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“Should it not be?” Kitty pursed her lips. She felt his gaze shift to her lips, and for no reason she licked them. Perhaps because her mouth felt dry? But she was startled to see his expression turn warm, very warm as he watched her do so.
“Though, my dear Miss Kingsley, I doubt that it is, I would hope that it were so, at least while you are in my charge,” he answered her.
It was unthinkable that she should be ‘in his charge’, but it would do no good at this juncture to tell him so. She remained in control of her temper. She simply would not allow his ill-chosen words to rattle her into behaving as though she needed a guardian.
They would soon be with Mr. Harkins. He would settle this right and tight, and then she could be comfortable.
She did, however, say, “It is my belief that you are under a misapprehension if you believe that I am in your charge. I certainly am not. If I chose to please you by dressing in a manner that you believe is how a young respectable maid should dress, it was for my Nanny’s sake. I did not wish for her to come under your censure.”
“Be clear on one thing. I would not dream of censuring Miss Diddles for any of your foibles.”
She watched as he took a breath and steadied himself. She had really upset him and wondered at it. He seemed to care for her Nanny, which indicated that he was not without kindness in his nature. She met his gaze as he added, “As to the rest, Miss Kingsley, it just so happens that I had a letter from my uncle and he asked me to ‘take charge’ and see you suitably established. He trusted your immediate future and welfare to me, and I am determined to see to it that his trust is not misplaced.” The earl said this quietly and with a self-confidence that actually made Kitty pause and consider him.
He had such an air of authority, and it was not unattractive. Her dearest Uncle Edwin had entrusted, as he put it, her immediate future into his care.
The door opened to display Mr. Harkins within its wide frame, and Kitty was spared the need to reply, which she thought a good thing, as she wasn’t sure just what she should say to his last remark.
Mr. Harkins looked from one to the other before ushering them inside with a brisk greeting. Kitty saw by his expression that he was uncomfortable. She smiled at him in an effort to show that she would try to cooperate. She liked Henrietta’s father. He was a good man and had always been a friend to her Uncle Edwin.
He removed his spectacles and placed them on his desk as he gestured for them to be seated and then sat down himself. “The pity is that we should be having this meeting under what I am persuaded is some discord,” Harkins said, appearing to pick his words carefully.
The earl held the chair for Kitty, and she gingerly sat, aware of him all around her. He was a large man, and his scent was of spice. Quite delicious. What? What was she thinking? Yet as his arm brushed against her shoulder she had a strange desire to press closer to him and felt herself blush at the notion.
“The note your messenger delivered to my home late yesterday afternoon was quite clear. However, I regret to say, the answer to your question …” He eyed them both. “… is not clear at all. We are left, you see, with something of a legal problem.”
“How so?” Kitty frowned. “Dear Mr. Harkins … how so? I have agreed to go to London for a Season and don’t see where the problem lies.”
“Ah, but your question, at least as it was stated in your missive,” he said moving his gaze the earl, “happens to deal with the position of guardianship. The earl believes he will be acting as your guardian. You believe he is no more than your host during your Season.”
“Exactly,” Kitty said. “After all, the earl was not appointed my guardian, at least not to my knowledge.” She was surprised that the earl had not yet interjected and took a quick glance his way. He appeared serene and patiently waiting.
“Ah, my dear child. I have watched you grow into a woman, and, yes, you will soon turn twenty-one, but matters for young ladies are very structured in our world, aren’t they?” He put his hand up. “Don’t lecture me as our dear Ree often does. Whether you agree with the ways of our world doesn’t change the facts. Now, here is the dilemma. No, your Uncle E
dwin did not appoint anyone as guardian for you—” He put up a hand, “Wait. However, the inference from his stipulated wishes is that his nephew will take on that role during your Season.”
The earl regarded her thoughtfully before he pulled out the letter he had received before his uncle’s untimely death. “See for yourself. My uncle specifically requested me to take charge.”
Mr. Harkins took the letter and hastily perused it. “Yes, I am fully cognizant of your uncle’s dying wishes. We were friends for a very long time. I know what he wanted. In spite of that, he did not formally and legally appoint you as Kitty’s guardian, and I believe he had a reason for that.” He smiled. “Edwin was a deep thinker, a planner, and had a reason for everything he did.”
“Why should there be a dilemma?” Kitty asked. “If I comply with the dictates of my uncle’s will and his lordship complies … then all is well.”
“Because, in addition to Edwin’s will, the earl has this letter requesting him to see to your care and well-being. The will takes this further and stipulates that the earl must give you a Season, at least one Season, where you may find a respectable match. That puts the two of you together, and there can be no mistaking Edwin’s intentions. It is clearly stated that he wishes the earl to ‘look after you’, so to speak.”
“Aha!” the earl was moved to exclaim.
Kitty’s eyes met his, and for a moment they were locked in a silent battle.
She broke away and turned back to Mr. Harkins, who hurriedly added before she could object, “Kitty, my dear, it is a tricky situation. I don’t think we can call the earl your guardian per say. It was not formalized, and he has not that legal position. In addition, your Uncle Edwin thought you wise enough to have control over your own inheritance as soon as you are one and twenty, and when that happens I do hope you will continue to live off the substantial competence it allows and leave the principal intact. In the meantime, however, you will be living with the earl and his grandmother.”
“I understand. But he is not my guardian.” Kitty sat up straight.
“Not exactly,” Harkins offered, by now obviously a bit distressed. “You will, however, be in the earl’s care during the Season and therefore … must comply with his, shall we call them ‘house rules’ as an oversimplification?”
“As a guest in his house I would do nothing to offend,” Kitty said stiffly. “I may be a country chit, but I am not without manners.”
The earl snorted, and she glared at him.
“There is a way out of this situation,” Harkins offered. “You needn’t adhere to your guardian’s dying wish. You are under no obligation to do so, but then the earl would lose what is actually his rightful inheritance as Edwin’s next of kin.”
