Dolph could see Leah waiting at the window when the carriage pulled up outside the house, and relief flooded him. By the time the steps were down, she was outside, her shawl wrapped tightly around her.
Her amazing eyes widened when Dolph emerged from the carriage with Nicky still in his arms and the carriage rug around his shoulders. There had been no further unscheduled stops—for which Dolph was profoundly grateful—and Nicky had, in fact, fallen asleep. He now roused, his eyes drowsy as he looked around. Then he tensed, and wriggled, as he saw Leah.
‘Miss Thame! I puked over Papa!’ He wriggled harder, and Dolph gave up trying to hold him, putting him down on the ground.
‘Oh, no. Poor Papa.’
Her eyes danced with amusement, the low-lying winter sun catching them and making them sparkle like the sea on a bright day. Dolph’s pulse kicked, and his heart jolted in his chest. Desperate to disguise his reaction and determined to stick to his vow to allow no repeat of last night’s intimacy, Dolph raised one eyebrow in the aristocratic manner he had learned would repress all but the most insensitive individual. Leah bit her lip, but the sparkle of amusement remained in her gaze and Dolph realised how good it felt to be teased, and how nice it was to see Leah in such a light-hearted mood. He recalled her mission today and he hoped her visit to Miss Strong would mean no more sleepless nights.
‘I came out to find out if your trip had been a success,’ Leah went on. She nodded towards the two ponies tethered to the rear of the carriage. ‘I can see it was.’
‘Come on, Miss Thame.’ Stevie grabbed the governess’s hand and pulled her towards the ponies. ‘The bay one is mine. He is bigger than Nicky’s ’cause I am the biggest.’
‘He is very handsome, Stevie. What is his name?’
‘He is actually a she,’ said Dolph as he joined them. ‘And she is called Dolly.’ He caught Steven’s grimace at the name. Dolph sympathised—it was not a name for a budding knight’s charger. ‘But she will not mind if you change it to a more appropriate name, I am sure, Stevie.’
‘I want to change my pony’s name too.’ Nicky pushed his way between his brother and Miss Thame and pointed at his pony, a grey. ‘She is called Prudence. It’s a silly name.’
‘Well, I agree,’ said Leah. ‘No self-respecting young man would want to ride a pony called Prudence.’
‘What would you like to call them, boys?’ Dolph asked. ‘You can choose.’
‘Ummmmmm.’ The two boys looked at one another, clearly bereft of ideas.
‘There is no hurry,’ Leah said. ‘It is cold out here, and you do not want your ponies to catch a chill now they have stopped moving. Why not let Frinton get them all warm in their stalls with some nice hay to eat, and we can go indoors to think of suitable names?’
She glanced back at the house, and for a split second, Dolph swore her smile slipped to reveal an expression of misery, but when she looked back at them, she was again all smiles.
‘Wolf is waiting inside, full of excitement now you’re all home—I had to leave him inside in case he frightened the ponies.’
Dolph couldn’t remember her being this talkative. Ever. Either confiding in Miss Strong had lifted an intolerable burden from Leah’s shoulders, or she was hiding something.
‘When I arrived home,’ she carried on, ‘poor Wolf was full of sulks and wouldn’t talk to me because we all went out without him. He’s forgotten his bad mood now, however, and is bounding around full of excitement, as I said. A bit like the boys before you set off.’
Dolph grimaced, pushing to the back of his mind his uneasiness at the thought of more secrets in his household. ‘Don’t remind me.’
‘Come along, boys. Inside the house now, please.’
Miss Thame shepherded Stevie and Nicky towards the front. Dolph watched them go until a nudge from George grabbed his attention.
‘Quite the touching family scene, old fellow. If someone was to offer me odds, I’d confidently wager you will end up in the luscious Miss Thame’s arms before very long. I trust you appreciated my timely withdrawal last night so you could spend a little time alone together?’
‘George.’ Dolph forced his words through gritted teeth. ‘If you wish to be throttled, you are going the right way about it. So, if you care anything for your health, you will not say another word on that particular subject. It is all in your imagination. Miss Thame is a valued member of my staff. She is a respectable woman and has done nothing to deserve you speaking of her with such disrespect.’
George grinned. ‘Of course she is, Dolph. I offer you my unreserved apology.’
Dolph stalked ahead of his friend into the house, not trusting himself to say another word.
Leah took the three children down to the drawing room to say goodnight to Dolph that night, only to find George was present—a blatant departure from the norm and, she soon realised, a deliberate ploy on Dolph’s part. He’d clearly meant what he said the previous evening: he would risk nothing that might result in the boys losing their beloved governess. There was no opportunity to request a private interview and, if she was honest, she was grateful to put off the moment she dreaded until later.
George dominated the conversation all through dinner that evening, as usual. When the time came for Leah to withdraw, both gentlemen rose as she did.
‘Will you play for us later, Miss Thame?’ George asked.
Leah caught the expression of dismay that flashed across Dolph’s features and—even though she knew he had forsworn marriage and that, even had he not, he would not marry his own governess, no matter how attracted he might be to her—it still felt as though a dagger had pierced her heart.
Stupid, stupid woman. Will I never learn?
It seemed no amount of brutal home truths was enough to fully destroy her foolish daydreams or her pathetic hope he might experience some kind of epiphany and realise he loved her, and not his dead wife, after all.
‘My apologies, sir, but I have the beginnings of the headache and I intend to retire now. I bid you goodnight, gentlemen.’
‘I hope you will feel better after a good night’s sleep,’ Hinckley said.
