Captain Jones's Temptation - Audrey Harrison Page 0,65

any other man had ever done.

Being the head of a school did not mean that she led the life of a recluse. Sidmouth might have been small, but it had a busy social scene for the members of society who resided there all year round. Their numbers were increased during the summer months by those who wished to spend some time by the sea at an elegant seaside town but did not have the funds for a spell in the more popular places like Brighton.

There had been acquaintances who had wanted to become more, but Esther had never felt anything beyond pleasant friendship towards any of them. There had been two proposals made when her uncle was still alive, but her uncle had not encouraged their suits once he had sought the opinion of his niece.

It seemed ironic that when at last she had met the man whom she could see herself being happy with, her personal life had imploded to such an extent that he would never wish to connect himself to her. She had heard his reaction at her words. That there had only been an intake of breath was a reflection of his gentlemanly training. He could have walked out at that moment and never looked back. Some men would certainly have done so.

It was to his credit that he had not, but now she had to take control of her future for what it was and put thought of what could have been behind her.

Walking into the dining room, she smiled shyly at Samuel, who was already seated. He stood as she entered.

“Miss Hardy, how are you feeling this morning?”

“I promise there will be no further displays of hysterics, so you can relax,” Esther said.

Samuel sat down, his legs crossing at the ankles. “I am glad to see it. I was so disappointed to find out you were such a watering pot.”

“As was I.” Esther was not offended in the slightest at his words. She actually appreciated the way he was dealing with the uncomfortable situation of meeting after such an emotional day.

“And what are your plans now, Miss Hardy? Are you going to make your grandmother homeless?”

“No. I never want to speak to her again – that is something of which I am sure,” Esther replied. “But I am not a malicious person. If I took away the house, I would be making her destitute, and I cannot be so cruel.”

“You are more magnanimous than most. She authorised your ruination when you were but a child. That alone would condemn her in my eyes.”

“Yes. You are right, and that is the part I can never forgive her for. My mother has to hold some of the blame, although she paid heavily for initially agreeing with Sophie’s scheme,” Esther said. She had spent a lot of the night tossing and turning, trying to make things clear in her own mind. It was the only way she could put the whole situation behind her. “I do have to acknowledge that by writing to my uncle, she saved me from a life of goodness knows what.”

“And what are you going to do now?” Samuel was watching her closely. He had also been tossing and turning during the night, going over and over the implications of Esther’s birth and what she needed as a result.

“Continue as I have been, for as long as I can. It isn’t in Sophie’s interest to reveal my birth to anyone, so hopefully there will be some students who return to school after the holidays, and I shall just have to concentrate on teaching them. Perhaps it is fortuitous that I have three fewer teachers to pay. I shall concentrate on maintaining my respectability at all costs.”

“It’s very important to you, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“Being respectable.”

“Isn’t it to everyone? Without it, what am I? A spinster on the outside of society. A very lonely place to be.” Esther wondered why Samuel’s expression set, but he did not respond to her words. It was a few moments before he spoke.

“I think there is nothing else for me to do here. Unless you require my services further, I shall start my journey to London this morning.” The reality was that he was reeling from their conversation. He had never felt anything like what he did whenever he was with Esther, but he was not handling the feelings well and, as always, became defensive and backed away from an uncomfortable situation. It was how he dealt with his