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‘Indeed? Who did Lady Wentworth deign to recommend?’
‘One of the charges from her institution, Helen Andrews, the orphaned niece of a retired governess who passed away, leaving the girl with no resources. Her aunt had completed her education, but being so young and without references, she’d been unable to secure a post. Lady Wentworth sent her to Thornfield; she’s quite eager to take the job. Jemmie approves, and he’s very cautious about accepting strangers.’
‘So I noticed.’
Flashing him a look, she continued. ‘Maria liked her, too. Not that she actually spoke with her, of course, but she consented to sit beside her when Helen came up to meet the children. I think she’ll do very well.’
‘When will classes start?’
‘Probably next week.’ After which time, she should be busy enough that squelching her stubborn attraction to a certain dashing neighbour should become easier. ‘As soon as the schoolroom is finished and the desks arrive. The dormitory and kitchen will not be fully functional for several weeks yet, so we’ll be bringing the children back and forth from Thornfield, but I’m anxious to have Helen begin the lessons. Travelling in the van of an army makes for a haphazard education, and I’m eager for the children to catch up.’
Since she could think of nothing further to discuss about the school, she ought to say goodbye and send Mr Ransleigh on his way. Still, protected by the presence of so many chaperones and knowing, once classes began, there would probably be few occasions to indulge in the delicious thrill of his nearness, she found herself hunting for conversational excuses to make him linger.
‘Young Joe tells me you are doing a good deal of work at Bildenstone,’ she ventured.
‘Yes, I took your advice and hired more staff—doing my bit to contribute to employment in the county. Then, since I needed to give them something to do, it seemed a good idea to begin restoring the old place to its former glory.’
‘It must be satisfying to watch it become the showpiece you remember.’
‘It’s a long way from that yet. With dusting and polish, the rooms are looking better—and the kitchen roof no longer leaks! But my favourite place is still the library. For several reasons.’
Those words drew her eyes to his face as steel to a magnet, to find him regarding her with an intensity that brought back all the mesmerising passion of that interlude. Her body heating, she gave him a little nod, silently acknowledging she remembered the episode as vividly as he did.
His molten gaze and her subtle response suddenly recalled the looks she’d exchanged with Marshall after their engagement, when they were in camp, surrounded by soldiers...smouldering, secret glances that reminded her of intimacies exchanged, promised intimacies to come.
Flustered, she shook her head. How ridiculous a comparison! In this case, there would be no intimacies to come. The fact that she could even erroneously connect the experiences, however, did warn her to be mindful of the strength of her attraction to Ransleigh, a passionate connection the like of which she’d not experienced since she had fallen in love with her fiancé.
This time, she’d not be able to indulge her passion.
She should only need to recall the spectacular heartbreak in which that passion ended to be thankful there would be no repetition.
Annoyed at herself for the turmoil Ransleigh seemed to provoke in her, she steered him towards his tilbury, which the stable boy was walking on the verge by a fence that divided the roadway from a field of newly sprouted wheat, the tiny plants swaying in the light spring breeze.
The younger children not being of practical use in cleaning the building, she’d had Constancia take them for a walk. The maid, Charles, Georgie and Anna approached from down the lane as she and Ransleigh reached his vehicle.
Anna ran up and held out a bouquet of wildflowers. ‘They are pretty, just like you, Miss Theo!’
‘How sweet of you, Anna,’ Theo said, accepting the gift.
Warmth filling her as it always did when she saw Charles again after an absence, no matter how brief, she drew the boy to her for a hug—which he tolerated for a moment before wriggling free.
Growing up already, she thought, releasing him with regret.
Meanwhile, Georgie had wandered to the fence. Leaning over it, he took a deep breath. ‘The dirt smells good. Not like in the cities.’
‘It’s rich, fresh earth, newly turned over so the crop could be planted,’ Ransleigh said. Gesturing towards the young plants, he added, ‘That’s wheat growing in the field. When it gets tall, it makes kernels that are ground into flour. The kind that is made into bread, not the sort Anna just picked.’
