Nina Coombs Pykare (5 page)

She was going to eat, really eat. Maybe the viscount had been fooling her, teasing her about this, but she meant to take him at his word and appear at the dinner table as though she were expected there. All they could do was send her to the kitchen to eat with the staff.

She dropped her cloak and straw bonnet on a chair and crossed to the cheval glass. Tucking some stray wisps of hair into her chignon, she sighed. She wouldn’t be cutting much of a figure at dinner. This gown, a pale blue muslin all bespotted with mud, was, or at least had been, her very best. Of course, it didn’t matter what she wore. She was a governess, not some reigning beauty. She brushed what mud she could from her gown, washed her face and hands, and made her way downstairs to dinner.

Chapter Five

Following Wiggins’s directions, Edwina found the dining hall. Good, the viscount was there before her, even more elegantly turned out than he had been on the road that afternoon. His brash cheerfulness should help when she had to meet this cold Lady Leonore, a meeting she was not looking forward to at all.

Her experience with ladies hadn’t been exactly pleasant. Actually, it had been uniformly unpleasant. One and all, the ladies of the ton looked down their aristocratic noses at her, making no secret of their contempt for this intruder and her father. Of course, she hadn’t thought too highly of them either, especially after she discovered how cruel they could be.

“Good evening, Miss Pierce.” The viscount’s gaze lit on the still muddied front of her gown and he had the grace to look slightly uncomfortable. “I say, I am sorry about the mud and all that. Truly I am. But neither Cooper nor I expected to find anyone upon that road. It’s usually deserted, you know.”

“It’s quite all right,” she replied. “The gown will clean up, I’m sure. I just haven’t had time to unpack yet.” Perhaps she’d misjudged him, maybe he wasn’t the rake she thought him. Maybe he’d just been being friendly there in the carriage when he’d seemed so forward.

He smiled now. “Of course. You were busy seeing to the infants.”

She couldn’t keep back a smile. “They’re hardly infants, milord.”

The viscount shrugged. “Perhaps not. All I know is they’re not young women.” He smiled smugly. “In the area of young women I have a great deal of expertise. No one surpasses me.”

Edwina smiled to herself. It appeared that her first assessment had been the correct one. Viscount Crawford was a confirmed man-about-town, with the man-about-town’s skewed perception of womanhood and how women were to be regarded. He had considerable charm, though, that she was forced to admit. She could see how someone less knowledgeable than she could be overcome by it. Now though, it seemed a shame that all that effort should be wasted on a penniless governess, one who wasn’t even going to be impressed.

The viscount, who’d been openly studying her, shifted his gaze over her shoulder. “Ah, Lady Leonore,” he said. “How lovely you look tonight.”

It was time to make the acquaintance of the only other woman in the castle near her age. Edwina pulled in a deep breath and turned. Lady Leonore stood poised in the dining hall doorway. Behind her stood a dark slip of a woman, almost invisible in the dimness except for her graying hair. It must be the dresser Wiggins had mentioned, Miss Clinthorn. Edwina got only a glimpse of her and then the dresser was gone, gliding away like the shadow she was.

Edwina shifted her attention to the lady. Now she saw why, even here in the country, the viscount was so well turned out. Lady Leonore was dressed to the teeth. Her gown of shimmering blue silk was cut low in the bosom, so low that at least half her bosoms were revealed. Its round neck was edged with fine white Brussels lace and its long narrow sleeves boasted matching lace bows. The gown fell in long folds to the floor where more white lace swept the stones and covered all but the toes of pale blue slippers. Her shining blonde hair was dressed in a tumbled-curl style that actually required a great deal of artifice on the part of her dresser.

Yes, Lady Leonore was a splendid sight. She might have been entering a London drawing room prepared to face the discriminating eyes of the ton. And she was indeed beautiful. But the viscount had been right. Her beauty looked brittle, icy, hard and uninviting, Edwina thought.

Two cold green eyes passed their gaze swiftly over her, as though to linger would be to pick up something disreputable, but in spite of the speed of the appraisal Edwina felt sure that Lady Leonore had registered everything of note about her.

