Page 11 of The Viscount Needs a Wife (All for Love #2)

The arrival of luncheon, however, was a welcome distraction, and Annis found herself seated beside the viscount.

How that happened she didn’t know, but she had no sooner taken her place in the middle of the long table on the adults’ side and shaken out her napkin when his voice to her right made her look round. “Wine, Miss Pringle?”

He offered the bottle. The servants were all joining them for luncheon, and so once the food and drink was deposited on the table, everyone was helping themselves.

“Oh, thank you. Yes, please,” she said with a smile.

He poured for her, himself, and Ava, seated on his right.

She took up the glass of sparkling wine, but before she could taste it, the duke was on his feet commanding everyone’s attention.

“Today we honor one of our most valued employees, Miss Annis Pringle. Happy birthday, Miss Pringle, and may you have many more!” He held up his glass, and everyone murmured something in kind and raised their glasses and drank.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said blushing. “Thank you, everyone, for a lovely meal. Bon appétit! ” Then she brought her own glass to her lips and drank.

She caught the eye of Smiggens down the table, who winked at her. She tipped her glass to him with a smile.

“He’s fond of you,” remarked the viscount, offering her the dish of artichoke hearts in butter. Using the tongs, she took one with murmured thanks.

“Yes, and I confess I am fond of him. I never had a father,” she admitted, helping herself to some of the sliced beef in gravy.

“Ah, that must be difficult. I was fortunate to have both my parents until I reached adulthood. Growing up without a parent—” He glanced across the table at his three, and she heard the tiny sigh that escaped his lips.

“They need a mother. I shall have to do something about that.” The words were uttered quietly, and she didn’t think they were directed at her, so she said nothing.

After a moment or two, she said, “They are lovely children. You must be very proud of them.”

“I am.” He smiled.

“When you look to engage a new governess, can I suggest that you look for someone with a broad range of skills? Miss Elizabeth, in particular I feel, needs to be challenged. While Charlotte requires someone kind and patient.”

“You know them well on such short acquaintance, Miss Pringle.”

“It is my job to observe children closely and strive to understand them, my lord. You will recall I was raised in a seminary for young ladies. I have absorbed a great deal about education over the years, both overtly and I think to a certain extent unconsciously. I was so steeped in it.”

“Tell me, why didn’t you remain at the seminary after your aunt died?” he asked, reaching for his glass of wine.

She swallowed involuntarily and choked. She fell into a coughing fit, her eyes streaming, and it was some minutes before she was restored to equilibrium.

The viscount, quite alarmed, rubbed her back very inappropriately, but no one seemed to mind.

The duchess brought her water and when she was settled again and everyone had returned to their seats, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose, resuming her knife and fork.

“What were you saying, my lord? You asked me a question before that pea went down the wrong way.”

“I asked what made you leave the seminary? Did your aunt not leave it to you?”

“Oh my—aunt—was the leasehold manager, but she didn’t own the business.

The owners let her do as she pleased with it, though, while she lived.

But they sold it to new owners soon after my aunt passed, and they found they wanted to manage it themselves.

Unfortunately, I came to understand that there was little use for me under the new regime.

” It’s mostly true , she thought, though the decision to leave was my own .

After luncheon, the servants cleaned up and went back to their duties and the adults sat around enjoying the sun while the children played chasey round the lawn.

She and the viscount pulled the hoops out of the lawn and gathered up the balls and mallets, narrowly avoiding getting themselves mowed down by children pelting past them at a rate easiest measured in knots.

Squeals, shouts, and giggles, demonstrating that the game was reaching a crescendo.

“Oh, dear. I do hope there will be no tears,” said Annis.

Just then a shriek followed by sobs rent the air.

Annis dropped her armful of mallets, the viscount dropped the bag of balls he was carrying, and both rushed toward the sounds of distress though the bushes to the side of the lawn.

It was Elizabeth. She had tripped and gone down in a heap on the grass.

Annis reached her first, closely followed by the viscount, who dropped to his knees beside Elizabeth, gathering her up into his arms. “What is it, sweetheart? Did you fall?”

