Yes, she was now twenty, but her letters reminded him of how sweet and innocent she remained. Youthful and joyful, just as she had been when she began settling into her home. What if he couldn’t desire her as a wife? What if they could only be friends?
Staying in London or at Thornhill Park was better than facing his fears.
“Honestly, I do not know how you manage to remain away from your wife.” Percy shook his head.
“We have an agreement.” He had never explained to anyone, nor would he ever.
“An agreement I would change if she were my wife.”
Victor glanced over at his friend. “You do not even know her.”
“Yes, I do.”
“How?” Victor demanded.
Percy pulled back in surprise. “When I visited Harwich during the Christmas holiday,” he answered. “I even waltzed with her at Melcombe’s ball.”
“What was Harwich doing in Willanton?” Victor asked.
“That is where his estate is located,” Percy answered slowly. “Had you forgotten? He and Melcombe are cousins through their mothers and share ownership of Turner Textiles.”
Victor knew the two were cousins and that they owned the business, but he had not known where Harwich lived.
“Melcombe had a ball and Charlotte was there? Who else was present?” How many in Society had met his wife? Why hadn’t anyone mentioned it to him by now?
“The guests were all residents of Willanton, with the exception of me,” Percy answered. “Though you should know that Melcombe is hoping that you never return because he doesn’t want to lose her as his governess.”
Victor frowned again. “Governess?”
“Yes,” Percy answered. “Did she not tell you?”
“No, she did not,” Victor answered coolly, “Perhaps you should explain.”
“I just assumed, since you are married…”
“Tell me!”
“Harwich’s wife, Regina, was to be Melcombe’s governess, but Harwich married her. The one before that had married before she unpacked her bags. She had been the replacement for the governess that Melcombe married.”
Victor nodded. Charlotte had written of the three women, who were now her friends, but he had not known that Regina was also the Countess of Harwich.
“Apparently, Charlotte offered for the position since she could promise that she would not fall in love, marry and abandon the position.”
“Did you just address my wife by her Christian name?” Victor demanded.
Percy gulped. “She asked me to. I also realize that she never mentioned our meeting.”
“No, she did not,” Victor bit out. Attending balls was not a concern. He attended many. What bothered him was that she hadn’t mentioned it, or being a governess.
Her letters were filled with her day-to-day activities, the friends she had made, the changes to the home, their tenants and crops. They were detailed, colorful missives, and Victor believed that he had come to know her through those letters. Now he wondered how much she wasn’t telling him.
“How long has she been Melcombe’s governess?” Victor asked.
“I suppose that it has been nearly a year now.”
A year!
Was she living with Melcombe and his wife as well? Didn’t governesses take up residence in the home where their charges resided?
