“I’m sure your wife hates that you have to play nursemaid to me, but I’m grateful for your escort.” Her comment was punctuated with yet another bounce through a dreadful rut, sending a rigorous jolt up her spine.
“The ride will smooth out as we get closer to Kinglas,” Alec said. “The earl has been working hard to improve the roads on estate lands, after his long time away. And you’re not to worry about me one bit. Since I know Arnprior, it makes perfect sense that I facilitate the introductions. Can’t be easy for you to land on a stranger’s doorstep, asking for a job—even if it’s the doorstep to a castle.”
His jesting words pricked her anxiety about her new assignment and her mysterious employer.
“Is the earl not a particularly welcoming person?” she asked cautiously. “I know so little about him, or what he expects from me. Dominic didn’t tell me much.” It had struck her as rather odd, but it had been such a rush to get her on the road that there hadn’t been time for a full discussion.
Being cooped up with her thoughts for the last week, without her music or work to distract her, had been more of a challenge than she’d anticipated. Playing the pianoforte, in particular, had always been an escape and comfort for her, one she’d been denied for almost two weeks. Victoria swore her fingers were starting to itch with the need to play, and even the oldest, most out-of-tune instrument would suffice at this point.
Alec’s genial expression remained unchanged in response to her query, but she had the impression he’d come to alert.
“Arnprior’s a capital fellow,” he said, “so no need to worry about that. But what exactlydidDominic tell you about him and your new position?”
“I know Lord Arnprior served in the army for several years and was away from home for most of that time. He has five half-brothers who are quite a bit younger than he is. The youngest one needs a teacher who can provide instruction in both music and deportment.” She frowned. “I do find it rather odd that the earl would wish to employ a governess rather than a tutor. Wouldn’t a male teacher be more appropriate for the boy? And I don’t believe his brothers are still in the schoolroom, are they?”
Alec frowned down at his gloved hands, which rested loosely on his thighs. “From what I remember, Arnprior’s half-brothers range in age from fifteen to twenty-five. I served with Royal Kendrick, the oldest. He’s a good man, like the earl, if a bit rough around the edges. Royal will not be looking for any schooling in deportment, although he could certainly use it,” he finished after a short pause.
“Oh, dear, is Mr. Kendrick an unpolished sort of person?”
Alec shook his head. “No, just gruff.”
When she eyed him dubiously, Alec shrugged. “Well, very gruff, if you must know, although he wasn’t always that way. He suffered a severe wound at the Battle of Waterloo and has not had an easy recovery. According to Arnprior, the poor lad has a tendency to fall into black moods.”
“Ah, what exactly did he mean by ‘black moods’?” she asked, trying not to sound rattled.
Alec’s brow cleared and he gave her a reassuring smile. “He’s not dicked in the nob or bad-tempered, if that’s what you’re worrying about. Royal is as good a man as you’d ever want to find. It’s simply that the war turned him a bit gloomy and grim. He wouldn’t be the first to have that happen. I’m sure he’ll recover soon enough, since returning home to the Highlands will do him a world of good.”
Alec almost sounded as if he was trying to convince himself as much as her. Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to worry about Royal Kendrick. He was obviously a man of the world and certainly not in need of a governess.
“And what about the others?” she asked.
Her cousin went back to wrinkling his brow. “The twins are in their early twenties. They were too young for a commission when Lord Arnprior and Royal joined the Black Watch. The earl wouldn’t have allowed it in any case. He didn’t even want Royal to join, but the lad was old enough to know his own mind. The twins, however, were little hellions, without the maturity to manage life in the military.”
“And do these hellions have names?”
“I’ll be confounded if I can remember them,” Alec said cheerfully. “I told Arnprior there were simply too many Kendricks running around the Highlands, stirring up trouble. I can’t keep them all straight.”
“And what did his lordship say to that?” What in heaven’s name was she walking into?
“He agreed with me. But, again, I’m sure the twins are splendid lads when it comes right down to it. No doubt Arnprior keeps them under control.”
“Thank God I won’t be teaching them, either,” she said. “I assume they’ve already been to university and are no longer in need of instruction.”
Alec’s gaze went to the window. They’d just entered a large stand of tall conifers with dark, feathered branches brushing against the bare limbs of leafless oaks. Her cousin studied the view with the concentration of a botanist.
“I think that’s true,” he said. “Can’t be totally sure, though.”
Victoria let go of the carriage strap, finally able to plant her feet firmly on the carriage floor because they’d hit a smoother stretch of road. It must signal they were nearing their destination.
“They must have had tutors,” she said. “Surely Lord Arnprior would not expect me to take on the teaching of two young men of that age?”
Alec’s gaze swung back. “I’m sure you’re right. That would be ridiculous.”
She eyed him for a few more seconds before letting it go. No one in their right mind would ask a governess to tutor adult males. “Alec, do you knowanythingabout my assignment? Sir Dominic was so vague about the details.”
He shrugged. “That’s Dominic for you. Loves to keep us in the dark. Actually, I believe young Kade will be your primary responsibility. He’s only fifteen. Arnprior had the lad in school, but he struggled, from what I understand.”
She repressed a sigh. This assignment, far from helping reestablish her reputation as an educator, sounded like it could be a disaster in the making. “Kade is not academically inclined?”
