Love Became Theirs (5 page)

Now the thought of marrying Lord Robert was more distasteful than ever.

'Never,' she said to herself. 'Never, never. Oh, I must get away from here! But how?'

Then, suddenly, she halted in her tracks as a memory came back to her.

The advertisement that she had read in the library last night, for a governess who could speak French and German.

This was the answer.

If she went abroad nobody could pressure her into marriage.

'But do I dare?' she thought. 'Yes. He said I must have courage, and I will.'

She began to run back to the house, determined to do something before her courage failed her. But when she reached the library she found the newspaper gone, replaced by today's copy.

"Oh no!" she cried.

"Can I help you, miss?"

It was Jenkins, the butler, who had just entered. She forced herself to sound calm.

"Jenkins, do you know where yesterday's T
imes
is?"

"I have replaced it with today's copy, miss."

"Of course. But I want yesterday's. There – there was a report of a debate in the House of Lords that particularly interests me."

"In that case, I will obtain it for you, miss. Always assuming that the boot boy has not yet torn it up."

Luckily the boot boy was a little behind in his duties that morning, and the newspaper was retrieved without difficulty. Trying not to look too excited, Rona thanked Jenkins and hurried up to her room.

There it was, the advertisement she had seen the night before. If she hurried she might be in time.

She still possessed a rather dull coat and skirt which she had worn during her last term at school, and kept because she thought they might be useful when it was raining. In fact she had never worn them again, but they were still in one of her extensive wardrobes.

Then she put on a hat from which she removed the decorations.

The final touch was her mother's reading glasses, which she hoped would make her look severe, and older. She was quite pleased with the result when she looked into the mirror. If she did not appear quite as old as she hoped, neither did she look like the beautiful young debutante that the world knew.

She slipped out into the street, and soon hailed a cab. In a few minutes they reached Oxford Street, where the agency was situated. She paid off the driver and hurried in.

Inside the agency she found an elderly woman seated at a large and rather high desk. In front of her was a small notice that said,
Miss Duncan.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, rather sharply.

"I've come about the advertisement for a governess who speaks several languages," said Rona. She added, more firmly than she felt, "I think the situation would suit me."

"I doubt it," said Miss Duncan despondently. "It doesn't seem to suit anyone. It's for the Earl of Lancing's daughter. She left two schools because she wouldn't learn anything, and they were both glad to see her go. Rude and rebellious. The last three applicants left because she insulted them. I'm being honest with you because it's just a waste of time to send people there without warning them."

"Very well, you've warned me," said Rona. "Let me see what I can do."

"Name?" asked Miss Duncan.

"Rona Tr- Rona Johnson," amended Rona quickly.

Johnson had been her mother's maiden name.

"Very well, Miss Johnson. The Earl is usually at home in the morning, so if you go now you'll probably find him there. Here's the address, in Berkeley Square. If you show Lord Lancing this card, he'll know that you've come from us."

Outside, she hailed another cab and as they drove to Berkeley Square, Rona mused on the opportunity that had so unexpectedly opened up to her.

'If I can stay away for perhaps a month or so, it will make Papa realise that I am serious in refusing to marry Lord Robert. Perhaps, then, I can come back.'

She prayed to all the angels in heaven to guide her into doing and saying the right things so that the rebellious girl would accept her.

The Earl's house in Berkeley Square was very big and impressive. In answer to her knock the door was opened by an elderly butler. When she explained why she had come, he nodded and stood back for her to pass.

While she waited for him to inform the Earl, she looked around her at some very fine pictures and valuable furniture. At the sound of his returning footsteps, she opened her handbag and slipped her mother's glasses on to her nose.

"His Lordship will see you now."

She followed him down the passage until he opened a door and showed her into a well-furnished and, she thought, attractive study. There were several bookcases in the room. Their owner was sitting at a very impressive desk on which there were gold-topped inkpots and gold candlesticks.

"Miss Johnson, my Lord."

A man, who seemed to be in his forties rose from his desk and came towards her. He was heavily built with a weary, gentle face and hair that was just beginning to turn grey.

"How do you do," he said. "I understand you have come from Miss Duncan."

"Yes, she told me you were looking for a governess for your daughter who must speak several European languages."

The Earl smiled.

"That is true. Now suppose we sit down and you tell me how experienced you are."

Rona knew by the expression in his eyes that he was surprised to see her so young, so she quickly chose a chair with its back to the window, hoping that he would not see her face too clearly. He watched her curiously.

"I suppose Miss Duncan told you that my daughter, Alice, has been rather difficult where other governesses have been concerned. But I'm continually called abroad, and would like to take her with me. My wife is unfortunately dead."

"It said in the advertisement she is sixteen."

"Yes," the Earl replied. "Actually she will soon be seventeen. You may think I've left it rather late to trouble about her education, but she was much upset by her mother's death four years ago. She ran away from one school after another because she wanted to be with me. I can't blame her for that, but I hoped her rebellion would pass. Unfortunately, it didn't. Now I need to make up lost time." He frowned. "But you are very young."

"Then I'm just what you need," Rona said quickly. "Because I'm nearer her age than I suspect the others have been, I will be more successful. Let me talk to her, and see if I can win her confidence."

"And if you do, can you be ready to leave for France tomorrow?"

Rona took a deep breath.

"Yes," she said firmly.

"Very well, I'll take you to meet her."

She followed him out into the corridor and upstairs to the second floor.

"Alice has her own sitting room up here," he said. "It used to be the nursery."

The room turned out to be large and attractive with windows looking out over the square. Sitting beside one of them was a very pretty girl. She had fair hair which fell over her shoulders, and a pale face. She looked defiant, but also Rona thought, unhappy.

As Alice turned round to see who was coming into the room, a big smile broke over her face.

