A Very Unusual Governess

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‘Edward used it. When we were talking about governesses. He said he didn’t want some pretty flibberty-gibbet whose sole aim was to set her cap at the first eligible bachelor who happened along. I don’t think he meant himself, though he’s very rich, you know. Lots of people have set their—’ Pip caught sight of Octavia’s frown and corrected herself. ‘Have tried to make him like them. Why don’t you want to?’

Repressing a mad impulse to tell the child that Edward Barraclough would be the last man she would ever consider, Octavia forced herself to think as a real governess would. The child’s capacity for verbatim reporting was amazing, but she would have to be taught to keep such things to herself. ‘I can see that you’ve been left to your own devices for too long, my girl!’ she said firmly. ‘You need a little discipline. Oh, don’t look like that! I’m not a Miss Froom. But you’ll have to learn to keep gossip and the things people say when they’re not thinking strictly to yourself. It’s called good manners.’

Pip sighed. ‘I’ll try to do as you say, but it’s very hard. Lisette thinks Edward needs a wife, and you would be so suitable! I’d like you for my aunt—you’re much nicer than Aunt Julia.’

‘Philippa! What have I just said?’

‘That I mustn’t gossip. But that wasn’t gossip, it was just an opinion! You would be good for Edward! You’re prettier than any of the ladies in Antigua. And much prettier than the lady he visits in London. Though he must like her a lot. He gives her lots of presents.’

Octavia gasped. What else would the child come out with? And what had Edward Barraclough been thinking of to let her see him with someone who, from the sound of it, was quite possibly his mistress?

‘I assure you, Philippa, that even if it were possible I would not consider marrying your uncle under any circumstances whatsoever!’ she said emphatically. ‘And we shall now finish this conversation and return to the house, where you will spend the rest of the afternoon improving your mind! Come!’

They turned to go back. Edward Barraclough was just walking towards them. He was only a few yards away, and looking more than usually sardonic. He could not have helped overhearing what she had just said.

‘Mr Barraclough!’ Octavia felt her face grow scarlet as she stammered, ‘We didn’t see you, sir…’

‘Edward!’ Pip launched herself at her uncle. ‘We thought you were in London! What are you doing here?’

‘Looking for Lisette. I have a letter from Antigua for her, but I couldn’t find her in the house. I thought she would be with you, Miss Petrie.’

With a considerable effort Octavia mastered her confusion and said politely, ‘Is she not in her room, sir? We left her there reading.’

‘She isn’t there now. I suggest you find her as speedily as you can. How long is it since you left her to her own devices?’

Octavia coloured again, this time with anger. But she said calmly and carefully, ‘About an hour, sir. I left her, in her own room, with a book she said she wished to finish. It did not seem to me to be a very hazardous occupation.’

Mr Barraclough nodded. ‘And if she had stayed there we should not now be looking for her. But she didn’t. Nor did she answer when I called. Where do you suppose she is, Miss Petrie? While you have been…exchanging confidences with Philippa, my other niece has been unsupervised for over an hour.’

‘Don’t be angry with Miss Petrie, Edward. Lisette’s safe. I expect she’s sitting in the sun on the top of the tower. She likes it there.’

‘On top of the…’ Octavia picked up her skirts and began to hurry back to the house. Mr Barraclough overtook her after just a few paces. By the time she had reached the foot of the stairs to the tower he was already coming down, followed by Lisette.

‘Why are you annoyed, Edward?’ she was saying in a puzzled voice. ‘It is perfectly safe up there! The parapet is high and the roof is sound.’

‘I called you. Why didn’t you answer?’

‘I didn’t hear you.’ Lisette had reached Octavia. ‘Miss Petrie, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to give you a fright.’

‘It’s all right, Lisette. I was anxious for a moment or two, but I should have known you are too sensible to do anything rash. Your uncle was worried when he couldn’t find you. Did you finish your book?’

‘Yes. And then I sat in the sun and fell asleep. That’s why I didn’t hear his call. Don’t be angry with me, Edward!’

‘I’m not angry,’ he said abruptly. ‘I was worried when I couldn’t find you.’

Lisette shook her head at him. ‘You needn’t be,’ she said. ‘I’m quite safe here. Why were you looking for me?’

‘I have some letters from Antigua for you, including one from your Aunt Julia. If you and Pip will come down in a few minutes I’ll deliver them. I’d like a word with Miss Petrie first.’

Octavia looked at Mr Barraclough’s frown. ‘I think you’d both be better for a tidy up,’ she said with a smile at the girls. ‘The tower may be safe, Lisette, but it isn’t very clean. And Pip’s clothes always need attention! Tidy yourselves up before you come down.’

As she followed Edward Barraclough down the stairs, through the hall, and into the library she wondered what he would say. It would not be pleasant, she was sure. He had almost certainly overheard her words to Pip, and she steeled herself to be ready to apologise for them, though she was not at all clear what she could possibly say. But his attitude towards her supervision of Lisette was unreasonable, and if he were to accuse her again of neglecting her duties she would find that difficult to accept without protest.

She was surprised therefore when he invited her to sit down. He stared at her for a moment, then walked to the window. Without turning, he said abruptly, ‘I suppose you think I was too hard on you.’

