Chapter 8

It was a couple of days already since the wedding that ushered Jane into the Grove family. She had come to understand within this period that truly Margaret and Louisa were a force to be reckoned with like the dowager had said. They obviously still had a lot to learn and a lot to unlearn and her husband was counting on her to get the job done as though she was a governess.

However, Jane was certain that this life- being a duchess - was so much better than getting married to the Marquess of Pennington, the greedy Graham Lewis. She considered this a narrow escape and a part of her was grateful she accepted Colin's proposal.

Prudence had told her that she was looking forward to watching her make a family out of them all and Jane was willing to try despite the frustrations of dealing with the two little girls.

Louisa didn't have much of a problem; she was in fact an introvert who seemed to be very comfortable in her own space. Margaret, on the other hand, was the brain behind any misdeeds done by the two of them, she was the mischievous one; the real trouble, leading her sister into doing things she might not necessarily be interested in if it were up to her.

Jane appreciated the irony given that in the history of sibling drama, the younger one was often the hotheaded one while the older usually was the more reserved one. The case was different with these girls.

Somehow, Margaret reminded Jane a lot about herself owing to the fact that they were quite stubborn, rebellious and bold. Louisa was much like Sarah and watching the two girls interact was like watching a version of her and her sister when they were their age.

Jane truly wanted to make this work on account of her desire to get closer to the kids, to be a part of the family, and to make Prudence proud. Taming the girls would subsequently build the bond between her and her husband.

Colin was a strict and cold individual, but she never saw his attitude as a threat. All the same, Jane was still a woman, a newly-wedded wife who wouldn't mind being treated right instead of being kept at a distance.

What a funny way of proving your love, my lord.

She was sarcastic in her thoughts as his words resounded in head.

‘I am your duke and your husband…'

‘Take my wife to her room and do well to explain her duties to her…'

She scoffed, staring out her window, thinking it rather ironic he couldn't see he also needed someone to explain the duties of a husband to him.

Jane was bored and had been indoors all day; she needed to meet the kids and give it yet another shot with them. It was heartbreaking knowing she would always have to prepare for battle whenever the kids were involved.

With a decisive spirit, she sprang to her feet and left the room, shutting it behind her. From where she stood, she could hear the governess's voice echoing through the hallways as she called on the girls.

"Margaret! Louisa!"

Jane's heart skipped a beat on hearing their names but this was her chance, moreover, she was looking for an opportunity to be with them today, anyway.

A plump woman in her early fifties clad in a woolen high-neck green dress rounded a corner, the heels of her boots, clicking against the polished floors, her fairly plain ankle-length skirt, flailing as she approached.

As soon as she saw Jane standing by her door, she immediately stopped in her tracks and dropped into a deep curtsy, lowering her eyes respectfully.

"Your Grace," she called softly, her voice laced with surprise and alarm. "Please pardon my sudden appearance, I didn't mean to crowd your space- I was only looking for the girls…"

"It's all right, Mrs. Caldwell," Jane said with a warm voice to help the governess feel at ease.

She was still getting used to all these formalities and she wished she could just make them all see her as simply as she saw herself but this was the downside of the position that she occupied.

"What happened? Where are the girls?" she inquired.

Mrs. Caldwell was quiet for a moment, probably rehearsing her replies in her head.

"Feel free around me, Mrs. Caldwell, I don't bite." She beamed yet another dose of smile at her.

It would take a while for the woman to adjust but for now, she still felt like it wasn't her place.

"Tell me; what happened?" Jane reiterated.

"I'm at my wits' end, Your Grace," she fretted, clearly pained and frustrated. "They simply refuse to cooperate, no matter what I try." She paused, her aura reflecting her desire to say something— make a request maybe.

Jane smiled at her, making the atmosphere much more conducive so she would feel free to make her request.

"Perhaps you might have better luck coaxing them out of their hiding spots?" she finally summoned the courage to ask and it sounded a lot like a humble suggestion.

"All right, I'll help you find them," Jane agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you, Your Grace." She bowed slightly, appreciating the willingness of the duchess to partake in the search.

Jane and Mrs. Caldwell walked through the grand halls of the manor together calling out the girl's names.

"Margaret, Louisa!"

Their voices echoed through the halls but they didn't get any response, it seemed like they were playing hide and seek.

"Oh, these girls will be the death of me," Mrs. Caldwell complained.

As they passed by a window, Jane caught a movement outside amidst the towering trees.

"Mrs. Caldwell," she called her attention and the governess stopped in her tracks.

"I think we should expand our search to the woods," she suggested. "I have a feeling that our young ladies are there." A grin spread across her face.

Together, they left the building and headed to the woods. Jane could hear the whispers of the girls who had by now known of the presence of the adults.

She signaled Mrs. Caldwell to be silent as she tiptoed quietly, going for the tree behind which the kids were hiding.

They were still talking, whispering to themselves when suddenly, Jane jumped out of the blue, appearing before them with a scary gesture that made both girls scream, Louisa's voice being louder.

"Got you, didn't I?" Jane laughed, enjoying the fearful look on Louisa's face and the annoyance flickering in Margaret's eye.

