Temptation of a Governess Read online

  “This will be a battle of wits, madam.”

  Alex Arrandale, Earl of Davenport, is used to getting what he wants. So when he visits Diana Grensham, governess and joint guardian to his wards, and asks her to vacate his property, he is stunned when she refuses!

  Diana is determined not to bow to Alex’s demands. Her whole life, she has believed she is unlovable and worthless, but now, as she and Alex engage in a battle of wills, Diana’s confidence blooms. And soon, she finds herself tempted to make a few demands of her own!

  The Infamous Arrandales

  Scandal is their destiny!

  Meet the Arrandale family—dissolute, disreputable and defiant! This infamous family has scandal in their blood, and wherever they go their reputation will always precede them!

  Don’t miss any of the fabulous books in Sarah Mallory’s dazzling new quartet!

  The Chaperon’s Seduction

  Already available

  Temptation of a Governess

  Available now

  and look for two more sinfully scandalous stories, coming soon!

  Author Note

  When I was very young I loved fairy tales, especially the story of the ugly duckling, the little creature who did not fit in. This is how I saw Diana Grensham, a young lady who has been told from a very early age that she is unattractive. She has therefore hidden herself away from the world, living as a governess because, as she says, governesses are of no consequence.

  When we meet Alex he is a privileged young man with looks, health and fortune, a sportsman with an eye for beauty. The world is at his feet and no one has ever opposed his will, until he meets Diana. Despite their differences, Alex is the one man who sees past Diana’s self-effacing shell to the spirited beautiful woman inside. He gives her the confidence to believe in herself.

  Alex changes, too. He learns that the hedonistic world he inhabits is not the one he wants to live in. He discovers that happiness lies with Diana, but after all he has done to alienate her, how can she trust him? The ballroom scene at the end of Temptation of a Governess is one of the most touching I have ever written: so much hangs in the balance, and it is important that both Diana and Alex get it right. That is for you, the reader, to judge.

  Sarah Mallory

  Temptation of

  a Governess

  Sarah Mallory was born in the West Country but now lives on the beautiful Yorkshire moors. She has been writing for more than three decades, mainly historicals set in the Georgian and Regency period. She has won several awards for her writing, most recently the Romantic Novelists’ Association RoNA Rose Award in 2012 (The Dangerous Lord Darrington) and 2013 (Beneath the Major’s Scars).

  Books by Sarah Mallory

  Harlequin Historical

  and Harlequin Historical Undone! ebook

  The Infamous Arrandales

  The Chaperon’s Seduction

  Temptation of a Governess

  Brides of Waterloo

  A Lady for Lord Randall

  The Notorious Coale Brothers

  Beneath the Major’s Scars

  Behind the Rake’s Wicked Wager

  The Tantalizing Miss Coale (Undone!)

  Linked by Character

  Lady Beneath the Veil

  At the Highwayman’s Pleasure

  Stand-Alone Novels

  The Earl’s Runaway Bride

  To Catch a Husband...

  Bought for Revenge

  The Scarlet Gown

  Never Trust a Rebel

  Castonbury Park Regency miniseries

  The Illegitimate Montague

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  To Kathryn, my lovely editor

  and all the team at Richmond,

  without whom these books would never happen.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Excerpt from Enticing Benedict Cole by Eliza Redgold

  Chapter One

  The April sun shone down brightly on the low-slung racing curricle as it bowled through the lanes and Alex Arrandale felt the winter gloom lifting from his spirits. A gloom that had settled and remained with him since he had heard of the shipwreck that had taken the life of his brother James and made him, Alex, the eighth Earl of Davenport. He had neither expected nor wanted the succession. James was only two years his senior and, at thirty, everyone had thought there was plenty of time for him and his countess to produce an heir. That was why the couple had set out on their sea journey, sailing south to warmer climes that the doctors advised might help improve Margaret’s health and allow her to conceive and carry a boy child full-term. The couple already had a healthy little girl, but a series of miscarriages had left the countess very worn down.

  They had never reached the Mediterranean, a storm off Gibraltar in October had run their ship aground and all lives had been lost. The news had reached Alex several weeks later and the depth of his grief had been profound. Even now, six months on, he still wore a black cravat as a sign of his loss. In all other aspects of his life his friends found him unchanged. He had spent the winter as he always did, at a succession of house parties where hunting, gambling and flirting were the order of the day. Only his closest friend saw anything amiss in his frantic pleasure-seeking.

  ‘Everyone thinks it is because you do not care,’ Mr Gervase Wollerton told him, in a moment of uncharacteristic perception. ‘I think you care too much.’

