The Duke and The Governess (17 page)

John had been watching Elizabeth enjoying herself and wasn’t aware of anything until James screamed out her name. He turned his head at the scream and saw Jessica flying off the shoulder of the big horse. He was running before she hit the ground, the children started screaming and crying in panic and John met Andrew coming the other way.

Viscount Boston was sitting on his horse, looking down at Jessica. ‘Stupid little bitch!’ he spat. ‘If you lamed my horse I’ll have your hide!’

Both Andrew and John arrived at the same time. John could see that she was unconscious and she was almost wrapped around the post, with her gown in d
isarray. Andrew crouched beside her and
looked up at the Visco
unt, who was still complaining, with an expression of cold fury on his face.

‘I’ll deal with him.’ John said softly. ‘Boston!’ he looked up at the noble on the horse. ‘Would you step down, please?’

‘Of course, Your Grace.’ Viscount Boston said and petulantly stepped down from the stallion and sighed with impatience. ‘I do hope this won’t take too long. I’m missing my ride.’ As he stood and looked down again at the unconscious woman John hit him squarely on the jaw. Viscount Boston stumbled and sat down on the muddy lane, smearing mud all over the seat of his britches. ‘What the hell did you do that for?’ he demanded.

‘Because that could have been a child and I’m sure Lady Carruthers would be grateful for somebody to treat her kindly for once.’ The Duke said sternly. ‘I’m
sure
the Earl of Dean would have no problem calling you out if you are rude to his sister-in-law again!’

‘L...Lady Carruthers?’ Viscount Boston stuttered. ‘I didn’t know she was here. I thought that was the Governess.’

‘Lady Carruthers is the Governess, your moron!’ the Duke spat vehemently. He turned his back on Boston abruptly and looked over Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew meanwhile, had sent a lad for the smelling salts that he kept in his office. John was worried by the pallor of Jessica’s face. It was almost grey. ‘Shouldn’t we move her into the yard?’ he asked cautiously.

‘No, Your Grace.’ Andrew said firml
y. ‘If she has any broken bones
w
e could do more damage
, so until we know, I daren’t move her.’ The Duke looked up at the distressed children. He went to Mrs. Beaton. ‘Perhaps the children should be taken back to the house, now.’ He said calmly as he watched Elizabeth helped down from the pony.

‘What happened, Daddy?’ she asked, peering around his legs inquisitively.

‘Get them back to the house.’ He said firmly and turned his back on his daughter’s nanny.
He saw the lad arriving back and went back to Jessica. Andrew had draped a horse blanket over her, but she was still unconscious. Andrew carefully pulled
the stopper from the little brown, octagonal
bottle and held it under Jessica’s nose. She coughed and spluttered and turned her head away from the aroma, but Andrew followed her nose with the bottle and she jerk her face away again and suddenly lifted her hand to swat at the bottle as she opened her eyes.

‘Miss Jessica?’ Andrew said softly. ‘How do you feel?’

‘Dizzy.’ She mumbled and frowned at John Farrington. ‘Am I dreaming?’ she asked and smiled so beautifully that John’s heart turned over.

‘Do you have any pain?’ Andrew prompted again.

‘Just in my heart.’
s
he mumbled as her eyes closed again
. She went to pull the blanket over her shoulder and moaned making her eyes open again. ‘My head hurts.’ She said.

‘Jessica? You should try moving your limbs.’ The Duke of Warwick said firmly and she lo
oked at him again, smiled
and nodded.

‘What the hell happened?’ Anthony demanded as he arrived from the stable yard.

‘Boston damned near killed her as he was leaving the yard.’ The Duke told him and wasn’t surprised to see rage bloom on his face.

Boston was on his feet again, ineffectually wiping at the mud on his britches. ‘My britches are ruined.’ He moaned.

‘You stupid bastard!’ burst from Anthony’s mouth as he launched himself at Boston and before John could stop him, Anthony planted his fist in Boston’s left eye, followed smartly by his right in the gut. Both Andrew and the Duke grabbed his arms to restrain him and Boston was again sitting in the mud on the lane.

