The Governess of Highland Hall (34 page)

“I can decorate the top. I’m good at climbing.” Before anyone could stop him, Andrew charged up the ladder’s narrow steps.

Mr. Dalton grabbed hold to steady the ladder.

“Careful, Andrew,” William called.

Julia’s heart lurched to her throat, and she hurried toward them.

“I’m all right. Hand me an ornament.” Andrew leaned back at a wild angle and held out his hand.

“Two hands!” his father shouted, dashing toward his son.

Andrew jerked back and almost lost his grip.

Julia gasped and reached out, preparing to catch him if he fell.

The boy swung back and grabbed hold. “Goodness, Papa. You scared me.”

William gripped the ladder on the opposite side from Mr. Dalton. “I could say the same to you.” He looked up. “Please slow down, Andrew, and think about what you’re doing.”

The boy glanced around at everyone’s startled faces, and his expression sobered. “Yes sir. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.” Sarah passed Andrew a wooden ornament carved in the shape of a crescent moon. “How about finding a nice place for this one?”

Andrew nodded and hung it on a nearby branch. Then he climbed down, apparently content to do the rest of his decorating from the ground.

Mr. Dalton offered to climb the ladder. Sarah thanked him, and they worked together to decorate the higher branches.

Alice took out an ornament that looked like actual ram’s horns and smiled at William. “There must be a story behind this one.”

He nodded, looking pleased at her selection. “That belonged to one of my uncle’s prized rams.” He grinned at David. “Remember that? I believe we added it to our collection when I was twelve.”

His brother grimaced. “Yes, after we ate that tough old ram for Christmas dinner. It’s one of my more painful childhood memories.”

William chuckled and shook his head.

“You certainly have some interesting family traditions.” Alice sent William a teasing smile.

Julia tensed as she watched Alice continue her conversation with William. Her laughter and smiles might be considered flirtatious, but she offered the same lively responses when she spoke to Katherine or Penny. Perhaps that was just her way of interacting with everyone once she became better acquainted.

A half hour later, Julia stood back with the others and admired the finished Christmas tree. Red bows, cinnamon sticks, toffees, and bunches of mistletoe had been added around the ornaments. Small white candles were clipped to the end of several branches, though they would not be lit until Christmas Eve.

William lifted his gaze and gave a satisfied nod. “Very good work, everyone. I’ve never seen a finer tree.”

“It is beautiful.” Alice added, her smile bright as she turned to William. “Now that we’ve finished that project, I wonder if you’d give me a tour of
your library. Lady Gatewood said you have a fine collection, and you might allow me to borrow a book or two if I asked you very nicely.”

A muscle in William’s jaw flickered before he nodded. “Of course. I’d be happy to loan you as many books as you like.” He motioned toward the library.

“You’re so kind.” She smiled and slipped her hand through the crook of his arm as they walked into the library.

Julia’s eyes widened, then she quickly shifted her gaze away. There was no doubt in her mind now. Alice Drexel was definitely flirting with William.

Ann appeared at her side. “Shall I take the children upstairs?”

Julia nodded. “Thank you, Ann. It’s time for me to meet with the young ladies.”

The nursery maid nodded and led Andrew and Millie up the steps. Mr. Lawrence directed the footmen to remove the trunk and boxes from the great hall. Sarah left to discuss dinner details with Mrs. Emmitt.

Julia approached Katherine and Penny. “We have an hour until tea. Shall we meet in the drawing room for a French lesson?”

Katherine and Penny exchanged a quick glance, then Katherine turned to Julia. “Penny and I have a Christmas project we need to finish and some gifts to wrap, so we were hoping we might skip our lessons today.”

Julia searched Katherine’s face. Were they actually making preparations for Christmas, or was this just another excuse to avoid their studies? She chose to give them the benefit of the doubt. “All right. We’ll set aside our lessons.”

The girls exchanged happy smiles and hurried up the stairs.

Julia gazed at the tree again and smiled. Preparing for Christmas seemed to be drawing the family closer. She noticed the little golden bird Millie had placed on the tree first had fallen off and landed on the carpet. She picked it up and hung it on the tree again.

“Well, it seems you and I are the only ones left to enjoy all these splendid decorations.” David crossed the hall and joined her.

An uneasy sensation prickled through Julia. She reached out and adjusted one of the red bows on the tip of a branch. “It is a beautiful tree.”

“Yes.” He tipped his head and studied her. “Beautiful.” A slow, suggestive smile eased across his features.

She stepped to the left, intending to walk past him. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on the children.”

He matched her steps, blocking her path. “Won’t you stay and spend a little time with me?”

She swallowed, her mind searching for an excuse. “I’m sorry, but I have some duties I need to attend to.”

“But this is our chance to get to know each other.” When she didn’t answer, he chuckled. “What’s wrong? You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

She raised her chin, meeting the challenge in his eyes. “No, but I think it’s best if we end this conversation now.”

His charming smile cooled. “You would not want to displease me, Miss Foster. I have a great deal of influence with my brother. And I’m sure you don’t want to risk losing your position.”

She locked gazes with him. “Unless you move out of my way, I will tell Sir William exactly what you’ve said, and I don’t believe he will approve.”

David laughed, but he stepped back. “My, my, you’re certainly not afraid to speak up for yourself, are you?”

She shot him a heated glance, then spun away and marched up the stairs. His laughter followed her as she passed the landing. She gripped the railing and continued on, determined to put as much distance between herself and David Ramsey as possible.

