The Poor Governess Read online

“Real lessons like this?”

  “Yes, exactly,” Lara answered, “and I promise you that in a few weeks you will be able to play just as well, if not better, than I do.”

  Georgina gave a cry of delight that was somehow very pathetic.

  Then she said,

  “Teach me, please, teach me. I want to play just like you and it will be just as exciting as riding.”

  They stayed in the music room for nearly an hour.

  Then Lara thought guiltily that Nanny would be angry because they were late for tea.

  “We must go back to the school room now,” she said, “and I think, Georgina, we will keep the lessons as a secret for the moment, until you can surprise everybody by showing them how well you can play.”

  “I will tell nobody, not even Nanny,” Georgina said, “because she does not like music.”

  “It will be our secret,” Lara repeated.

  Georgina touched the ivory keys just once more as if she was saying goodnight to them.

  Lara closed the lid of the piano and they walked out of the music room and back along the passage.

  They had almost reached the staircase that would lead them up to the schoolroom without going through the main hall when Lara saw a man coming towards them.

  He was obviously a guest and her first instinct was to turn round and go in the opposite direction.

  Then she thought that it would be a mistake for Georgina to think they must be too surreptitious about what they had been doing and she walked on.

  The man was rather heavily built and, as they drew nearer, she saw that he was handsome in a rather heavy manner with dark eyes and hair just beginning to grey at the temples.

  As she was watching him, she felt Georgina’s hand slip into hers and without there being any need for anybody to tell her who he was, she knew instinctively that she was about to meet Lord Magor.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Riding over the Park on Glorious with Georgina beside her on Snowball, Lara thought that she had never been so happy.

  It was an indescribable delight to ride the most magnificent horse she had ever been on and she could see the beauty of The Priory on one side of her, and the ancient oaks and the spotted deer beneath them on the other.

  Once again she felt that she had stepped into one of her dreams and she must try to remember every moment of it before she woke up.

  Last night when she went to bed she had thanked God for the unexpected happiness that had come into her life.

  At the same time she had a feeling of triumph because she had met Lord Magor and had not been afraid of him.

  He was, however, exactly like she had expected the villain in one of her stories to be.

  When he saw Georgina, he had put out her hand to say,

  “Good afternoon, little lady. And how are you today?”

  Lara felt Georgina shrink a little nearer to her before she replied,

  “Quite well, thank you.”

  She had ignored his outstretched hand and Lord Magor looked at Lara with a quizzical expression on his face.

  “And who is this?” he asked. “And what has happened to Miss Cooper?”

  Knowing Georgina had no wish to answer him, Lara had dropped a small curtsey before she replied,

  “I am Miss Wade, my Lord, and I have taken Miss Cooper’s place temporarily because she is ill.”

  “Ill?” Lord Magor exclaimed. “I am sorry to hear that.”

  He did not, however, sound very sorry. He was looking at her in a way that she instinctively resented, feeling that he appraised her as he would have a horse.

  There was also an expression in his eyes with which he would not have regarded a horse and she was sure that it would have scared poor Jane.

  “Please excuse us, my Lord,” she said, “or we will be late for tea.”

  Lord Magor smiled and she thought the curve of his lips was unpleasant.

  “You sound very strict, Miss Wade, and I would hope that you are not too severe as a teacher to dear little Georgina.”

  “I believe that she is quite content with the lessons I am giving her, my Lord,” Lara replied. “Good afternoon.”

  She walked away before he could answer, knowing that Georgina was only too eager to leave him.

  She did not look back. But she had the feeling that he had not moved from where he was standing and was watching them walk down the corridor until they were out of sight.

  “I hate Lord Magor!” Georgina said when she knew that he could not hear her.

  “Then we must just try to avoid him,” Lara answered.

  She could understand easily that he was the type of man who would make Jane feel defenceless and unable to face him.

  It was utterly despicable for a man in his position to pursue a young Governess who would be afraid of losing her job if she complained.

  ‘I wish I could hurt him,’ Lara thought to herself.

  It was, however, unlikely that he would wish to run after her in Jane’s absence. At the same time, inexperienced though Lara was with men, she knew when he looked at her that she felt uncomfortable.

  When the footman removed her supper and said goodnight, Lara had waited until she heard him going down the stairs, then had firmly locked herself in behind the schoolroom door.

  She had ascertained earlier in the day that there was a strong lock on it and wondered why Jane, who admitted to having locked herself in her bedroom, had not locked the outer door as well.

  But Jane, sweet though she was, was rather stupid and, despite her resolution to teach Lord Magor a lesson, Lara had no intention of being put at a disadvantage until the right moment came to confront him.

  Dismissing Lord Magor from her thoughts, she now concentrated on riding Glorious until they moved out of the Park and passed the end of a thick wood to arrive at the Racecourse.

  Lara had expected when the Marquis referred to it that it would be just a flat field with perhaps some artificial jumps.

  What she had not anticipated was that it would be constructed exactly like a real Racecourse, oval in shape with railings running all round it.

