“What? Oh the devil!” Carina raced ahead to whisk Orchid out of the water and berate Rose, who had gone in in the first place apparently to encourage Alex’s horse to take a drink.
IT WAS AS SHE HUSTLEDthe damp children toward the house that Carina got the nastiest fright since her arrival at Grand Court. A carriage had stopped by the front door, depositing two gentlemen and two ladies.
“Rats,” Carina murmured. “Come, we’d better use the side door.”
Orchid seemed inclined to object, but Carina was experienced enough now to keep hold of the child’s tugging hand. Even so, there seemed something horribly familiar about the man handing down the ladies from the carriage, and as the newcomers all turned to be welcomed by Lady Grandison, her stomach dived.
Sir Hugh and Lady Mansel.
Carina sped up, all but hauling the children with her.
“Do you know these people?” Lily asked with interest.
“I know who they are,” Carina said repressively. “I did not know they were friends of Lady Grandison.” In fact, she recalled Lady Mansel being furious about none of her acquaintances managing to secure her an invitation to the famous party at Grand Court in June. Presumably things had changed for her.
“Friends of yours?” Rose asked.
“Hardly. Come, Orchid really needs to be in dry clothes.”
“No, I don’t,” Orchid objected.
“Yes, you do,” Lily said firmly, and took her other hand.
Carina told herself the presence of the Mansels made no difference to her, that she had no reason to ever run into them. They would never know she was here. And even if they saw her, surely they would never deign to recognize thegoverness.
All the same, she couldn’t help feeling their arrival was somehow ominous. As if life was slipping out of her control yet again.
ONLY HALF AN HOUR BEFOREdinner, which Carina planned to take on a tray in her room— as she had done since the guests began to arrive—Lady Grandison’s maid, Nesbit, appeared with a message.
“Her ladyship requests your presence at dinner ma’am. A male guest has turned up unexpectedly and upset her numbers. She says you should wear the blue muslin and I’m to help you in any way I can.”
“But I can’t!” Carina said, aghast. Apart from anything else, the Mansels would be present...
“Of course you can, miss. You always dined with the family before. There’s just a few more family now. And a few friends. Miss Harriet likes them all.”
Miss Harriet is not the governess! She bit the words back, trying to think what she needed to do before deserting her post for the next hour. She could probably escape as soon as dinner was finished...
“Let me just make sure of the children,” she said, crossing to the bedrooms off the main nursery room. Rose, Orchid, and Lily were sharing one room while the guests were here. Alex had the other to himself.
The girls’ room was empty. “Alex?” she called, knocking at his door. Receiving no answer, she went in to find it empty too. “Drat them! Where did they go?”
“I’ll get someone to find them, Miss,” Nesbit said. “And join you in your bedchamber.”
CARINA WAS WRESTLINGwith the hooks at the back of the blue gown when Nesbit reappeared.
“Miss Jasper! You’ll tear it!” Tutting, she brushed aside Carina’s hands and straightened the gown, before fastening the remaining hooks. She then brushed out Carina’s hair and pinned it up in a style that was simple yet becoming. “I don’t suppose you have a necklace? Even a little locket on a chain?”
“No,” Carina said crossly. There had been her mother’s, but she’d had to sell it during a particularly expensive bout of Papa’s drinking. “The gown is modest enough for a governess, isn’t it?”
Nesbit, deftly inserting one last pin, said, “It’s perfect for her ladyship’s governess.”
Which unaccountably made Carina uneasy. However, she had no time to inquire further if she was to track down the children before dinner, so she bolted from the room as soon as Nesbit stepped back, calling thanks over her shoulder.
In the nursery across the hall, the door to the girls’ bedchamber still stood open and empty.
“Alex?” Again, she pushed open his door, and only just stopped herself from dragging her fingers through her recently dressed hair. “Drat you, where have you all gone?” she demanded of the silent air.
From the main playroom, she checked the schoolroom one last time. Perhaps they were with Harriet. She had just made up her mind to knock on Harriet’s door on her way downstairs, when she heard the sound of footsteps and childish laughter floating in from the passage.
