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There was no bellow. No thunderous roar. Just the quiet demand that would cause anyone to shudder from the sheer tone alone. It held enough force for Lady Lockhart to flinch in the open doorway and for the younger siblings to quiet in their seats. The children’s eyes widened as their glances darted toward Grace. The girls’ eyes filled with tears while guilt settled over the lads’ features.
Grace gulped and then smiled at the children. She wanted to send a message of reassurance to them before she answered the marquess’s demand. Grace hoped her gentle smile conveyed how she held no fear at the lecture she would receive once she stepped through the double-wide doors.
She rose from the chair and smoothed her damp palms along her skirt. Then she threw her shoulders back and walked toward her impending doom. However, she would not slip away quietly. Grace would defend herself to the end.
Once she reached the doorway, Lady Lockhart gathered Grace’s hands into her own and squeezed them in support. “I know it will be difficult, my dear, but try to hold your tongue. My son is a bit riled by today’s activities. I will see to the children.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Please come to my chambers after you finish with my son.”
Grace hesitated before taking a step inside the daunting study. Had her fate already been determined? Would Lord Lockhart not give her a chance to explain her actions? Lady Lockhart’s request sounded like a farewell. Why else would she request an audience after Grace’s reprimand if she were not to be dismissed?
When Grace raised her head and met the condescending glare from Lord Lockhart, she gathered her resolve and entered the study.
“Please close the doors behind you,” Lockhart commanded.
“No!” Finlay and Hugh shouted, rushing forward. “’Twas our fault.”
“Boys, follow your younger siblings abovestairs,” Lady Lockhart spoke softly as she pulled them back and closed the doors.
“Take a seat, Miss Penrose.”
With what remaining dignity she held, Grace glided toward a chair and settled with as much grace as only one could while covered in mud.
Seconds ticked by in silence that soon turned into minutes. Lockhart had yet to voice his disappointment in Grace’s ability to keep the children from trouble or her involvement in today’s shenanigans. However, the intensity of his displeasure settled in her gut as he stood behind her.
Lockhart had to give Grace credit for her bravery, even while holding the appearance of a drowned rat. He had never met a lady who carried herself with such dignity the way Grace Penrose had. Even though she had been born into a life of servitude, she carried more finesse than the ladies of the nobility. The only attribute of her downfall was her inability to bend from her stubbornness.
His silence wasn’t to intimidate Grace so she would shake in fear but because he attempted to control his body from the lust he wished to slake. The sight before him flared his every desire for the miss to the surface, urging him to gather her in his arms and kiss her senseless.
Grace’s hair had fallen loose from her uptight bun and lay in a drenching mess around her shoulders from the rain. Her mud-splattered dress should bring forth a sneer of disgust at how she had ruined his carpets and furniture. However, it distracted him by how the wet fabric molded to her frame. Her lack of a corset displayed the fullness of her breasts and how her nipples tightened beneath her chemise.
He only prayed Grace stayed facing forward because he needed to regain what remained of his control. If not, then he didn’t know how he would explain himself. While he believed Grace still held her innocent virtue, she wasn’t naïve as not to understand the nature of a man’s wayward thoughts.
His reaction all but confirmed his decision of her immediate dismissal, before he foolishly reacted to the looming desire simmering between them that would tear Grace’s reputation to shreds. The poor lass already had to endure false rumors of her character. He refused to be the reason they held any truth. Lockhart cleared his throat, and Grace stiffened. He needed to finish this discussion sooner rather than later.
“How do you explain your actions, Miss Penrose?” Lockhart asked as he strolled around the desk.
Lockhart held the ability to make Grace feel like she was a child again under the disapproval of her parent. However, the feelings he evoked within her were not parental in the slightest. As when she was younger, she crossed her fingers clasped on her lap. She hoped her explanation would appease Lockhart enough to save her position in his household.
“I apologize for my actions today. By allowing the children a bit of fun, the situation swiftly escalated beyond my control. I take full responsibility for the mishap.”
Grace refused to blame any of the children, even if Finlay and Hugh had instigated the muddy debacle. She had allowed it to continue instead of disciplining the children. Also, she partook in the fun once a mud ball smacked her in the chest. The children’s joyous laughter at her startlement provoked her to seek revenge and lob off a few of her own. Once the rain fell, they rushed to the manor, only for the game to resume in the garden. It came to a halting end when one child aimed a mud ball at Lady Fyfe while she boarded her carriage. The lady’s screeches still echoed in Grace’s ears.
