Chapter 21 #3
Once Lady Arabella was gone, Sarah turned around and saw the children already bent over the grass, working quickly on new crowns. Clara gathered a handful of flowers and held them up with determination.
“Mine should look like Mama’s,” she said, choosing the longest stems she could find.
Henry shook his head, already weaving his own. “And mine will match Papa’s.”
The duke glanced at him, amused. “Will it?”
Henry nodded. “Yes. I am making it the same way.”
Clara sat beside Sarah, her fingers moving with more confidence than before. “Mama, does this one bend enough?”
Sarah tested the stem. “It does. Keep going.”
Henry finished his crown and stood proudly. “Now Papa’s and mine match.”
Clara held hers up. “And mine matches Mama’s.”
Sarah smiled at the children, and the duke adjusted the crooked crown on his head, giving Henry a small nod of approval.
The four of them remained there a moment longer, the crowns bright against the grass, the afternoon quiet and easy once more.
“We should go inside,” Sarah said after a moment. “It is nearly time for Clara’s rest.”
The duke stood as well. “I will walk with you.”
They gathered the children and returned toward the house. Clara grew sleepy halfway there, leaning against Sarah’s side. Henry carried the remaining flowers, proud of his work. Inside, Sarah guided Clara upstairs, where a maid was already preparing the room.
“She is ready for her nap,” Sarah said. “Will you stay with her?”
“Of course, Mrs. Shaw,” the maid replied.
Sarah smoothed Clara’s hair, then stepped back. As she turned toward the stairs she suddenly remembered something.
“I forgot the ink,” she murmured. She had meant to buy a fresh bottle that morning since the old one had nearly run dry.
The duke was in the entry hall, speaking quietly with a footman. Sarah approached him. “Your Grace, I must return to the village for a moment. I forgot to purchase ink.”
He looked at her with mild concern. “Will you go alone?”
“No,” Sarah said. “Mrs. Porter is free this afternoon. She can accompany me. Clara is resting upstairs.”
Mrs. Porter, the older maid who often helped with errands, stepped forward. “I can be ready at once, Mrs. Shaw.”
Sarah nodded. “Thank you.”
The duke nodded his head. “Very well. I will see you when you return.”
Sarah and Mrs. Porter set out, and the walk went by peacefully. When they arrived, she noticed that the village was calmer than it had been that morning. Sarah purchased the ink quickly, but as she stepped out of the shop, two women near the doorway lowered their voices.
“Did you see them earlier?” one whispered. “The duke and his governess.”
Sarah froze. The words were not sharp, but they carried the same tone she remembered too well. Mrs. Porter glanced at her, uncertain.
The second woman leaned closer. “I heard she did it on purpose. Sabotaged her position with Lady Vane so she could place herself near him.”
The first woman let out a quiet, scandalized breath. “They say she has been doing whatever she can at the estate to lure him. Standing where he passes. Making herself noticed. It is shameful.”
“And dangerous,” the second murmured. “A woman like that could ruin a household.”
Sarah shook her head and kept her posture steady. “We should return to the estate,” she said to Mrs. Porter
They walked back without speaking. By the time they reached the gates, Sarah understood that the whispers had returned. Servants lowered their voices when she entered rooms, and the pattern was unmistakable.
She would not allow it to happen again.
She found the duke in the gardens, standing near the trimmed hedges. “Your Grace,” she said, her voice steady. “I must speak with you.”
He turned toward her. “Of course.”
“Everyone is talking again. In town, in the house. It is happening, and I will not endure another public scandal. I cannot. Not for myself, and not for Clara.”
“What have you heard?” he asked. “Tell me all of it.”
“In the village, two women said I had sabotaged my position with Lady Vane so I could place myself near you.
They implied I had been doing whatever unsavory things I could to manage at the estate to gain your attention.
They said I had been lingering where you passed, trying to lure you, trying to influence you.
They spoke as though it were deliberate, calculated, and improper. "
The duke’s posture tightened, but he remained silent as she finished.
“It is worse than before,” she said. “I do not know where the rumors are coming from or what else is being said. I do not know what people believe. But they are questioning my intentions, my conduct, and my character. And I will not allow it to grow into something that harms Clara or destroys our lives.”
“Mrs. Shaw, I will protect you,” he said, stepping closer.
“From whom?” she asked.
He hesitated. The pause was brief, but too long. For the first time, she saw guilt in his expression, though she did not understand its source.
She stood there for a moment, the silence somewhere between awkward and uncomfortable. Then she turned away, lost in her thoughts as she walked back toward the house.