He made something of a choking sound and then inserted one last pin.
The Interview
Tilde stared at the address and furrowed her brows.
Number twelve Brooks. It seemed familiar somehow. Perhaps because it wasn’t very far from her aunt’s townhouse. The sun shone so bright and cheerful that she wouldn’t even hire a hackney.
Peaches would enjoy the walk.
Leaving her dog with Aunt Nellie was not an option, so she’d be upfront with whoever considered her services. If they wanted her expertise in raising and teaching their children, they’d accommodate this one thing.
She knew from experience, that an employer could do far worse. Furthermore, any family that wouldn’t welcome a sweet baby like Peaches wasn’t a family she’d wish to live with. Because a governess didn’t merely work for her employer. She spent practically every waking hour with them. Therefore, their approval of her pet was even more of an important consideration than their approval of her.
Of which, considering the numerous ladies who’d made attempts to steal her from the FORMER EMPLOYER, she didn’t doubt for a moment.
And so, drawing on her gloves as Peaches waited patiently at the end of her leading string, Tilde plastered on a smile and ignored the melancholy that had plagued her most of the night. She then, with Betsy wishing her good luck, strode purposefully out the door and along the paved walk.
Betsy had peppered her with questions the evening before, as soon as Jasper returned her to Betsy’s side. Feeling curious eyes upon her as she reentered the ballroom, Tilde had managed to put Betsy off until today. Betsy had not been happy to be ‘shushed’, nonetheless. Tilde was quite certain that upon returning from her interview this morning, her sister would demand nothing less than a full accounting.
The agency had sent a note around the day before stating that, upon approval, this employer would wish to begin her term right away. Tilde assumed that she would likely be leaving London. Most wealthy families didn’t relish having their offspring underfoot in the midst of the Season.
She hoped the children weren’t too young… nor too old. She preferred taking on girls who were over the age of four but not past the age of four and ten. Boys, in her experience anyhow, tended to be more difficult to manage.
For her anyhow. She refused to use a heavy hand and some of the youths she’d trained in the past had taken advantage of that.
So caught up in her thoughts she was––that had not even been centered around Jasper––that she nearly passed her destination. She allowed Peaches to relieve herself on a patch of grass before approaching the door and lifting the heavy knocker that had been shaped into a rather impressive ‘W’.
Number twelve. Again, something niggled at her.
The butler opened the door and with a sniff, stared down at her. “Miss Fortune, I presume?”
“Ah, yes. I’m here to interview with your employer.” Really, she wished they’d given her a name.
And then he noticed Peaches and scowled. “Are you certain, madam?”
Tilde winced inwardly. Already this did not seem promising. “My dog assists me in my duties.”
Another sniff.
“Unless Lord Willoughby objects.” She went to step backward but he halted her with a wince.
“No. Please. This way please. I’ll inform his lordship that you’ve arrived.
She should have guessed by the grandeur of the townhouse that the family was titled. She had expected to meet with the mother, however.
Nonetheless, she and Peaches followed the butler. When he went to climb the long staircase, Tilde scooped peaches into her arms. With such short legs, her pup would have required at least an hour to make the climb.
Once they reached the top, Tilde’s eyes were drawn to the paintings hung all along the corridor. His lordships ancestors, no doubt. But then.
She stopped at one of them and tilted her head.
It could not be.
“Miss Fortune.” His voice rumbled from behind her, causing her to jump and invoking a sharp bark from Peaches. Peaches hardly ever barked, only when in this man’s company apparently.
As she turned to confirm her suspicions, she found herself both pleased, excited to see him, and disappointed that she’d have to ask the agency to seek out another position for her.
He’d been dressed in immaculate evening clothes the night before. Today he wore riding clothes and looked as though he’d already been out for some exercise. Whereas she was filled with ironic astonishment, he seemed utterly at ease.
