Sacked (To Love a Governess Regency Short) (7 page)

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Sunlight streamed through the window and Elizabeth rolled to her side so that it was no longer
 
in her eyes.
 
Her room was never sunny. Where was that light coming from?

As the fog of sleep lifted from her mind Elizabeth began to recall exactly where she was, and with whom!

She pulled the counterpane up to her chin and looked over her shoulder.
 
Jared lay on his back, arm over his head, snoring.
 
His chest was bare and visions from the night before came back to haunt her.
 

What had she done?

Elizabeth willed the panic away. She did exactly what she wanted and there was no point in being sorry now. Besides, now that her moment of panic had passed, she didn’t regret anything and was grateful it had happened.
 
Isn’t this what she had wanted, for months?
 
He was the one she thought about in her lonely bed, wondering what his kiss would be like, his touch, his skin. Now she knew in great detail, and so much more.
 
And, she would never forget.
 

It was also over.
 
She could never go back to teaching his nieces after what they had done. Even if he wished to put it behind then, she never could. How could she stand in his library, report on their progress and pretend he hadn’t made love to her, or made her cry out with pleasure.
 

Nor would she be his mistress. That was the only option after what she allowed him to do to her body.
 
She may no longer be a virgin, or marriageable, but she refused to become a kept woman.
 
Soon she would come into her inheritance and would be able to live quite comfortably on her own.
 

To make all this happen however, she needed to be away before he awoke.
 
She anticipated arguments from him on both points and if he looked at her with those blue eyes and cocked a smile, she knew she would agree to anything, and be sorry for it later. It was best to leave now.

Chapter 9

Jared woke to an empty bed. He stretched and reached for Elizabeth but her side of the bed was cold. Sitting up, he looked around the small room. It was empty of her, and her clothing.
 
Perhaps she had gone downstairs for a bite to eat. He wished she wouldn’t have. He would have been more than happy to have a tray delivered and then she would have never had to leave this warm bed.

He rolled out of bed and located his clothing on the opposite side on the floor and quickly dressed. There was a clean, unwrinkled set in the room he was supposed to have shared with John, but he didn’t think to grab it before he knocked on her door. There was also a bag with two days’ worth clothing the nurse had seen packed. “If you get snowed in, Miss Claywell will be glad to have something else to wear,” the woman had insisted.
 
Jared didn’t dare tell the nurse he planned to strip Miss Claywell naked and not let her dress again until it was time to leave. Instead, he took the bag. It was also in the room with John.

He scanned the common room for Elizabeth but she was not among the crowd. Doors to the private dining rooms were open, and filled. With so many people staying at the inn, nobody was allowed privacy to eat, unless they wished to return to their room.
 
And from the looks of the blankets and pillows stacked on a bench along the back wall, it appeared some patrons didn’t even have a room to hide in.

John was sitting at a small table at the back and Jared made was way to him and sat down in a vacant chair. “Have you seen Miss Claywell?”

“She left.”
 
John picked up his cup of coffee and drank.

“Left?”
 
The volume of his voice drew the attention of several people and he quickly lowered it. “Where did she go?”

John shrugged. “She just left.
 
Said something about Scotland.”

“Scotland?” Why . . .?
 
He stopped the question in mid-thought.
 
Elizabeth would not have explained to John why she was going to Scotland.

“She left this.” John slid a sealed piece of paper across the table.

Jared tore it open and read the contents.

Lord Fairfield,

I will never forget last night and hold it close as a dear memory.
 
Cleary it is not possible for me to continue on as your governess after what transpired between us.
 
Though you did not voice the words, or even if you are considering me for another position, and I don’t wish to be presumptuous, I will not be your mistress either.
 
Please have my things sent to Monique at her shop. She will see that they are delivered to me.
 

Fondly,

Miss Elizabeth Claywell.

Jared crumpled the note.
 
Governess? Mistress? Was the woman mad?
 
After last night it should be perfectly clear where she belonged in his life.

Cold dread slid down his spine. He had meant to tell her so many things last night, explain how he felt, ask her to be with him forever. But, he saw her in that damp robe and could think of nothing else besides bedding her.

Jared raked his fingers through his hair. He hadn’t even told her how much he loved her.

Where could she have gone? He stood to look out the window. Deep snow covered the roads and wind blew from the north.
 
She certainly didn’t attempt to walk back to the manor..

But, he looked up, directly across the street. A person could go to a dress shop.
 
Jared spun on his heal, marched out of the inn and across the street. He tried the handle on the door but it was locked.

Elizabeth had to be in here.

He pounded on the wood and yelled. “Elizabeth, I know you are in there. Monique, open this door right now.”

There was a scurry of feet from within the shop. A moment later he heard the latch click and Monique through open the door. “What do you want?”
 
She glared at him.

“Elizabeth, if you don’t mind.” He stormed around her and into the shop.

“I mind very much.” She slammed the door and stood to face him, hands on her hips.

“I don’t see that this is any of your concern.”

“You don’t?” Her eyebrows shot up. “You lied to me.”

