The Gentleman's Bride Search (11 page)

“I never claimed to be infallible.” He could not suppress a self-mocking grin. “I only want a wife who will understand the importance of my work and support me in it. Not one who will view it as a rival and constantly seek to distract me from it.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Jasper knew he had said too much—especially in the nursery, where one of his children might wake and overhear. He cast a furtive glance toward the bedroom doors.

Relieved to see no sign of the children stirring, he resolved to change the subject. “Come now, will you give me another courting lesson or must I blunder along on my own? What more proof do you need that I do not consider myself infallible?”

“Not on this subject, perhaps.” The lady’s resistance seemed to be waning. “Very well, then. I have another suggestion or two that might help you.”

“Excellent!” Winning her cooperation pleased him a great deal. “The days are slipping by and I need to make more progress with Miss Webster before she leaves.”

Miss Fairfax gave a terse nod. Though she had agreed to assist him further, Jasper sensed he had not entirely overcome her reluctance.

“Do not laugh,” she warned him, “for my next suggestion may seem tiresomely obvious. You should praise the lady. Not with shallow flattery of her looks, though the occasional compliment of that sort might not go amiss. Express your approval of her understanding, her conversation, her way with children...her artistic talent.”

Was it his imagination or did that last suggestion sound rather ironic?

“Whatever quality or skill you praise,” Miss Fairfax continued, “make certain you are sincere. She may be able to tell if you are not and that would be as bad as an insult.”

Jasper nodded. “It is rather obvious but still important. I reckon I should make more effort to praise people—not only Miss Webster but my children and my workers. Now, to practice my lesson.”

“That will not be necessary.” In spite of her brusque reply, Miss Fairfax blushed a little. “I have no doubt you can do it, provided you remember to.”

“Nonsense,” Jasper said, waving her objection. “Any skill benefits from practice, though finding qualities to praise in you does not present much of a challenge.”

“You see?” Miss Fairfax sounded almost severe, but the deepening color in her cheeks told a different story. “You are a skilled flatterer already. That is the sort of subtlety that should endear you to Miss Webster.”

“I was not trying to flatter you.” The thought offended Jasper somehow. “Only stating the truth. Surely you know how much there is to admire about you. Your strength of character to have survived that wretched school with your spirit unbroken. Your generosity in forging your circle of friends when it would have been easier to look out for yourself.”

As he gathered breath to continue, Miss Fairfax cut him off. “Well done. You have obviously mastered the lesson. There is no need to continue.”

Jasper could imagine her taking that tone as she examined one of his children’s compositions.

“I am not finished,” he replied as he might have if one of his workers interrupted him. “You have been patient with me during the past two years. Instead of appreciating your forbearance, I imposed upon it to an inexcusable degree. You were justified to issue your ultimatum. You have done everything in your power to insure my children continue to be properly cared for. If they are not, the responsibility will be mine, not yours.”

It puzzled him that Evangeline Fairfax reacted to his words with increasing agitation rather than pleasure. When he finished speaking, she jumped from her seat as if it were strewn with hot coals. “Thank you, sir, but that is quite enough. I do not want any of the children to overhear you. I am certain I hear them stirring.”

Jasper could not detect any sounds from the children’s rooms that suggested they might be awake. Perhaps six years of caring for his children had made their governess’s hearing more acute.

She rushed to the girls’ door and pushed it open. “Just as I thought, Rosie is awake and anxious to see her papa.”

She entered the bedroom and returned a moment later with the child in her arms. Rosie yawned and rubbed her eyes. Odd as it seemed, Jasper suspected her governess had woken his daughter to prevent him from praising her any further.

Had he truly mastered his latest lesson in courting, Jasper wondered, or failed to grasp it at all?

* * *

Why could she not bear to hear Jasper Chase say such kind things about her?

Evangeline continued to ponder that riddle later in the day, when the Amberwood party went on a boating excursion down the river Eden. Had all the criticism heaped upon her at the Pendergast School made it impossible for her to accept any kind of praise?

