How to Claim a Governess’s Heart - Bridget Barton Page 0,82
all for a desire that might not bear fruit.
His mind raced incessantly with these negative thoughts as he paced back and forth. Finally, he heard the sound of soft shoes hitting the front steps and the snapping of the leather holster as the hansom rode away.
He crossed the threshold in two giant steps and threw open to the door before Miss Thatcher even had a chance to touch the knob.
“My goodness,” she said, holding a gloved hand to her chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I am near bursting with anxiety.”
Lord John stood to the side to let the governess in. He studied her carefully, though she seemed to have managed to fix her face in a way that gave no secrets away.
She calmly entered the room, removed her gloves and hat, and set them on the small table next to the door.
“Please don’t keep me in suspense, my love. Tell me, did they like it? Will they publish it?”
Miss Thatcher let out a long, melancholy sigh, and his heart sank to the floor.
“He said…” she stated softly, her doe-eyes on the ground, “that he would be most honoured to publish your book,” she finished quickly.
Her whole face lit up at the announcement.
“What?” Lord John asked.
He was startled for just a moment before her trickery sunk in.
“You minx,” he announced, scooping her up in his arms for the second time that day.
He spun her again, whooping his own excitement. Setting her down, they stayed locked arm-in-arm. Her eyes were as alive as the sea as they sparkled up at him.
“I should be mad at you for your little tease, but I think I will kiss you instead,” Lord John announced.
He dipped his head low and paused just above her lips. She could feel the warmth of his breath like silk brushing against her bottom lip. He was giving her a chance to pull away if she wanted to. Instead, she lifted herself on her tiptoes and closed the fraction of a gap that kept their lips apart.
She let her hands relax softly on his chest as he wrapped her deep into him. He coaxed her into an innocent but passionate exchange between their two mouths. Finally, the sound of Betsy coming from the library ended the moment, and he took a step back from her.
Still, he held his arms out to her to keep her wobbly legs steady. Her cheeks were flushed for a reason he had never seen before on her face, and one he was excited to see many more times. She was short of breath and glassy eyed.
“What is all the noise about?” Mrs. Smith called, trailing behind Betsy.
“They have accepted my manuscript, Mrs. Smith! I am to be a published author,” he explained, scooping her up in his arms and spinning her around.
“Me too, Uncle John,” Betsy requested, tugging on his jacket hem.
Lord John obliged and spun her around twice as fast as either of the ladies.
“I must tell you all the details, and I have a great deal of paperwork to pass on to you,” Miss Thatcher explained as the gathering finally seemed to calm down.
“Come, let’s retire to the parlour, and there you can tell me everything while Betsy plays with her dolls,” Lord John suggested.
***
An hour later, Miss Thatcher finished telling all that she had to say and laid all the paperwork before Lord John.
“He really said that he thought my book might become a bestseller? Perhaps that is something he says to any new author he takes on.”
“I don’t think so,” Miss Thatcher replied. “He even insisted we draw up two contracts for me to sign.”
She spread the papers out, separating them in two piles.
“He would have liked me to sign one of them right there, but I insisted I needed time to think over my options.”
Lord John began to read over the two types of contracts. She had been right to wait until she got home to sign one or the other. Though by her explanation, it seemed pretty straightforward, he liked that he could look over the agreements first himself before advising her which one was best for his future career.
As Lord John and Miss Thatcher had practised before the meeting, Bridget had explained to the agent that she would have the funds necessary to commission the publishing of the book herself. All she needed from him was a contract stating he would be willing to market the book.
Since she would be fronting the cost, she would receive