Chapter 17
“Is there anything else you wish to know, your Grace?” The woman in front of Catherine smiled.
It had been two days since Catherine’s mother had barged into her home, and Alaric had come to her defense. Catherine was sitting in Mrs. Danvers’s office with the housekeeper, interviewing the last of the candidates for the governess position.
‘Your mistake has only made my life better.’ Catherine pushed Alaric’s words from her mind, forcing herself to focus on the woman sitting in front of her.
Mrs. Amelia Langley was a tall, slight woman with a sharp face.
She was twelve years older than Catherine and carried herself with a quiet intensity that unsettled her.
Though Mrs. Langley smiled easily, her eyes seemed to take in everything, as if she were a collector examining her prized possessions.
“You were with your last family for quite some time. Is there any reason you chose now to leave?” Catherine responded with her own smile—polished and perfectly polite.
“The Lord Aislington’s children were too old for a governess, Your Grace, and though I may have been tempted to stay with them— indeed, his Lordship wished dearly for me to remain— the family was moving to the Continent.” Mrs. Langley tucked her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear.
“And you did not wish to join them?” Catherine asked.
“No, Your Grace. I could not bear to depart from these shores. England is my home; this is where I belong.” Mrs. Langley’s smile broadened. “I cannot imagine being anywhere else.”
“You will not miss the family?” Mrs. Danvers leaned forward.
“I will. But it is the lot of the governess to eventually leave. I have done my part to support them; now it is time to tend to the next generation of nobility, to give them the knowledge they will need to take their rightful places.” For a moment, Catherine thought she saw hunger on Mrs. Langley’s face, but it must have been a trick of the light.
The woman’s smile remained just as broad, her green eyes fixed on her with calm intensity.
Catherine tapped her fingers on the desk. “You seem quite passionate about this.”
“I take great pride in my work, Your Grace.” Mrs. Langley inclined her head toward the letters on the desk. “You will no doubt see this reflected in my references.”
Catherine glanced at the letters of reference on the table. They were nearly perfect, waxing lyrical about Mrs. Langley’s capability, her tact and discretion. She was easily the most qualified of the women they had interviewed, with nearly double their experience.
Mrs. Danvers caught Catherine’s eye and arched one eyebrow. Catherine knew what the woman was asking.
Have we finally found the one?
Catherine looked at Mrs. Langley and found that the woman’s eyes were already fixed on her. She forced herself to smile even as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
What on Earth is wrong with me?
Catherine bit her lip, a lump forming in her throat. “You understand that Oliver is a rather unusual child. He does not speak. Though he can communicate through drawing. I trust this will not be a problem?”
“I did notice when I met the little lamb earlier.” Mrs. Langley tapped a finger on her lips. “I am confident that, in time, we will get him speaking, reading, and doing all the things a young gentleman should learn from his governess. After all, he must be prepared for his future.”
“He does not respond well to harsh treatment. He must be approached with kindness and patience.” Catherine frowned. “He... can be shy and slow to trust. He has had a difficult start to life.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Langley’s smile slipped slightly. “The boy was a foundling at St. Margaret’s.”
“I do not recall mentioning that.”
“That is what the papers are saying, Your Grace. Regardless of his start, that is in the past. It is the present to which we must attend; we cannot change what was done.”
“Indeed not. But we can understand how it has shaped him. He needs kindness and patience, and...” Love. Catherine bit the last word back as an invisible dagger twisted in her heart.
“Kindness and patience are a given, Your Grace, but he will also need to learn a great many things. I… No… forgive me, I should not speak so freely.”
“Please, speak your mind.”
“With all things in life, there is a balance to be struck. It is clear that you have already achieved much in your time with Master Oliver, and that is commendable. It is clear you are deeply protective of the boy, even though he is not your blood. But…”
“I bade you speak freely. Please finish what you wanted to say.”
“Sometimes, even our best intentions can cause harm. Protection can become a source of weakness, especially if one is overly attached. As a governess, I have seen it—a mother stepping in, doing her best to protect her precious children, and in the process, she unintentionally denies them a chance to grow. It becomes about her desires rather than their needs.”
