Regency Surrender: Passion And Rebellion. Louise AllenЧитать онлайн книгу.
own I must attend to,’ Rupert said and gave the girl a warm look of affection. ‘I shall do what I can for Miss...Sarah while I’m gone. It will not be until after our picnic and I know you will be quite happy here together while I’ve gone.’
‘I wish I could come with you,’ John said. ‘I shan’t know what to do when you’re not here.’
‘You have your riding lessons—and you may join Sarah and your sister for lessons and other pursuits until I return. I shall not be long and I shall give you some reading to catch up on while I’m gone—something you will enjoy. Do not look so sulky, boy. You must learn to conquer that habit for it will not wash when you go to public school. I promise you that you will enjoy the books I choose for you to study. And when I come back we shall ride together.’
John was mollified and accepted a muffin from the plate his sister offered him, biting into it and chewing as the melted butter ran down his chin.
Sarah looked round the elegant drawing room, feeling truly at peace. She was glad to have confided in Lord Myers and relieved that she would not have to deal with the objectionable Mr Arkwright herself. Sam would need a letter from her, introducing Lord Myers as a friend who would oversee things for a while, leaving her free to enjoy the next few months.
It was an excellent arrangement, though temporary. She could not expect Lord Myers to continue it for longer than necessary. Once they were in London for Francesca’s Season, she would have to look around for a suitable husband. One who would be happy to run her affairs in the way she liked, and to give her a family.
The thought sent a tingle down her spine. A husband would expect the marriage to include intimate relations and she wanted children—so she would have to respect and like this man. Perhaps it would be easy to find such a person once she was mixing in society, but she’d mixed with gentlemen and men of her father’s class before and found no one she could even contemplate marrying. Except...her eyes focused on Lord Myers’s features and she felt a spasm of something she knew to be physical desire in her stomach.
Sarah would not object to a marriage of convenience with Rupert Myers, but he’d made it clear where the boundaries of their relationship ended.
He was prepared to offer her his protection, but love and marriage were very different things. Therefore, she would be a fool to let herself fall in love with him...and she would do well to dampen the physical feeling she’d had towards him on several occasions. Lord Myers might be a gentleman, but she was still not certain that he would not seduce her given the right opportunity.
The morning of the picnic was fine and warm, a perfect day for it. All the invitations had gone out and everyone had replied, accepting with pleasure, it seemed. Francesca was excited and John was beside himself. Several youths of his age had been invited and he was looking forward to the games he’d been promised.
Francesca and Sarah had been wrapping small gifts in secret for days. The games of running, jumping, throwing hoops over prizes and shooting arrows at a board would all be rewarded by sweetmeats and things like a silver penknife, a silver pencil and other similar trinkets, including a riding whip with a beautifully engraved silver handle, which Rupert had donated to their little hoard.
‘I think this is an excellent idea,’ he’d said to Sarah when giving her the gift. ‘It was time this place came to life again. I’m sure you will have callers while I’m gone—and when I return we’ll give a reception of some kind. I might ask a few friends of mine down, men I can trust not to try seducing Francesca before she has her Season.’ He hesitated, then, ‘What do you think of the dancing master? I’ve scarcely seen him, but he seems pleasant enough.’
‘Yes, he is charming,’ Sarah replied, keeping her reservations to herself. ‘He has given Francesca one lesson thus far, but I think she enjoyed it. I played for them, of course, so was unable to watch all of the dancing, but I think she has a natural grace.’
‘He is French, of course, and young.’ Rupert frowned. ‘I am trusting you to make certain he does not try to take advantage of her. She will never have met anyone like this Monsieur Dupree and may foolishly think herself in love with him. Make sure he does not get ideas above his station, if you please.’
‘Most young girls have a crush on their dancing master,’ Sarah said and smiled. ‘He is a very handsome young man, but I think Francesca is looking forward to her Season too much to be foolish over him.’
‘Well, I rely on you to keep an eye on her while I’ve gone.’
Sarah had promised she would. With the excitement of the picnic and the promise of her Season to come, she thought Francesca’s heart was safe enough for the moment and nothing the girl had said concerning the dancing master had given her any cause for concern. Lord Myers would naturally feel more concern because he was very protective over Francesca and did not want her breaking her heart over a man her family would never allow her to marry.
Monsieur Dupree seemed to be a very honest open young man, who had proved a hit with John from the start, showing himself willing to join a game of rounders or cricket. He had also taken on himself the task of tidying the library shelves.
‘It is a task after my own heart,’ he told Sarah when she found him rearranging a shelf early one morning. ‘I have too little to do, you see. As charming as it is to teach the adorable mademoiselle, I wish to earn my salary—no?’
Sarah nodded, inspecting the way he was arranging the books in better order. ‘This is a task I have wanted to do. If you could put all the poetry, plays and works of fiction together, I should be grateful—and I am sure Lord Myers would be, too.’
‘If I ’ave your approval, Miss Sarah, I am the ’appiest of men.’
The look in his eyes had given Sarah some qualms. She could not be certain for it was early days yet, but she rather thought he might be flirting with her. Lord Myers had feared he might try to seduce Francesca, but Sarah suspected she might be the object of the Frenchman’s amorous intentions. She hoped not, for she would have to deter him and that made for an uncomfortable atmosphere in the house.
However, for the moment he made no advances, though he was swift to open a door, pull out a chair or compliment her. Sarah thanked him while maintaining a cool but friendly manner.
On the day of the picnic she could not help but be glad of his help, for he voluntarily took on the management of the games for the children, leaving Sarah and Francesca with little to do but present the prizes.
Lord Rupert had greeted all the guests, introducing them to Sarah and to Francesca using just Christian names. She noticed that he allowed people to think of her as Francesca’s companion rather than a normal governess, who would naturally have remained in the background.
‘I am delighted to see Francesca looking so happy,’ Lady Rowton said to Sarah when they stood watching some of the sports. ‘At Christmas when Merrivale was here she seemed a little dispirited. You have been good for her, Miss...I did not quite catch your name?’
‘Sarah Hardcastle,’ Sarah said without thinking, then realised what she’d done. ‘Please, call me Sarah. Everyone does.’
‘How delightfully informal. I shall do so in the spirit of the occasion, my dear. It is a pleasure to see the girl happy—and her brother. You have worked a little miracle.’
Sarah thanked her. Since she’d given her own name there was no point in hiding it and she decided to give the housekeeper a curtailed version of her story that evening. It was best if everyone understood she was in the house as a friend rather than an employed governess.
All of their neighbours seemed friendly people, including Squire Browning and his lady, Mr Honiton and his sister Gillian, the Monks family of three lively children and Mr Monks’s brother James, also his wife Susan. At least thirty of the family’s acquaintances had accepted invitations and Sarah had difficulty in recalling all the