And then he immediately pushed such inappropriate thoughts from his mind.
“Lord Willoughby.” Her voice already sounded like a reprimand, as though she were reading his mind. Intent upon the business at hand, she opened her notebook and removed a pencil from behind her ear. “I trust you’re feeling more yourself now.”
He nodded, wondering what she’d already written in her tidy little notebook. His pounding head had subsided. Cummings had assured him that his complexion no longer tinged green.
“Much. And the girls? Have they given you any trouble this morning?”
She scowled. Had he insulted her? “If they had, then I most certainly would not be the governess I expect of myself.”
“Very well…” Her confidence reassured him. Belatedly, he rose. “Won’t you sit down?” He gestured to the chair he’d set up before she arrived.
“Thank you. I will.” Despite all of her bravado, he noticed she avoided his gaze. Which, he admitted to himself, was for the best. They’d made a pact.
The girls needed her.
Miss Fortune brushed a stray hair from the gentle curve of her cheek. “I always interview the parents of my charges before writing any lesson plans. It’s in everyone’s best interests to establish a greater understanding of one another’s expectations.”
In her element now, she finally met his gaze. She was serious minded, no holds barred. Again, he knew she was the perfect governess for Althea and Eloise. “Of course. Sound thinking.”
Not one to waste time, she dove right in. “First question. Do your daughters have a favorite toy, and what is it?” She awaited his answer, pencil poised.
He was to be quizzed. Again, he wondered that she did not annoy him. She was a governess, for God’s sake.
“Eloise has a doll she loves, named Breanne. Althea has a stuffed dog… Eloise tells me the dog has recently been renamed…”
“Peaches.” They spoke together in unison. Green and brown today, he noticed. And hints of blue. Her eyes fascinated him.
Miss Fortune blinked hard and glanced down at her notes again. “In your opinion, can you tell me what Lady Eloise is passionate about?”
Ah, this question was trickier. “In the practical sense, I’d say, her sister. Purely for enjoyment, she loves to draw. And Althea, I wish I knew. She loves flowers though and always wants to pick them for our housekeeper at Warwick Place. She also enjoys assisting Cook with baking. But she doesn’t tell me any of this.”
But Miss Fortune was smiling. Not a dazzling or flirtatious smile, rather a satisfied one. “Not all children are vocal about their interests. What’s important is that you have watched them. You would be surprised…” She pinched those lips of hers together and glanced back down at her notebook.
“What are your girls afraid of?”
He swallowed hard at this one. At times he thought he knew, but he’d been unable to offer the reassurances they seemed to need. “I believe they’re frightened of me leaving them.” He admitted.
Tilde nodded solemnly, writing something down, and then without skipping a beat moved on to the next question.
“What are the nightmares about?”
Jasper bristled at this one. He’d asked Thea every time and she had never given him an answer.
“It kills me. Her shyness.” He clenched his fists. “And it started before Estelle, before my wife, passed on. And as much as I appreciate that Eloise can relay her sister’s words to me, at times I wonder if she’s crippling her.”
“I’ve seen such a phenomenon between twins before, although not quite to this extent. But they are young, Jasper. You’d be surprised how resilient children can be.”
She’d called him Jasper.
“She’s watching over Peaches for me right now. Talking up a storm. Showing my dog where all of her toys are and making sure Peaches knows the rules of the house.”
This woman could not know how much of a relief her words brought him. He exhaled loudly.
“Tell me if anyone gives you any trouble at all. Mrs. Crabtree, my mother. Come to me with anything you need.”
And for the first time, in her capacity as his employee, she seemed uncertain of herself. She reached into her pocket and removed a piece of paper. When she held it out to him, that same sinking feeling he’d had with Cummings’ comment hit him.
A woman, a terrifying woman, stood over a child as though to strike her with a switch.
