How to Claim a Governess’s Heart - Bridget Barton Page 0,38

too had a proper place in Betsy’s parentage.

I have had no thought to leave the house, or Betsy’s side, for as long as I can help it. I fear that Lord John might have a different opinion on the matter tonight after what transpired. Perhaps he wishes me to find a match among his acquaintances in the hope that it would be a less abrasive way to remove me from his household.

I don’t think he does this with any malice. I know he is currently under a great deal of pressure and with such a short amount of time attached to its completion. I suspect he still wishes to put Betsy away in a boarding school for the present time to focus all his energy on his personal life goals.

I have endeavoured to do my best to keep our nuisance in the house to a minimum. Perhaps I haven’t done the job well enough. I know that to remove Betsy would be only for a short period, but it still pains me to consider such a thing.

I have so much difficulty imagining any school for young girls without feeling the shame and pain of the one I attended. Surely there must be better ones, but still, the fear lives deep inside me. I could not bear to think of Betsy being treated as we were at Miss Heartfelt’s.

If I had any questions of Lord John’s intentions to rid himself of me, they were answered by the end of the night. Lady Temperance, daughter of Viscount Babcock, made her opinion of me known right from the start.

I also received an endless supply of information on the lady and her current situation from Mr. Higgins while we were partnered. It seems that some family arrangements were made between them, but the lady’s heart took her another way. Sadly, that match didn’t come to fruition, and now, according to Mr. Higgins, the Babcocks were attempting to negotiate the engagement of Lord John and Lady Temperance via the duke and viscount.

Just before the night came to a close, and much to my surprise, Lady Temperance sought me out for a conversation. Though she acted and spoke politely, her words were nothing but the sting of a viper.

She informed me that though the gentlemen tonight had been most attentive to me, it was only on account of Lord John. If these men didn’t have such high respect for the duke and his position, they would have never considered bending to what she claimed were silly whims of His Lordship.

She as much as said that Lord John had clearly invited his single friends in an endeavour to find me a place in their society. A society, she made almost certain to say, was not my own and would never be my own.

She then informed me that it was only a matter of months before Lord John and herself were to announce their engagement. All of this unorthodox behaviour on his part would be done away with. She would see that Betsy was sent to live with the duchess, and Lord John would take a commission set aside by his late father.

It was so much information at once and not what I expected that it caught me off guard at first. However, as she spoke of her plans for Betsy and even Lord John, I found a strength within myself I didn’t know existed.

I did my best to keep my composure. I simply told Lady Temperance that I didn’t think her entire conversation was anything more than speculation. I assured her I had no intention of seeking a higher position and was determined to see Betsy well taken care of no matter what.

I believe she was just as startled by my sudden declarations as I was to her conversation. She gave me a look that told me that if it were in her power, I would have been removed from the house, from London, and perhaps all of England at her behest.

It was this look, I suppose, that has continued to keep me from my rest. It is the fear of knowing that perhaps one day – in the very near future – it will be in her power to set into motion the plans that she has.

It sets my heart to blaze with fury at the notion. Not just for myself but for Betsy and Lord John. I have had minimal experience in the ways of society, but perhaps this is the typical action of a