  At the moment there were no fences, but she could see them stacked outside the railings ready to be set up should they be required.

  “What a splendid place to gallop!” she exclaimed.

  Georgina looked at her questioningly.

  “When I come here with a groom,” she said, “I am only allowed to gallop on a leading rein.”

  “I have watched you riding,” Lara said, “and I think you are quite capable of managing by yourself.”

  “Of course I am!” Georgina declared. “And if I am to race you, I have to be on my own.”

  “Yes, but I think I had better give you a start because Glorious is so much bigger than Snowball.”

  As Lara spoke, she saw a horse emerge from an entrance into the wood and was aware that the Marquis was coming towards them.

  “There is Uncle Ulric!” Georgina exclaimed and she did not sound pleased.

  Lara did not reply. She only waited until the Marquis, riding Black Knight, came to a standstill beside them.

  “Good morning, Georgina,” he began. “Good morning, Miss Wade. What do you think of my Racecourse?”

  “I am very impressed with it, my Lord,” Lara answered, “and Georgina and I are just about to race each other.”

  She spoke a little defiantly as if she felt he might stop them, but the Marquis replied,

  “A good idea! And as I see you are riding Glorious, I think I might try out his paces against Black Knight’s.”

  Georgina looked apprehensively at him, as she asked,

  “Are you saying you are going to race with us, Uncle Ulric?”

  “Why not?” the Marquis enquired. “But Snowball must certainly have a chance of winning and I suggest you start where that post is at the turn of the course.”

  He pointed it out as he spoke and Lara was aware that it was nearly halfway to the winning post, which was clearly marked near wh
ere they were standing at the moment.

  Georgina’s eyes had lit up and she looked pretty and alert as she replied,

  “I will take Snowball there now, Uncle Ulric. How will I know when we have to start?”

  “I will say, ‘one, two, three – go!’” the Marquis replied. “And I will make certain that you will hear me.”

  Georgina glanced at Lara with an excited smile and rode off, looking very attractive on her white pony in a pretty summer habit of pale pink cotton.

  Because she was thinking of how charming the child looked, Lara was suddenly conscious of her own appearance.

  She was wearing a black habit that had belonged to her mother.

  It had once been comparatively expensive and was well cut, but since Lady Hurlington had worn it for many years and so had Lara, it was now threadbare at the seams.

  Although the white muslin blouse she wore under it was crisp and clean, she could not pretend that she looked at all smart or could possibly compare with the elegance of the women the Marquis usually rode out with.

  What was more, because she never wore one at home except for special occasions, she had no hat on her head.

  She had expected, as she and Georgina were out so early, that nobody would see them and she had merely rolled her hair into a chignon at the back and brushed it as tidily as she could in front.

  She was well aware, however, there were already little curls escaping as they always did round her forehead, and she wondered if the Marquis was shocked that a Governess should be so casually dressed and certainly not showing a good example to her pupil.

  Then, as if he knew what she was thinking, he said dryly,

  “You look slightly unconventional, Miss Wade. At the same time I can see you know how to sit a horse.”

  “I shall be very upset if after this morning you do not think I am good enough to ride the magnificent horses in your stable, my Lord.”

  “I think that is unlikely,” the Marquis replied, “but, of course, we shall know by the end of the race.”

  It was as if he challenged her in more ways than one and Lara had the feeling that he was being deliberately provocative, as if by making her nervous he would gain an easy victory.

  Then she told herself it was presumptuous of her to think that he was considering her feelings in any way and was concerned about anything except her position as Georgina’s teacher.

  The child had by this time reached the place that the Marquis had pointed out. She waved her hand and he acknowledged it by raising his.

  Then he said,

  “I imagine you will also expect a small start, Miss Wade, as Black Knight is definitely faster than Glorious.”

  “I expect you to be fair, my Lord, with anything that is concerned with sport.”

  She thought that there was a twist to the Marquis’s lips, as if he appreciated she had singled out something that was undeniably true while leaving a question mark over other aspects of his life.

  Then afraid she had been too outspoken, she moved Glorious forward saying,

  “Please tell me, my Lord, when I am to stop.”

  She had not gone very far before he called out,

  “I think that is far enough, and now, if you are ready – ”

  He looked towards Georgina, then clearly, his voice ringing out as he counted to three, he ended with a loud,

  “Go!”

  Lara saw that Georgina had in fact started Snowball off as soon as the Marquis began to count and with difficulty she restrained Glorious until the final word.

  It was obviously not the first time that Glorious had raced and he leaped forward, accelerating at the first sound of Black Knight coming up behind him.

  The course was as long as a regular public Racecourse and Lara at first kept Glorious on a tight rein, determined if she possibly could to beat the Marquis.

  She realised that he was gaining on her and she found that it was not just a question of the supremacy of their horses but of themselves and their personalities.

  She could not explain exactly what she meant. She only knew that because he was so authoritative and obviously contemptuous of those around him, she desperately wanted to beat him.

