“Your Grace…” Rosaria called out after him as he walked up to his room.
“Prepare a fresh cup of tea.” He rubbed his temples, fighting off the tiredness. “I shall take a bath and head downstairs after.”
“Your Grace, a letter has arrived for you.” Rosaria handed him an envelope. “From the Dowager Duchess. It’s the fourth one this week.”
Christopher shrugged. “Toss it with all the rest.”
Listening to what Teresa Grant had to say was the last thing he wished to do at this moment.
Without waiting for anything else, Christopher disappeared inside his room.
Within a week, his life had changed drastically. He had managed to avoid marriage all these years, settling instead for the short-lived romances.
And it was the makings of a good life for him. He had lived his life worry-free and to the fullest. But now, a heavy load had been thrust upon his shoulders: the task of taking care of his nephews.
Ernest and Edwin.
He caught himself before he began to feel too bad for himself. If his brother’s passing has put him in a difficult place, then it was doubly so for his children. The cornerstone of his dukedom rested on his sense of duty, which had never been so pronounced until his moment.
As difficult as it was going to be, Christopher resolved to do right by his nephews.
Freshly bathed and dressed in a polished suit, he made his way to his study for his cup of tea. He had only brought the cup to his lips when Bennet, his butler, interrupted him.
“Your Grace…”
“If it’s more letters, then I propose you throw them in the fireplace. They’ll serve a far greater purpose there, I suspect,” Christopher muttered dryly.
“Your Grace, there is a lady here to see you.”
A lady?
Christopher wondered if it was one of the women he had dallied with in the past. It was not rare for them to show up at his manor, professing their love, which he had never once returned.
“Send her away,” he instructed casually. “I am busy for the evening.”
“Your Grace…” Bennet hesitated. “She is quite insistent. I think she is here searching for a job.”
“A job?” Christopher’s ear perked up immediately. Could it be that this was the governess he was looking for? “Why did you not say so before? Bring her here at once.”
After a week full of unfortunate events, had his luck finally turned the corner and the woman he was searching for had landed at his doorstep by herself?
“Wait here.”
That was what the man who greeted her at the door had told her.
Frances found herself outside of Huntington Estate. Coming here had been a great hassle on its own, as she had to lie to her mother and say she was going to town to purchase a new dress to impress her suitors.
She had made up her mind to do so ever since she had heard that it was the Duke who had possession of the children.
She had to make sure they were alright.
But now that she was here, her nervousness was beginning to creep up again. The estate was vast, and she was by herself about to meet with a complete stranger.
“His Grace will see you now,” the butler returned to inform her.
She followed him inside the estate and then up the stairs.
When they reached the study door, Frances hesitated to walk in immediately. She took a moment to brace herself, remembering that she must overcome her fear of social interactions for the good of the children. She had to.