Edwina willed herself to remain calm. She wanted this position, she needed this position. A few nasty looks weren’t going to drive her into saying or doing something she shouldn’t. After all, she’d faced such looks before, and survived them. The arrogant scrutiny of Lady Leonore, no matter how cold her gaze, could be no worse than that of the ladies in London. She would ignore this lady’s scorn as she had ignored theirs. And think of filling her empty belly. That was the important thing now.

“Did you find what you went to the village for?” the lady asked the viscount.

He shook his handsome head. “Unfortunately I did not. But we found something else, Cooper and I. On the return trip we nearly ran down Miss Pierce here. Miss Pierce is to be the new governess. The earl hired her just this morning.”

He cast Lady Leonore a look of smug triumph, as though he had effected the thing himself. As though he had won at something. What was going on between these two? Did the lady really despise him? Or was this some kind of game they played to liven their days in this out of the way place?

“I see.” Her ladyship shifted her cold gaze back to Edwina. “Governess.” She made the word sound like some vile disease. “I don’t suppose anyone bothered to indicate to you what kind of situation you’re stepping into here.”

Though the words were perhaps indicative of concern for Edwina’s welfare, she saw that the lady’s inquiry was demeaning, and self-serving in some way.

“On the contrary,” Edwina replied. “I was informed of the circumstances long before I came here to apply for the position.”

“Then you are indeed a fool,” Lady Leonore said bluntly, obviously seeing no reason for courtesy when dealing with the hired help.

“Perhaps so, milady.” Edwina kept her tone carefully neutral. Servants didn’t speak back, no matter what the provocation. She had learned that long ago. She had best remember it now, when her whole future was at stake.

Lady Leonore tilted her aristocratic nose skyward. “I take it then, that you know about the curse.”

Edwina nodded. “Yes, milady. That is, in the village it’s whispered about that a curse exists. But no one seems to know the exact nature of it.”

She wasn’t going to let her temper get away from her. She meant to stay at the castle for a long time and it would be foolish to be continually battling with someone she must live in such proximity to.

Lady Leonore evidently didn’t care for this answer. She scowled. “You’re speaking about the old curse, I presume. In the village do they also know about the curse my sister put upon this place? The new curse?”

Edwina swallowed hastily. In spite of all her efforts to the contrary, she was beginning to feel uneasy about this. One curse wasn’t enough? Now there was an old curse and a new one? “No, milady. At least, I didn’t hear of it.”

Lady Leonore looked almost pleased. “She has cursed any young woman who comes upon the castle grounds. Catherine’s ghost, that is.”

“But why? What for?”

Lady Leonore shrugged her slender pale shoulders. “Spirits do not always give their reasons. Nor do they have to. Catherine has spoken to me, Catherine’s ghost. That is what she says. Any young woman who comes upon the castle grounds will be cursed.” She spoke each word with exaggerated care, pausing between each one as though speaking to some kind of slow-witted simpleton who could only understand the plainest language.

Edwina swallowed her anger. “But you ...”

Lady Leonore gave her a look of icy contempt that told her to be silent. “Her girls and I are exempt. But no other young woman must come to the castle because Catherine expressly forbids it.”

“I didn’t know this,” Edwina admitted. “But if I had, it would have made no difference. I would have come anyway.”

Lady Leonore tossed her golden curls, almost undoing the artistic work of her dresser. “You will change your mind soon enough, girl. The others did.”

This Edwina didn’t doubt. Especially if the others had been greeted with the same shocking tale. They evidently had had some financial resources left. She had none. If she were to give up this position, she could only starve. Already she’d tried every conceivable avenue of work in the village. And to no end. It was work at the castle or nothing. She didn’t, however, say that to Lady Leonore. She’d already implied more than she meant to about her financial position, and Lady Leonore didn’t look like the kind to have compassion, regardless of one’s circumstances.

Since Edwina didn’t want to continue a discussion which could only result in aggravation for both of them, she kept silent. A glance at the viscount’s face, though, told her he had thoroughly enjoyed the whole exchange and would like to see it prolonged. Probably he was finding life in the country too boring to bear and welcomed excitement of any kind.

But before he could do anything to provoke Lady Leonore, the earl came into the dining hall. He looked first to the viscount. “Well, Crawford, I see you have met Miss Pierce.”

