How to Claim a Governess’s Heart - Bridget Barton Page 0,89

resting across its back.

The maid must have just brought in some tea for the three of them as the dowager duchess had her arm raised as if to pour the first cup. She only hesitated for a moment before setting the pot back down.

“Is it usual for your governess to burst into rooms they are not invited to,” the duchess huffed.

“I asked the maid to find her. I want Miss Thatcher to be here for this as well,” Lord John explained. “Though that was quite fast,” he added as an afterthought.

“I was not summoned,” Bridget explained quickly. “I was looking for you. I was hoping to...Perhaps I should find Mary and let her know that she doesn’t need to look for me anymore,” Bridget said.

“No, I’m sure she will work it out,” Lord John waved off. “It’s not like it’s a large house. I guess it was just good fortune that I was looking for you when you were looking for me,” Lord John said with a big smile.

Instantly sensing that Bridget was nervous, his lips dropped from their smile, and his brow furrowed in worry. Bridget watched his eyes go from his family to her as if asking if they were the cause of her discomfort.

She shook her head slightly. She wished she could find a way to silently tell him that she had a pressing matter that needed addressing right away and without the duke and dowager, but had no way to do so.

Instead, she pocketed the handkerchief that held the jewels next to the crumpled threatening letter. She would just have to wait until the duke and his mother left the house. Nothing had happened so far, surely a few more hours wouldn’t do any harm.

Bridget took a high-backed wooden chair and sat between Lord John and the duke. Offering to pour the tea for her, the duchess simply huffed in acceptance of her presence and waited impatiently for the drinks to be handed out.

“I know that our bet still has some time left on it,” Lord John started. “But, I have asked you both here because I want to announce something.”

Bridget watched Lord John as he spoke. She had thought he had every intention of waiting out the duration of the agreement between him and his brother. It seemed that he felt no need to wait any longer.

“I have my future to look to, and I see no reason delaying it a few more weeks,” he added, his bright blue eyes falling on Bridget.

“You can see here,” Lord John explained as he handed over a stack of papers to his brother, “that I have won. I have an agent willing and ready to publish my manuscript. In fact, he was very insistent in beginning the process as soon as could be managed.”

“I don’t understand. This is a contract for a woman. Who is this Constance? Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I wouldn’t even read the name addressed on the paper,” the duke scoffed.

“Constance Brown is the name I used to submit the book to the publishing agents.”

“Why would you do such a strange thing?” his mother asked.

She had a look that suggested she feared the answer would not be in line with her standards.

“I had no choice, Mother. See, though your son claims to be a man of his word, he, in fact, is not. He ensured that no publishing house would see me so that I would have no chance to publish my book.”

“I did not go against my word!” the duke bellowed, coming to a stand.

The papers fluttered to the ground like feathers falling out of the sky. Bridget watched them scatter all over the carpet. Kneeling down, she silently began to pick them up.

“This whole thing has been ridiculous,” the dowager spoke with a high-pitched squeak. “You know your father wanted you to join the military. It would be the right thing to do. You had your fun here,” the duchess waved around the room. “There is no more sense to this fighting,” she continued, hoping to dispel the enmity between the brothers.

“No! I want him to take it back! I did not go against my word. At no time did I agree not to meet with the publishers myself,” the duke pointed a hard finger at Lord John.

Lord John stood too.

“Perhaps you didn’t go against your word, but you know very well what you did was dishonourable. You paid off every single man in the industry to