The little girl gulped on a sob, “Stupid tree root! I tripped.” She had her hands up, her fingers slightly curled, and Annis took them to inspect. Sure enough, she had put out her hands to save herself and scraped her palms. “Oh, sweetie,” said Annis, “we’ll fix those up in a flash.”

Elizabeth nodded, choking on another sob. “My knee hurts, too!”

Annis moved aside her short shirt and revealed a scraped knee, oozing blood. It wasn’t too deep but would need to be cleaned and plastered. Annis looked at the viscount. “Bring her into the house, and I’ll fix her up.”

He scooped up his daughter in his arms. “Come on my brave knight. Miss Pringle will bandage you up!” He kissed her nose which made her giggle and stopped the sobs.

As they headed back across the lawn he said to Annis, “I gather you have experience with this sort of thing?”

“Lots,” she said with smile for both him and Lizzie.

Charlotte raced up to them, alarm on her face. “Are you hurt, Lizzie?”

“Just a scrape,” said Miss Elizabeth bravely.

“Oh, Lizzie!” said soft-hearted Charlotte, her face crumpling.

“It’s all right, Charlie. Miss Pringle is going to patch her up all right and tight. Nothing to worry about,” the viscount reassured her.

Charlotte tagged along with them to the house, refusing to leave her big sister’s side.

“Put her on the couch,” said Annis, as they entered the drawing room through the French windows. “I’ll just fetch my wound kit.”

“You have such a thing?” he asked surprised.

She nodded. “My—my aunt always had one at the seminary. I kept the habit. It comes in handy for this sort of thing. I’ll be back in a moment.”

She raced up to her room to find the hatbox she used to keep the kit in and brought it downstairs. Reentering the drawing room, she found the viscount sitting on the couch with Elizabeth’s legs over his and Charlotte tucked into his other side.

“I rang for some water and cloths,” he said as she entered.

“Oh, thank you. Yes, I should have said.” Just then, one of the maids came in with a bowl of warm water, a towel, and some small cloths. Annis thanked her as she set it on the table and left.

“Right,” said Annis sinking to her knees by the sofa and dunking one of the cloths in the water. “This might hurt a bit, sweetheart, but it will be over quickly,” she said with a reassuring smile.

“It’s all right. It only hurts a bit,” said Elizabeth bravely. The viscount squeezed her arm.

“That’s my brave knight.”

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth’s hands and knee had been cleaned, sprinkled with basilicum powder, and bandaged.

“You will need to keep these on for a couple of days while the wounds heal. It is very important that they stay clean and don’t get infected,” said Annis. “I will change the bandages tomorrow.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I suppose that means I can’t play chasey anymore?”

“That’s right,” said the viscount scooping her up and planting another kiss on her nose. “You’re going to sit with the grown-ups and help us eat Miss Pringle’s birthday cake.”

“Ooh, cake!” exclaimed both girls.

Annis joined them back out on the lawn when she had put her kit away and was put to the blush by the production around her birthday cake, which was served for afternoon tea with much palaver. Really, I am having the loveliest birthday!

The cake was very large, but there were a lot of mouths to feed, with hungry little hands reaching for their share of the treat.

The viscount fetched her a piece and a cup of tea, and then getting his own, sat back down beside her. In truth, he had barely left her side all day. A woman could let such attention go to her head if she weren’t the governess.

“Thank you for your attentions to Lizzie. Those wounds could turn nasty if not properly treated.”

“I know—that is why I have my kit. I’m confident that as long as I clean and change the bandages every day they will heal nicely.

It only takes a couple of days to start the healing process.

They should be safe enough in a few days to take the bandages off.

She just needs to be careful not to reopen the wounds. ”

“You are very resourceful woman, Miss Pringle.”

Annis blushed.

Much later, climbing into bed that night, Annis reviewed the day and reflected that it was possibly the best birthday she had ever had.

For which, in no small part, she had to reluctantly admit, the viscount and his enchanting offspring were responsible.

Though reminders of the past made Annis suddenly shiver, and she drew the covers up.

The less she thought about those days the better.

Recalling the viscount’s compliment as she lay in her bed, she flushed all over again and got a warm feeling in her breast. Yes, it had been a wonderful day, and the viscount had made it very memorable. She nestled into the pillows and sighed. He really is a lovely gentleman.