“I most certainly did not.”

“Yes, you did.” She poked him in the chest and Jared had to keep backing up. She wielded that fingernail like a knife.
 
“When you escorted me across the road you led me to believe you were going to offer for her. Not make love to her without even telling her how you feel.”

“I m m m meant to.”
 
Jared fell into a chair and she towered over him.

“Why didn’t you?”
 

“Well, when I got to her room, well, she had just bathed, and, well, her robe was damp. . .”

Monique let out a loud sigh and rolled her eyes.
 
“Your brain stopped working but something else took over?”

His faced heated at the truth and he grew rather uncomfortable. Since when did grown gentlemen blush? Yet, Elizabeth and now Monique had both caused him to.
 
“I meant to tell her this morning, but she had already gone.”

“What did you wish to tell me?”

Jared’s head jerked up. Elizabeth stood in the doorway leading to the back of the building. She looked beautiful, lamplight casting a golden-red halo around her, just like in London.
 
He stood and approached.
 
Her face was deathly pale.
 
Did she have regrets? He dearly hoped not.
 
Jared drew close and took her hands in his.
 
Her skin was ice cold.
 
He rubbed the backs, attempted to bring warmth to her fingers.
 
She simply stood and stared at him.
 
She had asked him a question, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall.
 
Elizabeth seemed so fragile right now, her eyes studying him, lips drawn and all he wanted to do was hold her and protect her.

He moved, took her in his arms and rubbed her back, offering what comfort he could. No matter what had upset her, he would make it better.
 
He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go back to the inn.”

Everything else faded when she looked up at him, her full lips begging to be kissed. He lowered his mouth and brought hers to his.
 
At first she remained still. When his lips ran across the seam of hers, they parted and he plunged. Would he ever get enough of kissing her, touching her, making love to her?
 
He pulled her tight against his body.
 
Last night was just a sampling of what could be. He intended to show her more, now.

Something pulled at his jacket and Jared was jerked back rather forcefully and out of Elizabeth’s arms. He turned to see who would do such a thing and found Monique glaring at him again, arms crossed over her chest and he groaned. He still hadn’t told Elizabeth how he felt.

For months he had dreamed of holding her, kissing her and all manner of things and now that he had, all speech was robbed. He quit thinking because all he wanted to do was go backing to loving her.

“I now understand.”

“What?”

“Come here.” She grabbed his arm and shoved him into what he assumed was a fitting room.
 
A small raised dais was in the middle of the room, which he assumed the ladies stood on for hems and such.

“Stay there.” She pointed at him.
 
Monique was as fierce as any school master he ever encountered and Jared didn’t dare move.

The drapes to the room were yanked closed and a moment later he heard the sound of nails pounding into a wall. As the curtain grew taut he realized Monique was nailing him in this room.

“Let me out? What are you doing?”

“I will let you out when you have said what you need to say.”

“I promise to the moment I am out of here.”

“No, you won’t.” A thud hit the counter and he could only assume it was the hammer.
 
“The minute you lay eyes on Miss Claywell you cease thinking. Say what needs to be said and when you are done, I will let you out.”

Monique did have a point. He really couldn’t think straight looking at Elizabeth. He hoped that wasn’t the future or she would leave him for lack of conversation.

“Very well.” However, he did not want to expose his emotions with Monique listening as well. “Could you at least leave.”

He heard a bit of material rustling and then silence.

“She is gone,” Elizabeth spoke. “What did you want to tell me.”

“I love you.”

There was a gasp from the other side of the curtain. Oh, how he wished he could see her face and gauge her reactions. It was very hard to pour one’s heart out to a curtain.

“I think I have loved you for months.
 
Why else do you think I offered you the position of governess without experience?”

“You were desperate with five little girls to raise.”

“Why do you think I offered to marry you?”

“You didn’t. I saw the man.
 
He was very, very much older than you.
 
White hair, walked with cane, and lived as a recluse.”

Grandfather said he botched it.
 
Now Jared knew exactly how badly.
 
Maybe it wasn’t the idea of being married to him, which he feared until last night, but the idea of being married to a sixty-year-old man. He certainly couldn’t blame her.
 
“That was my grandfather. He was there on my behalf.”

“I did wonder why he would still have children to raise, and wanted a mother for them.”
 

Jared chuckled. “I never claimed to be a recluse.
 
I was tired of the matchmakers and desperate mothers.
 
With a wife I would be left alone.”

“You haven’t known me all that long.”

“I met you in London, but that wasn’t the first time.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I noticed you while visiting your uncle.
 
You weren’t even aware of my presence. I did pay attention to you however, and knew I wanted you for my wife.”

“Why not court me, or at least introduce yourself?”.

There was an edge to her tone. Could he really blame her for being angry? He didn’t exactly go about this in the right fashion. But on the other hand, she hadn’t given him much choice. “I was going to call on you and your uncle in the country but then my brother was killed,”

“I am sorry.”

“I couldn’t go to you myself, so I sent my grandfather to speak to your uncle to plead my case. They have been friends for years.”