Page 8 of The Governess’ Unlikely Suitor (The Dashworth Brothers #2)

After a few stunned moments, she took in the other people in the room.

This time three of the brothers were in attendance: the young one, Christopher; the charming one, Freddie; and the tightly wound Edward.

They stood as she entered, but it was Emily who held her attention.

Well, that was not entirely true. It was Emily whom she smiled at, whose outstretched hands Kate clasped as they approached one another, but as she walked and spoke, Edward’s dark presence weighed heavily in the room, almost like he were somehow pressing against her skin.

Emily spoke to her, asking her about Simon leaving

—pleasant, friendly comments that she responded to politely, her mind only half on the questions.

‘Are your rooms still to your liking?’ asked Emily, as they all settled into seats, Kate in a high wingback, Freddie and Emily pressed close together on a loveseat, with Edward somehow taking up almost all of a settee, despite not sprawling across it.

She barely noticed Christopher. ‘Because if they are not, there are plenty of others you can choose from. Honestly, I do not understand why the Dashworths need so many rooms.’

‘Darling, you are a Dashworth now.’

‘All the same, it is rather ridiculous, Freddie, to have so many empty rooms.’

‘The rooms are lovely,’ Kate cut in before a marital dispute could set in. ‘I do not need anything half as grand.’

There was a plate of cakes in front of her, but no one offered her one or made a move to take one for themselves.

She laced her fingers together tightly to stop herself from reaching out and stuffing them all in her mouth at once.

Freddie and Emily began to bicker quietly between themselves.

She tried to follow their conversation, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to tear her eyes away from the food.

Edward snapped forward, handing her a plate from those stacked beside the tray of sweet treats.

‘If we wait for them to stop noticing each other, we will never eat. I find them easier to deal with if I only spend small amounts of time with them and may I recommend you do the same.’ His lips twitched slightly, the first sign he was human.

‘Thank you,’ she said, reaching for a slice of fruit cake.

Her fingers brushed the outside of it before she spied small tongs.

Heat scalded her skin as she realised her misstep.

She snatched her hand away before starting again.

The utensil was far fiddlier than her fingers would have been, but she finally managed to transfer the slice onto her plate.

Edward watched her, making no comment as she fumbled with this seemingly easy task.

When she risked a glance at him, he quickly averted his eyes.

Her first bite had her eyes fluttering closed.

Either she’d forgotten, or she’d never known, just how delicious this type of cake was.

The sweet fruit mixing with the spiced flour was divine.

She could live on nothing but this for the rest of her life and would die content.

She took another bite and another, mourning its loss as soon as it was over.

It was bad manners to lick the plate, but that didn’t stop her staring at the crumbs with a longing she had hitherto only read about in stories.

Finally, she looked up from her plate and found Edward staring at her again.

His expression was impossible to read but she could guess at his disgust. She had all but devoured the cake in a way that was not at all subtle or ladylike; biting hunger and longing for something sweet had overtaken any manners she possessed.

How different she must be from the women he was used to.

While she had been having her near religious experience with the food, Emily had helped herself to a tartlet and was daintily eating it with a small fork.

Kate’s appetite for another slice fled when she spied the same utensil meant for her.

It hadn’t occurred to her to pick up a fork to eat a slice of cake.

She wasn’t even sure if she should have done, or whether the forks were meant for the tarts only.

She had lived in aristocratic houses before but not mingled with her employers over tea and cake.

These people were exotic creatures she didn’t understand.

‘Did Edward tell you what we plan to tell everyone about you?’ asked Emily, when she had finished her tartlet.

‘He did not.’

‘I thought Miss Hornel could get settled before we bombard her with information.’

‘Perhaps you could tell her now,’ said Emily sweetly. ‘I am not able to retain information well since I am expecting, and I do not want to confuse the details.’ The slight swelling of her stomach was only visible now the countess had placed a hand on it.

Edward glared at his sister-in-law, who smiled back serenely. They appeared to be having some sort of silent communication, but Kate could not fathom what it could be about.