Somehow she did not think that was the answer. She and her friends had always tried to build up one another’s confidence beyond the power of any teacher or bully to tear down. It had worked better for some of the girls than others, but she was reasonably certain she did not think any worse of herself than she deserved. If anything, her experiences at school might have made her too quick to shrug off criticism without taking time to consider whether there might be a grain of truth in it.

Then what had flustered her so much about the things Jasper Chase said that morning? Intuition warned her she might be better off not knowing.

As she helped get the children seated in the barge Mr. Chase had hired for their voyage, Evangeline found her gaze drawn toward her employer and Miss Webster as they engaged in conversation. An unaccountable stab of pain lanced her heart when she saw him look into the lady’s eyes and murmur some words to her.

Whatever he said clearly pleased Miss Webster. She glanced up at him through her flirtatious fringe of lashes and made some reply that Evangeline did not catch. He responded with a chuckle, then suddenly glanced up and caught Evangeline staring at them.

A ridiculous spasm of shame urged her to look away and pretend she had not been watching. But Mr. Chase did not appear to resent her interest. Instead, he raised his bold, dark eyebrows in a way that suggested he was seeking her approval. He must have paid Miss Webster a compliment and been gratified by her simpering response.

Simpering? Evangeline chided herself for such a harsh thought. Miss Webster had reacted in the way any woman might when she received praise from an attractive man. It was precisely the way she
should
want Miss Webster to respond, just as he was behaving the way she should want him to. But instead of satisfaction and approval, Evangeline was gripped by darker emotions she did not understand.

Mr. Chase beckoned his daughters to join him and Miss Webster. He took Emma on his knee while Rosie climbed onto the lady’s. So intently was Evangeline watching them that she did not notice the vicar’s sister lean close to her.

“It looks as if our handsome host has made his choice.” Miss Brookes’s gleeful whisper caused Evangeline to start violently.

“F-forgive me!” she stammered. “My thoughts were elsewhere.”

If Abigail Brookes guessed where that might have been, she gave no sign. “I cannot blame him. It is the best match of the lot. My poor brother will be disappointed, though. If he could get me off his hands, he might be able to afford a wife.”

The rest of the party were all talking, so no one seemed to overhear Miss Brookes’s confidential murmur. Neither did they notice her subtle nod toward the stern of the barge. There sat the vicar and Verity Dawson on either side of Owen. They spoke quietly to the boy, pointing out sights of interest along the riverbank. But when their gazes met over the child’s head, Evangeline sensed another unspoken conversation taking place.

Her heart went out to them, though her sympathy was accompanied by an unwelcome pang of longing.

“I like boats!” Matthew announced to no one in particular. “They are always taking you to someplace new. I want to be a sea captain when I grow up.”

Evangeline’s gaze flew to the boy’s father. At his son’s words, Jasper Chase’s features set in a rueful frown, which she was certain she could interpret. Clearly he hoped his children would carry on his work once they were grown. But how could he expect that unless they were brought up from an early age to understand his commitment to improving the lives of millworkers and their families?

As the other children chimed in to tell what they would like to do in the future, Evangeline took the opportunity to respond to Abigail Brookes. “Are you not the least bit sorry on your own account?”

Should she have done more to encourage Mr. Chase to consider Abigail as a wife?

The vicar’s sister shook her head. “I have concluded that some women are not suited for marriage. I believe you and I fall into that group, Miss Fairfax.”

Was that true? Part of Evangeline agreed most emphatically. She had important work to do, which was not compatible with family life. Besides, she could never be happy subduing her strong will in order to conform to a husband’s wishes.

And yet, as she watched Jasper Chase talking and laughing with Miss Webster, another part of her—a weak, foolish part, no doubt—wished she were a different kind of woman. A woman who could be content with his love...if she were capable of winning it.

Chapter Eleven

F
ollowing their boating excursion, the weather turned rainy for a few days. No one at Amberwood seemed to mind as they got busy preparing for their concert under the direction of Miss Webster with the capable assistance of Miss Fairfax.

