“And you truly believe that would suffice?” the Viscount finally asked. “I’m not so certain Lady Lydia would be so easily convinced.”
“I don’t see why not,” Julius replied, shrugging. “Granted, it is not the normal course of things, but our attempts at a very typical courtship and marriage have proven unsuccessful. Now is the time for the unconventional, I should think.”
Vincent was silent for a good length, long enough that Julius wondered if the Viscount would reject the idea. Finally, though, Vincent nodded and mumbled thoughtfully.
“But mark my words, Julius, if this plan does not work, there will be a terrible debt to pay,” Vincent said ominously, “and I will not be the one to feel the sting of it.”
Julius gulped nervously. “It will work.”It has to, he added silently.
After bidding the Viscount good day, Julius finally struck out for Bronson Manor. His head ached terribly and his mood was very black, both to be expected for a man of his age who’d just undergone an awful ordeal. The carefully woven threads he’d assembled in the last year were in serious danger of unraveling, and everything he’d worked for was threatening to come undone.
If I ever have a moment alone with that ungrateful girl, she will hear of my great anger!Julius thought, picturing Lydia’s face when he finally spoke his mind.
Upon his arrival at the house, Julius was at once assaulted by the sound of shouts and cries within. He passed the reins of his horse to a stable hand and entered through the kitchen where he found Madame Saunier throwing pieces of bread dough at Miss Graves while Elsie whimpered in the corner.
“What is going on here?” Julius roared loudly enough that both of the silenced at once.
“It is zis woman, Julius!” Madame Saunier shouted, pointing her finger at the governess. “Zis has gone on for far too long, she must be dismissed at once!”
“Whatever for?” he shouted, looking between them.
“My Lord,” the governess began primly, “in your absence, Madam Saunier has done nothing but undermine my authority over Lady Elsie and do her utmost to keep me from seeing to my charge. She has interfered in countless ways.”
Julius turned to Madame Saunier for an explanation, but she took a deep breath before attempting to speak clearly. Before she answered, Madame Saunier turned to Elsie and said, “Go on, my dear. Take zee plate and eat anywhere you wish.”
Elsie only whimpered in response, her eyes darting back and forth between the three adults who now stood looking at her. One appeared kind, one was cold and hard, while the third simply looked lost.
Leaping forward like an uncaged cat, Elsie grabbed a plate and ran from the room, being sure to give her governess a very wide berth. The governess moved to stop her at the last minute, but Madame Saunier moved to come between them.
“Zis, Julius, do you see?” Madame Saunier said, pointing to the governess. “I give zee child permission to go, yet zee governess would attempt to prevent her. Not only is zis rude to me, but zis woman is cruel to the child and should have nothing more to do with her. She should be dismissed at once!”
“My Lord, I am only trying to teach the girl, as it is my job to—” Miss Graves began, clearly frustrated.
“It is not your job to make her starve!” Madame Saunier shouted back, throwing another handful of raw dough.
Miss Graves ducked out of the way only to have the dough strike Julius in the chest. He looked down at the smeared white lump before it slid to the floor, leaving a streak of flour behind it.
“I will ask once again, and only once again… what is going on here?” he said, seething.
“Julius, zee girl has an affliction of some kind,” Madame Saunier said, imploring Julius to listen with kindness. “She wakes through zee night, she hears voices, she wanders in her sleep… but it is not her fault! And zis monster forbade her to eat anything but a crust of bread as her punishment for leaving her bed. I will not stand for zis!”
Julius, already exhausted and worn to the bone, was tempted to walk out the door and came back in through the front, ignoring the chaos downstairs. Instead, he turned to the governess and glared at her.
“Is that true? You withheldfoodbecause she woke during the night?” he asked slowly.
“My Lord, it is a fitting punishment that will remind her to keep to her room,” Miss Graves said primly. “It is not suitable for young ladies to wander the grounds at all hours, even if they claim that they were asleep and had no knowledge of it.”
Julius held up his hand for quiet. “So you have acknowledged that Madame Saunier’s accusation is true then. Your services will no longer be required.”
Miss Graves pressed her lips together until they were nearly white, but she did not answer. She merely left the kitchen and climbed the stairs as if to pack her things. Julius looked to Madame Saunier with a faint smile.
“I trust this is not how I will be welcomed home each time I depart, my dear Claudine?” he said, thinly disguising his irritation.
Looking around to ensure that the servants who had previously fled were still not within earshot, Madame Saunier smiled gratefully before coming closer and embracing Julius.
“It is not. And thank you, Julius,” Madame Saunier said. “I know zat I am not zee girl’s mother, but remember that I, too, was an orphaned child. I cannot stand for anyone to be cruel to one so young and pitiful as she.”
“I understand,” Julius confessed. “But now it is you who must see to the girl’s care until I can employ another governess. Simply keep her out of the river and do not let her turn wild, all right?”
