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Chapter 1
"The Duke is very excited to meet you, Miss Percival."
There had been silence in the carriage since Matilda had settled in with the Duke's steward, Quintin Mulgrave, possibly twenty minutes earlier. It had given Matilda all too much time to begin to worry, to grow weary of the ache that she already felt in her gut at the thought of leaving her family behind.
I am sure that he is,Matilda thought, shaking herself from her inner turmoil to answer, "And I am very excited to meet him also, Mr Mulgrave."
"Please, just Quintin is fine," the steward protested. He was a kindly man and although his age showed in his greying hair and his pallid complexion, Matilda found him quite easy to talk to. Having met him several times during his master's efforts to employ her, she was almost certain that Quintin was a man she could trust, a man she could lean on if need be. And she was sure, after all she had heard of the Duke's daughter, that she was most definitely going to need it.
"Then you must call me Matilda," she responded, smiling warmly at him even though her insides were still in utter chaos and making her feel quite sick. The rocking and shifting of the carriage was not helping. She was certain that upon arriving, she would likely be coined as Percival as was expected due to her rank of governess but for as long as possible, she wished to avoid it.
Perhaps the Duke might even agree to call her Matilda if she asked him kindly. She had never much liked the use of her surname. Not because she disliked it, but because she felt it was far too masculine a name for a woman. Besides, the Duke had spent a lot of time trying to convince her to work for him, so she was certain that after all the effort he had gone through to get her, he would not be opposed to calling her by her preferred name.
"Well, Matilda, you cannot possibly know how pleased I am that you will finally be joining the household," Quintin exclaimed, his face broadening into a brilliant, beaming smile that warmed Matilda's heart. It was clear to see how much he truly meant what he was saying. "We have built quite the team over the years, and I do believe that you may well be the last piece of our puzzle."
"I can only hope that I shall live up to the standards my previous employer has set for me," Matilda admitted, knowing very well how she had gotten into this mess. She had only herself to blame. Having been a governess for several years, she had made quite the name for herself as one of the best in England.
It was both a blessing and a curse. Making her own money and being free to do whatever she wished within reason, not having to marry as many young women were forced to do, was all very good but there was just one problem, she was so sought after that it made it almost impossible to choose which job to take next.
In fact, she never would have taken the Duke's offer if not for his persistence and generosity. Having tripled her usual pay, offering bed, board, and clothing with two days off a week to do as she pleased, there was very little that she could argue against it.
At first, she had insisted the Duke's residence was too far from her own family. After all, she so loved her family. But two days was enough time for a quick visit especially when the Duke had offered her extra time off during holidays. There was just one last problem.
"Is Lady Amy well of late?" Matilda asked, struggling not to cringe at the mention of the Duke's ten-year-old daughter. After all she had heard of the young lady, she was not entirely sure how much time she was going to be under the Duke's employ. The longest that she had heard of a governess working there was three weeks and from what she had been told of those three weeks, every day had been a struggle.
"Oh, yes, Lady Amy is quite well," Quintin insisted. His gaze darkened slightly then, and his brow furrowed. He offered a deep sigh and glanced down at the floor before looking her in the eye once more.
"I am sure you have likely heard many a rumour about our Lady Amy, though I assure you she is not nearly so bad as she is made out to be."
Matilda could not help but purse her lips, relieved when the carriage rocked enough for her to quickly reach for the edge of the seat and make out that it was merely an expression of concentration. On the contrary, it was the expression of a woman who did not entirely trust the words she was hearing.
"You said that she has a great many skills when last we spoke," Matilda said, hoping to possibly glean something that she might be able to use in order to prevent Lady Amy from treating her the same way as she had treated all her previous governesses.
"Ahh, yes, our Lady Amy has a great many talents," Quintin said, beaming once more. "She is a wonderful singer and dancer and plays several musical instruments. She reads and writes, draws and paints. She likes to play in the garden and documents all her findings whenever she is not inside learning."
Matilda smiled in response to his words, knowing that they were much the same as any servant who spoke of their master's children. It was not the conventional thing to say that one's child was wonderful at acting up. Yet, Matilda knew enough to know that she would have to be wary of the girl. She must be on guard for the first sign of trouble in order to nip it in the bud as she had with all her previous children.
Deciding that it was best not to linger in the negative for too long, Matilda changed the subject. "And the Duke?"
"The Duke is well also," Quintin replied. He paused to lean over and twitch back the net curtain that was keeping them protected from the worst of the early summer sun. Then he moved back into a comfortable position on his seat and added, "As I have said, he is most excited to meet you."
"And his relationship with Lady Amy?" Matilda asked. Though she had asked all the questions before while trying to decide on whether to take the position, she could not help but feel that refreshing her mind on the subject might help to ease her anxiety.
The further from her home they travelled, the worse she was beginning to feel. She had even thought several times of asking Quintin to have the carriage turned back around. The Duke's home was well more than thirty kilometres away from her home and family, and it was taking a few hours to arrive at the manor.
"His Grace and Lady Amy are very close," Quintin assured her. "It is a most happy relationship that they share. The Duke has done much of Lady Amy's teaching himself though he believes she would benefit from the strong hand of a woman also."
Matilda nodded. That was quite understandable considering all that she knew of the Duke and how his wife had died giving birth to Lady Amy. It was a fact that saddened her not only for the Duke but also for the daughter, who by the sounds of it, had clearly lost her way in the world.
I only hope that I can help her,Matilda thought. She was under no illusion that she was the perfect governess, the kind of governess who could make even the worst child be good, but she was damned if she would not at least try to help the both of them.
"Then they spend much of their time together?" Matilda asked though she had a feeling that she already knew the answer well.
Quintin's lips pursed momentarily as though he was thinking hard on how to answer. He took another moment to stroke back his greying hair before finally sighing, "The Duke is a very busy man, and he spends as much time as he is able with Lady Amy though he always regrets it is not enough."
Indeed,Matilda thought, deciding it was best not to comment out loud upon the fact. As if he sensed her thought, the steward quickly changed the subject himself, "You will greatly enjoy Thistledown Manor. The place is grand and steeped with history. The grounds are beautiful and it is extremely easy to get lost in the peace of the place."
Matilda could only hope that he was right. The governesses she had corresponded with on the position, learning all the information she could about the place and its household, had always been far too concerned with warning her about the child to give her any information on the scenery.
