Mr. Gardiner and the Governess - Sally Britton Page 0,19
went beyond polite interest. She had been as thrilled with the subjects under discussion as he, despite her reluctance to share her drawings.
A meeting of the minds had nearly occurred. Rupert knew it. But he had bungled things, somehow. Perhaps if he fixed them, if he only explained to Miss Sharpe, he would see that glimmer again.
Chapter 7
Morning lessons included penmanship, French, mathematics for Lord James, and reviewing household accounting books for the young ladies. The general subjects kept Alice on her toes, walking from one of her students to the others, while all three sat around a table in the schoolroom.
Their mother, an amateur architect, had also assigned the children to study Greek designs. None of the three shared their mother’s passion. In fact, when Alice had suggested they each pick a topic of study that appealed to them, their choices had quite surprised her.
Lady Isabelle had asked about the study of religion, a curious subject for a girl of fourteen. Lady Rosalind showed an interest in studying the Dutch masters, as her family possessed two Van Dyke paintings. That left Lord James to claim he wanted to build a functioning, miniature catapult. For the sake of sounding more academic than not, Alice termed his studies historical engineering.
After they accomplished studying the general subjects, and before tea, Alice settled in her favorite chair while the children sat at a table near her. They were each absorbed in books regarding their subject, with even Lord James reading about medieval sieges in an English history book.
A quarter of an hour passed before the knock on the door disturbed the silence. Alice checked her watch. Miss Arlen had arrived early.
She rose and went to the door to speak with the lady’s companion, to beg of her to return in half an hour, but when she peeped out of the doorway her eyes met a cleft chin.
As Alice lifted her gaze upward, a flush of heat seared her cheeks. “Mr. Gardiner.” At least she had not squeaked his name.
His charming smile answered her less than polite greeting. “Miss Sharpe. Might I have a word with you?”
Alice looked over her shoulder to see three sets of youthful eyes upon her. Her charges wore varying expressions of curiosity. She looked back to Mr. Gardiner. “I ought to attend to my charges, sir.”
His gaze was direct, a gleam in his eye, and he stood back from the door with squared shoulders. “This will only take a moment of your time, and it is regarding the duke’s business.”
She could hardly close the door on him if he invoked the duke. Though she hesitated another moment, Alice nodded her head in agreement. “Very well.” She stepped out of the door and closed it, leaving the children to their curiosity. She folded her hands over one another and attempted to appear as confident as he did.
Mr. Gardiner tilted his head slightly to the side. “I find I must apologize to you again, Miss Sharpe. In the garden the other day, when we spoke, I did not mean to offer you any slight.”
“You explained that once already, Mr. Gardiner.” Alice lowered her gaze to the hall carpet, which featured vines twisting and turning upon themselves. She rather felt like her insides must look as the design on the carpet did. But why? He was only a man, a guest in the duke’s house. Mr. Gardiner ought not to make her feel so...so strange.
He shifted forward and bent so he could peer up into her face, startling her. “And yet you left with such haste that I knew you were fleeing my company.”
Alice’s eyes narrowed as she backed up a step. “If this is why you have disturbed my time with the children—”
“It isn’t. Not entirely.” He offered what he likely thought a charming grin. While Alice readily admitted he was attractive, she squelched any desire to give in to him merely due to his looks.
“Well then.” She lifted her chin, glaring at him through the lenses of her spectacles. “You invoked His Grace a moment ago. What might I do for the duke?”
His wide grin diminished into a bemused frown. “The project—my catalog of insects and flora in the duke’s gardens—that is the business I meant.”
Alice suppressed a sigh, reminding herself to be patient. This man was the duke’s guest. She could not simply dismiss him for bringing up the subject. “As I said, sir, I have enough work to do for the duke and duchess through tutoring their children.