  Perhaps that was so, thought Alex as he slowed and turned his high-bred team of match greys through the gates leading to Chantreys, but he had been earl for a while now and it was time he made a few changes.

  The drive curved between trees that were not yet in full leaf and sunlight dappled the track. Alex slowed, conscious that there might be holes and ruts after the winter. He was just emerging from the woods when he spotted a figure sitting on a fallen tree, not far from the side of the road. It was a young woman with a sketchbook. She had cast aside her bonnet and her red hair glinted with gold in the sunlight. He knew her immediately. He had not seen her for years but the red hair was unmistakable. It was Diana Grensham, sister of the drowned countess and governess to her only child and the other Arrandale waif who had been taken into the late earl’s household. She was so engrossed in her work that she did not even notice his arrival. Alex drew his team to a halt and regarded her for a long moment, taking in the dainty figure clad in a serviceable gown of green and yellow and with her wild red hair gleaming about her head like a halo.

  ‘Good afternoon, Miss Grensham.’

  She looked up, regarding him with a clear, steady gaze. Her eyes, he noted, were unusual, nut brown but flecked with green and while she was no beauty her countenance was lively and her full mouth had an upward tilt, as if a smile was never far away.

  ‘Afternoon?’ Her voice was soft, musical and held a hint of laughter. ‘Heavens, is it so late already?’

  ‘You are not surprised to see me?’
<
br />   She closed her sketchbook and rose to her feet.

  ‘I knew you would come at some point, my lord,’ she told him. ‘It would have been better if you had given us notice, but I am sure Mrs Wallace will be able to find some refreshment suitable for you. If you would care to drive round to the stables I will go and tell her.’

  She took a few halting, uneven steps and he called out to her.

  ‘Let me take you to the house. Stark, get down and hand the lady into the curricle.’

  She stopped and turned, saying with a challenge in her voice, ‘Because I am a cripple?’

  ‘No,’ he replied mildly. ‘Because I want to talk to you.’

  She handed her sketch book and pencils to the groom and climbed easily into the seat unaided, affording Alex a glimpse of embroidered white stockings beneath her skirts. He could not recall ever being told why she limped, but there was clearly no deformity in those shapely ankles, or in the dainty feet encased in the neat but serviceable boots.

  When she would have taken her sketching things back Alex stopped her.

  ‘Stark can carry them to the house. It is a fine day, let us drive around the park before we go in. I want to talk to you about the children.’ Without waiting for her assent he set the greys in motion. ‘I hope you do not mind?’

  ‘Do I have any choice?’

  ‘I thought it might be easier to talk out here than in the house.’

  ‘You are probably right,’ she told him. ‘You are a favourite with the girls and they will want you to themselves as soon as they know you are arrived.’ She added thoughtfully, ‘Although Meggie might demand to know why you have not been to see them before this.’

  ‘I have been very busy.’

  ‘Too busy to comfort your niece?’ When he did not reply she continued. ‘She and Florence were left to our joint care, my lord.’

  ‘You do not need to remind me.’ He flicked his whip over the greys’ heads. What could he say? He knew it was contemptible, but looking back and considering his brother’s death, he knew that he had been unable to face anyone’s grief save his own. He was a renowned sportsman, a hard rider, deadly with sword and pistol and a pugilist of no mean order, yet he had shied away from visiting James’s young daughter and witnessing her distress. He had told himself that her aunt was the best person to comfort little Meggie. Diana had been governess for four years to both James’s daughter and little Florence Arrandale, a cousin whose own mother had died in childbirth and whose father had left the country under suspicious circumstances. James had taken the child in as a companion for Meggie and the two girls had been brought up almost as sisters. It was assumed that Florence’s father was no longer alive and James had provided for her in his will, including consigning her to his brother’s care. At eight years old, both girls would be missing James and his wife, the only parents they had ever known. Alex featured in their lives as a favourite uncle, visiting occasionally to bring treats and play with them for an hour or two before returning to his own hedonistic life. He might be their guardian now, but what did he know about bringing up children, or comforting them? It was no defence and deep inside he knew it, but it was easy to push aside such tiny pinpricks to his conscience.

  ‘At least you corresponded with me,’ Diana went on. ‘I should be grateful you did not leave that to your man of business.’

  ‘James’s wife was your sister, your sorrow was equal to my own and I wanted to send my condolences.’

  A black-bordered letter with a few trite sentences. How cold and hard that must have appeared to her.

  Her hand came up, as if to ward off a blow. ‘Yes, thank you.’