‘Indeed,’ said Edward, straightening the cuffs on his jacket, turning away from Emily.

‘You do not need to make any plans for me,’ said Kate quickly. ‘I am quite content to wait for my brother to return. I understood I was to be your companion, Emily; there is no need for other plans to be made.’

‘Surely doing nothing would send you out of your mind,’ Edward argued. ‘Mr Hornel could be gone for a year.’

Of course she would be dreadfully bored if she spent more than an hour sitting around doing nothing, but she did not want to be thought of as a burden.

She was more than that. She had fought hard and lost a lot to be more than that.

‘Unless you have a small child in need of a governess, then I am not sure what it is I will do.’

Edward’s look sharpened. ‘We do have a niece, who lives with us. Did your brother not tell you of our situation?’

She folded the material of her dress over her knee. Of course there was a child. It made sense for this family to put her to work. She would prefer it to sitting around for months on end, but somehow the thought of it stung. ‘When will I meet her?’

Edward jerked his head impatiently. ‘You are not to be her governess. I just meant…’ He sighed, looking at his brother and sister-in-law, neither of whom made any attempt to talk. ‘I meant that I expected your brother to explain our situation.’

‘Oh. No. He did not say anything. He never does when he has a case, because he believes in the privacy of his clients.’

‘An admirable trait but unnecessary in this instance as you are to live with us. We have…’ He scrubbed a hand down his face.

‘We had another brother. Sebastian. He moved to America, married, had a daughter and made a fortune.’ Kate could not resist a look around the room; if these people thought Sebastian had made a lot of money, his wealth must have been truly spectacular.

‘We had news of his death over a year ago, and his daughter, Charlotte, came to live with us earlier this year. We did not know of her existence until she turned up on our doorstep and we are hoping that, as well as finding out about Sebastian’s death, your brother will uncover more details about her early life. ’

‘Can you not ask her?’

‘She is only three and did not talk for the first few months after she moved here. She talks a little better now, but it is not about her life before.’

‘Have…?’ She stopped herself. It was not her concern. She did not want to ruffle feathers by questioning their methods with their niece.

He paused for a beat, but when she did not continue, he did not ask for further clarification. Instead, he said, ‘We agreed with your brother that we would introduce you into Society.’

‘You did what?’ She hadn’t meant to speak so sharply, but why had Simon not said as much to her before he left?

There had been time during their last evening together and yet he had only talked about practical matters, like how they would communicate over the next year and what he planned to do with the fee he received for his services.

‘Mr Hornel was most concerned about your future. We agreed we would introduce you into Society so you may find…’ Edward suddenly became very interested in the material of his pantaloons, brushing his hand over the fabric. ‘Your brother hoped you would find a suitable match.’

Her breath caught in her throat, making it impossible for her to question this absurd statement.

Edward Dashworth seemed to take her silence as agreement with this plan to find her a husband amongst the peerage.

The plan was utterly, unfathomably absurd.

The sheer foolishness of it left her breathless.

‘Our oldest brother, the Duke of Glanmore, has arranged for you to have monthly pin money as well as an allowance for outfits suitable for balls and the like.’ The like .

She had no idea what he could possibly mean, but she was still too astounded to ask him to clarify.

‘He’s also agreed to provide a dowry, should the need arise. ’

‘A dowry,’ she croaked. ‘What will I do with one of those?’

‘It’s for women when they…’

‘I know what a dowry is,’ she half laughed. ‘I am not a complete peasant.’ His lips pursed but she carried on. ‘It is the finding a husband from amongst the higher echelons of Society about which I am incredulous. What man would want to marry an impoverished governess?’

‘No one will know that about you.’

Did the man have no brains behind his handsome features?

Of course a husband would need to know her background.

She could not get married on a lie. Hell, she did not know if she even wanted to get married.

She had assumed she wouldn’t; she’d made peace with it long ago.

At six and twenty, she was far too old to be thinking along those lines.