His Tempting Governess by Cerise DeLand

Author:Cerise DeLand
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: W. J. Power
Published: 2019-06-16T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

He dashed inside as Shrew pulled open the front door for him. “Fierce storm,” he said as he swept his top hat from his head, a spray of raindrops splashing to the polished marble.

“Delighted you’re home, my lord. There’s a bigger storm here.”

“Oh?” Win yanked off his gloves and shrugged out of his coat. “Problems with our ward? Her two companions? Miss Swanson?”

“Not directly, no, sir.” Shrew kept his eyes to the floor as he folded Win’s coat over his arm.

“What then?”

“Your mother is here, sir.”

Dash it. He was hoping she’d stay away until the dinner party. But no. She had a bad habit of coming unannounced.

Shrew bent near. “And your grandmother accompanies her.”

Well, the gods could be kind. “Lady Buchanan out in this weather? I hope you’ve served them tea?”

“A full tea for your mother, sir. A bit of lacing for your grandmother.”

Sherry, usually. Lady Buck’s favorite at this time of day. But if his mother was in a snit, then Shrew would have served her favorite cognac. When his mother roared, everyone in the family drank alcohol.

He girded himself. Fine. He needed a drink, too.

“Very well, Shrewsbury. Good of you to prepare them for me.”

The butler cocked a brow at him. “Or you for them.”

“Indeed.” Win shot his cuffs and smoothed his wool frock coat over his waistcoat. His mother responded to formality—and he was happy to use it to keep her at bay. “In the parlor, I presume?”

“As you ordered, sir. Yes.”

On her last visit here, his mother had insisted upon being shown to his library. Upstairs, no less. It’d been a surprise visit to his townhouse and her intention—and he confirmed it as he paused at the open doorway to watch her sift through his papers—was to snoop. See what he’d been working on. The repairs of her house over on Green Park perhaps? Or their country estate south near Brighton?

But today, there was nothing in the family parlor she might spy upon.

“You need not announce me.” He stepped toward the stairs.

“As you wish, sir. But you must know one more thing.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Miss Swanson was in the parlor when they arrived.”

“Ah. Not pleased are we?” Win meant the royal ‘we’ to indicate his mother.

“No, sir.”

“So the world turns.”

“It does, sir.” The old man backed away.

Win grimaced at the coming encounter. Best to get this over with.

“She’s not happy, Win,” warned Caroline from her place upon the wall.

“Well, he’s not either, Caro,” Roderick said in a huff. “You can see that.”

Quiet, you two. Win threw each in turn a forbidding look.

His grandmother had taken the grand Queen Anne red tapestry chair near the fire. Not only was it the oldest and most comfortable in the room, it gave its occupant a view out the door into the hall.

As he approached her, the elderly lady lifted her sherry glass to her lips and with the arch of an elegant white brow and a faint lift of her hand, she toasted him and wished him luck.

“Here

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