  She wanted to show that he could not be the winner over everybody, especially herself.

  The Marquis had, Lara recognised, been clever in allotting Georgina a place on the course which kept her out of the way of their horses and made it possible for Snowball to win.

  The child did in fact pass the winning post just two seconds before she and the Marquis, galloping neck and neck down the straight, reached it.

  For one moment Lara thought that she had won, then with what she knew was superb horsemanship he passed the post just ahead of her.

  It took a little time to draw in Black Knight and Glorious and, as they turned round to ride back towards Georgina, the little girl was shouting with excitement.

  “I won! I won! Did you see me win, Miss Wade?”

  “I saw – you. You rode – very well,” Lara replied.

  She spoke breathlessly because she was still unable to breathe normally after so much exertion.

  “Uncle Ulric was second,” Georgina said as they rode up to her.

  “And I was last,” Lara added with a smile, “but Glorious certainly did his best.”

  She bent forward to pat her horse on the neck as she spoke and the Marquis said,

  “And so did you, Miss Wade. I think that this is a lesson in which Georgina has a most proficient teacher.”

  “Thank you, my Lord,” Lara replied. “That is certainly a compliment I appreciate.”

  “I am stating a fact, Miss Wade!” the Marquis corrected.

  He spoke in his usual dry voice and it seemed to Lara that his eyes rested on her untidy hair and her threadbare habit.

  She could almost read the thoughts with which he was criticising her and her chin went up defiantly as she said,

  “Thank you, my Lord, for a most unforgettable experience.”

  Then she deliberately rode away from him to say to Georgina,

  “I think now that we should ride home or Nanny will think you have exerted yourself too much on your first day of riding after being ill.”

  “I am not tired and Nanny is an old fusspot!” Georgina responded vigorously.

  “Nevertheless, we must do what she says,” Lara said. “Thank your uncle for letting you race with him and then perhaps you can take me home a different way. I would love to see the wood.”

  She knew there was a ride that the Marquis had appeared from.

  Obediently Georgina looked at her uncle.

  “Thank you, Uncle Ulric.”

  “We must race again another day,” the Marquis replied.

  Georgina’s eyes lit up.

  “Tomorrow?” she questioned.

  “I am leaving this afternoon for London,” the Marquis replied, “but I shall be back next Friday and we must try to arrange something then.”

  “Perhaps we can go round the course twice,” Georgina suggested hopefully.

  “That will be up to Miss Wade.”

  He looked at Lara as he spoke, touched his hat and, as he rode away from them, Lara could not fail to notice how magnificent he looked astride the big black stallion.

  The groom had been right in saying that he was an exceptional rider and she thought almost despondently that however hard she tried she would never be able to win a race against him.

  “Uncle Ulric was much nicer than he usually is,” Georgina was saying. “And he did not seem to notice that I was riding without a leading rein.”

  “I know,” Lara said, “and you will never need to use one again.”

  “You must tell the grooms that in the stables. Otherwise when you have left they will make me ride beside them and will not listen when I say I can ride very well by myself.”

  “I will tell the Head Groom,” Lara promised.

  At the same time she thought that when she did leave she would try to make the
Marquis give the order so that there would be no misunderstanding.

  She wondered if he was at all interested in his niece and in an effort to find out she said to Georgina as they walked their horses towards the wood,

  “I am sure that your uncle was very proud to see how well you could ride.”

  Georgina did not answer and Lara asked,

  “Do you not think he was?”

  “Uncle Ulric is not interested in me,” Georgina said, “except that he is very very glad I am not a boy!”

  Lara was startled.

  “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

  “If I was a boy, I would have become the Marquis when Papa died,” Georgina replied. “Papa was always very angry that I was not the son he expected me to be, so nobody really wants me – ”

  Lara was at first surprised at what Georgina said, but she realised that the child was not speaking pathetically in order to win sympathy, but was just stating a fact.

  “I am sure that’s not true,” she said quickly.

  “Yes, it is,” Georgina answered. “If I had been a boy, I would have been called George, like all the eldest sons in the family and I have heard the servants say that Mama prayed and prayed that she would have a son and, when they told her that I was a girl, she cried.”

  Lara thought that servants always talked irresponsibly in front of children.

  She could understand that Georgina would think over what she had heard and this, besides the fact that she was starved of music, would make her lethargic and uninterested in what was going on around her.

  Aloud she said,

  “Well, I think you are very lucky. I would much rather be a woman than a man.”

  “Why?” Georgina asked.

  “Because men have to go to wars and fight as soldiers or if they are poor they have to work very hard to keep their wives and families. You are a woman so all that is done for you.”

  Georgina thought this over for a moment.

  Then she said,

  “But you have to work and so does Miss Cooper.”

  Lara thought the child was far more intelligent than anybody gave her credit for and she replied,

  “The reason my father is not a rich man is that he is a Parson and he spends his life in worshipping God and helping other people.”