‘About Lisette? Well…’

‘You needn’t hesitate, Miss Petrie. I believe I know what you think of me. But that is of no concern at the moment. I wish to explain why we are so careful of Lisette.’

‘Sir?’

He came over and sat down at his desk. ‘I’m not sure how much you’ve heard of our family history, though I imagine Pip has told you everything she knows by now. She seems to have taken a decided fancy to you.’ Mr Barraclough’s tone implied that he did not share Pip’s feelings. ‘She isn’t too much for you?’

‘I don’t think so, sir. She is a delightful little girl. And a highly intelligent one.’

‘Hmm! You seem to have her confidence at any rate. She’s brighter than Lisette, of course.’

‘More lively, certainly. But Lisette is utterly charming. She will be a great success in Society.’

‘And what would you know of that?’ he asked derisively.

Octavia bit her lip. She had spoken without thinking. Governesses would not normally be able to judge how Society would receive their pupils. But she recovered and said quietly, ‘Her beauty, her gentleness and concern for others, must endear her to anyone who meets her, here or in the greater world.’

‘You’ve read too many novels. I hope you’re not stuffing Lisette’s head with such nonsense. In my experience, gentleness and concern for others are not the qualities looked for in the ladies of society. Nor are they often found—’ He stopped as Octavia drew a sharp breath. ‘You wished to say something? No? Then I’ll continue. Lisette’s beauty will be a great asset, but she has a more reliable key to success, the most important one of all. Wealth, Miss Petrie. Money. She is a considerable heiress. That is what will make her a success in Society.’

Octavia could not let this pass. ‘I would not wish to stuff anyone’s head with romantic nonsense, sir. But neither would I wish to give any young person as cynical a view of the world as the one you have just expressed.’

‘Yes, yes, I dare say. But your experience is somewhat limited. What if I were to tell you that, young as she is, Lisette has already been rescued from an unsuitable association?’

This was a surprise. Lisette had never mentioned anything of the sort. ‘I suppose I would have to believe you,’ Octavia said slowly. ‘This was in Antigua, I take it?’

‘Of course. The son of one of the neighbours thought that marrying my niece would be an easy way to make himself rich. Ricardo Arandez has a great deal of address, and Lisette, as you may have observed, is too ready to believe what people say, too ready to like them. Her father was the same. Arandez persuaded him to consent to a betrothal. Fortunately Lisette was still very young, so, though John agreed, he insisted it should not be official before she was sixteen. By that time his eyes had been opened to Arandez’s true character.’ He smiled grimly. ‘I made sure of it. John withdrew his consent, and Lisette was saved from what would have been a disastrous marriage. Ricardo Arandez is a scoundrel.’

‘Was she in love with this man?’

‘Of course not! The girl was far too young to be in love.’

Octavia thought of Tom Payne and smiled. ‘Is one ever?’

Mr Barraclough surveyed her. ‘This is just what I feared. Miss Froom would have taken my point immediately, but you are still trailing clouds of romantic folly. Miss Petrie, let me make myself clear. Your task is to look after Lisette, and that includes guarding her from undesirable acquaintances until her aunt is able to take over from you. It is highly unlikely that Arandez will find his way to Wychford, but if he or any other potential fortune hunter appears on the scene, I wish to be told of it immediately.’

‘The risk here is surely slight, but I will certainly promise you that. However, I hope that doesn’t include acting as some sort of jailer, watching her twenty-four hours a day?’

‘No, no. I admit I overreacted to her disappearance this afternoon. My excuse is that I had just heard from my sister-in-law, who is somewhat too protective of our nieces, and always ready to accuse me of not looking after them well enough. I suppose I was still under the influence of her letter.’ He fell silent.

Octavia waited a moment, then said, ‘Is that all, sir?’

‘What? Oh, yes. Ask the girls to come in, will you?’

She went to the door. As she opened it he said, ‘By the way, Miss Petrie!’ She stopped and turned. ‘I know it is almost impossible to silence Pip, but I should prefer you not to discuss my affairs with her. However…I am relieved to know that I am safe from your attentions—whatever the circumstances!’ He sat back in his chair with a smile of satisfaction as she blushed and hurried out of the room.

Chapter Five

Still grinning, Edward reached out and pulled a letter towards him. It was from his sister-in-law. Just as he would have expected, it was full of the usual mixture of pointed remarks about his life style, instructions about the girls and dire warnings. What she would say when she learned that he had got rid of Miss Froom and replaced her with a green girl he hardly liked to think. But this time at least Julia had some justification for her fears. She had heard that Ricardo Arandez had left Antigua and was on his way to Europe. She was afraid he might have ideas about meeting Lisette again…

Edward Barraclough sighed. Life at Wychford was not as awful as he had feared. In fact it was occasionally quite pleasant. But, much as he loved his nieces, he wished to heaven he had not been called upon to fill the gap left by Julia’s accident. Playing nursemaid to two vulnerable girls was no occupation for a grown man. There seemed to be no end to the problems, and meanwhile his personal life was suffering a marked decline. Louise was not a woman to tolerate neglect for long, and his most recent visit had been something of a failure. He had found her boringly possessive. What concern was it of hers how he spent his time away from her? He hadn’t told her how, of course, but she would never have believed him if he had! That he was living in the depths of the country with two young girls and a dowdily dressed young woman! She would have found the very idea ridiculous. And so did he! But that didn’t give his mistress—his mistress, for God’s sake!—the right to know where he went and what he did when he wasn’t with her! She was lovely enough, but her voice could get unpleasantly shrill. He was starting to lose patience with the old doddards at the Foreign Office, too, and beginning to think he was wasting his time on them. When would they learn to leave eighteenth-century politics behind, and step into the nineteenth century?

