Page 16 of Duchess By Condition
“Well, it isn’t like that with the duke,” Lady Violet said. “You may callmeby my first name—you and I can simply be Noah and Violet to one another. As a matter of fact, I agree with my aunt—I think I would like that.” She smiled at him. “But the duke will want to be shown proper respect.”
“Now, that’s not necessarily true,” Jonathan spoke up. It was mostly out of amusement at the opportunity to thwart her that he did, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a small scowl, though no words were forthcoming. “I think young Noah’s idea is a fine one,” he went on with a smile. “We should all call one another by our first names. Noah, you may call me Jonathan.”
“I didn’t know that was your name,” Noah said frankly.
“I can’t think of any reason why you should have,” Jonathan said. “But you know now.” He paused, and, seeing an opportunity to vex Lady Violet further, carried on. “You know, I want to apologize to you for yesterday,” he said. “After some personal reflection and private thought, I came to the conclusion that I was a bit cold with you when I spoke to you in the library.”
Lady Violet’s head jerked up in obvious frustration at the suggestion that it had been all his own idea to reflect on his words of yesterday. But Noah was beaming in response, so what could she say? She couldn’t intervene and tell the boy that wasn’t what had truly happened—not now that he and Jonathan were actually showing signs of getting along. She would have to choose between seeing their relationship flourish and getting credit for her words, even if it meant sabotaging them.
Her choice was no great surprise to Jonathan, but he did notice with some satisfaction how tightly she gripped her fork as she returned to her breakfast. He had been successful in getting under her skin, and sure enough, there was the fiery woman he had gotten to meet yesterday. This being the breakfast table, she kept herself composed, and that was equally enjoyable to watch. It was like seeing a fire that stayed contained, not spreading or catching anything around it. Hot and powerful, dangerous…but controlled.
“It’s all right,” Noah said slowly. “I didn’t really mind. You surprised me.”
“When I said that I would get you a governess?”
“Yes,” the boy conceded.
“Is it that you don’t want one?”
“No, it isn’t that,” he said. “I just wasn’t really expecting it. I still don’t know what to think. There have been…a lot of new people lately.” He looked down at his plate.
“Ah,” Jonathan said. “And you’re a bit worried about adding a new one to the mix? Is that right?”
Noah nodded.
“Well, I have good news for you,” Jonathan said. “At least, I hope you will think this is good news.” He smiled at the boy. “Youmust have a governess—you have no choice in that matter, I’m afraid. But as for who it is, I happen to care a great deal about your opinion. I want to find someone you like, someone you will feel at ease with. Now, I’ve taken the liberty of hiring someone, and she’ll be here next week to meet you and begin teaching you. We’ll have her work on reading, as well as any other gaps in your education. These things are nothing to be ashamed of, you must understand, but a young man of London society must have certain abilities, and the ability to read is one of them. It’s simply something you are going to have to learn.”
Noah nodded. “I can do it,” he said.
“I have no doubt that you can. However, if the governess I’ve selected doesn’t meet with your approval, then I want you to tell me at once,” Jonathan said. “What we really want to do is to find someone that you are happy to work with. If my first choice is not the right match, that’s all right. You just let me know, and you and I will take it from there.”
“You’ll really allow me to say no if I don’t like the person?” Noah asked.
“As long as you promise me that you will give her a fair try,” Jonathan said evenly. “If you give her a chance and she isn’t right for you, then yes, I will dismiss her. But if I can tell that you arenotgiving her a hand, and that you are just saying no in order to be stubborn, I won’t have much patience with that. You’re not a little child. You’re old enough not to behave that way. Right?”
“Right,” Noah said firmly. “I won’t do that. I will give her a fair chance.”
“Good, then,” Jonathan said. “I’ll be going into town today to get the supplies you need.”
“What supplies do I need?”
“Books, mostly.”
“This house is full of books,” Violet spoke up at last.
“Yes,” Jonathan said. “But they aren’t the sort of primers a young man needs to learn to read. He can tackle the more difficult books when he is ready, of course, but until that day comes, it will be best for him to start with something very easy. I’ll find some good things that meet that description.”
“Will the books be very dull?” Noah asked with a frown.
“Some books that are easy for beginning readers to read might be dull,” Jonathan said. “But dull books are rather awful, aren't they? You should have some that interest you, so I’ll look for some things that seem interesting.”
“Do you think you could find something about animals?” Noah asked eagerly.
“About animals?” Jonathan frowned. “I don’t see why not. There must be plenty of animal books. Are there any in particular that interest you?”
“Bears,” Noah said firmly. “Bears and crocodiles are the most interesting animals. I would learn to read very quickly if I was reading about them.”
“Big things with a lot of teeth.” Jonathan smiled. “That sounds just about right. I liked similar topics when I was your age, Noah. In fact, I still do. I might have to look through these new books myself. Maybe I’ll learn something.”
