Callie Hutton (2 page)

Two blonde heads popped up from
behind
Merry’s skirts. “No!”

*

Penrose
studied the t
wo
anxious faces in front of him. So these were the girls that
might
have been his, had Eleanor chosen him instead of Bedford all those many years ago. He stopped his thoughts from going in that direction. He’d gotten over the lovely Lady Eleanor, but found it ironic that it was he who would raise her daughters, see them presented to society
,
and married.
Life takes interesting
twists and
turns.

Miss Chambers presented a whole other issue. Although pretty in a common sort of way, with her huge blue eyes and less than tidy
golden blond
hair, her
inability to handle
the most minor directives to his wards did not bode well. In fact, it appeared he was about to face a mutiny before he’d even had the chance to speak to the little minxes.

“So you do
possess
faces. And voices.”

“Girls,
curtsy
to His Grace.”

The older girl studied her lap,
and
t
he younger one stuck her thumb in her mouth and twirled a lock of her hair.

Penrose’s gaze shifted to Miss Chambers
,
who had the grace to blush.

“They’re not usually this shy, Your Grace, but it has been a difficult month for them.”

“Take your finger from your mouth.” The order, coming out a bit stronger than he’d intended, had three sets of eyes peering at him in horror.

“Young ladies do not suck on their thumbs, or twist their hair.” He shifted his gaze to Lady Charlotte. “And
girls
a few years away from being presented to the Queen do not stare at their laps when addressed.”

Both girls returned to their posit
ions on the floor, their heads again
buried in Miss Chambers’ skirts.

Penrose sighed.
“Miss Chambers.”

The woman raised her chin, eyes flashing, and regarded him. “Yes,
Your Grace
.”

He chose to ignore the sarcasm in her voice. “I would be remiss in my duties as
guardian
to allow you to continue to supervise their activities. It is clear to me you have no control over them
. T
hey do not possess even a
hint
of good manners, and certainly not the demeanor required of their station.” He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak.

“As I mentioned before, you will
be permitted to remain here at Penrose
Hall
for a week or two until the girls are settled in. I will be more than generous, so you will be able to take time in securing a new position.” He slid off the desk, and moved to return to his chair.

“Wait just a minute,
Your Grace
.”

Penrose came to an abrupt stop. No one in his life had ever addressed him with such derision. And to think it came from a
governess. Horror gripped him as he swung around.
“Are you American?”

Miss Chambers stood, both girls entangled in her skirts. “Yes. I am an American. And you, Your Grace, are an arrogant Englishman.”

Blood rushed to his face, his heart thumping at the insolence. Then, without thought, he
threw his head back and roared with laughter.
This sprite of a woman
−t
his
American
–had just
insulted him as no other in his entire life. Used to bowing and scraping from
his peers
, and flirting and admiration from women, he felt as though someone had opened a window and
let in
fresh air. However, as amused as he was at her
behavior, she would still have to go. His charges needed a good, English governess to bring them to right.

“Miss Chambers, I will overlook your outburst and attribute it to your lack of proper upbringing. Lady Charlotte and Lady Clar
e are in dire need of direction
that you apparently have not provided. As grateful as I am that you took them under your wing when their parents died suddenly, I must insist on you leaving them into the care of the governess I have secured for them who will arrive on the morrow.
Once your presence is no longer needed to secure the cooperation of my wards, you will be released.”

He walked to the far right corner of the room and pulled the bell. Miss Chambers
studied
him as they waited for the servant he’d summoned. Within minutes, a young
nursery maid
entered the room and bobbed. “Your Grace?”

“See that Lady Charlotte and Lady Clare are settled. I believe Miss Chambers has been assigned the room adjoining theirs
for the time being
.” His arms crossed, he looked at the woefully inadequate governess. “The young ladies will have dinner in the nursery. I will expect you to present yourself in the drawing room at precisely eight o’clock to join myself, my brother, Lord
Brandon
, and my mother, the Dowager Duchess of Penrose
,
for dinner.”

With that command, he strode from the room.

****

Merry took a deep breath to keep from racing after the
prig
and g
iving him a piece of her mind.
Lack of proper upbringing
,
indeed.
D
uke
or no
duke
, Penrose was arrogant, condescending, and contemptuous. He’d frightened the girls and
effected a most unpleasant welcome.
She glanced at them still huddled on the floor.

“Come, let’s get settled
in the nursery
, and see what fine books and toys are there.”