Georgie looked up at him. ‘Those little plants turn into bread?’
‘It’s a bit more complicated than that, but, yes.’
As Georgie surveyed the field, rows of plants rolling into the distance, his eyes widened. ‘There’s so much of it! We never had enough bread on the march. That there’s probly enough so’s we’d none of us ever be hungry again. Wish I had a field I could grow bread in,’ he said, his voice wistful.
‘Would you like to learn how to plough the land and grow wheat?’ Theo asked.
Georgie wrested his gaze from the field to look up at her. ‘Could I really, Miss Theo?’
Theo turned to Dom, who held up a restraining hand. ‘I know, I know. Let me check with the estate manager and see if any of the tenants would take on a young farmhand.’
Georgie looked from Theo to Ransleigh and back. ‘Do that mean I’ll get to grow the bread plants?’
‘Wheat,’ she corrected. ‘We’ll see. You’ll still need to go to school, though. Now, you must all be thirsty from your walk! There’s water and apple tarts in the wagon; Jemmie will help you get some.’
‘Apple tarts!’ Charles said, clapping his hands. ‘C’mon, Georgie, let’s go fast before Jemmie eats them all!’ The two boys pelted off, Anna and the maid following.
‘Do you really think you could arrange for one of your tenants to take Georgie under his wing?’ Theo asked. ‘I would so appreciate it.’
‘When you look at me with that appeal in your eyes, how can I refuse?’ he murmured. ‘As long as you don’t expect me to find positions for all your urchins.’
‘Of course not. But I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your kindness in looking out for them—Jemmie, and now Georgie.’ Holding up Anna’s bouquet, she laughed. ‘I suppose I should thank you for the flowers, too, since they were filched from your lane. They are beautiful.’
‘Spring is such a lovely time of year here—I’ve been away so long, I’d almost forgotten. With your school about to start, I expect you’ll soon be too busy to notice, and it would be a shame not to enjoy it. If you can spare a few hours, why don’t I drive you around the estate tomorrow? So you can say you didn’t miss the beauties of your first Suffolk springtime.’
Shirk her responsibilities for a morning, and explore the verdant paths, mossy woods and brilliant fields of wildflowers of this homeland she was just discovering? Guided through the lanes and fields by a man whose similar interests and experiences made her feel as much at ease as she’d been since losing Papa?
Theo wanted very much to accept the offer, but...being seated beside him as he drove her down deserted lanes and paused to explore bluebell woods and newly planted fields would be dangerous. As much as she felt secure with him, she’d also proven on several occasions how very strong the attraction between them was—far stronger than the rules of propriety, strong enough to lead them into disaster, if her vigilance in resisting him lapsed for even a short time.
If the treasures of an exceptional library hadn’t been enough to restrain desire, she doubted the English countryside, no matter how delightful, would succeed in distracting her from its insidious call.
She’d reluctantly decided prudence demanded she refuse the offer when an alternate solution occurred—and she pounced on it.
‘I should love to have a tour—but I’d much rather ride. Firefly could use the exercise, and surely you have something in your stable less temperamental than Diablo.’
He started to speak, then halted, looking troubled.
‘You’ve not attempted to ride any other mount, have you?’ she guessed. When, with a wry grimace, he nodded, she said, ‘Your balance is still excellent. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to ride—as long as you don’t choose a bully who’d rather bite, buck and unseat you than follow your commands.’
‘I’ve always rather enjoyed mastering those bullies who’d rather bite, buck and try to unseat me.’
‘Why not try a more amenable mount, and see if you can enjoy that, as well?’ If she could only persuade him, she’d win herself an extended ride through the countryside—a pleasure she’d not realised how much she’d missed until Ransleigh proposed this expedition. It would enable her to spend a few more precious hours in his company, stashed in a saddle a safe distance from him, the need to pay attention to her mount distracting her from the constant temptation of his nearness.
