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“Miss Trean.” He could not seem to pull his fingers away from hers, wanting to warm her cold skin. “Are you quite all right?”
Miss Trean swallowed hard but tried to smile – a smile that Patrick did not believe.
“I am quite all right. I require a little more rest, but I shall do so in the nursery this afternoon.”
Her fingers pressed his and fire erupted in Patrick’s stomach at the way she responded to him.She has not yet pulled her hand away.
“There is nothing for you to fear,” he told her gently. “I know that Lord Kingston will not mind that there is a child and a governess present. Perhaps I ought not to have spoken with such firmness before. You need not hide yourselves away entirely, Miss Trean. Not if Henry is struggling with such a thing.”
“I am sure we shall be quite all right for these next three days.” Miss Trean’s voice was tight. “Pray excuse us, my Lord. I will make certain not to disturb you again.”
Patrick could say nothing to convince her and as her hand slipped out of his, he let out a heavy sigh. Miss Trean took Henry’s hand and hurried away, just as Lord Kingston’s presence was felt beside Patrick.
“That was the governess, I suppose?”
Nodding, Patrick turned back to the gentleman.
“It was. Shall we make our way to the library with the others?”
Lord Kingston nodded but did not smile, a sharpness in his eyes, his lip curling slightly as one eyebrow lifted.
“You have… enjoyed her company, I presume?”
The fire that had caught Patrick’s stomach at Miss Trean’s touch now erupted into a raging torrent that had his hands curling into fists. It took all of his strength to speak calmly whilst, inwardly, wanting to do something a good deal more so that Lord Kingston would not think so poorly of Miss Trean.
“Miss Trean is the governess to my nephew and nothing more.”
His words were clipped, his tone icy.
“But she must be quite lovely, so why should you not?” Lord Kingston laughed and Patrick’s hands tightened still further. “I did not manage to take a prolonged look at her, but her figure is certainly comely even in such a drab gown. That, I should think, would be a great temptation to any gentleman.”
“I am more than able to control my response to such temptations,” Patrick replied, curtly. “This way, if you please.”
He gestured for Lord Kingston to make his way ahead of him, struggling against the burning anger which now sent fire into every single part of him. Lord Kingston did not seem to notice Patrick’s reaction and continued remarking further on Miss Trean and why he should have no qualms about using such a young lady for his own pleasures. Patrick, however, remained a little further behind the gentleman, taking in long, steadying breaths and questioning why it was that he felt such a fierce and determined anger over the gentleman’s remarks. After all, it was not as though Miss Trean meant anything to him. She was only his nephew’s governess and, as such, remained as one of Patrick’s staff. It was preposterous to believe that he felt anything other than gratitude for what she had done for Henry.
So why was it that his heart was angry and sore, as if injured on her behalf? Why had he responded with such anger? And why had it been that his heart had quickened just a little when he had taken her hand? Unable to answer such questions, Patrick dropped his head and ran one hand over his eyes. Whatever the cause, it appeared that Miss Trean was becoming a little more to him than he had ever expected and that was a very troubling thought indeed.
Chapter Ten
Albina could not sleep. Every sound, every scuffle from the rats made her believe that Lord Kingston would, at any moment, suddenly appear at her door, storm inside, and demand to know what she was doing at Lord Addenbrook’s home. When Jean had first come to her, Albina had been resting with a cool cloth over her eyes, struggling with the lingering headache which had hit her from the very first moment she had woken. But when Jean had told her that Henry had run from her, Albina had not had any thought for her painful head. Instead, she had risen and begun to help Jean search. The dread which had come with the realization that she would have to go downstairs to look for the boy had been almost paralyzing. The fear that she would walk directly into Lord Kingston had made her heart explode with panic, but yet the fear in Jean’s eyes had been all the greater. Indeed, the maid had been almost frantic with upset, terrified that Lord Addenbrook would remove her from her position for her failure – an upset that Albina had done her best to remove from the maid’s shoulders. With no other choice but to go downstairs, Albina had curled her fingers tightly into her palms, straightened her shoulders, and with ragged breathing, had quietly tiptoed down the stairs.
Her eyes closed but not from tiredness. Recalling her fear and her then bountiful relief when another maid told her where Henry had goneandthat the guests were in the library, Albina had gone with a good deal more confidence to find him – only to walk out into the very space where Lord Kingston had been standing.
A swirl of fear forced Albina to breathe deeply, turning over onto her side as she fought back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her once more. The shock of seeing him had driven her backward, back into the shadows of the doorway whilst Henry had immediately dragged Lord Addenbrook towards her. With Lord Addenbrook standing in front of her, Albina had been able to hide from Lord Kingston but when he had begun meandering towards them all, she had practically fled from them both with Henry in tow.
She had to pray that he had not recognized her, but could not be fully convinced of it.
Another scuffle had her pulling the blankets closer around her. The rats were very busy indeed this evening and Albina squeezed her eyes closed tightly, disgust shivering down her back.
And then she heard it.
A creak.
Her eyes flew open, staring out into the darkness as she held her breath.
There it was again. Another creak, followed shortly after by another – as if someone were walking along the hallway outside her bedchamber – and outside Henry’s bedchamber.
Henry.