Watching the two women in action amused Jasper. Though the governess appeared to defer to Miss Webster in every particular, he suspected she was the driving force behind the project. She assisted in the choice of pieces, helped arrange the order of the program and made certain everyone involved had sufficient practice.

In Jasper’s experience, the qualities that made a strong leader often did not include compassion or a sense of fairness, but Evangeline Fairfax possessed both in abundance. The pupils at her charity school would be fortunate indeed to have her in charge of their care. He tried not to regret what
his
children would be losing.

As Margaret Webster immersed herself in preparations for the concert, Jasper was pleased to find that she no longer avoided his company. When they were together she seemed more at ease. He wished he could summon more enthusiasm for her company. She was an attractive, agreeable lady who suited him ideally. Yet he felt no great regret when he could not be with her. He kept hoping his early morning lessons with Miss Fairfax would suggest a cure for his strange apathy, but he was reluctant to raise the subject with her.

The day before the parish fair, the children grew anxious that continued rain might prevent them from going, but the sun came out at last, with every indication that it would return the next day.

When he rose early that morning, Jasper was pleased to see not a single cloud in the pearly dawn sky. Humming the melody of one of the concert pieces, he dressed, shaved and hurried to the nursery. Evangeline Fairfax was already up and waiting for him. Her expressive eyes sparkled with anticipation while her full lips bowed in an eager smile that was quite contagious.

Over coffee they talked about the upcoming fair.

Then, when Jasper expected her to begin his next lesson, Miss Fairfax asked a question he did
not
expect. “Are you certain you have not been hasty in dismissing Miss Brookes as a possible wife?”

Abigail? Jasper began to marshal his arguments against such a match.

But before he could get out a single word, Evangeline Fairfax launched into her rebuttal. “I know she may seem rather...boisterous at times. But that is only because she has been liberated from the scrutiny of her brother’s parishioners. Like an overheated engine letting off a little steam, wouldn’t you say?”

“Perhaps,” Jasper agreed, “but see here...”

Miss Fairfax was not prepared to see anything until she’d had her say. “I believe Miss Brookes could love your children as sincerely as their own dear mother. And I am certain she would run your household most capably.”

Why was she suddenly pushing Abigail Brookes on him when he had decided days ago that Margaret Webster would be the more suitable choice? Did it have anything to do with their difference of opinion about the children coming to live in Manchester? He thought that had all been settled, as well.

Jasper raised his hand to signal his wish to speak. “What you say is true, but as I told you, my feelings toward Abigail are too brotherly for marriage. Besides, I fear she might be too strong-willed to be a harmonious match for me. I have enough trouble fighting tradition, greed and prejudice among the other mill owners. I do not need conflict at home, as well.”

He expected Miss Fairfax to understand his reasoning, but instead it seemed to vex her. “I find it hard to fathom why a man who works so hard to make his workers
less
downtrodden is so anxious to subdue his wife.”

Her charge offended his sense of fairness. “You are twisting my words, Miss Fairfax. It is
because
I would not wish to subdue her that I rejected the possibility of a match with Abigail. Miss Webster, on the other hand, would not need to be subdued since her opinions harmonize naturally with mine.

“Why are you suddenly so concerned with Abigail?” he continued before she could argue. “You did not object when I first dismissed the idea of courting her.”

“That is because I was not fully aware of her situation,” Miss Fairfax replied. “And how many people’s future happiness depends on her finding a husband.”

“What people?” he demanded. “And why does their happiness depend on Abigail getting married?”

“Her brother and Verity Dawson, of course.” Miss Fairfax sounded impatient with his lack of perception. “The vicar cannot afford to take a wife while he has to support his sister. It is plain that he and Mrs. Dawson are in love, but the poor woman has no fortune.”

Jasper wondered how he had failed to notice what seemed so obvious to Miss Fairfax. “I will talk to Norton and ask what I can do to help...short of marrying his sister, that is.”

