Penrose strode back and forth in front of the fireplace, his anger growing. Where the devil was the woman? All she had on her plate was a piece of toast. How long did it take to eat that? He checked his timepiece again. Almost twenty-five minutes since he left the breakfast room with instructions for her to attend him in the library.
Just as he moved to ring the bell to have a servant summon her, the door opened and Miss Chambers floated in like a queen ready to address her subjects. However did an American develop the haughtiness the aristocracy took generations of breeding to achieve?
Her blue and white striped morning gown hugged her figure a little too well for his taste. Although he had to admit she presented an inviting picture, he knew the minute she opened her mouth, the image would shatter like so much broken glass.
“Miss Chambers. Please take a seat.” He motioned to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, and sat across from her.
She smoothed her skirts over her plump derrière and sat. Fascinated at the movement, he didn’t realize he stared until she addressed him.
“Your Grace?”
What was the matter with him? He mentally shook himself and cleared his throat. “I think it would do us well to outline your duties regarding my wards so there is no confusion when the new governess arrives.”
She dipped her head slightly.
Expecting an argument of sorts, he found himself at a loss as to how to go on. He jumped up and leaned an elbow on the fireplace mantle. “Miss Sarah Jennings will arrive today. She will take over the duties you’ve held until now. The girls need to be instructed in appropriate decorum, how to conduct themselves in Society, and the proper forms of address.”
He clasped his hands behind his back, and staring at the carpet, paced in front of her. “It’s obvious their education to this point has been seriously lacking. Why Lord and Lady Bedford saw fit to allow such behavior on the part of their daughters will always remain a mystery to me. However, that will end today…” He glanced at Miss Chambers, who had risen from her seat, hands fisted at her sides, her face flushed a bright red.
“How dare you!”
Penrose stiffened his shoulders, his eyes wide. “I beg your pardon.”
“You should. Beg my pardon, that is.” She rested her hands on her hips. “You are the most pompous man I have ever met.”
“Madam, please remember to whom you are speaking.”
“Excuse me? I know precisely to whom I am speaking. Lord and Lady Bedford understood the importance of a happy childhood for their daughters. They allowed them freedom, the opportunity to be little children.” She raised her chin. “Despite what you think of me, I do know the importance of the station Lady Charlotte and Lady Clare were born into.
“Despite your obvious disdain for Americans, we do have manners, and treat all people with respect. Not just a chosen few who demand respect for no other reason than the circumstances of their birth.”
She took a deep breath, obviously attempting to gain control. Her voice softened. “I also understand they will need to be taught how to conduct themselves. And, perhaps with my limited knowledge of your world, Your Grace, I am indeed not the best person to continue with governess duties. But I will not allow you to malign their wonderful parents who loved their girls very much, and wanted the best for them.”
As if all the air in her let out, she collapsed into a chair in front of the fireplace, and touched the corner of her eyes with her knuckle.
Is she crying?
Penrose returned to his seat behind the desk, allowing Miss Chambers time to compose herself. After a minute or two, she rose and joined him. The tip of her nose was bright red, as were her cheeks. Tears clumped on her eyelashes. She looked barely older than her charges. “Please excuse my outburst.”
He raised his eyebrows. The last thing he expected from her was an apology. Deciding to be gracious, he bowed his head. “I fail to understand Lord and Lady Bedford’s reasoning, but I didn’t mean to distress you. If I did, then I also apologize.”
A slight smile tilted her lips. “You say that as though you seldom offer apologies.”
“I rarely find it necessary to do so.” He smiled back at her, annoyed that her smile lit up her countenance so, turning a pretty face into a beautiful one. Small lines at the edges of her eyes crinkled, making him wonder at her age. Obviously out of the school room for years, he couldn’t help but dwell on her lack of a husband.
Although he found her brash and outspoken, her beauty and feminine curves had definitely caught his attention. And that little bit of vulnerability when she cried over her employers had touched his heart. The heart he’d had under lock and key for years now, ever since Lady Eleanor had spurned his suit and chose Bedford as her husband.
He and Bedford had both danced attendance on the young debutante for the Season. She’d been named an Incomparable that year, and no one was more surprised than him when she decided on an earl instead of a duke. In retrospective, he often wondered how they would have gone on, had they married. Certainly her strange ideas on raising her daughters would have become a point of contention between them. But then, it would have been his decision in the end, anyway.
A knock at the door drew both their attentions.
A footman stood in the doorway. “Your Grace, Miss Sarah Jennings has arrived. Shall I send her in?”
Penrose glanced at Miss Chambers. “The new governess. I would prefer to speak with her alone, at first. If you would please leave us, and wait in the drawing room, I will summon you when needed.”
A bright smile lit up her face. “An apology and please all in the same morning. This must be a record for you, Your Grace.” She dipped into a slight curtsy and left the room just as the new governess entered.
Chapter 3