The Governess's Scandalous Marriage. Helen Dickson
their mother’s sister and a widow of eight years, was a hard, unfeeling woman who looked on them as poor relations she would rather distance herself from than have in the house. She had offered to chaperon Linnet to the ball tonight under sufferance and both Linnet and Toby were aware of that. But they were her nephew and niece and she was duty bound not to ignore them. She toadied to the elite—money and position carried more weight than goodwill and good intentions.
Besides, Caroline Mortimer was Louisa’s friend so it was highly likely that she would be present, which would cheer Toby.
* * *
Three days after the Stourbridge ball found Linnet accompanied by Toby going into the city to make one or two small purchases. Linnet loved to come and browse the shops, with everything the merchants possessed displayed behind windows along the Strand and the courts and passages leading off it, even though she couldn’t afford to venture inside most of them. Today the Strand was crowded and bustling, with carriages and drays and sedans passing to and fro in a never-ending stream. Merchants and traders and hawkers of wares mingled with people of all occupations and positions and gentlemen in military uniforms. She breathed in the different smells from freshly baked bread and hot pies.
Suddenly confusion erupted when a dog appeared out of nowhere, yapping ferociously and baring its teeth. It ran into the street in front of two stationary bay horses hitched to a carriage. One of the startled horses gave a snort of alarm. It reared in the shafts, its hooves awkwardly flailing the air, before coming down to earth and lunging forward, unsettling the other horse. It tossed its head back and forth, the whites of its eyes rolling. The open carriage swayed precariously, the driver losing hold of the reins as he was flung out on to the ground, while the elderly lady and small child inside the carriage gripped it for dear life.
Linnet had completed her shopping and was heading towards the carriage further along the street where Toby had told her he would wait, when she paused to watch what was happening. Seeing the horse’s nostrils flared and its ears pulled back, Linnet suspected the horse was about to bolt with its partner in the shafts meaning the lady and child were in danger of being flung out on to the street. She had to try to prevent it from happening. Linnet was accustomed to handling horses, so, acting swiftly and unafraid, she dropped the bag that held her few practical purchases on the ground and stepped into the path of the agitated horse, holding her arms wide and uttering soothing words in an attempt to calm it down. Thankfully it seemed to work for the horse became still. Taking hold of a loose rein, Linnet continued talking to it while she ran her free hand gently along its quivering silky neck.
The driver had picked himself up and come to her aid, calming the other horse.
‘It’s all right, miss. I’m grateful to you for calming him down—that wretched dog, running out like that. I’ll take him now.’
Linnet passed over the rein and, retrieving her purchases, went to make sure the lady in the carriage was unhurt. She had a comforting arm around the child—a girl perhaps four or five years old with curly dark brown hair peeking out from beneath her bonnet. Her face showed confusion and she was clearly anxious and frightened. A tear rolled down her cheek. Linnet climbed up into the carriage and sat facing her. Leaning across, she smiled at the weeping child, producing a handkerchief. ‘Here, let me wipe your face.’ Gently she dabbed at the tears of the child, who was looking up at her with solemn brown eyes that reminded her of a wounded puppy. ‘What is your name?’ she asked.
‘Alice,’ she whispered.
‘Is that so. Well, I think that’s a lovely name.’
Linnet directed her gaze at the lady, who was of slight build and in middle age, dressed in black and unadorned—the same clothes a nursemaid or a housekeeper would wear. Her eyes were grey and melancholy surmounted by firm arched brows. The general impression was of physical frailty, but the face revealed pride and obstinacy, although she did look slightly shaken as she tried to comfort the child.
‘Everything is all right now,’ Linnet told her, speaking quietly in an attempt to calm the lady. ‘Your driver is with the horse.’
‘I can’t thank you enough for your brave intervention. But for your prompt action we would have been tossed out of the carriage. I am so grateful.’
‘You have no companion with you?’
‘Oh, yes. My employer is conducting some business further along the street. He will be back shortly.’
‘Then if you like, I will wait with you until he returns.’
‘I would appreciate that. You are very kind.’
Linnet smiled into the lady’s kindly face. Despite the shock of being rocked about in the carriage, she now sat ramrod straight. Apart from her hat being slightly askew she appeared recovered.
‘It’s the least I can do.’
‘This is Alice,’ the lady said. ‘She is my charge until my employer can find a governess for her. I am Mrs Marsden.’
‘You are Alice’s nursemaid.’
She nodded and smiled. ‘I suppose I am—although I’m getting a bit long in the tooth now to be looking after little ones. I’ll be able to take a back seat when she has a governess to take care of her.’
Linnet glanced at her sharply. ‘Your employer is looking for a governess, you say?’
‘That is correct.’ Seeing she had pricked Linnet’s interest, she tilted her head to one side and studied her with interest. ‘Do you know of anyone who would be interested by any chance?’
‘Why—I—I was thinking of myself. I have been considering seeking employment for a while now.’
‘Do you like children, Miss...?’
‘Osborne. Linnet Osborne and, yes, I do like children.’
‘And your education?’
‘I was educated at Miss Reid’s Academy in Kensington.’
‘Splendid. Well—if you are interested I will mention it to my employer—although he is a very busy man and tends to leave household matters to his housekeeper and where Alice is concerned to me, of course. Would you consider the position?’
‘I will—although I shall have to speak to my brother. Since our parents passed on there are just the two of us.’
Mrs Marsden looked down at the child, who had been listening intently. A little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She seemed to be assessing her and when her eyes ceased to regard her so seriously and her smile gradually broadened, which was a delight to see, Linnet returned the smile.
Linnet enjoyed talking to Mrs Marsden. It made her realise how isolated she was at Birch House with just Toby and the housekeeper for company. Glancing down the street and seeing Toby striding towards their carriage, she excused herself on the understanding that Mrs Marsden would contact her at Birch House when she had spoken to her employer.
* * *
Having witnessed the entire incident, but being too far away to be of immediate assistance, Christian hurried towards the carriage which contained Alice and her nurse, their safety paramount to all else. He had seen a young woman step out into the path of the frightened horse and calm it down. He was too far away to see her clearly, but her prompt action had brought what could have been a serious situation under control, although it was an extremely foolish thing to have done. Stepping in front of an out-of-control horse was dangerous, but he was glad that she had.
Seeing that all was well and the normal order of things had been restored, he paused momentarily to acknowledge an acquaintance.
* * *
Walking in the direction of her carriage and seeing the tall gentleman ahead of her, Linnet’s eyes opened wide in overwhelmed disbelief. Thankfully he was in deep conversation with another gentleman and was unaware of her presence. He had appeared too suddenly for her to prepare herself. Momentarily immobilised in the cataclysmic silence that seemed to descend