Time seemed to stand still as they kissed, until suddenly the sound of a door banging open and the shrill squeal of children laughing, yelling, and running down steps broke them apart and they rose. It sounded as if the girls were going to run straight into the garden where Julia and Garrett stood. A moment later, she realized the girls were heading to their own play area on the side of the school.
After catching her breath, Julia said, “I forgot we were so close to the school. You are not good for me, Mr. Stockton. You make me forget myself and what’s at risk. I take too many chances whenever you are around. I think you should go now.”
“When can I see you again?”
“Soon, I hope. You will let me know if Mr. Urswick makes progress?”
“You don’t have to ask that.”
“I can’t leave tomorrow. Mr. Pratt promised he’ll return. I fear what he may do if I’m not there.”
“Take care of your son, Julia, but know I want to be with you.”
Julia swallowed hard and nodded. She wanted that too, but she had to be sensible about what was at stake. She couldn’t let her desire for the rogue overrule what was best for Chatwyn.
Garrett turned to go, but suddenly spun around. Without warning, he took the steps that separated them, caught her up into his powerful arms, and gave her a hard, quick kiss.
“I will help you, Julia,” he whispered. “With whatever you need.”
He then kissed her forehead, let go of her, and walked out the back gate.
Chapter 12
Julia looked into the mirror hanging over the side table in the vestibule as she fitted the short-brimmed dark gray bonnet onto her head. “Do you know if the wind has been strong today, Mrs. Desford?”
“I don’t think there’s a stir about today, my lady,” the housekeeper informed her.
“Good. That means I can tie a loose ribbon under my chin.”
It was late enough in the day that Mr. Pratt had already left and Julia felt comfortable leaving Chatwyn with Miss Periwinkle so she could join Brina at the girls’ school. A few minutes ago, she’d received a note from Brina stating that Mrs. Tallon wanted to see them as soon as possible about a problem.
The day with the tutor had been as unpleasant as all the others. Mr. Pratt kept insisting Julia leave the room but she never would. His tone and expressions were so stern and angry, at times she feared he might strike Chatwyn.
She kept hoping she would receive a letter from the duke stating the dismissal of Mr. Pratt, or that the man would realize Chatwyn wasn’t old enough to be a student and not want to put up with another day of a little boy crying and having tantrums. No matter what the duke or Mr. Pratt said, she would never leave her son alone with him.
A knock sounded from the door and Julia tensed. For a moment she thought it might be the horrible man she was just thinking about returning. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly for a moment and took three deep breaths, but then Julia heard Mrs. Desford say, “Yes, I’ll see she gets it,” to someone, and then she immediately closed the door.
“It’s a note for you, my lady,” the housekeeper said.
Hoping it was news from Garrett, Julia’s heart raced. It had been three days since they’d met at the school, and there hadn’t been one word from him.
“Thank you.” She calmly took the note, but when she looked down at it her heart sank. The letter wasn’t from Garrett. She recognized the handwriting as the duke’s secretary’s writing. Disappointment quickly overwhelmed her other emotions. But almost as quickly, she thought perhaps the duke was sending word that he’d dismissed that vile Mr. Pratt. She broke the duke’s seal and scanned the page.
Lady Kitson,
I grow stronger each day and am assured I will feel up to traveling soon. I will continue to allow Mr. Pratt to instruct Chatwyn until I arrive in London and personally assess the man’s instruction abilities.
Duke
“No,” she whispered, as anger tightened her chest. Mr. Pratt was allowed to continue and the duke getting better. That was her greatest fear. What was she going to do? She needed more time. Mr. Urswick obviously needed more time.
“Did you receive bad news, my lady?”
Julia looked over to the housekeeper. “No, not really. I mean, good news, that the duke is recovering and says he’ll soon be strong enough to travel.” Julia just didn’t know what soon meant. Two days? Three? A week or two? “It’s just that he wants to wait to make a judgment about Mr. Pratt until he can personally assess the situation. That means the man will return tomorrow. I’ve written the duke two letters complaining about Mr. Pratt’s harshness and was hoping the duke would tell him not to return.”
“Master Chatwyn hasn’t been himself since he started lessons with Mr. Pratt.”
“No, he hasn’t. I’ll write the duke again,” she said more to herself than the housekeeper. Julia couldn’t consider her efforts futile. She had to have hope the duke would understand what he was doing to her little boy by putting him through lessons with that man.
“I’ll work on getting the duke’s rooms ready.”
“Yes, that will probably be a good idea. Would you put this on my desk?” She gave the letter back to Mrs. Desford. “I’ll answer it in the morning. I’m going to wait out by the street for Mrs. Feld.”
Julia picked up her dark blue velvet reticule, matching lightweight wool shawl, and gloves, and walked out into the chilly air. Her shoes felt as if they were filled with boulders as she made her way down the stone path to the street. The sky was a smoky shade of light gray. Julia felt as if there were a cloud enveloping her, too. She stared at the row of houses in front of her. Some had fancy iron gates at the entrance and two had stone arches, but most had only a simple wooden door.
The street was quiet. No sounds of children playing, birds chirping, or even the approach of carriage wheels in the distance. Nothing to cheer her. The duke was better, Mr. Pratt hadn’t been dismissed, and she hadn’t heard from Garrett. If he had any news he would have contacted her.
Trying to shake off the gloom of her troubles, she lifted her chin and her shoulders. There was still time before the duke arrived. How much, she didn’t know. When she got to the school she would write Garrett about the duke and ask Mrs. Tallon to see that her note was delivered to him at the Holcott-Fortney Inn. In the meantime, she had to think about what she was going to do if the duke returned before the ledger could be read and the documents copied. She didn’t know if she had it in her to bluff the duke into thinking she’d found someone to decipher the code.
Julia heard the clip-clop of horses and looked up. She recognized Brina’s carriage and was suddenly reminded of what her friend wanted to do. If Brina was strong enough to consider joining a convent, Julia was strong enough to handle the duke. She thought of the wondrous things Garrett made her feel when he looked at her, when he touched and kissed her. She didn’t want to give that up. There was a way to free herself. She just hadn’t found it yet.
It was a short drive to the school. On the way, Julia had filled Brina in on the duke’s letter concerning the tutor and finding the deeds with Garrett’s help. She also told her that she was still waiting to hear from Garrett again. Brina shared her news that she’d decided to make an appointment for them to go visit with one of the sisters at Pilwillow Crossings.