Rumors Among the Heather (4 page)

An older woman came
into the room, out of breath. “So sorry, my dear. I didn’t know if
you would be here today or nae. I’m Mrs. Highet, the housekeeper,
and you must be Juliana Hastings, the new governess.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Sorry about the
disorder. I don’t know why the maid put you in this room. I haven’t
had a chance to get to it yet. I haven’t been the housekeeper very
long. I like everything to be in apple-pie order. Tsk, tsk,” Mrs.
Highet said, looking around.

“Perfectly
understandable. When may I meet my charge, Mrs. Highet?” When the
housekeeper did not answer, Juliana noticed the hesitation in Mrs.
Highet’s manner. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m sorry, my dear.
You must think me a featherbrain, but I didn’t expect…and I’m sure
his lordship didn’t expect… Oh, dearie me. You are much younger
than I expected. This will not do. The Laird will not like this.
Master Ian needs someone with experience to handle him. You see, it
will not be easy, and I…” Mrs. Highet nervously clenched her
fingers together.

“Mrs. Highet, I assure
you, in spite of my age, I do have experience. I would not have
traveled all this way were I not prepared to satisfy Lord
Bonnleigh’s expectations,” Julie replied.

“My dear, I am sure
you are capable, but I can’t take this responsibility. No, no, not
after what’s happened in the past. You wait here, Miss Hastings,
and I will talk to his lairdship,” Mrs. Highet said before abruptly
leaving the room.

* * *

Lord Bonnleigh kept
Julie waiting in the dim, musty room for over an hour. When the
door opened with a creak, Julie stood up. Lord Bonnleigh strode
into the room, walking past her without speaking. He came to a stop
in front of the only window and looked her over as if he were
appraising cattle for market. He put a quizzing glass to his eye
and looked her up and down. The arrogance of his gaze stirred
Julie’s memory, as well as raised her ire. She remembered those
hard icy blue eyes from the Sixpence Inn. At about the same time,
Lord Bonnleigh dropped his glass and cleared his throat before
looking away.

When he did speak, he
continued to look away from her. “Miss Hastings, I presume.”

“Yes, your lordship.”
He did not mention their last encounter, and neither did she—she
needed this job.

“My housekeeper is
under the impression that you are too young for the position of
governess, and I must agree with her,” he said.

“My lord, I have
traveled a long way to accept this post. I do not wish to lose
it.”

“I did not expect you
to be so young. I’m afraid this will never do. I need someone with
experience. I’m away a great deal and do not wish to put the
responsibility of caring for my nephew in the hands of a mere
child.”

Julie bristled. “With
all due respect, Lord Bonnleigh, I am not a child! I have been out
of the schoolroom for quite some time. I wrote to you of my
qualifications, and I have come in good faith. If my qualifications
were not satisfactory, you should have told me before I made this
arduous journey. I could have taken another position.”

“There is nothing
wrong with your qualifications. It’s just that I expected someone
older, with more experience. Of course, I will pay for your return
passage. Your remaining is out of the question.”

Julie studied Lord
Bonnleigh before she spoke. He appeared to be in his late thirties,
but it would be hard to say. He was in good physical condition, but
the lines of boredom and age were faintly etched across the smooth
planes of his face. Her disgruntled host was tall and
handsome—despite his coldness. He stood before her dressed like any
other country gentleman, but no country gentleman could have worn
his buckskins and russet coat with such unstudied elegance.
Although lean, he possessed a powerful set of shoulders. Unlike the
fashion of the day, he tied his unpowdered hair back with a ribbon.
His countenance resembled a general inspecting his troops. Her gaze
traveled to Lord Bonnleigh’s startling cerulean eyes. An extremely
uncomfortable and unexpected silence followed.

“If you’ll forgive my
plain speaking, Lord Bonnleigh, I must be permitted to plead my
case,” Julie said at last.

“And if you’ll forgive
my
plain speaking, Miss Hastings, there is nothing more to
be said.”

