“Why do you think it so very important the girls continue to speak in Welsh? They understand English perfectly well and already understood the language by the time they came here.”
“Yes, Your Grace, they would have learned English alongside Welsh.”
“That does not answer my question.” It struck her that the Duke was growing annoyed with her. “What harm does it do them to simply speak in English? Surely they need only to be understood and to understand others. It strikes me that they have not particularly requested to continue to speak Welsh, Miss Darrington. In truth, it rather strikes me that it is all down to your own determination that they should do so. You seem to think that I am trying to bend the children to my own will, and yet I wonder if it has ever occurred to you that you are trying to do the very same thing.”
“Your Grace, I would do nothing to hurt those children,” Georgette said, feeling her own annoyance rising and wondering quite where this conversation was going to end.
“And yet you think I would?” he said, his voice beginning to rise.
“I do not think that you do it intentionally, Your Grace, but it hurts them nonetheless. They are afraid of you, Your Grace,” Georgette said and, seeing his countenance darken further still, she instantly regretted it. “What I mean is that they are afraid to speak in front of you. They know that you are angry when they speak Welsh and that you do not even like to hear their accents when they speak English. It is impossible for them to win, Your Grace.”
“Then I wonder why it is that you continue to put them in such a position. I have expressly requested that you anglicize their accents and that you do not encourage them to speak the Welsh language. Can you not see your own part in things, Miss Darrington? Can you not see how your insistence that they cling on to a life that they no longer have is hurting them?”
“Your Grace, I do not quite understand how it is that I am to blame for your anger? Because ultimately, Your Grace, that is where the problem lies. You simply want the girls to forget everything that they once had, their lives, their home, simply so that you do not have to feel your own feelings.” Suddenly, Georgette was furious. “And I cannot see, Your Grace, how it is that you do not see that your behaviour is extremely selfish. You are a grown man, Sir, and it is for you to accommodate the children and not the other way around.”
“I cannot have this anymore, Miss Darrington.” The Duke began to rise to his feet, his face reddening with anger. “Had any one of the previous governesses behaved as you do, then I should have dismissed them immediately.”
“Had they not quit Draycott Hall before you had the chance,” Georgette snapped angrily.
“I have given you far too much leeway,” he said as if he was speaking to himself. “I allowed my high regard of you to taint things, and it has simply made it impossible for me to secure any sort of respect from you.”
“Your Grace, I did not mean to disrespect you.”
“And yet you have ignored everything I have said. It rather strikes me that things have become a little too blurred, and it simply will not do.”
In her heart, Georgette knew that he was referring to their moment of closeness. She knew that he regretted it deeply and could feel everything sliding away from her.
“Your Grace, if only there were a way that I could make all of you happy. But I do not know how to do that. I cannot be responsible for taking away the last of Eleri and Ffion’s memories. I simply cannot. And at the same time, I know that to continue in my undertaking to help them is causing you pain. There is no way in which I can win, is there?”
“It would seem not, Miss Darrington. It would seem that there is no way in which either of us can win,” he said, and she did not entirely understand his meaning. “I shall not force you into doing something that you do not want to do, Miss Darrington, and I also shall not suffer to have my wishes so disregarded. As far as I can see, there is only one way to go now; one course of action to take.”
Before he had even finished speaking, Georgette knew that he was about to dismiss her.
“Oh no, please, Your Grace,” she said, feeling her throat tightened with emotion. “Please not send me away from the girls; I could not bear it.”
“I do not do this lightly, Miss Darrington,” he said, sitting back down in his seat and opening one of the desk drawers. “I shall write you a good character reference, Miss Darrington. You should have no trouble at all in securing further employment elsewhere.”