A Governess for the Brooding Duke(14)

“Thank you, Miss Darrington.” The girl looked behind her suddenly, almost as if she expected someone to be behind her. “Begging your pardon, Miss Darrington, but Mrs Griffin will be cross with me if I do not soon return.”



“Oh yes, of course,” Georgette said and reached for the tray. “And thank you again, Daisy. You have been most kind.”



Daisy nodded politely and smiled, her sweet little face so very pretty, before turning to hurry away back towards the servants’ staircase.



Georgette carried her tray into her room and set it down on the table. Pulling out her chair, she sat down and, first of all, poured herself a cup of tea. Leaning back in her chair, Georgette stared out of the large window at the blue and cloudless sky. Just a few moments of conversation with Daisy had done much to cheer her. There was little doubt that Mrs Griffin and Mr Pearson were her enemies, but perhaps it was not true to say that all of the servants felt the same way. They were simply afraid of the housekeeper and butler, both of whom could easily make trouble for a servant at the lower end of things.



Still, she could not help thinking of the liveried footman and his rough manners. To her, it had seemed very much meant. Of course, the footman was just a little below the butler and housekeeper in the servants’ hierarchy. Perhaps it was simply those nearer the top of their own little world who objected to the curiously ambiguous status attached to the role of governess. In truth, she would not be paid a great deal more than they, but she had a background that they did not. It was that, more than anything that they likely despised her for.



However, Georgette decided that she would not allow the actions of the somewhat more aggressive servants to bother her. She would simply place her energies elsewhere and make more effort with the young maids in the hope of, if nothing else, having two or three minutes of friendly conversation every day.



Georgette lightly buttered one slice of toast and chewed at it thoughtfully. She was nervous at the idea of meeting the Duke that morning and wondered quite what his behaviour would be like. Perhaps it was rather the behaviour of the servants which had upended the three previous governesses, rather than that of the Duke himself.



And yet, Georgette thought back to her conversation with Shelford Winstanley. Had he himself not said that the Duke had an intimidating manner and little interest in solving whatever problems the governess might have? By problems, he had presumably meant the poor behaviour of the butler and housekeeper. Well, Georgette would see to it that she never looked to the man for any assistance in that regard.



With her toast finished, Georgette took a bite of the pound cake and found it to be truly delicious. The cook was obviously very talented and a slice of her cake something that could not be somehow made worse by Mrs Griffin’s direction.



With her breakfast finished by half past eight, Georgette had been about to return the tray to the table outside when she heard rather fast and pronounced footsteps clipping along the floorboards towards her room. Deciding this time that she would not hover in the doorway, Georgette simply kept to her seat, annoyed to find that she was a little fearful of whomever it was approaching.



It was certainly no maid with such a determined tread. When the footsteps came to a halt directly outside her door, Georgette felt that she had suddenly braced herself. When the knock came, it was rather purposefully loud.



“Come in,” Georgette said, choosing not to rise from her seat at the little table.



“Good morning, Miss Darrington.” Mrs Griffin strode in with a sour look on her face. Her skin was rather a yellow-grey colour and was as pale and sallow as her dress was austerely dark.



“Good morning, Mrs Griffin. You are rather early, are you not?” Georgette was careful to keep her tone neutral. She wanted to appear neither friendly nor antagonistic.



“Yes, there has been a change of plan.”



“Oh yes?” Georgette, still sitting at the table, looked up at the housekeeper.



“You are first to meet the nurse and your new charges.”



“At ten o’clock when I was supposed to be meeting the Duke?” Georgette said, ostensibly seeking clarification.



“No, you are still to meet His Grace at ten o’clock, as initially arranged.”



“And when am I to meet the nurse and my new charges?” Georgette said, proud that she was able to keep her voice steady in the face of such open animosity.



“You are to meet them immediately. The nurse has made them ready early this morning, and they are awaiting you in the schoolroom.”



“Are the children ordinarily in the schoolroom by half past eight in the morning, Mrs Griffin?”