“I’ve come a long way.
Surely a few more minutes won’t matter one way or the other.”

He nodded for her to
continue.

“It’s somewhat
unorthodox, I believe, for a Scotsman’s child to be taught by an
Englishwoman. I take it you have had some problem finding a
governess,” Julie pressed and waited.

“Get to the point,
Miss Hastings. I’m a busy man,” he replied tersely.

“My point
is
I
am here and ready to fill the position you advertised, and I was
given. You owe me a span of time, at the very least, to prove I can
fill the position to your satisfaction,” Julie pushed.

Matthew studied the
young woman dressed in a plain dress with a white collar—the prim
black color he always associated with governesses. Her hair was
anchored severely at the nape of her neck. A waste of effort to
make herself look plain and much older. Only a blind man would
consider her as such. She could not hide her beauty nor the rich,
luxurious hair the color of copper. Her complexion, a rare hue of
peaches and cream, paid tribute to softly molded lips and a
straight nose. Black eyelashes and eyebrows accented her fine-boned
face. Her emerald-green eyes fascinated him. One could almost say
captivated, but he would not. He did not desire to start another
affair. Matthew forced himself to turn away in order not to stare
into their depths.

“Miss Hastings, you
appear to have accurately summed up the situation. Since I’m
pressed for time, I don’t have much choice. Against my better
judgment, I will allow you to stay for a trial period of six
months. I’ll be away for that amount of time at least, and upon my
return I’ll decide your fate.”

”Thank you, my lord.
That will be satisfactory.”

“You’ll want to see
your charge, no doubt.”

“Naturally,” Miss
Hastings replied primly.

“I feel it only fair
to tell you he is nine years old and can neither read nor write. I
don’t know why this is so. His mother took it upon herself to tutor
him before she died, so he should have the rudiments of book
learning. There have been six governesses in the last year and not
one has left an impression on him, but he most certainly has left
one on each of them. You see it will not be an easy thing to be his
governess. I dare say you’ll find six months a lifetime. I need not
remind you we have a bargain, and I expect you to be here when I
return. If you last six months, it will be five months longer than
the last two governesses.”

“I have given my word,
my lord. I do not take my duties lightly.”

“Are you always so
straightforward and persistent, Miss Hastings?”

“Only when I need to
be. Now, about your nephew. You didn’t say in your letter. Is there
some difficulty with the child? Is there a mental problem or
handicap which makes it impossible for him to learn?”

Matthew ran his
fingers through his hair nervously. “If you count stubbornness as a
mental problem, then I would say yes. Since his parents were killed
in an accident a year ago, he has refused to leave his room or to
tolerate his tutors. He goes for days without talking. He is
incorrigible, I’m afraid. Do you still want this position, Miss
Hastings?”

“I have yet to find a
perfect child. There is always some sort of problem, but I like a
challenge. Your nephew sounds like just what I need. I’ll certainly
give it my best try, and I appreciate your telling me about the
other governesses.”

Her upturned,
unguarded expression made Matthew’s mouth go dry. “You know, you
shouldn’t look at a man in just that way. He might get the wrong
impression,” Matthew teased.

Her green eyes
flashed, and her back stiffened. “My lord, if I may be blunt, I’m
not here to flirt. I’m not some debutante in her first season. I am
here to do my job to the best of my ability. I hope we understand
each other.”

In spite of himself,
this woman who dared to stand in front of him and speak her mind so
bluntly intrigued Matthew. Plainly, she had been brought up to be
genteel. Even so, it must have been a trial for her parents to
compete with her temper.

“Why do you need a
challenge at this moment? Surely your parents or guardians balked
at the idea of your coming to the ends of the earth, as it were, to
become a governess. Running away from a broken heart, Miss
Hastings?”

“My reasons should
hardly concern you,” she snapped. As he watched, her face turned a
becoming shade of rose. “I am truly sorry, your lordship. Please
forgive me. I did not mean to snap at you. My tongue is my biggest
sin. I have not found a way to master it,” she pleaded.