Catherine felt as though an invisible hand had grabbed her heart. ‘All I have ever done is because I wanted you to have the best possible life.’ Her mother’s words echoed around her head. She clenched her hands to keep them from shaking. Is that what I am doing to Oliver?
Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face , because Mrs. Langley gave her a kind smile and added, “I do not mean to suggest that this is the case with you, Your Grace. I am sure you are holding Master Oliver at the forefront of your mind; after all, why else would you want to hire a governess? And you are clearly being very thorough in your decision. It is… Well, I am only sharing my experience, Your Grace. We all want what is best for the boy, I am sure.”
Catherine nodded slowly. “I appreciate your candor, Mrs. Langley. I am rather protective of him, it is true. He has made such progress in the last few weeks, and I worry about undoing it.”
“An understandable fear. I assure you, patience and kindness are not incompatible with encouraging the boy to reach his full potential,” Mrs. Langley explained.
“In my early days as a governess, I worked with a child who could barely speak. By the time I left, he was a confident young gentleman with a tongue of gilded silver.”
Catherine let Mrs. Langley’s words wash over her. The woman was fully qualified, and she clearly had much more experience with childcare than Catherine. She met Mrs. Langley’s gaze.
“Having a governess is a time of transition, Your Grace. For the family and the child. I will do everything in my power to make it seamless for you all.”
Catherine glanced at Mrs. Danvers, who nodded imperceptibly. “Well, I can see very little reason that we should not hire you, Mrs. Langley. You have excellent references.”
And she is one of the only women who actually turned up for their interview.
Catherine stood up, ignoring the odd weight that settled into her stomach. “The position is yours. When can you start?”
“As soon as you would like.” Mrs. Langley beamed at her as she got to her feet.
“Tomorrow then. That will give Mrs. Danvers time to arrange your quarters and to prepare the contract. And for me to explain the situation to Oliver.” Catherine tapped her fingers absently on the desk.
Mrs. Langley swept into a curtsy, her eyes never leaving Catherine’s face. “I look forward to working with you.”
“Mrs. Danvers, would you escort Mrs. Langley out? I should tell the Duke that we have found our governess.” The words weighed heavily on Catherine’s chest, a feeling she did not understand.
This is what I want. Perhaps Mrs. Langley was correct; maybe Catherine had let her attachment to Oliver get in the way of things. Yet as she watched Mrs. Langley leave, a prickle of unease stirred within her.
Catherine frowned as she walked through the castle. She had thought that finding a governess would bring a sense of relief, and yet… Her heart felt heavier than it had in months.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she bumped into something warm and solid. Two hands steadied her as she stumbled back, the scent of amber and cedar enveloping her.
She gazed up at Alaric, who let his hands drop and stepped away from her. The warmth where his hands had been spread through her body.
“My apologies, I was a million miles away.” Catherine gestured in the direction Alaric had come from. “I was actually just on my way to see you.”
“Then our meeting is a fortuitous one.” His smile broadened, and she felt her heart swoop into her chest.
Focus. She swallowed. “I... I have found a governess for Oliver. She will start tomorrow.”
“I see.” His smile turned into a frown as he canted his head toward her. “You do not sound particularly enthused about it.”
“I am not, and in truth, I do not really understand why. On paper, Mrs. Langley is perfect. She has outstanding references and is the daughter of a Baron who passed away some years ago. She was with her last family for over a decade.” Catherine shook her head.
“Do you have concerns about her discretion?” Alaric asked.
“No. Or at least, no more than I would have of any other person.” Catherine thought of the way Mrs. Langley’s intense gaze lingered. “She clearly takes her role rather seriously, and of all the candidates who bothered to turn up, she is the most qualified by several miles.”
“Even if there were other applicants of equal qualification, deciding not to come to the interview speaks poorly of their character.” Alaric’s frown deepened.
“I know.” Catherine sighed. “She said all the right things, and when she briefly met Oliver, it all seemed to go well. Apparently, she has even had huge success with similar speech difficulties.”
“She sounds perfect.”
“She is.” There was a beat of silence as Catherine chewed her lip. “I just...”
Alaric was massaging his scar, and nodding slowly, a sign that he was either in pain or carefully weighing his words.
“What are you thinking?” Catherine gestured toward him.