Candlelit Christmas Kisses: Captain Moorcroft's Christmas Bride / Governess Under the Mistletoe

‘He wanted to get up but decided to stay in bed for at least today,’ Henry said when he took the empty tray back to the kitchen and found Selina there, in the middle of stirring a rich cake mixture. ‘He has cleared his tray, as you see.’

‘How did you manage that?’ Selina looked up and smiled. ‘I am relieved to hear he is being sensible at last. When he banned me from his bedchamber, I thought he meant to get up to spite me.’

‘Oh, it was easy enough,’ Henry said, but refrained from telling her how Robert had grumbled about her. ‘I think he will begin to get stronger now, and I daresay he will be down soon enough.’

‘We’ve had several visitors asking after him,’ Selina said. ‘I was obliged to say I wasn’t sure how he went on and to tell them that you were his nurse, as you have been much of the time.’

‘Very sensible of you,’ Henry said. ‘I think the reason he was so annoyed was because he thought he might have compromised you. Should it become common knowledge, you might suffer some loss of reputation, Selina.’

‘It hardly matters for my sake. Since I shall be seeking a position as housekeeper, my ability as a nurse will not be held against me. I care only for my sisters’ sake. If Amy or Millie were to be harmed …’ She shook her head. ‘How can anyone outside the house ever know? No one calls in the evenings, and I have been downstairs during the day. Besides, Jobis cared for him much of the time once he began to recover. I made it clear to our visitors that the two households are separate.’

‘Yes, so Amy told me. The arrangement may be unconventional, but it is not unknown for two households to live separately in one large house. If the door was locked at our side of the library, no one would ever know how easy it is to go from one to the other.’

‘We must remember that when we have guests,’ Selina said. ‘Tomorrow is Millie’s birthday. She told me she hoped the earl would be well enough to dine with us but I wasn’t sure. I shall, of course, leave his nursing to you now that he is through the crisis, but we shall hope that you at least will come. Millie would be disappointed if you did not.’

‘I shall certainly be there, even if Robert cannot manage it,’ Henry assured her. ‘Jobis can take his meal up if I am otherwise occupied. I am not certain Robert will make it downstairs by then, but I think he has a gift for Millie—as do I.’

‘You really shouldn’t,’ Selina said, looking and feeling delighted. ‘How very kind. She does set great store by her birthday, though I’ve told her she ought not.’

‘Your sister is refreshingly honest,’ Henry said. ‘How much easier life would be if everyone were as open and natural as Millie.’

‘Well, yes, I suppose so,’ Selina said, and laughed. ‘We never have a dull day with her. She was subdued when Mama was ill, and she cried as much as any of us when she died—but she recovered quickly and bounced back to her normal self. She says that Mama told her not to be unhappy, because she would be with Papa and the babies she lost. Millie firmly believes that heaven is a beautiful place, where the sun shines and birds sing.’

‘It will be a shame when she loses that innocence.’

‘Yes. I remember I was much the same until I was sixteen.’

Henry’s gaze narrowed, intent on her face. ‘Did something happen when you were sixteen?’

‘I fell in love,’ Selina said, and smiled. ‘For one night I was gloriously happy, because I thought he loved me too—but the next day he passed me without seeing me. He went away and I never saw him again.’

‘And did that break your heart?’

Selina considered. ‘I felt hurt when he ignored me, but then decided he had not seen me. It was such a foolish incident, and yet for some time I believed my bold hero would come galloping back, sweep me up on his horse and ride off with me into the sunset. Then Mama took a turn for the worse, Papa started to gamble recklessly—perhaps because he could not bear to sit at home and see her fading—and I finally grew up.’

‘Yes, very understandable,’ Henry said, managing to look mildly interested instead of hanging on her every word, as he actually was. ‘Do you ever think of him now?’

‘The memory still makes me smile,’ Selina replied. ‘Should we ever meet again, we should be different people, of course—older and wiser. I am not suffering from a broken heart, sir. That would be nonsensical. No, no—I remember it as a young girl’s dream. My dreams today are very different.’

‘Would I intrude if I asked what they were?’

‘Not at all,’ Selina said with a smile. ‘Now I think of my sisters. I hope that Amy will make a good marriage. She would shine in society given the chance. And as for Millie—well, I hope to find a good home for her, and to be able to send her to a school where her thirst for knowledge would be answered. She had a governess until Papa died. Since then I’ve given her lessons in drawing, dancing and the pianoforte, but she needs no urging to learn.’

‘Your wishes for her are creditable,’ Henry said. ‘You know that there is no pianoforte here, of course? I realise you have a spinet, but you must wish for more musical instruments. The late earl had them all removed when his wife died.’

‘Yes, Trent told me something of the sort. I believe he actually had his wife’s pianoforte smashed to pieces when in the first flush of his grief.’

‘He could not bear anyone else to touch it. If Robert were to take up residence here, I think he would need to purchase an instrument.’

‘Yes, for it is pleasant to play to one’s guests in the evening, or have them play to you.’

‘I must speak to him. It would be good to have one in time for Christmas, and one could be delivered from Long Melford in two days. We brought several fine things with us from Italy and from France, but mostly art, statues and furniture. Robert had some idea of hiring a house while this was pulled down and rebuilt. Now I am not quite sure what decision he has made concerning his future.’