Page 32 of An Unforeseen Kiss (Captivating Kisses #4)

E den went to the library for the day’s lessons. She had slept little after last night, lying in bed, reliving Val’s kisses, torturing herself. She kept telling herself that he was like Lord Kessley, but she knew she was lying to herself.

Could he have kissed her the way he did and not have true feelings for her?

Not that she thought he loved her, but he might actually be developing some sentiment for her.

She doubted anything could ever come of it, with him a duke and her a governess, but the more she thought about it, the more Eden decided she had been too abrupt with him.

She had made up her mind to apologize. If he were half the man she thought him to be, he would gracefully accept.

Perhaps they could even return to being friends.

Or more.

The thought of being in his arms again, sharing magical kisses, made her throw caution to the wind. She might not be acceptable as his duchess, but she would humble herself and hope they might enjoy a quick romance before she departed with Lady Traywick for Cumberland.

When she arrived, the first thing Eden noticed was something lying on the table. Thinking it odd because she always put everything up and out of sight, she went to see what it was. When she saw her name written across it in a bold hand, she knew only one person could have left this for her.

With trepidation, she broke the seal and read the contents. Once. Twice. Her throat swelled with emotion—because he was gone. Without a word, Val had left Millvale.

And her.

Had she driven him away? She had been short with him last night, castigating him for his behavior regarding Lord Arden.

Why on earth had she taken it upon herself to rebuke a duke?

A governess might need to reprimand those in her care every now and then, but no one had appointed her Millvale’s keeper.

He was a bloody duke—and dukes did whatever they wanted.

Even kiss foolish governesses.

She swallowed, clearing her throat, trying to rid herself of all emotion. She could not afford to have Verina and Justina see her so upset. They might already be suspicious after last night, when she lied about getting something in her eye. She could not fool them with the same story again.

“He will be gone for several weeks,” she said aloud, knowing not having to face him every day during tea or rides with the girls would actually be to her advantage.

It would help her to get over these foolish feelings she had for him.

She wouldn’t call it love ever again. What she had felt for Millbrooke was a passing fancy.

An infatuation. Not love. They had spent time having some lovely conversations, but that was it.

He had kissed her, but those kisses had meant nothing to him.

He was a man who asserted his power wherever he went.

He had kissed her because he wanted to do so.

Perhaps he found her somewhat attractive, possibly because Lord Arden had been so attentive to her.

Wait. Had he been jealous that she had danced with Lord Arden?

She had been so busy at the assembly that she had not noticed who Val had danced with.

Yes, she had put an end to their friendship and private time together, which he had been upset about, but was it possible he had harbored feelings for her?

If he did, no wonder he appeared and rudely claimed a dance.

Eden then recalled that he had said she would not become Lady Arden.

His words had surprised her. Even embarrassed her.

She had quickly replied that she had no interest in being Lady Arden.

And that was when he had kissed her.

Had she misjudged his intentions toward her?

Even if he did care for her, nothing could be done about their feelings.

She was a governess and would be leaving when summer came to an end.

He needed to view the young ladies on the Marriage Mart and find a suitable one to be his wife.

No matter what either—or both—might feel, she was not an appropriate choice.

He would choose a bride amongst the cream of Polite Society.

Glumly, Eden realized that was most likely why he had vacated Millvale so swiftly.

Val realized they shared feelings for one another.

Being in close proximity would only lead to heartbreak.

He deliberately had gone away. True, he had mentioned to her on more than one occasion that he needed to visit his other holdings.

In an attempt to put distance between them, he had gone to do so.

She must respect his decision and do her best to keep her mind on the many tasks at hand.

First, she would continue to do the best job possible in educating Verina and Justina.

The girls were her chief priority. Second, she must organize this fete to be successful.

It would take hours and hours devoted to it, but she was willing to do so.

Regardless of what her head said, her heart wanted the best for Val.

This was something important to him, a practice which might become an annual tradition.

She would do everything in her power to make it a triumph.

It would be her gift to him since she apparently had made a mess of everything.

The next week was a busy one. After speaking with Lady Traywick, in the Duchess of Millvale’s presence, the three agreed that lessons could be suspended for the next month or so while they worked on the fete. The duchess proved quite kind, giving Eden several suggestions, which she eagerly took.

Knowing she had full use of the ducal carriage also helped since she had many people to see in the area. Much to her surprise, Her Grace asked if she could accompany Eden on a few of her visits.

“Just enough to get things off to a pleasant start,” the duchess had said.

They had visited a few titled gentlemen in the area.

Most of Polite Society was in town for the Season, but a few, such as Lord Arden, had remained behind.

Of those who had, she and the duchess called upon them all, asking them to be judges in various competitions.

Lady Traywick had suggested they add food to the list of competitive entries, and Eden and the duchess came up with several categories for food to be judged, from pies to jams.

