Page 49 of The Governess and the Brooding Duke
‘I would agree with you. I do not think that she was committed in the way she ought to have been.’
‘Your pay will be increased as long as you are caring for the child.’
She shook her head. ‘That is not necessary, Your Grace.’
‘It is necessary,’ he said. ‘You were to care for the babe in emergency events only. And now it falls to you to see to the child in an official capacity.’
‘I feel for him. I feel for him because he is alone in this world. And if I can bring a small measure of comfort to him, then I will.’
‘Do you like to read?’ He gestured to the book in his hand, to the shelves behind him.
‘Yes, Your Grace.’
‘You are permitted to make use of the library.’
‘Thank you, Your Grace.’
He had never hated an honorific more than he did in this moment. Because it made him want what he could not have. And it could be so sweet, if she said it while on her knees...
‘You’re very welcome.’
‘There is something that I must ask you.’
‘Which is?’
‘I wish to teach the children about procreation.’
He could not have been more shocked had she set a wild stoat free in the study.
His mind was cast back to his own introduction to the topic. Which had included a harlot in his room when he was fifteen. His father had thought it funny. He had felt wildly out of control.
It was one of the first moments when he had realised that he had to seek control at all costs.
And no shock that when he was a man, when he chose his sexual encounters for himself, he ensured his own control.
‘And why do you wish to teach them this?’
‘Because their mother died in childbirth, and they find it frightening and confusing. Your daughter will enter the ballroom in four short years. It is unfathomably soon, I know. She will be looking for a husband, and should she not have some knowledge to go with that? Your son will likely receive an education. When he is old enough to go away to school, then he will likely find his way with his friends. It is different for boys. It is different for men.’
‘That is irregular.’
‘It is. I don’t believe that it should be. I believe that it should be taught. Clinically and scientifically. That is all I’m asking.’
‘Because of the death of their mother you find it to be of particular importance?’
She nodded. ‘Yes. My mother had thirteen children.’ He frowned. ‘And I saw her give birth. It was frightening because I didn’t understand what was happening. But once I did understand, I could make sense of it. It is simply part of life. Of the world. What I want, all that I want, is to make the children better prepared. And to help them begin to heal from what has happened. And I have always believed that education is the key to such things.’
‘And books made you think of this?’
‘Well. Yes. I’m hardly going to be speaking from experience. I will be referring to scientific texts.’
‘You will find no such texts here. Anything that I have on the topic is less...scientific.’
He should not have said that. It was an inappropriate bridge too far. She took a sharp breath.
She looked past him, her eyes trained on the shelves past his shoulder. ‘I prefer novels.’
‘There are certainly novels that contain such things.’