By this time Jessica had sat up and was moving her legs and testing her feet.
Andr
ew left the Duke to deal with the quality
and returned to Jessica. ‘How do you feel now?’ he asked solicitously.

‘It’s just my head.’ She murmured gently rubbing the back of her head. ‘It’s pounding and I feel dizzy.’

‘Do you remember what happened?’ He asked softly.

She looked up at his face and saw the Duke of Warwick standing behind him with her b
rother-in-law the Earl of Dean
. ‘I was coming to see you.’ she frowned. ‘The Duke had asked about the ponies.’ She was quiet for a moment as she watched a blustering Viscount Boston get to his feet again and she was delighted to see the mud smeared
all over his britches. ‘There was a huge black horse....?’ and she shook her head and moaned as the world span again.

‘Can you stand?’ the Duke asked and extended a hand and between him and Andrew the
y
lifted her with ease onto her feet. She stood wavering for a few minutes
. ‘Perhaps you should lie down.’ Jessica snorted out a laugh, took two steps and almost collapsed. John was the nearest, so he scooped her up into his arms. ‘Maybe you
should go to your quarters and we
’ll call for a doctor, just to be on the safe side.’

‘Thank you, Your Grace.’ Jessica said calmly, ‘that would be....sensible.’ She managed to hide the throbbing of her pulse and she hoped her cheeks weren’t flaming
as brightly as she thought they were. She closed her eyes and heard Andrew send one of the boys for the Surgeon.

The Duke walked steadily back to the house, through the yard. ‘Do you think she’ll be alright?’ she heard Anthony ask, not realising he was following.

‘I should think it’s a little bit of concussion, it’ll make her dizzy for a couple of days, but she’ll recover.’ The Duke responded.

‘If you know that much,’ Jessica muttered, ‘I’m surprised you sent for the doctor.’ And opened her eyes slowly and gasped at the expression in the Duke’s eyes as he looked down on her. There was a multitude of things behind that gaze and she realised what they might be as he flicked his gaze towards Anthony and licked his lips.
She could hear
his heart thumping next to her ear.

‘We need to be sure.’ He said evenly, but she felt his fingers move on the back of her knees.

The Duke felt his heart race away as he stared down into Jessica’s blue eyes, seeing for the first time the cobalt blue band around the lens of her eyes, spreading out in rays towards the outer iris, made obvious because her pupils were like pinpricks in the bright sunshine. John felt that hollowness in his stomach that he’d not really felt since that night they danced at her first ball. It took all his will power to wrench his eyes away from hers
.

As they followed the path from the stable yard to the house, the
y
met the Viscountess coming the ot
her way, along with the Marquis
and Marchioness of Wiltshire and the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk.

‘What happened?’ Lady Evelyn demanded and hurried up to The Duke. Jessica feigned sleep.

‘
There was an unfortunate accident on the lane by the paddocks.’ John Farrington said evenly. ‘I’m afraid Viscount Boston al
most ran her down with his steed
.’

‘Oh! No!’ Blurted Lady Evelyn.
‘Mrs. Tabb will sort her out
though
, has the doctor been sent for?’

‘Yes, I believe one of the grooms has gone.’ The Duke smiled softly. ‘The thing is; I don’t know where to take her. Does she have a room?’

‘In the nursery,’ Lady Evelyn said firmly. ‘Mrs. Tabb will show you where.’ She smiled brightly and followed the other peers to the stables
as if the almost trampling of her governess didn’t rate more than a compassionate sigh.

Both the Duke and the Earl looked after Lady Evelyn and frowned. Jessica snorted out a giggle at their expressions.
‘Don’t be so offended.’ She murmured. ‘
I’m a member of staff and there
fore unworthy of worry, unless I resign.’

The Duke looked down at her and the frown continued. ‘I hope I
’d
have a little more compassion for my staff than a desultory enquiry.’

As Anthony passed them to open the door, Jessica raised her hand and stroked her fingers along his jaw. ‘You see me as the person I once was,’ she murmured and smiled sadly, ‘she only knows me as the go
verness. A chattel to teach
her children.’ She shrugged her shoulders and dropped her hand, ‘what more could you expect?’