The viscount smiled and nodded. “Yes, indeed cousin. She seems a wise choice for a governess. And determined, too.”

Charles frowned. Leonore was determined enough for any man. He needed no more chivvying about anything, especially from an unknown female, and a servant at that. “I did warn her that this is not a happy place. I cannot understand why the two of you stay here.”

He looked to Leonore, but Crawford answered. “I cannot speak for the lady, but it would be rather poor of me to desert you in your time of need.”

Leonore smiled. “We stay because we want to help. After all, Charles, you have been most kind to us.”

A spasm of pain raced through him. “Catherine valued your company.” And she had, his sweet-tempered wife, actually much more than he did, though he couldn’t tell these two an embarrassing thing like that.

“As we did hers.” Leonore moved to him and laid a soft white hand on his coat sleeve. She leaned closer and smiled up at him in that coy way she affected. He’d never noticed before how cold her green eyes were. Strange how some women could smile without any warmth in their eyes at all. While others ...

“Shall we go in to dinner now, cousin?” Crawford asked.

“Yes, of course.” Charles turned toward the governess, but before he could move Leonore slipped her arm through his and smiled again. He didn’t understand what all these smiles were for. Usually Leonore was on the somber side.

Crawford offered his arm to Miss Pierce. Too bad they couldn’t trade places. He knew Crawford had a liking for Leonore. But she’d made her disdain of him perfectly clear. The two of them never agreed on anything, always picking at each other. Sometimes till, in his desire for peace and quiet, he’d like to send them both to their rooms like naughty children.

As Edwina took the viscount’s arm, she was aware of a look of cold disdain from Lady Leonore, but she didn’t allow it to bother her. From what the viscount had told her, Lady Leonore had had ample opportunity to respond to his charm. So if she chose to act like the proverbial dog in the manger, well, let her. Edwina Pierce was above such pique. And besides, she was hungry. Quite hungry.

His lordship sat at the head of the great table with the viscount at his right and Lady Leonore at his left. Watching them, Edwina told herself that the talk in the village was probably not true. They didn’t behave like people in love. Still it was clear that Lady Leonore had in mind to be the earl’s next wife. That was a great shame. Such a brittle icy woman would hardly make a good mother for the two frightened little girls upstairs. They needed someone with a warm, loving heart.

A little shiver went over Edwina. Constance had seemed surprised that the new governess wasn’t afraid of her dead mama. Was the child really frightened of a ghost? Who had been putting such foolish notions into her head? To be fearful of a ghost was bad enough, but when that ghost was supposed to be the child’s own mama ...

The viscount seated Edwina to his right and gave her another charming smile.

“I hope you’re not accustomed to French cooking,” he said. “The cuisine here has been rather plain since the chef departed. Quite hurriedly, I’m afraid.”

There was something about the tone in which he uttered the last words that caused her to raise a questioning eyebrow. That was enough for the viscount to continue. “He was quite a superstitious fellow. Rolled his eyes up in his head and turned gray as ashes.”

“But why?” Edwina asked, knowing full well that the question was expected of her

“It seems he heard voices,” the viscount replied, his tone gone dramatic. “Strange, eerie voices.”

Chapter Six

Charles frowned. Crawford had an overly developed sense of the dramatic. “The chef said he heard Catherine. Said she was calling my name. He became frightened by it, poor fellow. Still, the new cook isn’t so bad. Our food may not be fancy, but it is good, plain English fare. And there’s plenty of it.”

He cast a quick look at Miss Pierce. That ought to get a reaction out of her. She still had that pinched look about her features. If she wasn’t half starved, poor thing, he’d missed his guess. At least she’d be able to eat here. She wouldn’t have to worry about that. And she’d have a roof over her head.

She smiled, as much as to say that whether the castle was haunted or not, cursed or not, it didn’t at the moment matter to her. The empty condition of her stomach did. As Simpson and Wiggins appeared with a platter of roast beef and potatoes and a great dish of pigeon pie, her smile grew ever larger till he felt like smiling himself. The girl was refreshing. It was apparent to him that for the first time in months, she would go to bed with a full stomach. Grinning, she set to work to fill it.