William walked into the library with Alice by his side. The way she had slipped her arm into his seemed a bit forward, but perhaps that was an America custom. Still, it left him ill at ease and unsure of what she would say or do next.

“I’d love to learn more about British history.” She glanced at the shelves
and then looked back at him, her eyes bright. “Is there a book you might recommend?”

He took a step away, removing his arm from hers. “I’m sure we have several, but I must say I am a bit surprised. I would’ve thought you’d ask for a novel or a book of poetry.”

“You mean because I’m a woman or because I’m American?”

His face warmed. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me to make an assumption about your interests.”

She laughed softly. “Please, don’t apologize. Most women would prefer a novel or poetry, but my father is a great scholar, and he passed his love for learning on to me. History, philosophy, literature—I enjoy them all.”

William nodded. “Science and nature are my preferred subjects, but I do enjoy historical biographies. There’s much we can learn from the great men and women of the past.”

“Yes, as they say, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” She smiled and cocked her head, a question in her eyes.

“That’s a Spanish philosopher, isn’t it?”

“Yes, George Santayana. My father and I recently began reading
The Life of Reason
.” She laughed softly. “There are actually five volumes. I’m not sure we’ll get through them all, but it’s quite interesting. Have you read it?”

“No, I’m afraid not. But I agree with him about the importance of learning from our past mistakes.” His wife’s face flashed through his mind. He pushed the image away and focused on Miss Drexel. “We must take those difficult lessons to heart and not repeat them.”

“That’s good advice.” She looked at the shelves again. “So, what shall I read? I want to understand the English and be well informed when I go to London in the spring.”

“I wish I could convince my young cousins to take their education more seriously. They seem to be continually distracted by dress fittings, riding lessons, and calling on friends.”

“Oh, they’re young. I’m sure their interests will expand in the next few years.”

“I hope so.” He scanned the shelves and pulled out a thick leather-bound volume. “Here we are,
Hardwick’s History of the British Empire
.” He held it out to her. “That should do the trick.”

Her eyes widened. “My goodness. It looks quite heavy.”

“It is, but it’s a classic … and a concise history.”

“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.” She accepted the book and placed it on the settee. Her gaze shifted to a small table nearby, and she smiled. “What an unusual table.” She leaned down and inspected it more closely. “Why does it have so many drawers with letters painted on them?”

“It’s called a rent table. My ancestors used it to collect the money owed them by their tenant farmers. The alphabetized drawers kept everything in order.”

She smiled up at him. “How clever.”

David strode through the doorway, his face flushed. “That little governess of yours is quite the flirt.”

A shock wave jolted William. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, never mind.” David straightened his jacket and brushed off his sleeve. “It’s not important.”

Irritation flashed through William. “If a member of my staff has acted in an inappropriate way, I want to be informed.”

David huffed. “No need to worry, William. I’ve set her straight. She won’t try that again, at least not with me.”

William studied his brother. The accusation seemed out of character for Miss Foster. She had never been flirtatious with anyone at Highland. At least he had never seen it.

But he was not the best judge of character, especially where women were concerned. His late wife had kept her unfaithfulness secret for more than a year. He had not believed the rumors until he found the love letters from Sir Charles Hollingsford two months after her death. Pain twisted through him, and he gripped the back of the chair.

David turned to their guest. “So, Miss Drexel, what have you and my brother been discussing?”

“Please call me Alice. All my friends in Philadelphia do.”

David nodded. “We’re glad you consider us your friends, and we’d be happy to call you Alice. And you must call us David and William.”

“All right. Thank you, David.” She sat in a chair near the center of the room. “You know, before I left home, everyone told me the English were cold and unfriendly, but that’s certainly not true. You’ve all been so terribly kind. I adore Katherine and Penelope, and your sister Sarah is one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met.”

“I’m quite fond of her as well,” David added with a grin.

Alice laughed. “They also said the English have no sense of humor, but that’s not true either.”

“I’m glad we can challenge those dreadful myths and set the record straight.” David took a seat across from her. “I’d hate to think we’d all been painted in such broad, negative strokes.”

“Well, I will sing the praises of the English wherever I go.” She turned to William. “It’s quite a treat for me to visit you at this time of year and experience a real English Christmas.”

“We’re glad you could join us.” William’s thoughts shifted to his plans for Christmas Day. Lord and Lady Gatewood, along with Alice, would join them for a special holiday dinner, and he planned to include the children and Miss Foster as well.

Thoughts of Miss Foster brought David’s comments to mind again, and his shoulders tensed. Could it be true? Had Miss Foster flirted with David? His brother’s easygoing personality always had charmed the ladies. But that was no excuse. It was improper for any of the staff to flirt with family members. But if he were honest, what bothered him most was that Miss Foster might prefer David to him.

With that revelation came another wave of clarity. He didn’t just admire Miss Foster or appreciate the way she cared for his children. He had grown quite fond of her. His chest tightened and felt as though someone had wrapped heavy bands around it, making it difficult for him to draw in a deep breath.

How could he have let this happen? When had he dropped his guard?

“I hear you have something called crackers, and everyone wears colorful paper hats. It sounds quite merry.” Alice tipped her head and smiled at him. “Is that right?”

William blinked and quickly replayed her words. “Yes. Christmas is always a special time.”

But he couldn’t quite bring himself to smile. With Highland’s uncertain future heavy on his mind and the unsettling awareness of his growing feelings for Miss Foster, the possibility of a merry, carefree Christmas seemed to have vanished like mist rising off the pond.

TWENTY-TWO