When Miss Fairfax looked as if she meant to continue arguing, he cut her off. “It will not do, my dear. Much as I care for my friend, I cannot trade his happiness for my children’s.”

“I do not believe your children would be unhappy with Abigail Brookes for a mother.” Her tone made the statement sound more like a fact than an opinion.

Jasper shook his head. “Children cannot be happy if their parents are always at odds, especially sensitive children like Emma and Owen. You may not understand that if your parents got on well together, but I assure you it is true.”

The governess flinched, as if he had thrown the dregs of his cold coffee in her face. “Did your parents not get on well...before...?”

He gave a grunt of laughter as bitter as bile. Then he stared into the black pool at the bottom of his cup. “They fought like cats and dogs over everything and nothing. Being poor only made it worse.”

He had not thought about that in years. The devastation of the fire seemed to have drawn a curtain between his early life and everything that came after. He was not certain what brought it back to him now, except that he did not want Evangeline Fairfax to think him unreasonable. He trusted that she, of all people, would understand what deep scars early experiences could leave upon a person’s heart.

She did not reply right away. Perhaps she was trying to digest what he had told her.

At last, in a very quiet voice, she asked, “Is that part of the reason you try to ease the burden of poverty on your workers—to relieve the strain on their families?”

Jasper gave a slow nod. “I never thought of it that way, but I suppose so. It is ironic that trying to relieve that strain on my workers led to more in
my
marriage.”

Miss Fairfax’s bewildered look compelled him to say more than he’d meant to. “My father-in-law had made his fortune by the time Susan was born. He was determined to give her everything he’d never had, which made her accustomed to getting her own way.”

He had loved his late wife and it pained him to speak ill of her, but he needed Evangeline Fairfax to understand why he was resolved to have a different kind of marriage this time. “You may not recall the tension between us in that last year. I tried as much as possible to keep our disagreements from the children. A person is better able to do that in a house of this size.”

“Do what, Papa?” asked Matthew from the boys’ bedroom door.

His son’s question made Jasper’s heart leap into his throat until he realized the boy could not have overheard much beyond that last sentence. He chided himself for speaking of such matters where the children might overhear, as they had more than once before.

He searched for a plausible, benign answer, but before he could think of one, Miss Fairfax came to his aid. “Why, hosting a party for so many guests, of course. Are you looking forward to the fair? I believe we will have a fine day for it.”

Matthew nodded as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Granny said she would give us each sixpence to spend.”

As his son chattered about the plans he and Alfie had made for disposing of their little windfall, Jasper and Miss Fairfax exchanged a long look. He tried to convey his gratitude for her assistance. He hoped she would realize that his disagreement with her was precisely the sort from which he was trying to shield his children.

* * *

Organizing five excited children to attend the parish fair kept Evangeline too busy to think a great deal about what their father had said to her that morning. But as the small parade of carriages set out from Amberwood to the village green, her thoughts returned to their early morning conversation.

Mr. Chase was right—she had not been aware of any tensions in his marriage when she first took up her position with his family. She had noticed Mrs. Chase became upset when her husband went away to Manchester. But whatever quarrels or pleading might have taken place before his departure, she’d never suspected.

Perhaps her employer was right to seek a wife who shared his opinions—one with whom he could have a placid marriage. Would being kept away from Manchester be any worse for his children than being raised in a household that seethed with conflict, as he had? Possessing a comfortable income did not guarantee a harmonious family life, it only relieved some of the stresses and made differences easier to conceal.

In a strange way, it comforted Evangeline to know that Jasper Chase did not seek to dominate the woman he would marry. He only wanted to protect his children from the domestic strife he had suffered as a young child.

No one would ever guess that part of his past, today, if they watched him lift his children down from the carriage. Evangeline noted the protective way he held them and the tone of affection in his voice when he spoke to them.