"Papa!" she said in delight, running to hug him.

He embraced her back. It was clear that there was a very strong affection between them. But Rona also guessed that he was alarmed by his daughter, and did not know what to do with her.

"I have here a lady who is very anxious to meet you," he began. "Her name is Miss Johnson."

The girl saw Rona.

"Oh, not another governess!" she groaned. "The last one when she left told me that I was impossible. I thought that would be the end of them."

"This one is different," her father said. "I want you to talk to her and then we'll see if she'll come with us when we leave England tomorrow."

The girl, without moving, was staring at Rona. Then she said to her father,

"I don't want her," she said firmly. "I want to go abroad with you alone without a tiresome governess trailing about behind us."

Rona thought of the dire retribution that would have fallen on her if she had dared speak to her father like that. But the Earl seemed helpless to control his child.

"Alice, darling," he said after a moment, "Please be reasonable."

Alice's answer was to stamp her foot and turn her back on them.

Lord Lancing gave Rona a helpless shrug.

It was time she took charge.

"I think, my Lord, that I should like to talk to your daughter alone."

The Earl looked at her in surprise. Then he gave a brief nod and walked from the room shutting the door behind him.

Rona and Alice eyed each other.

Then Rona said lightly,

"It must be a bore for you, having to interview tiresome women like me."

This approach was evidently new because Alice was taken aback, but she recovered herself enough to say defiantly.

"Yes, it is."

"I'm only curious about why you so dislike learning foreign languages."

She had moved a little closer. Now she slipped off her glasses, so that Alice could see how near they were in age.

"I hate the women who keep telling me that I am ignorant," said Alice sulkily.

Rona laughed.

"I don't blame you for that," she said. "I know exactly what they're like. When I was at school I used to daydream through a lot of my lessons."

"But you have come here wanting to teach me, and I hate it. The others have tried and failed. Why should you succeed?"

Rona thought quickly. She needed a new approach, one that would take Alice by surprise, and intrigue her.

"I wonder what they taught you," she said, apparently casual. "You are very pretty and Frenchmen love pretty women. What are you going to say when one of them says, 'V
ous êtes tres jolie,'
and tries to kiss you?"

The girl stared at her.

"Do you think they'll say that?" she asked.

"Of course," Rona replied. "And you must have an answer, otherwise they'll all be trying to kiss you, and your father will be shocked."

"Supposing someone did want to kiss me? What do I answer?"

"If you knew French you would say: '
Merci Monsieur,
mais, non, non, non!'
I suppose you know that means, no, no, no."

Alice considered. Rona could see that she was torn between fascination and maintaining her defiance.

"Suppose I wanted to kiss him?" she asked after a moment.

"That is different altogether," Rona replied. "But it would be a great mistake to encourage him too soon. He'll want to flirt with you because you are so pretty, so you must have a clever and amusing way of answering him and making him behave himself."

Alice regarded her, with her head on one side.

"None of the others talked to me like this," she mused.

"Maybe nobody had ever tried to kiss them?" Rona suggested. "Perhaps, without realising it, they were trying to make you as dull as themselves."

"Am I really attractive?"

"You are very pretty," Rona replied. "Whether you are attractive is a different thing. It depends on how charming you can be, how exciting, and how interesting."

"My last governess said girls aren't supposed to be interesting. She was always trying to shut me up."

"She was probably afraid that you'd say something she couldn't answer," said Rona. "I'm a little afraid of that myself."

Unexpectedly Alice laughed.

"No you aren't," she cried. "You can't fool me. You're not afraid of anything. I like you. Will you teach me to be like you?"

"There are better things to be than like me. I'll tell you how to make yourself attractive and delightful to everyone you meet. That's what we all want to be, but sometimes it's very difficult."

Rona added, apparently as an afterthought, "Of course, you'll need to buy a lot of new clothes in Paris."

Alice looked at her impishly.

"I don't believe you are really a governess at all," she said.

Rona glanced towards the door to make sure it was safely closed.

"I'll tell you the truth, but you must swear not to tell anyone else."

"I promise," Alice replied.

"Very well," Rona said. "I need to escape London because I'm being pressured to marry a man I don't like."

Alice's eyes widened. "How thrilling!"

"But of course if you don't want me, and won't work with me – " She spread her hands expressively.

"I'll work with you if you talk to me as you do now," Alice promised. "All the others just tried to teach me about verbs and adjectives."

"There's more to life than verbs and adjectives," Rona agreed solemnly. "In another year or so you'll be getting proposals of marriage, and you'll have to know how to refuse in such a way that they know you mean it – " She shuddered suddenly as memories came back to her, and for a moment she stared into space.

"Miss Johnson?" Alice held out her hand. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Rona said, giving herself a mental shake. "What I meant was that you must refuse charmingly, so that the man doesn't become angry, but continues to be your slave, while he begs you to change your mind."

Alice's eyes were shining.

"That's the sort of thing I want to learn," she said.

"Perhaps we should keep it to ourselves for a while," Rona suggested. "Otherwise your father may think I'm teaching you the wrong things and send me away."

"He won't do that," Alice said cheerfully. "He'll be so relieved to have a governess that I like."

Rona laughed.

"Stop being such a little tyrant," she said. "If you're going to be a charming young lady, start by treating your father more kindly."

Alice considered. It was clearly a new idea to her that fathers needed to be treated kindly.

"I'll think about it," she said at last.

"That will do for the moment. Now I must go to see him, and tell him we've reached an agreement."

Suddenly Alice dropped her grown up ways and became a child again, throwing her arms about Rona, and hugging her as though she would prevent her leaving.

"You have come to save me when I was feeling desperate," she said. "If you go home to fetch your luggage, do you promise to come back this afternoon? I can't help thinking that I'm dreaming and suddenly you will disappear."