Page 7 of The Governess’ Unlikely Suitor (The Dashworth Brothers #2)

I t had only taken Kate a couple of minutes to unpack her few dresses into the large armoire that ran along one wall of her new bedroom.

The autumnal sun poured in through the large windows, highlighting the tiny repairs she’d made in the hems and sleeves.

Next to the fine furniture, her clothes were drab and insubstantial.

Closing the heavy wardrobe doors so she didn’t have to look at them any more, she glanced around the room, no idea what she would do next.

After her mother had died when she was twelve, she’d taken over the running of her father’s household and she’d been busy ever since.

As the daughter of the vicar, she’d had better access to books than other women of her age in the village and she’d soaked up everything she could learn whenever she had a spare moment.

Her darling father had died six years later and she’d taken her first governess position.

Working for four different families over the last nine years had not given her much time to be by herself.

When her last position had fallen apart, she’d run to Simon and kept house for him.

After they’d moved into their last lodgings, she had cleaned and scrubbed for weeks, pouring her energy into making the house fit for habitation.

With no idea how to mend any of the broken things, the woodwork beyond her skills, she had polished them up to a nice shine.

Dragging up old memories of her mother and her in the kitchen all those years ago, she’d taught herself how to cook.

She’d taken Young Pete and his brother under her wing and begun to teach them how to read, although what good that would do them now she was gone, she did not know.

Here, there was nothing to polish. No need for her to cook.

No one for her to talk to unless Emily required her company.

It should be relaxing but the silence only allowed her mind time to think, something she really did not want to do.

Thinking would remind her of how alone she was, how vulnerable.

The few coins sewn into the lining of her travel bag were all that currently stood between her and destitution.

It was startling how a woman of her age could be reduced to so little by circumstances outside of her control.

Taking a seat at the small table in her sitting room, she ran her fingers over the smooth surface, feeling tiny and insignificant in the vast space. There was no dust, no chips in the wood, the polish on it so fresh she could see her reflection.

A knock at the door had her leaping to her feet, her heart thundering.

She smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress, as if by some miracle she could change it into something fashionable; she’d even settle for something less drab.

But alas no amount of staring could change the material into anything other than what it was.

The knock came again; whoever it was out there, was not going away.

Not answering was ridiculous anyway; it was not like there was anywhere else she might be.

Slowly, she made her way towards the door, reaching out to touch the handle as one might reach towards a potentially poisonous animal.

When she finally pulled it open, her heart pounding, she found a young woman in a maid’s outfit, her dark hair pinned underneath a white cap.

‘Oh,’ Kate said, her heart fluttering wildly, seemingly still expecting Edward Dashworth to be there, scowling at her.

‘Hello, Miss.’ The maid smiled shyly and bobbed a curtsey. Kate’s body heated, sweat gathering at the nape of her neck. She was a fraud, not lofty enough to be curtsied to. ‘I’m Jane, Miss. I’m to be your lady’s maid while you are staying at Glanmore House.’

‘Oh, I…’ Kate floundered, unsure what to say to such an extraordinary statement, no idea what she would do with such a person.

Her whole life, she’d only ever been one step up from being a maid and she was thoroughly used to doing everything by herself; there was nothing she could ask Jane to do for her.

The months of her stay stretched ahead of her and she could picture the two of them sitting in the room, day in, day out, staring at the walls.

‘I’ve come to help you unpack your belongings and then show you to the Blue Lounge when you are ready,’ Jane continued, unaware of Kate’s utter bewilderment.

‘That is kind of you, Jane, but I have already put my belongings away.’

‘Oh.’ Jane looked so despondent at the news that Kate pulled the door open further. ‘You can come in though.’

Jane stepped into the sitting room, peering around the vast space with awe in much the same way Kate had when she had first seen it and known it was to be hers for the months of Simon’s investigation.

Realising Kate was watching her, Jane visibly tried to school her expression into something neutral and Kate bit her lip so she did not laugh.

Jane couldn’t be more than eighteen, she realised.

The same age Kate had been when she had started working all those years ago.

It was unlikely this was Jane’s first job; one did not become a lady’s maid straight away, even if Kate wasn’t a proper lady.

Kate understood families had to eat, but she hated that women had to enter domestic service so young. ‘Have you worked here long?’ she asked.

‘Countess Blackmore hired me two days ago when she thought you might come. I used to work for her mother.’ Jane wasn’t practised enough to hide her wrinkled nose at the mention of her previous employer.

Kate didn’t comment, too busy reeling at the idea of this young woman being hired expressly to work for her and before she had even agreed to the scheme.

‘I could do your hair, Miss. I’m good at styles. ’

Kate touched her bun. She had put it up this morning but had walked the London streets with the brisk wind playing with it and she could feel strands coming loose and tickling her neck. ‘That is very thoughtful of you, Jane. I should like that very much.’

The two women made their way back into Kate’s bedroom, Jane cooing with delight at the fancy furnishings, becoming particularly effusive over the gold-plated drawer handles.

The two of them would not be friends, it was not the way of the world, but the room didn’t feel as vast and as empty with company.

The smooth stroke of a hairbrush passing through her hair soothed her nerves, as did Jane’s chatter about who was who in the household.

Kate discovered that the duke was a distant employer, that he spent most of his time alone in his office but that he was always fair and paid his staff well.

Jane hadn’t learned much about the duke’s brothers, but having lived as a servant, it was more interesting for Kate to hear about the butler and the housekeeper anyway.

These two people held the greatest power amongst the servants and, whether they were pleasant or not, had the biggest impact on the nature of the household.

Jane was very taken with both of them and spent most of her time with Kate talking about how they had made her feel at home over the last two days.

It spoke volumes about the duke’s household that he employed such people.

She repeated that mantra in her mind, trying to steady her nerves.

The Dashworth family were not monsters; not like Michael Chorley.

They were decent employers and were kind enough to take her in.

Just because Edward Dashworth had been brusque, it did not follow that her stay would be miserable.

She would do her best to enjoy herself and to take any opportunities offered.

When she was old she would hopefully have pleasant memories of the time she had lived in a duke’s house and dined at his tables.

It might even make for some good stories for her future pupils, if she ever had any more.

‘I will never find my way to the Blue Lounge by myself or back to my room afterwards,’ she told Jane later as they made their way towards it. ‘This place is a maze.’

‘Ring the bell when you need me and I will come and help you.’ Jane was sweetly kind, but her response to Kate’s comment, made more in jest than seriously, made Kate feel inadequate.

Jane had only been living here a few hours longer than Kate and already knew her way around.

‘Here you are, Miss.’ Jane bobbed another curtsey.

‘If you don’t ring for me before, I shall come and help you prepare for dinner. ’

Dinner was hours away; Kate had no idea what she was going to do in the time between now and then.

Jane walked away before Kate could protest that she had been getting ready to eat meals for all of her six and twenty years quite happily by herself and would be able to do so again later, especially as she did not have a nicer dress to change into than the one she was already wearing.

She wished she had thought of it before, because it was going to be excruciating when everyone was in their finery and she was dressed…

well, exactly how she was now, which wasn’t to say she looked bad, but she hardly looked fit for a duke’s house.

The house was still and silent, the door to the Blue Lounge innocuous. She stood there for long, ponderous moments, her hands and feet unwilling to propel her forward. Somewhere, deep inside the vast house, a grandfather clock began to strike.

It was eleven and standing here not entering the room was rude. Taking a steadying breath, she opened the door.

The Blue Lounge was as startlingly blue as it had been the first time she had seen it. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the colour explosion. Whoever had decorated this room had been truly dedicated to the task of making sure it lived up to its name.