When her turn came to alight, Mr. Chase offered her his hand. “Come, Miss Fairfax. You had better have a final word with the children before they scatter to the four corners of the fairground.”

He spoke warmly and smiled at her as if they had never known a moment’s disagreement. He grasped her hand with firm strength that promised to keep her from falling, yet did not clutch too tight. His touch kindled sparkling warmth that swept through her. When he let go, it felt as if something as vital as light or air had been taken away.

She must put a stop to this foolishness! With determined effort, Evangeline stood erect and imagined herself clad in an invisible suit of armor. Jasper Chase had told her plainly that he could not care for a strong-willed woman like her and he had told her why. Though she sympathized with his reasons, she could not change her nature for him or any man. Besides, she had important work to do.

“Children!” She clapped her hands to summon her pupils...and perhaps to quench the last embers of warmth their father’s touch had ignited. “I do not want any of you going off by yourselves. Make certain you stay in the company of at least one of our guests at all times. Now, go have fun!”

The children scattered like autumn leaves before a brisk wind. Joining their father’s guests, they flitted from one bunting-decked stall to another.

Evangeline made a leisurely circuit of the fairground, keeping an eye on as many of them as possible. She took vicarious enjoyment in theirs even as she tried to ignore their father. Jasper Chase escorted Miss Webster around the various displays, accompanied by Emma and Miss Anstruther.

The latter seemed desperate to divert Mr. Chase’s attention from his chosen companion by any means necessary. She made a great fuss over Emma, who appeared to find her pretense of interest uncomfortable. At last the child went off with Rosie and Miss Leveson to watch a puppet show. Miss Anstruther showed no interest in accompanying her but continued to trail after Mr. Chase and Miss Webster like a perfect gooseberry.

Evangeline vowed she would never make herself so ridiculous by pursuing a man who clearly had no interest in her. She should not pay the slightest attention to Jasper Chase now that Emma was no longer with him.

Instead, she turned her attention to Matthew and Alfie, who were investigating the wares of a pastry stall with Abigail Brookes. Evangeline wandered close enough to overhear the boys debating the merits of Blackburn cakes over gingerbread. Meanwhile, Owen and Mrs. Dawson were admiring Mr. Brookes’s skill at the ring-tossing stall. Mrs. Thorpe, Mrs. Leveson and Mr. Webster sat in the shade sipping cider. Owen soon joined them, leaving the vicar and Mrs. Dawson to stroll off on their own.

A while later, Evangeline was watching Matthew and Alfie take turns tossing a large ball into a bucket, when Miss Anstruther stalked toward her with a stormy look on her face. “You there...governess, you seem to be watching everyone. Where has Verity gone?”

Though she was not well acquainted with Miss Anstruther’s companion, Evangeline felt strangely protective of the meek little widow—just as she had of her school friends. Perhaps that was due to the harsh contempt with which she’d seen Verity Dawson treated. If circumstances would not allow the vicar to propose, Evangeline wanted them to enjoy this outing together at least.

She did her best to give a civil answer, but it was not easy after Miss Anstruther’s sharp query. “The last I saw Mrs. Dawson, she and the vicar were admiring the needlework displays. Is there anything I can do to assist you?”

The lady turned up her nose at the very idea. “What on earth would I need with a governess? I want Verity to fetch me a cool drink. I mind this heat dreadfully.”

Evangeline thought the temperature quite pleasant. But she could not deny the other woman’s face had grown painfully red in spite of the parasol she held in one hand while fluttering her fan with the other.

Without a word of thanks, Miss Anstruther marched off in the direction Evangeline had indicated, like a battleship in full sail.

What could have put her in such a foul temper? Evangeline wondered. Had Mr. Chase finally made it clear he did not have the slightest interest in courting her? Whatever had vexed her, Miss Anstruther would likely take it out on poor Verity once she found her.

Evangeline glanced around to make certain all her pupils were in the company of an adult then she set off after the lady at a discreet distance. She was not certain what she meant to do, but she felt compelled to be on hand in case Verity needed her.