Page 24 of The Hidden Heart

“And you are lumping me in that class?” Leona asked in a chilly voice.

“Not at all, my dear. Just saying I wouldn’t mind seeing the chit. Might give us a chance to make friends with her, so to speak. Be bound to make her feel important, talking to us.”

“Well, what does one say to a child?” Leona whined. “I have spent my entire life avoiding them.”

“Not your entire life,” her husband pointed out.

“You once were a child. You were around other children then, bound to have been.”

“And I am sure they were deadly dull. Vesey, you are of no help at all. And what about the governess? I don’t want to have to sit and chat with her.”

“Well, who else are you going to talk to, then? The servants? At least that redhead comes from a decent family. Uncle’s a peer.”

“And she is making a living as a governess? What twaddle.”

“No, it’s true. Some scandal about her father several years ago—everyone dropped her, of course. But a bit of scandal shouldn’t bother you, love.”

Leona grimaced. “I am sure it was not an interesting scandal. She is Miss Prisms-and-Prunes.” She sighed, thinking of spending the rest of the afternoon in Vesey’s company. “Oh, go ahead and send for them.”

Vesey was happy to comply, and a few minutes later Jessica and Gabriela walked into the room. They looked, Leona thought, neat as a pin and just as boring, but perhaps it would provide some amusement to watch Vesey make a fool of himself trying to win over the girl.

Jessica and Gabriela sat down on the love seat across from Leona, Jessica positioning herself between Gabriela and the chair in which Vesey had been sitting when they entered. She had considered not responding to Vesey’s arrogant summons. Gabriela had been frightened at the thought of having to be in the same room with him. But, Jessica reasoned, she and Gabriela could not avoid him for days on end. And if they did not go down to make their formal visit now, Vesey was all too likely to come up to the nursery to call on her. And she certainly did not want to have to be stuck with him there, where she could not take Gabriela and leave whenever she wanted. So, in the end, she had brought Gabriela down to the blue drawing room.

Apparently Baxter had taken it upon himself to inform Cleybourne of their impending conversation with the Veseys, for within two minutes of their entrance, the duke himself strolled in.

He cast a glance around the room. Lord Vesey, who had been about to move to a chair closer to Gabriela, quietly stayed where he was. Jessica straightened in her chair, facing Cleybourne with an almost defiant air, and beside her on the sofa, Gabriela cast a nervous glance at her governess. Leona, oblivious to everyone else, smiled at Cleybourne and adjusted her position on the chaise longue a little, just to emphasize the lovely, lush line of her reclining figure.

“Richard,” she said in a low, intimate voice, “what a naughty boy you’ve been, leaving me here by myself all day.”

“Hardly alone, Lady Vesey,” Richard replied, looking significantly at the others. “Miss Maitland. Miss Carstairs. Vesey.”

Gabriela turned to Jessica. “May I be excused now? I should go finish my lessons.”

“Yes, of course, my dear.”

Jessica stood up, too, as Gabriela jumped to her feet and hurried from the room. “I should go, too. Please excuse me.”

“No, wait, don’t leave,” Cleybourne said. “Stay here. I, ah, I wish to talk to Miss Carstairs.”

Jessica stared at him, too dumbstruck by his words to do anything but nod and sit back down.

Cleybourne turned and followed Gabriela out into the hall, catching up with her at the foot of the stairs. “Miss Car—Gabriela! Wait.”

Gabriela froze, one foot on the first step, and turned. Remembering her manners, she gave him a little curtsy and said, “Yes, Your Grace?”

“It seemed to me that you left the room because I had entered it,” Cleybourne began.

“I’m sorry. Was I rude?” Gabriela looked at him uncertainly. “I did not mean to be. It was just, well, I thought that you would not like it if I were there.”

A look of chagrin crossed Cleybourne’s face. “I was afraid that was your reason. I am very sorry I have given you that impression.” He paused, then went on a little stiffly. “I followed you out here because I wanted to apologize to you.”

“You did?” Gabriela looked at him in amazement.

“Yes. I realized that I—that I behaved very rudely to you this morning. It was just that I was startled to see you, and I—I didn’t know what to say. I have been thinking about it ever since then, and I feel, well, as though I have been something of a monster to you.”

“Oh, no,” Gabriela reassured him. “At first I thought that you did not like me, but Miss Jessica explained to me.”

So that was her name: Jessica. It suited her. Jessica… He tried the name out in his mind.