A Most Unusual Governess by Amanda Grange Read Free Book Online Page A

going to inherit an estate.'
    He gave her a looked of mixed respect and surprise. 'Miss Davenport. Has anyone ever told you that you are a most unusual governess?'
    Sarah gave a rueful smile. 1 never thought I'd be a governess at all. I thought —'
    Yes?' he asked, leaning forward in his chair.
    'It doesn't matter what I thought,' she said quietly and a little wistfully.
    He seemed to sense the change in her mood and did not press her further. Instead, he changed the subject and asked her, What made you apply for a job as a governess here? Did your family come from Kent?'
    'Oh, no,' she told him, startled that he had made that assumption, although of course it was a perfectly natural one. In fact, I didn't apply for a job as a governess at all. I applied for a job as Lady Templeton's companion.'
    Now it was his turn to look surprised.
    'I had already worked as a companion, you see. When my father died my aunt and uncle adopted my brothers as they had no children of their own. They needed an heir - an heir and a spare, as my uncle put it - but they had no use for a girl. And so one of our neighbours in Derbyshire asked me if I would like to take care of her aunt. The old lady lived in London and needed someone to look after her, and so I travelled south. I stayed with her for a year, but sadly she died, and when she did so it seemed natural for me to seek another position as a companion. And so I applied for the position with Lady Templeton.'
    There was an unusual look of compassion in his eyes. It must have been hard for you,' he said.
    'Perhaps.' Sarah dismissed her problems lightly, although they had occasioned her much hardship. 'And then I went to see Lady Templeton. She told me I was too young to be her companion but I had already met Lucy by then, in one of the corridors. We had taken to each other and Lady Templeton offered me a post as her governess.'
    'And do you like being a governess?' he asked.
    Yes, I do. Now that I know I don't have to speak Russian and play the harp, I like it very much indeed!'
    He laughed, and she breathed a sigh of relief, because her tongue had run away with her again and she had not known how he would react to her teasing.
    You must find Kent very different to Derbyshire, he said, on a different note. It's a tame and cultivated county, instead of being wild and remote. Not for nothing is it called the garden of England. Do you miss your home?'
    'No.' She shook her head. 1 enjoyed growing up in Derbyshire. I loved playing on the high peaks when I was a little girl. But no, I don't miss it. The people I care about are no longer there. It's not my home any longer.'
    'It explains your determined personality. If you spent your childhood playing on the wild Derbyshire moors with your brothers, instead of sitting demurely at home with your mother, it's no wonder you developed such a strong character and such an outspoken attitude to life. And as you had to care for your brothers, it's no wonder you know so much about children - far more, in fact, than I do.' As if realising he was allowing the conversation to become too personal, he drew back a little and said, 1 Ve travelled through the Peak District a number of times. It's very different to here, but I've always thought it beautiful.'
    'It is. But in my mind it's too tied up with my mother's illness and my parents' death.' She stopped, wondering why she had confided such intimate thoughts to him. She continued in a more formal way. 'I can truly say I prefer Kent.'
    She felt a catch in her throat as his eyes sought out hers and again there was compassion in his glance, as though he realised that for someone so young she had seen a lot of tragedy. She felt the danger of responding to that compassion and so she looked deliberately out of the window.
    He followed her eyes to the peaceful parkland that lay outside. He said, 1 love the Grange, and I hope William will love it too.'
    'He already does. He has told me he never wants to leave.'
    'Just