She was going to be let go. Adam had asked Susanne for her hand, and the young lady had accepted as long as Alice was sent packing.
It made perfect sense, and no sense at all!
She knocked on the door to the room which she hadn’t been into once in nearly two years of employment.
“Enter,” came Lord Beasley’s sonorous tone.
Feeling light-headed, she pushed it open, watching as both Lord Beasley and Adam rose to their feet. Susanne was nowhere to be seen.
Alice nodded by way of greeting to Lord Diamond, who was looking at her intently as if studying a butterfly pinned to a board, and then she greeted his lordship, a man with whom she’d had few encounters.
“You wished to see me, my lord?”
“Yes, Mrs. Malcolm. Come in. Take a seat so we may resume ours.”
She did so, finding herself next to Adam while Lord Beasley was seated opposite.
“I shall get directly to the point. This young man wishes to court you. Are you amenable?”
Her mouth opened, but she snapped it closed when she realized she had no words.
Was it a trap?If she said yes, she might be sent away within the hour.
“You may speak freely,” Lord Beasley said. “That is why I am here and not my wife, who might be displeased to know Lord Diamond favors you over our daughter.”
Alice felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
“It is our own fault,” his lordship continued. “This young man obviously prefers brains to beauty. Susanne is too old now to stuff sense and facts into her head. Nevertheless, as pretty and amiable as she is, I have no doubt my daughter will find a suitable husband. But we are here to speak of you. Although you are a widow, you are a single female. Under my roof, Mrs. Malcolm, and thus, you are under my protection.”
“Thank you, my lord. My mind is spinning, I admit. I would hate to displease Lady Beasley, who has been a good and kind employer, and I would be equally loath to give insult to Lady Susanne.”
Lord Beasley nodded. “Well said. However, my wife chose to employ a widow, not a confirmed spinster. Thus, she knew the risks that hiring a marriageable woman entailed. Moreover, Lady Beasley considers you the best governess we’ve ever had. Thus, as far as I am concerned, your position is not in any danger up until the moment you marry. And then, of course, we will be sorry to see you leave.”
She spared a glance to Lord Diamond, who was staring at her and nodding at everything Lord Beasley said. Apparently, they were in complete concurrence despite Alice thinking it was the strangest thing she’d ever heard.
“My lord, are you saying you are granting permission for me to be courted in public by Lord Diamond?”
“If you wish, yes.”
She blinked and turned to Adam. There was no question she would like to spend time with him, even while accepting that a courtship leading to marriage was unthinkable. Her past precluded it. Moreover, he had been rather direct in saying they would keep company only until he left. Thus, letting him spend time with her seemed pointless, destined to lead to heartbreak, at least for her.
Yet while her mind flitted from side to side, she couldn’t deny how much she liked being with him. Perhaps, after two years of solitude, not to mention a year and a half of misery before that, she deserved some happy moments with an attentive, intelligent man.
Without Lord Beasley being able to see, Adam winked, and her decision was made. If she told him plainly at the start what distance they must keep — for she was unwilling to riskbecoming pregnant — then perhaps he would be agreeable to a casual friendly arrangement until he had to leave Bath.
At the very least, she would greatly enjoy a companion to take her to concerts, despite how others might think they were truly courting with an eye toward engagement and marriage. As long as he knew her limitations, then she would maintain her self-respect.
“I would like to spend time with Lord Diamond,” Alice said, carefully choosing her words.
“That’s settled then.” Lord Beasley looked at Adam. “As far as I know, Mrs. Malcolm needs no chaperone. If she wishes to employ one, that is her prerogative. All I can say is that I want no scandal, no impropriety, nothing that will shine an unfavorable light upon my household or my daughters’ governess. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Good, but I was speaking to Lord Diamond. I know your parents, do not forget.”
Adam nodded. “Even without the threat of incurring their wrath, I assure you, my lord, I will do nothing to disparage either Mrs. Malcolm or your household.”
“Very well,” Lord Beasley said. “We all agree it is an odd circumstance, but this is not the Middle Ages. If you wish to court my governess, so be it. Meanwhile, I have work to do.”
