She was the first person, save for his family and Arthur, to stand her ground against him. Morgan was used to people scurrying away at the mere sight of him even before he opened his mouth to speak to them, but she had not done so.
He had watched her, waiting patiently for her to look up and for the familiar look of fear to fill her eyes as she stumbled over her words and looked for the fastest exit that did not put her in his reach.
It had been a welcome surprise when, despite the harshness of his words and the look on his face, she had neither flinched nor feared him. Instead, she had challenged him.
Men and women alike, people of higher standing than she had, ran away from him and yet, she, a mere companion, had looked him square in the eyes and challenged him, refusing to back down.
It was so surprising to him that she had left him speechless, that he was not able to react or respond. Morgan was not usually so easily riled up. In fact, he never got riled up so he had never had to answer anyone in a situation like the one he had been in with her.
She had managed to push him enough to cause him to want to retort and he had done just that, exchanging words with her. He had even been ready to say more and would have gone on for as long as it took but his grandmother had come in, her presence putting an end to their battle of words.
“Your Grace.” The gardener working on some rose bushes greeted him as he passed.
“Hello, Rupert, a pleasant day, I hope,” he responded, walking.
“Indeed, sire.”
Morgan had been relieved to see that his grandmother was happy. It was clear to him that she was quite attached to this Selina character.
He had not known what to expect but having her challenge him even in the presence of his grandmother had not been it. She had not been afraid of the repercussions of her actions and that had told him all he needed to know even before he spoke to his grandmother about her.
They had ended up talking about the fire. Morgan knew it was his grandmother’s way of putting an end to the conversation instead of simply ordering her companion to stop, not that he needed her to save him.
Morgan had gotten all the details he needed to know about the fire and after making sure that his grandmother was okay, he had taken it upon himself to see to the damages at the Brigpool Estate and get it back in working order.
He also noticed that his sister seemed to like Selina quite a bit and he could not understand why for the life of him. What was so special about her that had the women in his life drawn to her?
The events of the day before had never left his mind no matter how much he tried and it annoyed him that he could not get rid of the thoughts of her. Was he perhaps beginning to like her as well as they did?
Morgan chuckled at the ridiculousness of his thought, shocking himself. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed his strange display. Now she had him laughing at nothing.
Of course, he did not like her. He was simply curious about the strange woman who did not run away from him and did not fear him at all.
That was all by the way. He once again tried to push thoughts of her aside. For now, he simply needed to focus on looking for his sister.
He had been thinking of the best way to get her a new governess that would be with them for longer than a month or two, preferably for as long as she needed one.
It was obvious to him that Barbara held no sentimental attachment to any of the governesses and had not been saddened by their departures, no matter how long they spent.
Because of this, he came up with the decision to involve her in choosing a new governess for herself. Perhaps if she was involved in the process, she would be more enthused about having one and they might like her enough to not want to leave because of their fear of him.
He had resigned himself to never finding a governess that would actually stay with them, resigned himself to the thought that all women feared him but now things were different.
With the coming of Miss Selina Knight and her reaction towards him, he had received the motivation he needed to search for another governess for her. If she did not fear him then surely there had to be a governess that did not fear him either.
His sister needed a proper education and she would receive it no matter how long it took him to get the right governess.
Morgan stepped into the garden and raised his hand to his forehead to block the sun as he looked around for his sister.
……..
It had been two days since Selina arrived at the Wynten Estate and although she had been quite curious about the garden, this would be her first time in the space.
She had been so busy acclimating to her new home and making certain that the Dowager Duchess was comfortable that there had simply been no time, not that she minded it much.
The smell of roses and daisies filled her nostrils as the breeze blew softly around her, blowing around wisps of hair not secured tightly in her bun.
She looked at the flowers planted strategically in the garden just before the mini fountain. She liked the beauty of everything she had seen so far. She bent over the flowers and caressed the petals of a rose, careful to avoid being pricked by its thorns and not to bruise its petals.