To make matters worse, Lockhart had been assisting Lady Fyfe into the carriage. So to say he escaped untarnished from the incident would be false. He stood before her wearing the remnants of an afternoon of fun that had taken a turn for the worse.
Lockhart had never changed his clothing once he ordered them inside. His rumpled appearance only emphasized his rugged features to perfection. How a lord who dressed so immaculately could also hold the look of a warrior was a mystery. Grace only knew it flared her desires into an uncontrollable need. She pictured him bare-chested, wearing nothing but a kilt and brandishing a sword as he fought to protect his family.
Her imagination ran wild with that image. His broad chest glistened with sweat while his muscular thighs gripped the horse’s flank as he galloped across the countryside. With his arm clasped around her waist as he held her close in front of him. His soft whispers caressed her ear as he spirited them away. Grace released a soft sigh at her fantasy.
“Miss Penrose? Grace!”
His growl of her Christian name shook Grace from her musings. The flame of a blush spread across her cheeks. Mortification settled over her at becoming lost in her fantasy in front of the man himself. She only prayed he held no inkling of the path of her thoughts.
Grace cleared her throat. “Yes, Lord Lockhart?”
“I asked you to explain why you took the children away from their studies this afternoon?”
“We finished with our lessons early. Finlay and Hugh approached me, suggesting a walk to the pond because they wanted to visit with their brother and sisters. I thought it would be a delightful treat for the children. Also, I brought along a book to read to them,” Grace explained.
Lockhart quirked an eyebrow. “And how did the reading go?”
Grace straightened in the chair. “It went very well. The children rested after the walk while I read to them. You should be very proud of Finlay and Hugh. They are exemplary gentlemen in the making.”
Lockhart scoffed. “My younger brothers are many things, but gentlemen they are not.”
Grace frowned. “You hold a poor opinion of them.”
Lockhart gripped the chair at Grace’s displeasure. Why he cared about her opinion confused him. She was but a servant in his household and how she viewed him should not matter. Yet he wished to redeem himself in her eyes. She viewed him as a tyrannical dictator over his sibling’s upbringing. But what she didn’t understand was the reasons behind the strict structure he enforced.
If he didn’t set the guidelines for their education and decorum, they would run amok, causing chaos wherever they went. Which was the very reason Finlay and Hugh had returned home from school. Without his guidance, they’d gotten themselves expelled from yet another school.
“Did my well-mannered brothers happen to inform you about the reason for their visit home?” Lockhart asked.
“Because they had a break in their schedule.”
Lockhart’s lips twisted at their excuse. “Did their return not seem odd considering the term had only just begun?” He paused. “But then you would be unfamiliar with term breaks considering how you gained your education.”
Grace flinched in her seat at his insult. He hardened his reaction to his cruelty. It was necessary to make his point at dismissing her services. If he humiliated her to where it lessened the blow, then he would continue. Once he dismissed her, Grace would be too furious and hurt to want to stay in his household.
Grace remained quiet at his cruel affront. Her fingernails dug into her hands as she tightened them into fists. She tried to follow Lady Lockhart’s advice, but each sneer from Lockhart made it more difficult to stay silent. His superior attitude wiped away any fantasy she held about him. Now she saw him for the pompous jackass he truly was, something she must remember whenever her thoughts swayed her otherwise.
“Finlay and Hugh are not home on a break. They are home because their schoolmaster expelled them due to their inability to remain exemplary youth. Like today, their mischievous acts landed them in trouble, and they couldn’t charm their way out of it.”
“Oh, I did not know.”
Lockhart moved to lean against the front of his desk. He enjoyed how flustered Grace became while in tight proximity. He didn’t move closer because of how her floral scent soothed his irritation or how her cheeks turned pink with the warmest of blushes. Nor was it because his body ached to be near her. It was only to intimidate her.
“Of course you wouldn’t know. Why would a governess I employ be aware of a personal family matter that does not concern her?”
Grace bit her tongue to keep an unladylike comment from slipping forth. “There is no reason.”
Lockhart nodded. “Since my brothers have shown how incapable they are at behaving at school, I have decided to educate them at home.”
Grace smiled, Lockhart’s cruelty forgotten at the chance to include Finlay and Hugh in the education curriculum she developed for the younger children. Already, fresh ideas filled her thoughts with how she would intertwine their studies.
She leaned forward in the chair, closing the distance between them. “An excellent idea. It shall be no trouble to implement their studies with the other children’s education.”
She was a damn distraction with how her eyes lit with enthusiasm at the challenge of educating all of his siblings. He only needed to lean over and brush his lips against hers to taste her excitement. To savor her sweetness. To act upon the attraction that pulled him closer. To forget about the rank that separated him from pursuing her and making her his.