"Yes. Yes, you did. Good one, Jane," Louisa replied, chuckling at her ridiculousness.

"Well?" Jane shifted her gaze to Margaret who had her arms spread across her chest, looking defiant.

"Unlike my sister, I'm not easily impressed nor am I easily frightened," she answered, her arrogance a little subtle.

"I beg to differ given that a few seconds ago you were screaming," Jane said to her.

"I only screamed because Louisa screamed not that I was frightened," she explained, exuding confidence.

"We have a lot in common, you and I," Jane said to her. "Now, Mrs. Caldwell has searched high and low for two beauties and since I'm the one who found you, you're going to have to go with her and attend your lessons."

"Are you punishing us?" Margaret asked with a frown.

Jane sighed and stepped closer to the girls. "Children are punished or reprimanded by adults not out of hatred, but out of love— so the children will understand their wrongs and avoid it next time."

"You're justifying your actions," Margaret said to her.

"Maybe." She shrugged her shoulders. "But where's that justification for what you did to Mrs. Caldwell?"

The girls were silent.

"Look, after the lessons, we'll have some fun time together, what do you think?"

Louisa's eyes lit up immediately.

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course. We can do whatever you want," Jane replied, glad to see the excitement in the girl's expression.

"Why don't we just skip to the fun part?" Margaret suggested. "I don't want to do lessons," she declared blatantly.

Jane looked at Mrs. Caldwell standing a few paces behind her and then returned her gaze to this girl who had proven time and time again to be exasperatingly difficult to handle.

She knelt down to the young lady's level.

"I understand that learning can be annoying sometimes," she began in a soothing tone. "So annoying that you might feel the urge to skip a day in class because the lessons can be…"

"Boring," Margaret and Jane chorused the word.

Jane smiled after she watched a faint grin appear on Margaret's face.

"See? We're not so different, you and I," she added.

Margaret was silent for a while.

"But do I really need to learn?"

"Yes, sweetheart, because whether we hate it or not, learning is important. And I promise, it'll go by quickly. Afterwards, we can have our fun."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Jane said, holding out her pinky finger. Margaret hooked her pinky around Jane's, sealing the deal.

With the young ladies in tow, Jane and Mrs. Caldwell led them back to the schoolroom and Jane stayed back for a couple of minutes until Emma, the housekeeper, showed up at the entrance.

"Your Grace," she called, her voice tinged with reverence.

It was then that Jane remembered that she had a schedule with her this afternoon.

"Are you set for the tour around the estate?" Emma asked.

"I can take you on the tour. I know everything and everywhere there is to know around here," Louisa said delightfully, taking her eyes off the book on the table before her.

"That's really sweet of you, honey, but I think Emma has got that handled." Jane rose to her feet. "You keep feeding those big brains until I get back." She kissed both girls on the head and left with Emma.

Through the opulent halls, Jane followed her guide, paying rapt attention to the lessons about the Montford Manor and its history.

As they walked, Emma pointed out various rooms and notable features of the manor, explaining each in detail.

Jane was intrigued by the knowledge this young housemaid had about her new home and the passion with which she taught was admirable. She spoke like she was there when the historical events of the manor unfolded, which led Jane to ask. As it turned out, Emma had grown up in the Duke's estate, assisting her mother who was the previous housekeeper.

The library, filled with towering shelves of books, the grand dining hall with its long, polished table, and the drawing-room with its elegant furniture and artwork. Each feature and room they stopped by seemed to carry a significant story that was marveling to Jane.

They eventually made their way to a quieter wing of the house. Emma paused by a large portrait of a handsome man in his early thirties.

"Who's that?" Jane asked her, looking at the portrait as well. There was something about it that seemed familiar but she hadn't placed her head around it yet.

"That…" Emma replied. "That is the late Duke of Montford, older brother to His Grace the current Duke," Emma explained softly.

"Did something happen to him?" Jane inquired.

"You don't know?" Emma turned to her.

"Know what?" Jane's curiosity was pricked but she could feel Emma's resistance to talk.

"He passed away a year ago."

Peering closely at the portrait, she noted the resemblance with Colin.

"He must have been a great loss to the family," she said to Emma.

"Indeed, especially to the girls."

"The dowager said the girls were the duke's nieces, Lord Algernon was their father wasn't he?"

Emma nodded in affirmation and Jane noticed that she was not comfortable discussing a matter of that gravity with her.

"I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for the girls," Jane said, sympathizing with the young ladies.

"I don't know about that, Your Grace," Emma said as though she was in opposition. "He wasn't…" She sighed. "He wasn't really close with his daughters."

"I uh…I think I may have spoken more than I should have," she said, unwilling to keep talking. "If it pleases you, I'd love for us to go back to our tour, Your Grace."

Jane let out a sigh. She could press on and get Emma to tell what she knew but she wasn't going to do that. She would respect the lady and not use her power to cajole her into doing something she didn't want to do.

If Lord Algernon was anything like her father, then the girls would have turned out to experience the same treatment she and her sister got from their father.

She wasn't wrong, there indeed was a lot that she had in common with them and she was going to be there, to be the mother that they lacked.