just the gown to wear.”

“Is it the pale blue one?” her sister asked.

“I like that one,” Lady Lia said. “I am going to wear a soft pink.”

The four girls took over the conversation, and Eden couldn’t help but smile. She caught the duke looking at her and said, “Give them a few minutes before you try for their attention again. They are so looking forward to the assembly.”

“I would think they would possess better manners,” he said, rudeness in his tone, which caused her cheeks to grow hot. Justina had been the one to change the topic, and Millbrooke’s words implied that Eden was not doing her job properly in teaching her charge good manners.

“Girls,” she said firmly. “His Grace wanted to share something.”

But Lady Tia asked, “What will you wear tomorrow night, Miss Snow? We are of a similar size, so I am happy to loan you something if you would like.”

Wishing she could vanquish the blush spilling across her cheeks, Eden said, “That is most gracious of you, Lady Tia, but I will wear something from my own wardrobe. Besides, I will not be dancing. I will be chaperoning, so it really does not matter what I don.”

“No, Miss Snow,” Justina said, frowning. “You love to dance. You dance at our village assemblies.”

“My role is a bit different here, my lady,” she said. “I attend the assemblies at Kidsgrove, but you are not with me when I do so.”

Verina looked to her mother. “Mama, tell Miss Snow she must dance.”

Lady Traywick’s gaze fell upon Eden. “I see no reason why, if all the girls have been engaged for a set, that you and Millbrooke might not dance.”

“Oh, Val dances superbly,” Lia bragged. “You would do well together.”

“We will not be dancing together,” she insisted. “It is not appropriate for a governess to dance with a duke.”

“But you’ve have danced with an earl before,” Verina reminded her. “And both viscounts who have attended have also danced with you, Miss Snow.”

“I will dance only if you four girls have suitable partners. Which reminds me, you must bring any partner to meet either His Grace or me before you will be granted permission to dance with him.”

“Yes, Miss Snow,” she heard in unison.

“Very well. Enough talk of the assembly.” Turning her attention back to the duke, Eden said, “You have their attention now, Your Grace.”

“Thank you,” he said, looking directly at her. Then he gazed about the group. “I met with Mr. and Mrs. Clarke. They are eager to start a new tradition which would raise funds for the church.”

“Oh, is this the fete?” Her Grace asked. “They were keen to have it, but His Grace was not in favor of doing so.”

“What activities take place at fete?” Justina asked. “I have never been to one.”

“An outdoor entertainment,” the duchess shared. “It seems our current vicar’s brother does something similar at the parish where he serves.”

“Yes, exactly,” the duke said. “They want me to host the event here at Millvale. There are to be booths which sell food and drink. Stalls for people to sell their wares. Games for children to play, with prizes to be awarded. And contests of skills for adults. Riding. Shooting. Archery. That sort of thing.”

“That is quite a bit to organize,” Lady Traywick said. “When do they suggest this occur?”

“It is planned for the last Saturday in June.”

“ This June?” Her Grace asked.

“Yes, Mama.”

She shook her head. “I am not ready to plan something so elaborate, Millbrooke, much less in so little time.”

“I know that. That is why I am asking Miss Snow to do so. She is extremely organized and efficient. She could involve all the girls in helping her. It would be good experience for them to learn how to plan a large affair.”

The duke turned to her. “Would you be willing to take on this project, Miss Snow?”

“In all honesty, I am not certain I am capable of it, Your Grace,” she said, thinking it wholly inappropriate for her to take on such a task, one which should belong to the lady of the house.

“Nonsense,” Lady Traywick said. “You would do a marvelous job, Miss Snow. And Millbrooke is right. This would be excellent experience for my daughters and nieces to gain under your watchful eye.”

Eden wanted to refuse, but her employer was looking hopefully at her.

“Then I would be happy to do so, my lady. I am afraid I might have to put aside some of the girls’ lessons, though, in order to finish everything on time.”

“No maths!” declared Justina. “Oh, I am all for helping plan this fete if we can eliminate maths.”

“Maths is involved in everything we do in life,” she said primly.

“We will have to figure out the number of booths. Create the games to play with the children and make certain they have adult supervision in playing them. Decide upon what prizes the children will be awarded. And then there are the contests for adults. We will need judges. Scoring sheets. Prizes for the adult competitions, as well.”

“Agnes and I can help with some of this,” the duchess volunteered. “The planning. Not the actual working of a booth or competition.” She looked at her son. “Millbrooke, you will need to work with Miss Snow in regard to the prizes. They should be small but tasteful.”

He smiled. “I can do so, Mama. We can finish tea and then meet about them.”

“All of us should meet, the girls included,” Eden insisted, not wanting to be alone with him for any reason. “We have much to plan. Deciding upon the actual prizes can wait. Let us begin our initial planning, Your Grace. I will inform you when we can meet at a later time regarding the prizes.”

He smiled and breezily said, “Oh, I would love to sit in as you formulate your plans, Miss Snow. I promise to be like a fly on the wall and merely listen.”

Drat . . .

Smiling graciously, even though she was now boiling inside, she said, “Of course, you are welcomed to do so, Your Grace. I only hope you will not become bored during the tedious planning.”

“I doubt I will be bored,” he replied. “We have so much to talk about.”

They finished their tea, everyone talking about how delicious the raspberry scones were, but they had tasted like dust in her mouth.

“Shall we go to the library?” the duke asked.