“I hope the children are coming down,” Simon said, thinking Ian a very lucky fellow to have found someone as restful and genial as Jane. “I haven’t seen them since spring.”
“They should be here soon.” Jane looked up at her husband from under the curve of his arm. “Tell Simon how much Hugh has grown this summer. Was it four or five inches?”
“Five,” Ian said. “And Joanna still wants to marry you, Simon, when she grows up,” he added with a grin. “She much admires the consequence of dukes.”
Raising his glass to his mouth, Simon smiled. ‘There’s reason to wait then.“
“As if you need added reason to wait,” Jane murmured, “when you’ve already waited… Ah, the children are here. Darlings, come in and make your bows.”
Simon’s whiskey sloshed over the rim of his glass as he turned to the door and Caroline gasped as a slender, young boy with tousled, strawberry blond hair, shouted, “Simon!” and ran forward.
The earl and countess exchanged glances.
“You know each other?” Jane inquired, surveying her red-faced governess, then Simon who looked pale beneath his tan.
“I met Lord Blair years ago,” Caroline quickly replied, terrified Simon might say something outrageous. “We- ah… lived in the same parish.”
Brushing the wetness from his wool shirt, Simon sat up and set his glass aside. “I knew Lady Caroline’s father, the Earl of Doulton.”
“An earl?” Jane’s feet dropped to the floor, her eyes wide.
“If you’ll please excuse me,” Caroline whispered, her face bright pink. “I’ll return for the children when you call.”
“No, stay!” Joanna tugged on Caroline’s hand. “Come have cakes with me!”
“Some other time, darling.” Caroline tried frantically to disengage herself from the little girl’s grasp.
Joanna’s grip tightened, her mouth turned down in a pout. “But I want you to make those fairy towers with the cakes and tell me the story about the princess who looks just like me!”
“She thinks she’s a princess,” her brother scoffed, glancing at his mother who was still looking stunned.
Joanna’s golden curls bobbed as she quickly swung around to confront her brother. “Am too a princess!”
“Are not.”
“Am too!!” She turned back to Caroline. ‘Tell him, Caro; tell him about the tower and the dragon and how I was saved-“
“I’ll explain later when you don’t have company, darling.” Having freed herself from her young charge’s grasp, Caroline had begun to back away. “Go and drink your chocolate now. You know how you like chocolate with whipped cream clouds in it.”
Joanna cast a quick glance at the tea table, making certain the whipped cream clouds were there. “Promise, you’ll tell him later?”
“I promise.”
Another swift glance and chocolate won over. Joanna skipped away.
Caroline ran from the room, and raced down the hall as though all the fiends of hell were in pursuit. She didn’t care that her exit might have been precipitous; she didn’t care that her new employers might wonder at her discourtesy. She couldn’t possibly stay and face Simon.
She didn’t dare.
“Did you bring Black Templar with you? Did you, did you?” Hugh was hopping from foot to foot before Simon, his excitement visible. “If you did, may I ride him? May I, may I?”
“He’s here and you may ride him if your parents allow.” Simon kept his voice calm with effort. His heart was beating like a drum; only sheer will kept him seated. Caroline was
“Me too, me too! I want to ride Black Temper too!” Joanna screamed, always wanting what her brother wanted like little sisters everywhere.
Reaching out, Simon lifted her into his lap, looked at Ian for approval and at his nod, said, “You may both ride him tomorrow.”
The children’s squeals of delight were only equaled by Simon’s delight at having found the object of his pursuit.
And so conveniently near.
He was hard-pressed to restrain his smile.
He’d never slept with someone else’s governess before.
The children immediately claimed their mother’s attention and for the next few moments she was busy helping them with their chocolates.
“What the hell was that all about?” Ian said under his breath.
Taking his cue from Caroline who apparently didn’t want to acknowledge their acquaintance, Simon offered his friend a casual shrug. “She reminded me of someone for a second. My mistake.”
“Whatever you say.” But the earl had known Simon long enough not to be deceived.
“Is your governess new?” Simon asked, his tone deliberately mild.
“She arrived two days ago.”
“From?”
“London, I believe. You’d have to ask Jane the particulars. She’s rather stunning, isn’t she?”
“Definitely stunning.” Simon held his glass out for a refill. “A beauty of the first water.”
“And you should know.”
Simon’s gaze snapped up, but Ian’s wink was only cheeky, not knowing. “Don’t you hold all the boudoir records?”
“Not really,” Simon lied.
A few moments later, once the children were thoroughly engrossed in dunking their scones in their hot chocolate, Jane glanced at Simon with warning in her eyes. “Stay away from her, Simon.
It’s difficult finding a governess who’s willing to live so far from London. I don’t want you seducing her. And don’t look at me with such innocence. I saw your response when she walked in.“
“I promise not to seduce her.” It wasn’t an intentional lie. He didn’t expect any seduction would be necessary after their passionate reunion at Ship-ton.
“I’m not sure I like that tone of voice.”
“What tone?”
“That casual libertine’s tone you’ve employed far too many years for any proper lady’s peace of mind.”
“Is she proper?”
That’s not for you to question or even speculate on,“ Jane firmly noted. ”But yes, she is. She’s a widow.“
“Ah, a widow…” Low, silken words, insinuation in every syllable.
“That’s quite enough, Simon,” Jane said, sharply. “I had a very hard time finding a qualified governess and I won’t have you jeopardizing Miss Morrow or whomever she is-” Her brows quirked in uncertainty. “Caroline speaks six languages. Do you know how impossible it is to discover a woman with those credentials willing to live so far from London? I mean it, Simon. Stay away from her.”
“Relax, Jane. The last thing I intend to do is seduce your governess. How did you find her?”
And while Jane explained the manner in which she’d acquired her new governess, he politely nodded his head at what he hoped was appropriate intervals. But he wasn’t entirely sure because he wasn’t really listening, his thoughts consumed with desire. All he could think of was seeing Caroline again.
Alone. In bed.
Although, in his current mood, a bed wasn’t a requirement.
Chapter 8
