Chapter 8
Estelle
The carriage rattled beneath me, and I pulled my head back through the window before my hair was thoroughly ruined for my interview. We would arrive at Rosemont Court soon, and I was once again in desperate need of a position. And yet, I could not suppress my curiosity on another matter entirely.
“Nora, do you think our carriage driver resembles Mr. Long?”
Nora yawned, pulling herself awake from her nap. “I ‘adn’t noticed.”
“Hadn’t noticed? He is tall, blond, and seems wary of people.”
Nora scrunched her nose. “Ye’ve been looking for ‘im in every tall blonde man who comes near ye. It’s time ye put ‘im from yer mind.”
I pressed my fingers into my palm, remembering his firm grip.
How could I forget him? Since I had traded London for Warwick, I had searched for Mr. Long in every tall man I saw.
I had hoped against all odds that our paths might cross once more, that there would be some sign—some spark of recognition.
Even now, I could not bring myself to give up.
That hope had kept me from being consumed by homesickness and discouragement.
Mr. Long’s unyielding persistence to survive had fueled my own.
I could never have managed the Radleys’ mischievous twins otherwise.
“Could you not take one glance out the window for me, Nora? Just to be certain?”
Nora made an exasperated noise, but she leaned forward to humor me. A moment later, she dragged her own head out of the window. “No, it’s not ‘im. ‘E’s too wide.”
Too wide? I stole another glance. “Yes, you’re probably right.
” I had imagined him to be so many different men that I could not trust my memory of his appearance any longer.
I closed the window, and without thinking, pulled out a certain gilded button from my reticule.
I rubbed my thumb over it, as I often did when reminded of Mr. Long.
Was he well? Where was he now? Had he found himself in more scrapes, or was he changing the world with his newfound health?
Perhaps Nora was right. I ought to put Mr. Long behind me. At least for today. I had the interview to prepare for.
Determined to focus, I stowed away the button in my reticule and forced my thoughts on Lady Camden. She was rumored to be fastidious, and I would have only one chance to impress her. Her family had enough money to be royalty, and to gain the position as governess was a challenge I wanted.
An impossible challenge, many would say, but I had never liked the word.
At least it was a situation Reggie would approve of—if he ever forgave me for working—and I dearly hoped it would prove better than my previous position. To have even scheduled an interview had been a sign I should at least try.
I turned my gaze to the window again and started. That view! My fingers fumbled with the window in my rushed attempts to open it again. Once it was free, I leaned my head out and gawked at the sight before me.
Rosemont Court was like a poem! Four eloquent stanzas high and endless rows of windows in a rhythmic pattern of alliteration.
The small lake bore a gleaming reflection of the grand edifice, and the miles of woods framing it behind was a visual metaphor of never-ending beauty.
Its ivy-clad walls spoke to my heart better than any words ever could.
It whispered of history and new beginnings in one breath.
A place so beautiful could never be a prison.
“Your ‘air, miss,” Nora said from her seat across from me. “And if anyone sees ye, they’ll think yer a hoyden.”
Nora’s chiding reminded me of Mother’s efforts to tame me as a child. The reminder of my imperfections tempered my enthusiasm. I pulled my head inside, smoothed my hair, and straightened the seam of my gloves. “Isn’t it a picture?” I asked Nora. “There’s so much promise for our future.”
Nora tsked her tongue. “It’ll do ye no good if ye gets yer ‘opes too ‘igh.”
Nora knew me well. “Have I thanked you recently for giving up your honor when we left Norwood so you might work in the Reynold’s kitchens?”
A smile spread across her face. “Not recently enough, but I know you mean well.”
I smiled too, but it did not reach my eyes. “I mean to find you a better position this time, I promise.”
Nora tsked. “Don’t promise what ye cannot keep.”
“Then I will have to keep it, won’t I?” I flicked my gaze to the window and saw a young woman at the corner in the road, waving me down. “Oh, dear. Something must be wrong.” I rapped on the carriage wall, signaling for the driver to stop.
“What is it?” Nora bent forward to see the same woman I saw, waving her hands on the side of the road.
A moment later, a groom opened the carriage door.
I snatched my bonnet and sprang to the ground, hurrying my step toward her.
The young woman in front of me was dressed in an elegant day gown with mud on the hem of her billowing skirts.
She could not be any older than myself. Her wheat-colored hair hung limply beneath her skewed bonnet.
My own bonnet likely matched hers, and I instinctively reached to adjust mine as I asked her, “Is something wrong?”
“That depends,” she said. “Are you here to interview for the new governess position?”
My footsteps halted, my surprise drawing my back straight. “I am.”
“Then yes, there is something wrong.” She wrinkled her nose and hesitated. “Wait. Can one so young be a governess?”
My brow rose. “I have experience and a genteel education,” I argued.
“But such judgment should be reserved for Lady Camden to decide.” It was a mature answer, and I was quite proud of myself.
I had learned a few things in my time of employment.
But why was my interviewing such a dire emergency? “What appears to be the trouble?”
The young lady swiped a blonde lock behind her ear and ignored my question.