Charlotte and Clare stood and took her hands. The trio followed the maid out the door and up the stairs. Wherever the
contemptuous man
had gotten off to, she didn’t see him the entire trip. And a trip it was. Even though Lord Bedford’s home had been impressive, this
dwelling
put it to shame. It would take her weeks to learn all the hallways, wings and sections of the place. Except, she reminded herself, the
l
ord of the
m
anor
w
ould
be tossing her out on her ear in a week or two.

She sighed. Charlotte and Clare had been her charges for f
ive
years, and
leaving them in someone else’s care troubled her. They
’d been
a
mere
seven and four
when Lord and Lady Belford hired her during
a
trip to America. Their nurse had succumbed to a fever, and Merry was only too happy to leave her home behind, where all the young men who had paid her address
es
had married
elsewhere
.

As the daughter of a professor, she’d been educated beyond what most young ladies
received
, and in fact, most men as well. Although the young men who attempted to court her w
ere
charming, they lacked the spark she desired in a lifetime mate.

Merry had spent hours discussing books
, plays and music
with her father. Proud of her
sharp
mind, he’d taught her philosophy, economics, history
, and languages.
She’d
picked up French and
German
quickly
. A duck out of water
in her circle of
female
friends
,
who only conversed about the latest gossip, gowns, and young men,
the chance to travel to England
shortly after her father passed away seemed her salvation.
At twenty and one, it had been time for a new direction.

“M
iss
, this is the nursery. If you will follow me, I’ll show you to your
chamber
next door
.” The young maid swung open the door to a brightly colored
school
room. Small wooden tables and chairs took up the center of the room. A bookcase lined the walls, with puzzles, games and slates stacked on the shelves. On the far side of the room, a door led to what appeared to be a
sleeping chamber
.

The girls left her skirts for the first time since they’d alighted from the carriage earlier, hurrying to discover the wonders of the
bookshelves
.

“
I’m going to get settled in my
bedchamber,
which is right alongside this one.” Merry
addressed the girls, amused to see they
barely acknowledge
d
he
r as they flipped through books
and pulled out puzzles.

The governess’s room was as large as the nursery. Blue and white striped silk covered  the walls, broken up by windows on two of the four walls, bathing the area in bright sunlight. A large canopied bed with a flowered quilt and numerous pillows caught her eye as she viewed the room.
Her shoes s
ank
into plush carpet. The huge fireplace stood cold, causing her to run her hands up and down her arms against the chill.

“I’ll light a fire for you right away, m
iss
,” the young maid assured her.

“Thank you. That will be nice.”

Merry
wandered
about the room, examining the dressing table and chair, the empty wardrobe, and more bookcases filled with books. Penrose might be an overbearing brute, but the family certainly took very good care of their governess
es
. Well, no matter, she wouldn’t be here long. Since the new governess was due to arrive tomorrow, this would probably be Merry’s only night in this splendid room.

Her stomach clenched as she reca
lled the conversation with the
duke
. He obviously held little regard for Americans. Well, this American was not going to bow and scrape. Let her English counterparts do that. She sniffed.
The a
ristocracy
meant nothing to her. Her previous employers had given their daughters leniency in their upbringing, and having them now subjected to all the mores and strictures of
Polite
Society
almost
brought her to tears
.

*
***
 

Merry sat on the floor of the nursery, legs crossed, Charlotte and Clare on either side of her, the three heads bent over the storybook Merry read.
This was h
er favorite time of the day, when dinner was over, the girls wa
shed and dressed for bed, and an engrossing story
holding
them hostage until time to sleep.

A maid had come to
assist her to
dress
for
dinner
earlier
, but she told the girl she
would eat
with her charges
, and would not be joining the
duke
’s family in the dining room.

“And the prince charming swept her into his strong arms, and twirled her around the dance floor. ‘Will you marry me, my princess?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ she responded, much to his delight.
”
Merry sighed.
“After the royal wedding, they lived happily ever after. The end.”

All three s
miled
as Merry closed the book.

“I like that story,” Clare said before slipping her thumb into her mouth.

“Me, too
,
” Charlotte
added
, dreamy-eyed.

Merry jerked her head up as the door to the nursery was flung open, and slammed against th
e wall. Like the wrath of God, t
he
D
uke
of Penrose stood in the doorway, fire in his eyes, his hands fisted at his side
s
.

“I
ordered
you to join my family for dinner.”

Chapter Two

Penrose couldn’t believe his eyes. The termagant sa
t
crossed
-
legged on the floor, her skirts halfway up her limbs, practically to her knees. The hair that had begun its descent earlier now fell in clumps around her shoulders. Miss Chambers hadn’t changed from her travelling
gown
and
as
one stocking foot peeked out at him, she’d removed her shoes. A total disgrace, and
completely
unacceptable as an influence on his wards.