He could sympathize with all of Sophie’s feelings for they mirrored his when her mother had been snatched away from them with such brutal swiftness.
“Hush now.” He held the child close to let her know she still had him... and to satisfy his need to cling to the one part of Annabelle he had left. “I explained to you why Mademoiselle Audet cannot be your governess anymore. She is married to Captain Rundell now and she will have her own family to look after. If you love her as you claim, you should try to rejoice for her happiness.”
Rupert glanced over Sophie’s head toward the new governess. The poor creature looked painfully out of place in this elegant entry hall as Sophie tearfully protested her coming and Charlotte sized her up with a cool stare.
Was he a hypocrite for expecting his small daughter to accept this new situation with good grace, when he had resented every well-intentioned effort to console him over the loss of his wife?
At least he could offer Sophie a crumb of hope. “You may still see Mademoiselle again, you know. Perhaps she and her husband will come back to Berkshire for a visit and she will pay a call on us.”
“D-do you think she w-will?” Sophie responded to his suggestion by quieting to a series of wet hiccoughs punctuated with sniffles. “W-when?”
Not any time soon, though Rupert knew better than to voice such an opinion in Sophie’s hearing. The young captain’s family made no secret of being disgraced by his elopement with a French governess. It was also clear they held Rupert responsible for introducing Mademoiselle Audet into the neighborhood.
“I cannot predict when she might visit, so it will be a lovely surprise. In the meantime, we must all do our best to make Miss Ellerby welcome. She has come a very long way, you know. Let us show her to the nursery.” He did not wait for Sophie to respond but pretended to take her agreement for granted. “This way, Miss Ellerby.”
Still cradling Sophie in his arms, he strode toward the staircase. Charlotte hurried to catch up with him.
“Really, Papa,” she chided him in a whisper. “Did you have to hire the homeliest dowdy you could find?”
He silenced her with a sharp look then cast a glance back, hoping Miss Ellerby was too far behind to have overheard. Satisfied that she was, he pitched his reply very low, for his daughters’ ears alone. “In fact, I did, as you should well appreciate. The last thing I want is a repetition of recent events.”
Sophie could not possibly understand his reasons for engaging Miss Ellerby, but he hoped Charlotte would.
“Besides,” he murmured, “you should not judge by appearances. She may turn out to be very amiable and you will all become fond of her.”
Charlotte expressed her doubts with a muted sniff.
He wasn’t setting much of an example in making the new governess welcome, Rupert realized with a prickle of guilt. Deliberately slowing his steps so she could catch up, he raised his voice to include her in the conversation. “Only a little farther, Miss Ellerby. I hope you will not find Nethercross too old and gloomy after some of the other houses in which you have lived.”
For him, the dark paneled walls and parquet floors had a special beauty born of familiarity. But he could not expect a stranger to regard them as he did. Even Annabelle had not appreciated the subtle delights of his beloved home at first.
Miss Ellerby’s answer surprised him. “On the contrary, sir, this house has an air of having been well lived in and well-loved for many years. The greatest fortune and the best architect in the world cannot duplicate that.”
Perhaps there was hope for the new governess after all. “You have discovered half the secret of winning my approval, Miss Ellerby—sincere appreciation of my home.”
“And the other half, sir? Do you intend to tell me or must I discover that for myself?” Spoken in a different tone, by an altogether different type of woman, her question might have sounded flirtatious. From Miss Ellerby it was severely earnest.
Still her remarks amused him. “I doubt it will take you long to discover that I am well-disposed toward anyone who praises my children.”
That might prove more difficult for the new governess, given what she had seen of his daughters so far. Fortunately, their arrival at the nursery prevented her from having to answer.
“This will be your realm, Miss Ellerby.” He ushered her through the door Charlotte had opened. “Provided things are running smoothly, I will not interfere in your management of it.”
Rupert kept his eye on the lady as she inspected the spacious area that served as the girls’ playroom and schoolroom. Annabelle had insisted on papering over the wood paneling with a light, floral pattern. Entering this room from the dark corridor gave the impression of emerging into a sunny garden. It flustered him to realize how much he cared about Miss Ellerby’s reaction to the place.
To his relief, her attitude seemed favorable.
She did not smile. Rupert wondered whether she knew how. But her head moved up and down in one slow, continuous nod. “There is plenty of room, and the windows are oriented to provide a great deal of light in the morning but falling dark earlier in the evening. One might suppose the whole house had been arranged to the advantage of your nursery.”
“It may have been.” Her approval pleased Rupert, perhaps because he sensed she was not easily impressed. “Children have long been the treasure of Nethercross.”
Through his aunts, great aunts and back through the generations, his family was connected with several of the most powerful dynasties in the kingdom. Though not as well-dowered as some, the Kendrick ladies had been sought-after brides for their beauty, character and ability to bear sons. The direct line had never lacked for male heirs... until now.
Rupert shuddered to think of Nethercross falling into the hands of some distant cousin who might not appreciate its history and traditions as he did. It was his duty to remarry and sire a son or two. For the past few years he had permitted his grief to get in the way of that duty.
Now, for the sake of Nethercross and his young daughters, he must begin his search for a suitable bride.
Chapter Three
“COME GIRLS, IT is time for bed.” Grace strove to keep her voice from betraying her bone-deep weariness.
It felt like several days since she’d woken at the inn in Reading, when it had been only that morning. Her nap during the carriage ride to Nethercross had not helped to blunt her exhaustion. To make matters worse, her head ached from wearing those beastly spectacles.
The more she saw of Nethercross, the more it felt like the kind of sanctuary she’d been seeking. But her first few hours with her new pupils had made her fear she might lose this position if she failed to win their approval. It was clear Lord Steadwell doted on his daughters to an uncommon degree. Eager as he’d been to engage her services, Grace had no illusions that he would continue to employ her against the protests of his children.