In the end, Carina only managed to get them settled for five minutes before Harriet stuck her head in the door.
“Miss Jasper, may we interrupt?”
Amid cries of “Snake!” the children erupted across the room. Orchid, too young for inhibition, seized the earl by the leg and was hauled up in one arm to sit on his hip. Alex thrust out his hand, grinning and had it solemnly shaken, before the earl turned to the other two girls and bowed over each of their hands, even while they were all chattering at once and Rose tugged him toward Carina.
“So sorry for disrupting your lessons,” Harriet said, her colour heightened.
“We were just finishing,” Carina said tactfully.
“Allow me to introduce you. Serp, this is the children’s new governess, Miss Jasper, who is proving invaluable to both them and Lady G. Miss Jasper, Lord Sanderly.”
Rather than ignoring her, which Carina more than half-expected, his lordship set Orchid on her feet and bowed.
“Miss Jasper! Bravest of governesses. My sympathies.”
“Hoy!” Rose objected with a somewhat unladylike expression. “We’ve been very good, haven’t we, Miss Jasper? Harry?”
“Why, what are you up to?” Lord Sanderly demanded.
“Learning our lessons, of course,” Alex said virtuously. “I say, Snake, can I have another shot at driving your curricle?”
“Yes, but not today, the poor horses are tired and so am I.”
“And Lady Grandison is expecting us for tea,” Harriet added.
“Can we come?” Rose asked.
“I believe she is expecting you—and Miss Jasper, of course.”
“To keep you in order,” Lord Sanderly said. “With sticks, if necessary.”
“He’s teasing,” Orchid said, glancing at Carina in some anxiety, and the others laughed like drains and surged toward the schoolroom door.
It began to strike Carina that she had been as influenced by Sanderly’s reputation as her Harwich neighbours had been by her father’s. He did not seem anything like the monster she had feared on Harriet’s and the children’s behalf.
She spared an anxious thought for Papa as she followed the others downstairs to the drawing room. She had only had one letter from him since her arrival, in which he had claimed to be doing well, and obtaining plenty of work. To her shame, and his, she didn’t know whether or not to believe him.
Sometimes, she lay awake at night, castigating herself for leaving him. She must find a way to visit him. Her Sunday half-day’s leave was not enough to travel to Harwich and back before Monday morning...
The Cole children were lively, but they were not mannerless. They did not barge into the drawing room but entered in good order and remembered to greet Sir John and Lady Grandison who awaited them there.
“Sanderly, pleasure to have you back,” Sir John said, amiably offering his hand. “What news do you bring us?”
“Dull stuff, I’m afraid. I’ll bore you with it later.”
“Miss Jasper isournews,” Lady Grandison said, going to him and allowing him to kiss her cheek. “And she has agreed to stay until you and Harriet return from your wedding journey, so neither of you need worry about the children at all.”
“I still think it would be better if we came too,” Orchid muttered, wrinkling her nose. “Miss Jasper could look after us there just as well.”
“Sadly, the wedding journey is something grown-ups have to do alone,” Sanderly said smoothly. “But Harriet will write and we’ll bring presents from everywhere we visit.”
“Since we are discussing the wedding, or at least its aftermath,” Lady Grandison said, settling into her usual chair as three footmen carried in several trays, “have you decided yet upon your groomsman?”
“I thought I’d ask Durward since I hear Foster is likely to recover after all.”
Carina felt the name pierce her like a spear. She had tried so very hard not to think of him since leaving home, and the casual throwing of his name into the conversation paralyzed her.
The footmen pottered, setting the tray bearing the tea pot before Lady Grandison while his fellows arranged a vast array of sandwiches, savoury tarts, scones, biscuits, and cakes on the table. Orchid, on the sofa between Alex and Lily, bounced with excitement.
