Mr. Gardiner’s deep frown further testified that he had grown up in a better way than she. His childhood injuries and wrongs had likely been addressed with love and affection. Perhaps his mother had joined a sweet-tempered nursery maid by his bed to see to his hurts and cheer him.
He had been fortunate.
Alice brushed aside her envy. She knew well enough that the emotion served no purpose except to make her unhappy.
It is better to choose happiness over misery. She had decided upon that course long ago.
"Miss Sharpe?”
Alice turned her attention to Mr. Gardiner, adjusting her spectacles upon the bridge of her nose. “Yes?”
With a weary, crooked smile that made her heart thump a mite harder, he tipped his head to her. “Your work on the flower sketches—you are quite talented. They’re remarkable likenesses. I did not expect so many in such a short time.”
She tucked away a loose strand of her ash-blonde hair, averting her gaze from his. “I am glad you approve of my efforts.”
“I sincerely appreciate them, as a matter of fact.” He moved his chair a little closer. “Might I send you more sketches?”
Alice’s heart dropped, and cold crept into her stomach. “Of course, sir.” Kind as his words were, she was only a means to an end for him. As she was to everyone else.
Choose happiness.
“The flowers are all so beautiful, and I do love painting.” She had enjoyed the diversion, as it had filled her evening hours after she took an early dinner with the children. As a governess, unwelcome belowstairs and in the dining room, her hours after the children went to bed were rather quiet.
Alice put her hand to Geoffrey’s cheek. The little boy opened his eyes and looked up at her. “When will the doctor come, Miss Sharpe?”
The boy’s voice quivered; his eyes were wide and anxious.
“I imagine in another quarter hour, if he is not very busy.” She took away the cool cloth. “But you will have something to drink soon. How is your stomach? Is it upset at all?” She had seen several of her male cousins take tumbles over the years—out of trees, off horses, over furniture.
“No, miss.” He shook his head a little and winced. “My head hurts a little is all.”
To the best of her recollection, the injuries were never serious unless they included stomach aches and dizziness.
“I imagine it is not enjoyable to lie in bed while we two grownups talk of boring things.” Mr. Gardiner chuckled and looked to Alice, a smirk upon his handsome face. He rose from his seat and crossed through the doorway to the principal part of the nursery, where the children’s toys and room for them to amuse themselves lay.
Alice exchanged a bemused glance with the little boy. “Should you like to sit up a little?”
Geoffrey nodded and she helped prop up his head and neck with his small pillow.
Mr. Gardiner returned a moment later, a basket in hand. “Geoffrey, look what I’ve found.” He knelt beside the bed and overturned the basket next to Geoffrey. “Soldiers and horses. Do you like to play soldiers?”
The boy gave the barest of nods.
“Most excellent. I always thought it rather fun to set them up in rows and columns. Plan a charge or two.” He began to do that very thing, where Geoffrey could see, and handed the boy a mounted soldier. “Here is the general. He must command the troops.”
With some relief, and more than a little surprise, Alice sat back in her chair and watched as Mr. Gardiner engaged the injured child in quiet play. He moved the soldiers wherever Geoffrey directed, and then began an entertaining dialogue between two of the foot soldiers.
“Did the general say to go left or right?” said one soldier, in a high voice that made Geoffrey giggle.
Mr. Gardiner gifted the other soldier with a comically deep voice. “What? But he’s facing us. If he said left, was it his left or ours?”
A maid arrived with a tea tray, and instructions to give a small cup with willow bark tea and ginger to the boy, with cook’s assurances it would ease his headache.
Until the doctor came, Mr. Gardiner remained, putting on quite the show with the little tin soldiers falling all over themselves to carry out their general’s orders. Only when the doctor had made his examination, and pronounced that Geoffrey needed only to rest for his recovery, did Mr. Gardiner take his leave.
Alice wasn’t certain who was sorrier to see him go—Geoffrey, or her.
Chapter 11
The next day of the house party, the children and female guests were all gathered out in a patch of garden Her Grace called “the meadow.” Having seen many meadows in her life, Alice found the name more charming than accurate. Servants had perfectly mowed the grass here, and wildflowers grew in careful bunches at regular intervals along the outside of the green field. Benches strewn about a path provided comfortable seating, and the servants had brought out tables of refreshments for all to enjoy.
Alice sat beneath one of the smaller trees, upon the ground rather than a cushion, keeping a weather eye on her charges. Lady Isabelle and Lady Rosalind sat in the shade of an old oak tree, surrounded by girls near their own ages, tittering and gossiping in the way of young girls pretending to be sophisticated.
Lord James played cricket with other boys on the far side of the meadow, making up for his youth with his energy.
And closer to where the groundskeeper had directed a small stream through one end of the meadow, little Geoffrey played with the youngest children under the watchful eye of nurses and governesses alike. Truly, the servants and governesses were only present in case some calamity befell a child that their mothers did not wish to worry over.
Alice enjoyed the fresh air of the outdoors, and watching the children scamper about with their friends gave her joy as well. On beautiful afternoons such as this one, all seemed right with the world.
A voice from behind Alice startled her.
“Might we join you, Miss Sharpe?”
It was Lady Josephine and her companion, Miss Arlen.
Given that there were three other young ladies trailing behind the duke’s daughter, Alice had to quell her surprise at once. Instead, she gestured to the ground near her. “You are most welcome, my lady, if you do not mind making the earth your chair.”
Lady Josephine sat at once, with hardly more than a single flounce to adjust her gown’s skirt, she was quite at home sitting upon the grass. The other ladies fretted a little more and appeared as bewildered as Alice was that the governess had been sought out.
“I have wanted to speak to you more about my father’s project. Those flowers were beautiful, and last night at dinner, Mr. Gardiner told me how impressed he was with your skill.”
One of the other women, eldest daughter to the baron, if Alice remembered correctly, gasped rather loudly. “Never say Mr. Gardiner meant the governess assisted him? I thought he meant some other lady of the neighborhood.”
Given that “the governess” sat not five feet away, Alice wondered if the girl had ever been taught manners.
“I am afraid he meant me.” Alice checked the ribbon of her straw sun bonnet, then leaned back a little more against the tree. “I am glad he found reason to be pleased with my work. I must admit, I have enjoyed the undertaking more than I thought I would.”