Dolph inclined his head, with a brief ‘Goodnight, Miss Thame,’ before sitting again and gesturing at Palmer to pour the port.
As she climbed the stairs, Leah knew she must find the opportunity tomorrow to speak privately to Dolph, to tell him she was resigning her post. She would then tell the boys, and she would leave just as soon as she could.
The worry about how she would tell Steven and Nicholas kept her awake long into the night, but she refused to fret over what she would say to Dolph. He had made his position clear, and she would not waste her time wallowing in self-pity. She had an exciting change ahead of her and she would be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity fate had thrust in her path.
If she told herself enough times, she might begin to believe it.
The next day—the first day of March—dawned with dark clouds massing on the horizon, and by mid-afternoon, the rain was sheeting down. It was clear to Leah that Dolph was taking even more stringent steps than ever to avoid being alone with her. He visited the schoolroom as normal in the afternoon, taking care to concentrate wholly on the boys and their work. Leah was unsurprised, but it still hurt every time he avoided meeting her eyes and every time she recognised the small manoeuvres with which he ensured they could not exchange so much as a private word. She was still determined to speak to him today about her resignation, however, even if it meant writing to him to demand an appointment. She was relieved when, after his usual half-hour, Dolph stood up—his signal it was time for him to go.
‘I must attend to estate matters,’ he said, ‘but before I leave, I wondered if you boys had thought about names for your ponies yet? It is raining today, but if tomorrow is dry, I thought we might ride out, with me and Lord Hinckley leading you. Would you enjoy that?’
‘Yes, please, Papa,’ said Stevie, while Nicky beamed.
‘Excellent,’ said Dolph. ‘So, have you chosen names?’
Leah held her tongue. She had discussed suitable names with the boys and suggested maybe the names of birds might be appropriate. Nicky, up to then, had been determined to call his grey mare Wellington, with Stevie favouring Apollo for his bay.
‘I have chosen mine,’ said Stevie. ‘I shall call her Falcon.’ He beamed at Leah, and she nodded approvingly.
‘That is a good name, Stevie,’ she said, ‘for some falcons are indeed females, are they not, Lord Dolphinstone?’
He shot her a hard look upon her use of his title. She mentally shrugged. Why should she care? She was leaving. Soon.
‘They are, and I agree. It is a good name for your pony, Stevie. Have you decided on a name, Nicky?’
‘Swift.’ Nicky bounced off his stool. ‘Swifts are faster than an arrow, aren’t they, Papa?’
‘Indeed, Nicky. And falcons are extremely fast as well. I shall have to hope my horse can keep up with two such speedy ponies.’ He nodded to Leah. ‘Thank you, Miss Thame. I shall attend lessons at the same time tomorrow, following which I shall take the boys out on their ponies if it is not raining.’
‘Hurrah!’ Stevie, too, jumped to his feet.
‘Now settle down again, boys. Miss Thame has not yet dismissed you, and if I hear you have not paid attention after I leave, I may have to rethink our ride.’
Both boys subsided and, after the door closed behind Dolph, they bent their heads obediently to their schoolwork until three o’clock, when Leah decided they had been patient for long enough.
‘That’s it, boys. Lessons are over. Would you like to play with your soldiers?’
She did not really expect them to agree—with no opportunity for a walk today, they would be itching to be more active.
‘May we play hide-and-seek? Pleeeease, Miss Thame.’
Nicky stared up at Leah with a beseeching look she could not resist.
‘Stevie? What about you?’
‘Hide-and-seek, miss.’
Leah could not refuse. How many more days would she have to play with them? She must make the most of the time they had left together. Their little faces blurred as the reality of saying goodbye to them hit her again, and she turned away to straighten the items on her already tidy desk.
‘Of course we can play hide-and-seek,’ she said. ‘Shall you boys go and hide first? But, I warn you, do not venture near your father’s study, for he is busy and will not wish to be disturbed.’
Dolph put down the letter he was reading as George wandered into his study with Wolf at his heels. He stifled a sigh.
He had so much to do—correspondence to catch up on and various reports on the state of his tenanted farmsteads—but, somehow, he had achieved virtually nothing since leaving the schoolroom. His thoughts kept wandering away from business matters and onto Leah. Her calm acceptance of his attempts to avoid any private talk had needled him, even though he knew it was the only solution. His body, however, paid no heed to his logic. It was a dilemma. One he was uncertain how to resolve, other than to seek out a lonely widow and reach a mutual arrangement, sordid as that sounded.
Dolph knew his friend would only interrupt him for a good reason and so, rather than resenting the intrusion, he welcomed it, telling himself George could be the very distraction he needed to keep his thoughts from Leah.
‘What can I do for you, George?’
‘Is that claret in that decanter, Dolph? I’ve just returned from the village and I’m awash with tea. Need something to bolster my spirits and you might find yourself in need of fortification as well, when you hear what I’ve got to tell you.’
His curiosity piqued, Dolph poured two glasses of the rich red wine and crossed to the pair of green leather wingback chairs flanking the hearth. Wolf sat by his chair, leaning against his lower leg.
‘That sounds ominous.’ Dolph frowned. ‘Is this about Miss Strong?’ Had George compromised her? That would create a tangle of worms, for certain.
‘Yes. No. Well, it only concerns her in that she let something slip she was not meant to tell me.’
Dolph raised his brows and fondled Wolf’s ears as he waited for George to continue.
‘It would appear, old chap, that you are about to lose the services of Miss Thame.’