5. Barrowby Park

Chapter five

Barrowby Park

Yorkshire, England ~ June 1810

T hree days later, after a journey of marvellously cramped quarters, hitherto unknown smells, and far too loquacious fellow passengers, Louisa arrived at her destination. There was no one waiting for her at the Yorkshire posting inn. It could not be otherwise, for no one at Lord Kendall's house was expecting her arrival.

Undeterred, Louisa took out a few shillings and asked the innkeeper to find her a man with a cart who could bring her and her trunk to Barrowby Park. She had made it this far without being duped, robbed, or ravished by any rogues of the road. She had no intention of waiting on chance now. One must make one's own luck in the world, and Louisa was used to seizing the day.

A farmer with a dogcart offered to take the pretty miss up to the big house, free of charge, and Louisa soon found herself at the steps of a large Palladian manor house with her brass-bound trunk on the ground beside her. She took a deep breath. What now? A governess was not a servant. She had every right to knock on the front door.

"May I help you, miss?" A grey-haired butler stared down at her. His manner was not unkind, but the door was hardly opened in an inviting manner. Louisa reflected on the difference of reception a lady received when arriving in a farmer's dogcart rather than in a carriage with a ducal escutcheon.

"I'm Miss Lymington, here to respond to the governess advertisement."

"Ah," said the butler, opening the door a little wider. "I was not aware that his lordship had begun interviews yet for that position. But yes, yes, come in, and I will let Lord Kendall know that you are here."

Relieved to have made it past the first gatekeeper, Louisa entered the house and took a seat in the hall. It was strange not to be ushered straight into the drawing room, but it was something to which she would have to accustom herself. She had never paid much heed to the position of her own governesses, but thinking back on the matter, she recalled that they had never received the same privileges as members of the family.

She wondered if Lord Kendall would recognise her. He had been conspicuously absent from ton events this season as she made her debut, but she had followed the aristocratic circles for years, and she knew him by sight and by reputation. Her father had always spoken of him as an infuriatingly put-together fellow, blessed with title, looks, address, and funds. The latter quality was one which had always eluded the Lymington men.

The name Kendall was not a favourite in the Warrenton house. Mentioning Lord Kendall was a sure way to set Uncle Nigel's back up, and Louisa had oftentimes gained a revenge on her uncle by expatiating on how poorly he compared to the dapper earl from Yorkshire. Louisa guessed that Lord Kendall was much of an age with her uncle, but from the pleasant tone of the advertisement, he was taking a far friendlier interest in his orphaned nieces than her uncle had taken in her.

"Miss Lymington," said Lord Kendall, standing to acknowledge her presence as the butler announced her at the door of the study. It was a good sign, indicating that a governess would be treated respectfully in this household. "The name seems familiar. Have we met before?"

Louisa's velvety eyes assessed him frankly. His black hair was just beginning to show streaks of silver, and although he was twice her age, his figure was firm and strong and had not run to fat. "I don't believe so, my lord." She remembered her position half a second later and bobbed a curtsy.

Lord Kendall gestured to a chair and then seated himself again behind his desk. Louisa sat down and straightened her serviceable brown skirt.

"I had not yet responded to your letter, Miss Lymington, so it is strange that you would travel here for an interview without an invitation."

"Oh, there must have been some mistake, my lord. I had a letter from you, I'm certain of it. Perhaps your secretary sent it without your knowledge?"

What a taradiddle! Do you really think he will believe that?

"Hmm. Richards is forgetful, but not that forgetful. May I see the letter?"

Louisa opened her reticule to search for the fictitious letter but, naturally, emerged from the search empty-handed. "It must have fallen out in the mail coach. "

"Hmm," said Lord Kendall again as if he did not trust the veracity of that statement. "Well, here you are, in any case." His bright blue eyes looked at her searchingly. "You are very young. How old are you?"

"Five and twenty," Louisa lied glibly.

"Indeed?" His eyebrows arched in surprise. "Have you worked as a governess previously?"

"Yes, here are my references." Louisa had taken the precaution of drawing up two fictitious letters from society ladies who had children of suitable ages. She hoped Lord Kendall was not familiar enough with their households to question the veracity of the letters.

She held her breath until his eyes had finished skimming the papers, but he asked no clarifying questions about her past charges.

"This letter says that you speak Italian. Is that correct?"

"And French," said Louisa. "Fluently." The descriptions of her qualifications, even though written by herself, were true without a hint of embellishment. Her father had procured a constant string of governesses and instructors for her throughout her adolescence, and as she could never stand to do anything poorly, she had excelled at languages, painting, music, dancing, and everything else a young lady was expected to master.

Lord Kendall regarded her thoughtfully. "My nieces are woefully deficient in all subjects. There is still time for Milly, I suppose, since she's only nine years old, but Ginny has only one more year in the schoolroom and Penny is due to come out this year in London."

"A daily course of study can achieve much in the matter of months," said Louisa encouragingly. She had no idea how apt these girls were, but she was determined that Lord Kendall would not turn her away from this Yorkshire sanctuary. She must hide herself away here until she came of age. "I am particularly good at motivating young ladies to succeed."

Lord Kendall gave a wry grin. "Ah, well, I think you'll find it difficult to motivate Penny to do anything if she takes a dislike to you. Ginny and Milly are more reasonable." He tapped his fingers against the desk and considered her. "Are you sure we have not met before, Miss Lymington?"

"I don't think so, my lord," said Louisa demurely.

Surely, he will not spoil everything by recognizing you now?

He cleared his throat. "Very well, I suppose you might attempt the position. It will save me the trouble of interviewing other governesses, and perhaps Penny will learn better from someone closer to her age. Or if it's too late for Penny, at least you can do something with Milly and Ginny. If you're willing, I'll request the housekeeper prepare a room for you, and you'll begin in the morning."

Louisa inclined her head regally, recalling her subservient position a fraction of a second later and following that up with a meek, "Yes, my lord."