‘I would expect her to care if you got trampled by a horse!’ he sna
pped a little more abruptly than
he intended.

Jessica genuinely laughed as they went through the door into the kitchen corridor. ‘She would care if she had to find another governess!’ She clapped her hand to her head and moaned
as a dizzy fit made the world spin.

‘You should close your eyes again.’ The Duke advised and she complied with out complaint.

‘I feel quite sick.’ Jessica murmured. John increased his pace and they fairly ran up the service stairs to the second floor. Mrs. Tabb was standing waiting at the entrance to the nursery wing.

‘Oh! Your Grace.’ She said in surprise. ‘That is very kind of you. Bring her this way.’ And she led them to the Governess’s rooms. There was a small sitting room that doubled as an office and behind it was a fairly comfortable bedroom. John was glad to see that it was warm, tasteful and comfortable.
He strode over to the bed and carefully laid Jessica upon the coverlet and smiled down at her.

‘Will you be alright until the Doctor arrives?’ he asked softly.

‘Yes, thank you, Your Grace.’ She replied courteously. ‘You should rejoin the party and go riding. You too Anthony. I’ll be fine.’

‘Are you sure?’ Anthony asked his fear stark upon his face. ‘Because I can sit with you if you’d like.’ He murmured.

‘Please. I’m fine, just a little dizzy. Mrs. Tabb? Would you escort the gentlemen out?’
Jessica did not trust herself. If the Duke stayed, she would probably make a fool of herself, so she behaved as etiquette dictated and Mrs. Tabb shooed them out of the door.

‘What happened?’ Mrs. Tabb asked exasperated.

‘Apparently the Viscount Boston tried to trample me under foot.’ Jessica said and smiled wanly. ‘I really do feel quite sick.’ She mumbled as her stomach heaved and Mrs. Tabb snatched the bowl off the washstand and shoved it under her face. After Jessica had evacuated her stomach contents, Mrs. Tabb helped her undress and into her nightgown.

One of the young housemaids arrived. ‘Pardon me, Ma’am. But the Duke asked me to look after you for a couple of days?’ She said timidly and tried to smile. ‘Me name’s Annabel, but everyone calls me Annie.’

‘You should go downstairs and wait for the Doctor.’ Mrs. Tabb said ‘and bring him here straight away!’ The maid shot out of the door like lightening.

‘Could you draw the curtains, please Mrs. Tabb?’ Jessica murmured. ‘It’s really very bright in here.’

Chapter Nine

Jessica spent two days in bed. When the doctor finally arrived, she had been sick almost continuously and there was nothing left to vomit. The Doctor tested her visual acuity, gave her a dose of Laudanum big enough to knock out a horse and she slept through until the next morning. She dozed and rested in bed, but by Wednesday night she felt like a cheat. Annie had been a godsend, keeping her up to date with all the servant’s gossip of the nobs goings on.

‘It’s regular musical beds!’ she said in disgust. ‘I saw Viscount Boston creeping out o’ ‘is room last night.’ Jessica made a noncommit
tal sound.  ‘D’you know where ‘
e was goin’?’ Jessica made a negative sound. Annie was brushing her hair.
‘ ‘e tapped on Lady Pritchard’s door and she opened it and just let ‘im straight in!’ she said indignantly.

‘Well, you have to remember that most noble marriages are arranged.’ Jessica said firmly. ‘Mine was and I didn’t even know my husband. Maybe Viscount Boston and Lady Pritchard have a love interest.’ Jessica said in explanation.

‘It weren’t no love tryst!’ Annie said. ‘That Viscount has been sniffing around the servant’s hall and has groped a few of us maid
s.’ She sniffed disdainfully. ‘
‘e hasn’t managed to corner me yet!’

‘So who else is bedroom hopping?’ Jessica asked absently as she cleansed her face with cologne. ‘Either of the Duke’s?’ she asked cheekily.

‘No, Milady.’ Annie sniggered, ‘although I’ve heard the Duke of Warwick’s valet turn Lady Greyston away.
’ She started plaiting Jessica’s hair.

‘Really?’ Jessica asked in surprise.