The visit with Lord Arden proved the most difficult for her.

The widower had invited the pair to the nursery, where she had met his two daughters.

Clearly, the girls idolized their father, and he was quite good with them.

Lord Arden agreed to judge one of the horse competitions and when given a preference, he asked if he might judge sweets, confessing that he had a sweet tooth.

When they left, he had held her hand a moment longer than acceptable, and she had gently withdrawn it.

She did not want to hurt him, but it was important that she make things clear to him.

“I hope you will find a wife, my lord. I can see how dedicated you are to your girls, just as I am dedicated to teaching Lady Verina and Lady Justina Fulton.”

Apparently, he had received her message, saying, “I hope I will find a woman who will not mind already having a readymade family and still be willing to add to it.”

“I wish you the best of luck in that endeavor, Lord Arden,” Eden had replied.

Once upon a time, she would have leapt at the chance to become the wife of a titled gentleman. It would not have been fair to Lord Arden, however, to wed him—when her heart would always belong to another.

By the time Friday arrived and she was to meet with the vicar and his wife, Eden was thrilled by the progress made in a week’s time. Unexpectedly, Her Grace asked to accompany her to the vicarage as she waited in the foyer for the carriage to be readied.

“Are you certain you wish to go out again, Your Grace?” she asked. “I know you have been in mourning for the late duke. You have already helped me so much this week as it is.”

The older woman smiled. “I find that it feels good to be out and about, Miss Snow. While I will decline any social invitations on a matter of principle, I would like to see what the Clarkes think about our plans so far. That is, if you are willing for me to accompany you to the rectory.”

“I would be most happy if you did so,” she replied. “Frankly, I was a bit worried how they would react when I showed up without His Grace.” She sucked in a quick breath. “Oh. That is the reason you have asked to come with me today.”

The duchess shrugged. “It does not ever hurt to have a duchess on your side. I will make certain they know this fete is in your hands. The rest will be easy because you are doing such a remarkable job.”

They rode into the village and exited the ducal carriage.

Mrs. Clarke fussed over them, fetching tea and cakes for them before she went to find her husband.

He seemed almost cowed by the duchess’ presence, and Eden was grateful for it.

She had a suspicion Mr. Clarke would not have accepted all her ideas so easily if she had not had Her Grace there for support.

By the time they left, Mr. and Mrs. Clarke were ecstatic at the progress being made, and they had agreed to the percentage that would go directly to the church from what was earned at the booths and registration fees for the competitions.

Once in the carriage, Her Grace said, “There, that was not so bad after all, was it, Miss Snow?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Only because you came along, Your Grace. I would have experienced a difficult time without your presence. Or that of His Grace’s.”

“Ah, yes. I received a letter from Millbrooke yesterday. He has arrived in Oxfordshire and found much to his liking. He wrote that he would plan to stay there for a few days before moving on to his next property.”

“It is good he is taking the time to tour all the estates he inherited,” she said, glad to have gleaned even a small kernel about where Val was.

“My son may appear lighthearted, but beneath his exterior is a serious man dedicated to being the best duke he can be.”

“I understand that, Your Grace. That is why I wish to do everything I can to see this fete meet with success.”

Nodding, the duchess said, “It no doubt will be. You have only been at things a week, and look how much you have already accomplished.”

“It is nothing.”

“Do not underestimate yourself,” the older woman insisted.

“I know you have had assistance from the girls, but you are the one calling on people, convincing them to have booths or enter the different contests. You are designing games for the children to play, old and young alike. Do not sell yourself short, Miss Snow. If this fete is a success, it will be because of the tremendous effort you are putting into this project.”

“Thank you,” she said, in awe of this woman. “It is nice to be acknowledged for my efforts.”

“Be certain that when Millbrooke returns to Millvale, he will hear directly from me just how much of yourself you have put into planning this fete.”

“That is not necessary, Your Grace.”

The duchess frowned sternly at her. “ I say it is necessary. I do not give praise lightly, Miss Snow. Accept what you get.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” she said, lowering her gaze. She had never thought to have such a champion in her corner.

By the end of the second week, Eden had commitments from thirty people who wished to man a booth, selling everything from embroidered handkerchiefs to dolls to jewelry and boots.

Slots were filling quickly for the different food competitions.

They almost had every shift covered for the children’s games, and both horse competitions were now filled, with Eden even creating a waiting list in case someone dropped out at the last minute and a replacement would be given a chance to compete.

She fell into bed, exhausted, but in a good way.

Her days were filled with activities regarding the fete.

It was the nights which gave her trouble.

Anytime she closed her eyes, she saw Val’s image.

She continued to regret her harsh words to him and hoped that he would be willing to accept her apology when he returned to Millvale.

She wanted him to be proud of the work she had done on the fete.

Eden lulled herself to sleep, reliving Val’s kisses, finally falling asleep on her tearstained pillow.