Late that night, I lay in bed, but couldn’t sleep. Nervousness fluttered in my stomach like a thousand hungry moths. I was due at Lord Trowbridge’s home the next morning, and would officially be a working woman. I would earn wages and report to a master. Trying to win his heart in such a situation would be complicated. Searching every piece of advice I had ever learned from Mama, I modified them to fit my situation. Eager to remember my thoughts, I jumped from my bed, lit a candle, and retrieved the parchment I had entitled,How to catch a husband: Charlotte’s list of requirements. Just below my last point, I penned my next line.
Always arrive for work in a punctual manner, allowing ample time to speak with the master about his interests.
I approached the main entrance of Brackenridge Hall at precisely half past six. The grey, austere butler answered, a scowl written all over his forehead. “What do you suppose you are doing?”
I took a step back. I hadn’t been expecting such a cold greeting. “I am Sophia’s governess.”
“I believe the master informed you to arrive at seven o’clock, and you are to enter through the servant doors. Never here.”
I bit back a retort and grumbled to myself as I turned and walked down the steps. The servant’s entrance was around the back of the house. Trudging through the overgrown grass, I walked down the narrow staircase and tested the door. It opened.
The smell of ham and eggs filled my nostrils the moment I entered. I passed the kitchen, ignoring the whispers and frowns from all the servants. Without asking for directions, I found aseries of stairs that led to the ground floor. After wandering for several minutes, I found the corridor that led to the main rooms. I walked past an open door and stopped.
Carefully, I leaned against the frame, out of sight, and peered around the edge. I jerked back immediately. Lord Trowbridge sat behind a desk, surrounded by papers and ledgers. Calming myself, I arranged my curls and rapped my knuckles against the doorframe to get his attention. He glanced up.
“Good morning, my lord,” I said, maintaining a professional demeanor, as he seemed to prefer that. But I made sure my voice was still silky smooth.
He blinked twice. “You’re early.”
I remained in the doorway, unsure of the best way to respond. “Am I?”
He stared at me a moment longer, then tore his gaze away and straightened a stack of papers in front of him. “Come in.”
I tentatively walked toward his desk. I tried to give a demure smile, but it felt forced and unnatural. Deciding on another tactic, I tilted my head to the side and played with one of my curls as he spoke.
“I trust you know what will be required of you here.” He looked at me expectantly.
I smiled and batted my lashes. “I did have my own governess once.”
He gave a stiff nod, a crease in his brow. “You will accompany Sophia wherever she goes. You will instruct her in reading, writing, language, history, art, and basic mathematics. You will teach her to play the pianoforte, draw, and sing.” His eyes were in a constant flicker between his desk and my outstretched neck and twirling hair.
He cleared his throat and continued. “You will respect all other staff and teach Sophia proper manners. Specifically, youwill teach her that outrageous flirting is never to be condoned. Especially toward an employer.”
My smile fell and he looked down at his papers. “At seven o’clock,” he emphasized the words, “my housekeeper, Mrs. Woodley, will direct you to your other tasks. You will be paid at the end of each week.”
My face burned with embarrassment. When I remained standing there, Lord Trowbridge glanced up lazily. “You may wait in the sitting room where Mrs. Woodley will meet with you shortly.”
Giving a polite nod, I whirled around and hurried out the door.
Frustration coursed through me, and I gritted my teeth in disappointment. So it would not be as simple as I had hoped. If he could not be won by calculation and coy smiles, then how? I had never considered any other way. I needed Mama’s help, but she happened to be hundreds of miles from here.
I paused in the corridor to take a shaky breath and calm my nerves. I remembered where the sitting room was from the day before, so I found it without much trouble.
When Mrs. Woodley finally arrived, I practically jumped from my chair, eager to escape the isolation of my own troubled thoughts. She was an extremely tall woman, very thin, with eyes so large they seemed to examine every detail of my appearance before I had the chance to blink.
She greeted me and introduced herself, then led me to the first floor. “This is Sophia’s bedchamber,” she said. “She will be ready soon, and you will wait here until she is presented by her maid. She has just outgrown the nursery, so you will take her to the library on the ground level where you will begin your studies. I shall meet you there to provide further instruction. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” It was a concise, plain answer, but that seemed to be the rule in this household.
With a curt nod, Mrs. Woodley disappeared in a hustle of apron and cap, and I was alone.
I leaned against the wall by Sophia’s door. Portraits hung in an orderly line on the opposite wall, and I noticed Lord Trowbridge in one, standing beside a woman. She had auburn hair and piercing eyes. When they stood together, there seemed to be little affection between them. Lord Trowbridge’s eyes were distant and hard, but the woman’s gleamed with pride. She was truly beautiful, and I could only assume she was his late wife.
The door beside me shifted, and I darted my eyes toward it. Sophia stepped out, led by the hand of a severe looking maid. “She insisted on wearing a piece of dirty twine on her head,” the maid huffed. “I simply couldn’t convince her otherwise.”
Sophia gave me a little grin that I returned. A bloom of endearment opened inside me at the sight of that ugly twine pinned atop her head. “Certainly not,” I said. “A princess mustn’t go without her crown. It is bad form.” I winked at Sophia and she giggled. It was a rewarding sound.Hmm.Perhaps the best way to win over Lord Trowbridge would be to win over his daughter first.
“Come with me, Sophia, and we will begin your morning studies.” I extended my hand, and she took it with a firm grip. I smiled down at her as we walked toward the staircase. She held her head upright, with her shoulders back and chin high. I wouldn’t need to teach her how to walk with elegance—she seemed to have mastered it already. Or perhaps it was the twine wrapped in her curls that gave her confidence.