“Shouldn’t you be the one to decide about your position?
If I were you, I would want to know what I was getting myself into and ask myself if I was ready for such a task.
Fortunately, I am acquainted with the family and am a reliable source of information. ”
Had I been flagged down for a piece of gossip? I did not want to be late to my interview, but I admit, I did not want a repeat of the last six months. “You know the young Miss Augusta Wilde?”
“Intimately.”
“Well, what is she like?”
“Have you never wondered why the young miss cannot keep a governess for more than two weeks at a time?”
While I was debating how to answer, I glanced back at the carriage to see Nora’s head sticking out the window.
She had never looked more like a hoyden.
I would tell her as soon as I finished this strange conversation.
I turned back to the young woman. “I did not know Lady Camden’s daughter was so difficult.
” Fresh memories of the Radleys’ twins assailed me.
The young lady nodded vigorously. “Miss Augusta Wilde is a wicked girl. She despises her lessons, perpetually slouches, and slurps her tea.”
The slurping would vex my nerves, but I could relate to despising lessons and wanting to slouch. “I suppose those qualities are livable.”
The woman stepped closer, adding in a low voice, “Miss Wilde always carries an animal around—even in the house.”
Mercy. What was one to think of this. “But does Miss Wilde poke anyone with sticks?” I asked. My backside was still sore from the twins chasing me.
“Sticks?” The young lady shook her head. “Why would she do that?”
“Never mind. It sounds as if we shall get along famously.”
The woman crossed her arms. “I haven’t mentioned the worst of it. She has a propensity of running away, and her governess is always blamed.”
“Sometimes a girl has to run,” I mumbled under my breath, thinking of my own experience.
Her brow lurched up. Drat, she had heard me.
“Then there was the time when she put a snake in her governess’s sitting room.”
It was my turn to wrinkle my nose. “Poor snake.”
She nodded, then froze. “You mean, poor governess.”
“That too,” I quickly added.
The young lady eyed me strangely, as I had been doing to her.
“I assure you, Miss Wilde is the bane of the neighborhood. No one can tolerate her nor she them. It is a doomed task, and you will regret your time here. There, I have done my best to warn you. Are you certain you would like to proceed with your interview?”
I had to try my luck. I didn’t have another offer for a position, and even after all my time away, I wasn’t ready to return home to my fate there. “I am sure.”
“Well then, you can leave your carriage here, and I shall take you through the shortcut to the house.”
She pointed to the path that cut through the trees to the massive edifice beyond.
I wasn’t certain I trusted her, but since I was not far from the house, I could not think of a reason not to follow.
It wouldn’t hurt me to learn a little of the gossip surrounding the place if I were to stay here.
“Very well.” I waved to Nora, explaining how I would go on ahead with the simple gesture.
I attempted to pick up the wide skirt of my gown, determined not to muddy it like the woman walking next to me.
“How are you acquainted with Miss Wilde, again? I did not catch your name.”
“Think of me as a concerned party. A very concerned party.”
So, we were to wait for a formal introduction? I did not want her to think me ill-mannered, so I did not persist. We had only walked a short way when we heard a cry that sounded almost like a baby.
Both of us jerked to a stop.
The “concerned party” hurried to a nearby tree. “Gingersnaps, is that you?”
I peered up at the long branches of the oak tree and spied a large tabby staring down at us.
“Gingersnaps, come down right now!”
It meowed again in a pitiful call for help.
I frowned at it. “I do believe she is stuck.”
The young lady bit her fingernail. “Poor darling. I have to help her.”
Dear, me. My guide wasn’t going to leave until this was taken care of, was she?
I took stock of the height of the branch not far above our heads.
I did not care for heights, or cats for that matter, but I think I could manage the task if it hurried us along.
I cleared my throat. “If we work together, I am sure we can get her down.”
The young lady stared at me. “But your interview.”
I lifted the small timepiece pinned to my bodice. “I still have a few minutes. If you can give me a boost, I think I can reach her.”
She lowered herself to a crouch, not at all worried about the state of her dress, and put her hands out to create a foothold.
In my haste, I did not think twice before stepping into them, my many petticoats beneath my skirts encumbering my efforts.
I snatched the branch above me for balance.
“Come here, Gingersnaps.” I made a kissing sound with my lips and the blessed thing crept closer to me.
As soon as she was within my reach, I released one hand from the branch and snatched her.
I was not prepared for the weight of the cat, and I screeched as I tumbled backward.
I hit the ground hard on my rump before tumbling back until my view was blue sky and fluffy white clouds. A head appeared, blocking the sky and staring down at me—fortunately from the other end of my belled gown that had flown up for the entire world to see. It was not a lady’s face either.
I blinked, my vision clearing. Gray-green eyes under a pair of sandy brows pinned me to the ground and left me staring back.
He had a square face and a rather nice jawline above his dark silk necktie.
His hair was short everywhere but the length across his forehead that barely hid a pink scar.
Trimmed side whiskers stopped halfway down his face, emphasizing the concerned frown that molded his lips into a straight line.
Who was this man, and why couldn’t I breathe?