“Oh, thank goodness. I thought you would do that thing where you get all protective and broody. You know how you chase everyone away with little to no reason.” She waved her hand in the air in dismissal of the thought.
“Do you see me as broody and unapproachable?” A deep frown creased his brows as he looked at her. He knew he kept up a certain appearance to keep others at bay, but he never considered himself a monster.
Theodora pursed her lips thoughtfully as if she were considering her words. “You aren’t. How can I say it? You aren’t exactly the life of the party.” She ventured an answer more delicately.
“That I know very well, but I am not grumpy. Am I?” He wondered how Livinia saw him and if she held the same notions as his sister. There had been a time in his life when he had been the life of the party, but cold reality had stomped that out of him for good measure.
Theodora looked off into the distance and opened her mouth to respond but shut it again. “Well …”
“Never mind,” he grumbled and settled back into his chair.
A soft giggle escaped her throat. “You know I’m beginning to see changes in you. The Benedict I knew before would have thrown anyone out who dared go against your word. I like this new version of you that I can talk to. Perhaps Miss Campbell is having a lasting effect on all of us.”
“Just what do you mean by that?” he snapped at her with his jaw clenched. He wasn’t about to entertain any kind of suggestive comments. His sister could also have seen him leaving her governess’s room late at night. Anyone could have got the wrong idea from that.
“I just meant that another female presence in the house is softening us all in good ways.” She briefly reminded him of their mother as she sat on the couch with the book on her lap. The countess had always presented a soft and approachable nature. She had been the voice of reason to them all in the house.
He sat thoughtfully for a while, wondering if his sister had always been like their mother or if Miss Campbell had brought it out in her.
“I know you worry about me, Benedict. You have spent a great deal of time trying to shelter me from the world. Although I appreciate the sentiment, you will have to let me fly the nest sooner or later. Thinking about yourself and the possibilities that may bring isn’t a crime.” She stood with a warm smile and left him to stew in his thoughts.
When did she become so mature?
He let out a sigh and shook his head. Keeping her safe in the manor was one thing, but it would be another entirely if she left. A woman of her good breeding and manners wouldn’t escape the notice of men.
The door opened to reveal Thomas carrying a tray. “Good morning, My Lord; are you ready for your tea?”
“You may bring it in. Thank you, Thomas.” He watched as the man went about tidying the room. “Thomas, do you think I am grumpy and broody?”
“I beg your pardon, My Lord?” Thomas looked up from the pile of books he had been tidying.
“Never mind.” Benedict shook his head and moved his focus back to the dying embers.
Why was he suddenly concerned with how everyone perceived him? The matter hadn’t bothered him in the past. Perhaps Theodora had been right in saying that a female presence in the house was changing them all. Thomas still seemed the same; he was dependable and loyal, the only stable person besides his sister.
The thought of someone changing the house scared him more than he liked to admit. There was a certain amount of stability in things remaining the same. Livinia Campbell presented a threat to all of that.
Chapter 9
Smoothing the lace of her dress over her corset, Livinia took a deep breath and composed herself before entering the study. It would be hard to act as if nothing had happened between her and the earl. Yet her duty to educate Lady Theodora left her with an obligation that needed to be fulfilled.
A lack of proper sleep had left her feelings more than a little dizzy, but she was nothing if punctual when it came to her duties. Had she imagined the earl in her room with his lips so close to her own? She would have to pretend that she had, whatever the case. Wondering about things would ultimately lead to more heartache than what it was worth.
“My Lord.” Her courage faltered when she stepped into the study and found the earl standing behind the desk she used. The journal he had taken from her hands lay closed on the desk in front of him. She almost felt as if her thoughts had summoned him to the study.
“Miss Campbell, please shut the door and come inside.” His tone was cool and authoritative but lacked the anger from the day before. His neat coat and combed hair stood out in stark contrast to his appearance during the night.
Perhaps he had been an apparition.
She turned and shut the door, panic beginning to set in.
Is he about to dismiss me?
“I have sent my sister with Thomas as her chaperone to run a few errands in London. I wanted some time to make a few matters clear to you.” He cleared his throat before gesturing for her to take a seat on the opposite side of the desk.
“If this is about last night, My Lord, I …” Her words fell short when he raised a hand for her to be silent.
Benedict waited for her to sit, watching her every move as she tucked her dress beneath her legs. “I realize you were placed in a difficult situation, Miss Campbell. You came to a new home with little to no knowledge of this family. I am willing to see that the journal coming into your possession was partially my fault. You are not yet accustomed to how things are done here.”
His change of attitude caught her off guard. The more reasonable side of his character hadn’t been what she’d anticipated, not after their argument regarding the fire.
“I have seen subtle improvements in my sister’s behaviour and even the topics she discusses. I would be a fool to dismiss a governess who paid such apt attention to her charge. Therefore, I am proposing that we start over with new rules.” He continued to hold her gaze in a businesslike manner before averting his eyes.
Is he just as embarrassed about last night as I am?
Her pulse quickened with the memory of their shared attraction that had been evident in that moment. Shifting in her chair, she focused her mind back on the conversation at hand. “I am grateful for your understanding, My Lord. I would like nothing more than to continue in my position here.” A small voice at the back of her mind tugged at her chest.
Why do you want to remain even after everything you’ve learned?
Even she had to admit that anyone with more common sense would have turned and run for the hills by now. Many governesses that she had met would have turned and left upon arrival.
Benedict nodded in understanding. “I prize loyalty above all else; the fact that you are willing to stay on speaks volumes. What I am suggesting will benefit both of us in the long run if the rules are followed.”
Livinia resisted the urge to roll he eyes. The man held onto his rules tighter than Thomas held onto his delusions of superiority.
“I expect you to carry out your duties with my sister without ever mentioning to her what you know. To my knowledge, Lady Theodora does not know the finer points of the day I stumbled upon my parents’ bodies. I would like to keep it that way.
And although I will not place any restrictions on whom you choose to speak to in town, I will ask you very seriously to refrain from gossip.” He held her gaze more intensely this time. “With that said, if you agree to these terms, you may have free reign of the house and all the rooms as you see fit.”