Matthew watched her, a
smile playing about his mouth. He clamped down on his impulse to
laugh. “What did your family say when you told them you were coming
to Scotland to take employment?”

The rose faded from
her cheeks, and her gaze took on a distant, almost sorrowful look.
“I have no family except a cousin. My father was the vicar at
Wintersea, and he passed away in June and left both myself and my
cousin Hannah to fend for ourselves. My cousin married shortly
thereafter, so his death did not affect her as much. My father,
bless him, gave no thought to tomorrow, and so I had to find my own
way.

“I’m afraid he
believed quite literally in the passage from the Bible that says:
Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or, what
shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew, chapter six,
verses thirty-one through thirty-three.” She curtsied like a Sunday
school child reciting her verses.

He could not help but
laugh at the mischievous look in her eyes. He accepted what she
said, but could not picture her as a country parson’s daughter. So
beautiful a woman should surely be married with children of her
own. For some unknown reason, he felt a burning desire to know
everything about her.

Just looking into
those brilliant green eyes, he felt an unaccustomed flutter in the
region of his heart. He had become bored over the years with comely
girls who possessed more hair than wit, and practiced women who
wanted nothing better than to spend his money and be seen with him
in public.

He’d worn an
impenetrable armor from an early age. And Matthew had not lived
six-and-thirty years to let his guard down now. Still, Miss
Hastings was different, and different always constituted trouble.
In the end, any thought of a relationship would fail as all the
others had. He had no time for dalliance. However, something told
him it would be anything but boring.

“If you’ll follow me,
Miss Hastings, I’ll take you to meet young Ian.” He held the door
as she preceded him into the hall. “You mentioned you have
experience. How did one so young acquire this experience?”

“My father tutored
between eight and ten village boys. When he would be called away or
needed to study for his sermons, I took over his classes.”

“I see. You did not
try to obtain a position in England?”

“That would have
suited me, of course, but there were no advertisements for a
governess in a location I would have liked.” Julie felt her cheeks
burn as the lie rolled off of her lips. She knew her father would
not approve but she could not take a chance of loosing this
position.

They continued down
the long maze of passageways. “Watch your head here. My ancestors
have added on through the years and not always in proportion to the
rest of the castle.”

Going through the
passageway a little too close together, Matthew caught a whiff of
jasmine, and he suddenly wondered how her thick coppery hair would
feel between his fingers.

“You are very
beautiful, Miss Hastings,” he said softly.

A look of annoyance
crossed her face. “So I have been told. Please do not let it
concern you, my lord,” she stated casually as if it were the most
commonplace thing to say.

Startled, Matthew did
not know what to say next. The women of his acquaintance would have
swooned at such compliments coming from him, and none half as
beautiful as Miss Hastings. This lass would certainly take a much
different approach than he usually tried. What a pity he did not
have the time or the inclination to find out what key opened her
heart. It annoyed him for even thinking there
was
a key.

“I only meant one as
lovely as you hardly stays single for very long. You must have left
many young bucks saddened at your departure from Wintersea. Surely,
your beauty must have stirred one of them into asking for your
hand. I wonder you did not accept.”

“You’re a man of the
world, from all accounts, so you must know there is no market for
penniless women, no matter how pretty they are,” she said with a
look that could slay even the bravest of men.

“So cynical for one so
young. I don’t believe I have ever encountered a more unusual
female, or should I say unorthodox.”

The bitter edge to his
words surprised Julie. She noticed again how startling his blue
eyes were. She did not understand why she kept looking at
them—perhaps in search of some warmth. Involuntarily, she shivered.
He seemed to have everything he needed—good looks, wealth, and a
position in society. She wondered what could make a man like this
become so jaded. Julie jerked her fanciful thoughts back and tried
to change the subject to the safer one of his nephew.