There was one bright spot in all this. Though he didn’t particularly want to admit it, Miss Petrie seemed to be a success, for all her youth and prettiness. Edward smiled again as he thought of her confusion when he had teased her a few minutes ago about her remark to Pip. Her cheeks had been bright red. Serve her right! No man liked to hear himself spoken of with such scorn, even by a dab of a governess!

No, that was wrong. She might be small, but she wasn’t a dab of anything. An intriguing young woman, Miss Petrie. The girls really liked her, and the servants all treated her with genuine respect. What was her background? She had brought a letter with her, but after a quick glance through he had put it away without bothering to study it more closely. He unlocked a drawer, took out a folder and opened it. The letter of reference was on top, and he picked it up and read it. It was from a Lady Dorney of Lutworth Court, who seemed to be a woman of intelligence and education. Edward remembered meeting Gerard Dorney a few years before. This was clearly his mother. Lady Dorney’s letter recommended Octavia Petrie without reservation, praising her patience, her efficiency, her trustworthiness, her high standard of education…All the virtues. It made the girl sound so worthy! A Miss Froom without the sourness. So very dull.

And yet he had the distinct impression that Miss Petrie was far from dull. He was not quite sure why. She dressed quietly enough, with no attempt to attract. If he had not seen those honey-gold curls that had tumbled about her shoulders at their first meeting he would never have known they existed. Miss Petrie wore her hair in a firmly disciplined knot, or even under a cap. She was not particularly tall, and her figure, from what he had seen of it, was slight. Apart from her forget-me-not blue eyes, he would not have said there was anything interesting or attractive about her to a man whose taste ran to women like Louise Kerrall. For a moment he tried to think of Louise as he had last seen her, petulant but still seductively lovely…but the image of Miss Petrie kept getting in the way.

Miss Petrie wasn’t dull. She was quick-witted and amusing. And there was something about that small figure: the imperious turn of the head, the straight back, the slender neck. Her carriage was graceful, her manner unassuming, but Miss Petrie was neither humble nor respectful, not underneath. Like Pip, she had a mind of her own, and though she was more skilled at disguising it, she was no more prepared than Pip to give way without argument.

Edward Barraclough was intrigued. Perhaps he should spend more of the time he was forced to spend at Wychford in getting to know his nieces’ governess! He told himself with a grin that he would be perfectly safe. No risk of being caught. He had heard it from the lady’s own mouth—Miss Petrie wouldn’t consider him as material for a husband, not under any circumstances! What was more, she had sounded as if she meant it. For a moment Edward Barraclough was tempted to prove her wrong, but he rejected it instantly. It might well be an interesting exercise, but one did not seduce governesses—not if one were a gentleman.

As a result of these musings Mr Barraclough began to pay more attention to his nieces’ progress at Wychford. He found Miss Petrie’s methods of instruction unconventional—certainly by Miss Froom’s standards. But to his surprise they were in fact quickly making up for lost ground. It was true that laughter was quite frequently heard coming from the room set aside for their morning lessons, but, when he stopped to listen, it always subsided after a moment and was followed by a period of eager discussion, then silence, or questions and answers. Sometimes Miss Petrie read aloud to them. Her voice was beautiful—warm, low in pitch and slightly husky.

When the weather was suitable the governess took her charges into the grounds in the afternoons, and Edward made an effort to join them occasionally. He discovered that lessons were not confined to the mornings in the schoolroom. The girls might not realise it, but they were learning a great deal more while they enjoyed themselves outdoors. Artists, music, scenes from history, a comparison of the plants to be found in the West Indies with those they found in the grounds of Wychford—these and many other topics were taken up to be discussed, dropped if they proved dull, or pursued the next day if they were interesting. At first Miss Petrie seemed inhibited by his presence, but as she grew more used to him he discovered that she used him quite ruthlessly to expand the scope of their discussions, and he was closely questioned by all three about his travels.

Each girl had a notebook for records. Lisette was their botanical recorder. Her exquisite line drawings of leaves, trees and late-blooming flowers were carefully dated and kept in a large folder. Some of them had been turned into delicate watercolours. Pip was more interested in animals and buildings. Her book was filled with bizarre sketches of birds, mice, insects, windows, gable corners, gargoyles and, of course, chimney pots. But the measurements and notes underneath were neatly kept, and checked by Miss Petrie.

And always, at some point in the walk, there would be a game, or some form of more energetic exercise. Pip needed no encouragement, but even Lisette was persuaded to run or skip.