The Convenient Felstone Marriage by Jenni Fletcher

Author:Jenni Fletcher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-08-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

‘What about geography? Do you like that?’

Ianthe gestured towards a large globe by the window, repressing a sigh as Matthew shrugged for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.

She gritted her teeth, glancing around the room for any other sources of inspiration. After two days, all she’d managed to learn about her new pupil was that whilst he was adequate at reading and writing, he was ambivalent about art, literature and almost every other subject she could think of, with no enthusiasm for anything—least of all her.

She was only relieved that her new husband wasn’t there to witness her failure. His absence was a respite in more ways than one. After what he’d told her about his mother and the importance of respectability, she’d needed space to decide what to do next. She’d known that running out of the dining room had offended him, but if she’d stayed she might have blurted the truth out there and then.

Why hadn’t he told her before? He’d said that he wanted a respectable bride, not some paragon of virtue! She could never live up to that! If she’d known why being respectable meant so much to him, she would never have married him, Sir Charles or not! She’d thought that the worst that might happen was that Harper would refuse to sell his shipyard. Now she felt as though she were living with a sword over her head. If the truth about her past ever came out, there’d be more gossip than he knew what to do with!

Not that it was entirely her fault. If he’d only visited her during their engagement then they might have discussed it. She could have called off the wedding. Whereas now... She heaved a sigh. Even if she told him about Albert now, what good would it do? The truth would only drive a further wedge between them. No, it was too late either to tell him or to back out...

‘Are we finished?’ Matthew’s voice broke through her reverie.

‘No.’ She straightened up with a snap. Even if she’d already failed as a wife, she’d no intention of failing as a teacher as well. ‘Wouldn’t you like to learn where all the ships in the harbour travel to? All the ones that your...guardian builds?’

As usual, she hesitated over the word guardian, though surely Robert didn’t think her so naive as not to guess the real relationship between him and the boy. Matthew could hardly have looked any more like him. So why on earth hadn’t he told her he had a son? Apparently, maintaining an appearance of respectability was even more important to him than she’d thought. The things they weren’t telling each other would fill a book at this rate.

‘S’pose.’ Matthew rested his head on his arms.

‘Good.’ She tapped the wooden desk with her knuckles, making him spring up again. ‘Come to the window.’

‘Why?’

She didn’t answer, gesturing towards the horizon. ‘Now, if you were to sail in a straight line directly from here, you’d get to Denmark.

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