Grace’s rank was the reason he had allowed his mother to invite Lady Fyfe and her daughter over for tea today. His need to marry became a necessity with the trouble his siblings kept engaging in. His mother had suggested he find a bride to help him care for the children. Her thoughts were that a lady with a gentle hand could help bring order to the chaos their lives entailed. Lockhart agreed because he hoped it would help end his fascination with their governess.
However, with his sibling’s actions today, he feared Lady Fyfe would refuse an invitation again. Not only had her daughter been pelted with a mud ball but they hit Lady Fyfe multiple times while he helped her into the carriage.
Which was for the best. Lady Fyfe’s daughter could never control his siblings with her soft-spoken demeanor. Her mother spoke over her and made her cower at the slightest subject. Also, he refused to marry a lady whose mother held an opinion on everything and would interject herself into their marriage. His own mother’s carefree way of life gave him more stress than he needed.
Then there was the matter of how timid the girl behaved around him. She would bore him to tears before the ceremony was even over. While he had no requirements for a wife, he at least wanted to enjoy her company. He wanted a marriage where they worked together to form an unbreakable union and a loving family. Lady Fyfe’s daughter was the perfect choice for a marchioness. She held all the characteristics to make him proud. Also, he could continue with his life as he pleased without dealing with her demands. Because she would never dare make any.
Unlike the lady before him. Grace Penrose would demand his very soul if he succumbed to the desires tempting him. He needed to dismiss her before she destroyed his sanity.
“An excellent point, Miss Penrose. And after considerable consideration, taking into account today’s incident, I will hire a tutor instead. Your services are no longer needed. The children will benefit from somebody more educated who will conduct themselves in a professional manner.”
“You cannot,” Grace blurted.
His resistance vanished. Lockhart leaned over, gripping the arms of the chair instead of Grace. “Miss Penrose, you are in no position to make any demands. I can and I will.”
“You must reconsider. You have my promise to follow your instructions going forth, and I will not deviate from them. My behavior today was gullible, believing the children were innocent of causing such mayhem. I will not allow such destruction to happen again,” Grace pleaded.
Grace fought to keep her tears from falling but failed. Lockhart’s intense behavior shattered what remained of her resolve. Ever since she arrived at Lockhart Manor, they had been in one constant battle, never agreeing on anything. She had pushed the limit of acceptable behavior with an employer by disagreeing with him on every aspect of what he required from his siblings. She took it upon herself to advocate for them. However, by playing alongside them today, she had placed herself in a vulnerable position.
Lockhart had every right to dismiss her. Her unprofessional behavior didn’t reflect well in an argument to retain her position. But she must attempt to convince him to change his decision. Her family depended on her assistance since her mother had fallen ill. She couldn’t return to England because of the scandal attached to her name. Since the false rumors had spread to Scotland, it would be difficult to find another position.
“We already know ‘tis impossible for you to follow the rules I set forth. Since the first day you arrived, you have defied every stipulation I placed for the children.” He leaned closer and swiped a tear from her cheek. “Save your tears, Miss Penrose. They shall not work on me.”
Grace gasped at his touch. His harsh words contradicted the soft gesture. Time stood still as Lockhart’s hand cupped her cheek, his thumb swiping away the tears that leaked from her eyes. His warm breath caressed her the closer he drew. Their lips were but a whisper apart when he tore himself away from her and stalked toward the windows, running his hands through his hair.
Lockhart muttered under his breath about the dangers of a vulnerable governess. He had been about to devour Grace’s lips when common sense returned. The sigh she released and the desire swirling in the depths of her eyes awoke him from acting foolishly. His behavior did not differ from the gentleman who had ruined Grace and her friends in England. If he acted on his needs, then the rumor would spark to life. And Grace didn’t deserve to be subjected to ruination because he couldn’t control himself when they were alone. He should have conducted this meeting with his mother present.
Grace shook herself from the spell Lockhart had locked her in with his gentle touch. He paced back and forth near the windows, muttering to himself. He had been about to kiss her when his gaze turned torturous and he pulled away. She brushed her fingers across her lips, wondering how his would have felt against hers. It did not matter how inappropriate it would’ve been. Nor did it matter how he had only dismissed her seconds before.
Now she had lost her chance to experience the exquisite act because she could never stay another moment longer in this home. Not without succumbing to the desire between them. After the moment they shared, it was only a matter of time before he would kiss her. And a kiss from Lord Lockhart would only lead to one inevitable outcome.
Heartache.