If so, who was living in Wisteria House, the name she had given her home?
Further, how could Mrs. McGraw, her companion, allow Charlotte to become a governess?
Except, the more he thought on it, Charlotte hadn’t mentioned Mrs. McGraw in a long time...
Was his sweet, innocent wife keeping secrets from him? How many were there? Of all the women he had met in his lifetime, Victor had always assumed that she was the one he could always trust.
Could she have changed so much?
“All I know is that if I had a wife that looked like yours…”
Victor speared Percy a look, warning him not to finish.
“What?”
“Be careful what you say, my friend.”
Percy narrowed his eyes. “Exactly how long has it been since you’ve seen Char…Lady Blackmar?”
“Not since a month after we wed.”
Percy frowned. “How old was she?”
“She had just turned sixteen.” That was the first time he had told anyone his wife’s age.
Percy leaned back, cradled his glass of brandy, and watched Victor with a slight smile.
“What?” Victor demanded.
“I did not know your wife four years ago, but I do know her now.” He leaned forward. “If she were mine, I wouldnotbe here.”
Perhaps his wife had changed more than he knew. Even if she hadn’t, Victor needed to pay her a visit, if only to find out what else she hadn’t told him or had lied about.
Willanton,July1816
Charlotte lay on her back atop the scaffolding and stared at the half-painted cherub before she lifted her brush to add more detail to his face. Her mind was not on her work, but on the letter she’d received.
Victor was coming to visit.
The letter had been posted nearly a sennight ago, yet it hadn’t arrived until yesterday when she knew the Post was much quicker.
As soon as she had read the missive, Charlotte had gone to Althea, Lady Melcombe, and told her that she may not be able to teach the girls for a few days or longer, and that it all depended on how long Victor intended to stay.
Charlotte loved being a governess, but assumed Victor would never approve, which is why she had never told him. Hopefully his visit would be short, and she could go back to teaching after he was gone. There was also the possibility that he might not even notice if she was away from the house each afternoon. If that were the case, her time with the girls would be shorter instead of interrupted. It wasn’t as if she was a traditional governess and spent all day and every day with the girls. She only visited in the afternoons, taught, and left lessons for them to review for discussion on the following day.
What had started as a temporary situation had worked out lovely and Charlotte did not want to give up her position.
She blew out a sigh and added a blush of pink to the tip of her brush to give the cherub a rosy cheek.
Why hadn’t Victor told her what day to expect him, then she could at least prepare?
Charlotte nearly snorted. She had been preparing for nearly a year. When she had learned that his father had died, she knew that it was only a matter of time before Victor decided that he must see to his duty—heir and a spare.
Just the thought of the intimacy required for such caused her stomach to tighten. Yet, women had endured since the beginning of time, and she would as well. She would do so for him.
Charlotte would never forget Victor’s kindness that first month of their marriage, and her young heart had started to fall in love with him. Through the years, and with each correspondence they had shared, more pieces of her heart were given over. She also knew better than to expect Victor to love her in return, but she did need him to like and desire her.
If he knew what she did each day, activities that no viscountess should ever take part in, he would likely take her to his mother to befixed, and that would never do. Thus, she had begun her study of Society and the ladies who were well regarded. As she was not in London, Charlotte relied on the newssheets for any pertinent information and read every detail of the gossip, especially when Victor was mentioned. She also relied on articles and magazines that offered advice on how a lady should dress and behave. What she learned was that a lady was demure and apparently needed to hide any intellect that she may possess and never spoke on matters involving money, investments or any scholarly discourse. A lady was graceful, modest and pleasant to be around. A lady managed a household, did not possess a difficult personality and her appearance was always neat without costing her husband a fortune in fripperies.
