Page 41 of An Unexpected Pleasure

“You have a collection, too?” Anna asked Theo, and Megan was grateful for the words, which saved her from having to ask.

Theo shrugged. “No. Only a few things in my room. I don’t usually bring a great deal home. My primary interest is in seeing the places.”

His room. Megan knew that was where she would have to look next. She didn’t want to. Even the thought of being in his room did strange things to her insides. It wasn’t fear, she knew…or, at least, not exactly. It was a combination of emotions that roiled in her in a way she did not even want to contemplate.

She would have to go there eventually, she knew. She would wait until some evening when she knew he was gone for several hours, and then she would sneak in and search the place. But if she didn’t find anything there, she was not sure what she would do.

There was the Morelands’ house in the country, of course. The evidence she needed was just as likely to be there. But she knew that the family would not be retiring there until after the season was over. She could not wait that long—and she was certain she would be unable to carry off her pretense of being a teacher for that long, anyway.

The twins were bound to realize that she hadn’t the slightest idea what they were doing in their Greek lessons, and she wasn’t a whole lot better when it came to Latin and higher mathematics. There had even been a few times when she had looked at Con or Alex and wondered if they already knew that she was floundering, completely over her head, in those subjects. The boys seemed to like her and her teaching style; it was quite possible, she thought, that they had guessed she was not competent as a tutor and were simply keeping quiet about it.

But some other family member would be bound to notice, sooner or later. And, indeed, she felt a trifle guilty, knowing that because of her, the boys might very well lag behind their peers in certain subjects.

She needed to discover something, and soon. Megan wished that her father and Deirdre could go to Broughton Park and search the place. She didn’t know how it might be accomplished, but next Sunday, when she had the day off, she would visit them and discuss the matter of the second house.

In the meantime, she would have to do something else to further her case.

The group, having finished their tour, was beginning to drift out the door, and Megan moved along with the others, her mind worrying at her problem.

When she reached the door, she turned to the duke, saying, “Good evening, your grace, and thank you again for showing me your collection.”

“No trouble at all, my dear,” Broughton assured her, smiling. “But aren’t you coming back to the sitting room? Con and Alex have a dandy puzzle going.”

Megan smiled. Her pupils had informed her that the duke was almost as fond as Con was of jigsaw puzzles, and he spent many an evening working on them with his sons.

“Thank you,” she replied honestly. “But I fear I am rather tired. I should retire early, I think.”

The fact was, she was rather fond of puzzles herself and would have enjoyed working on one, but she was coming to realize that the less time she spent with this family, the better. She was already liking them far more than was good for her. There was no point in making it any more painful when she had to reveal to them what Theo had done.

“Come, Miss Henderson, surely a little time spent relaxing would be good for you,” Theo said persuasively. “A card game, perhaps. Or Anna might be persuaded to play a few tunes on the piano. Or, if you prefer, Mother has been reading up on the educational ideas of Bronson Alcott, and I am sure she would love to discuss them with you.”

There was a twinkle in his eye as he said this, and Megan knew he was hoping once again to trip her up.

“Oh, yes,” she said, looking him straight in the eye, her chin going up challengingly. Thank heavens for that article she had written on the New England experiments in education. “The conversational method. It is quite interesting.”

“Hardly relaxing for Miss Henderson, Theo,” Reed put in. “Since she has spent her whole day educating the twins. No doubt she would welcome a few hours sans Morelands.”

“Of course,” Theo agreed easily. “I apologize, Miss Henderson. No doubt you have been staying up too late preparing the twins’ lessons.”

Megan shot him a daggerlike look, well aware of his jibe at her late-night activities, though she knew none of the others would be.

“Yes,” she replied smoothly. “And I have a long day planned tomorrow.” She turned back to the duke. “I would like to take the twins on an educational outing tomorrow, if that is all right with you, sir.”

The idea had just occurred to her, and it was, she thought, perfect. She had been longing to get out of the house. Used as she was to being out and about, chasing down her stories, the walls of Broughton House, elegant as they were, were beginning to feel rather restrictive. Besides, she needed to interview Julian Coffey, the other Englishman who had gone on the trip with Barchester, Theo and her brother. A trip to the museum where he was curator would serve both purposes, and she could do it under the guise of tutoring the twins.

“An outing, eh?” The duke smiled. “That sounds interesting.”

“Yes, it does,” Theo added, studying her. “Where are you planning to take Con and Alex?”

“To a museum,” Megan answered shortly.

“Museum?” Broughton’s smile grew. “That sounds quite jolly. I am sure the twins would enjoy it.” He paused, then added, his smile fading, “Um…are you quite sure you are up to it? The twins, you know, well…and you’re unfamiliar with the city.”

“Don’t worry, Father,” Theo said pleasantly. “I will volunteer to go along and keep an eye on Con and Alex.”

The older man’s face cleared. “That will be just the thing.” He smiled widely at Megan. “You should have no problem.”

“Thank you, your grace,” Megan replied with a smile for the kindly duke, but she turned a stony stare on Theo as she went on, “but it really won’t be necessary. The twins and I will be fine on our own.”