  It occurred to Alex that she shared his dislike of overt emotion, so he did not pursue the matter, merely asked after the girls.

  ‘They seem happy enough, but they miss their mama and papa. I know Florence is only a cousin, but her grief is equal to Meggie’s, I assure you.’

  He said with real regret, ‘I am very sorry that I did not come to visit them sooner.’

  ‘Well, you are here now, and they will be very glad to see you. What is it you wanted to discuss with me?’

  ‘I was thinking that the girls might like to go to school.’

  She paused, then said slowly, ‘You are aware that the girls’ education is my responsibility? Your brother was very clear about that.’

  ‘Of course, but that does not mean I cannot take an interest.’

  ‘No, indeed. But I do not think school would be right for them. Especially not at present, so soon after their loss.’

  ‘Very well, but they might prefer another house, where there are less painful memories.’

  ‘They are very happy here, my lord. It has always been their home.’

  He felt the first stirrings of irritation. He would have to admit why he wanted them to move out.

  ‘But it is now my house, Miss Grensham, and I wish to use it.’

  ‘Well, there is nothing stopping you,’ she replied. ‘In fact, the girls would be delighted to see more of you.’

  ‘That is not the point. I wish to bring friends here, and it would not be...appropriate for there to be children in the house.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  He gave an impatient sigh. ‘Do I need to spell it out to you? I am a bachelor.’

  He kept his eyes on the road ahead but he was very aware of her enquiring scrutiny and found it disconcerting.

  She said slowly, ‘Am I to understand that you and your guests might act in an, an unseemly way?’

  ‘It is a possibility.’ His mind ranged quickly over his friends. ‘More than a possibility.’

  ‘It is certainly to your credit that you wish to protect the children from such scenes,’ she told him, ‘but I think in that case it would be better for you to hold your parties elsewhere. The Davenport estates comprise several excellent properties.’

  ‘I am well aware of that,’ he ground out. ‘But I want Chantreys.’

  He kept his eyes on the road but felt her clear, enquiring gaze upon his face.

  ‘And why is it so important to have this house?’

  Because it is where he and James had spent most of their childhood. Where they had been happiest. Alex knew that if he said as much she would turn the argument against him and appeal to his better nature to allow the girls to stay. And he had long ago buried his better nature well out of reach. He set his jaw.

  ‘Miss Grensham, perhaps you are not aware of the pressures that are brought to bear on the head of any family to marry and provide an heir. Old family friends, relatives I have never even heard of all think they have the perfect right to interfere in my life.’ His lip curled. ‘It is assumed that I shall find a wife before the year is out. My intention is to show the world that I will not be coerced into marriage. I want to hold the biggest, most scandalous party of my career here at Chantreys. It is close enough to town for me to invite the ton to see just how disreputable an Arrandale I am and to put paid once and for all to their infernal matchmaking!’

  There, he thought grimly. That should do it. But when he glanced at the dainty figure beside him she was displaying no sign of shock and outrage. Instead she had the nerve to laugh at him.

  ‘That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard and I shall certainly not remove the girls from Chantreys merely to allow you to indulge such selfishness.’

  He brought the curricle to a stand and swung round to face her. He held his anger in check as he said with dangerous calm, ‘Miss Grensham, have you forgotten that I am now the earl? These properties are mine, to do with as I will.’

  She met his eyes steadily, in no wise troubled by his impatient tone.

  ‘I think you have forgotten, my lord, that you promised the girls might remain at Chantreys.’ Her smile did nothing to improve his temper. ‘You wro
te to me, do you remember?’

  ‘Yes, I remember.’

  He forced out the words, recalling the letter he had received from Diana Grensham shortly after the news of the shipwreck, asking his intentions regarding his brother’s wards. He remembered his own grief-racked reply, assuring her that Chantreys would be the girls’ home for as long as she thought it necessary. The terms of the will had been quite specific. He and Diana Grensham were joint guardians of Meggie and Florence, but James had added a rider that Diana was to have sole charge of their education, being the person most fit and proper for that responsibility.

  ‘I have kept your letter very safe, sir.’

  ‘The devil you have!’

  His hands tightened on the reins and the horses sidled nervously.

  ‘Perhaps we should move on,’ she said in a kindly voice that made him grind his teeth. ‘There is a chill in the air and I should not like your team to come to any harm.’

  * * *

  Diana folded her hands in her lap as the earl set off again. She resisted the temptation to cling to the sides of the curricle, so noted a Corinthian as Alex Arrandale was unlikely to overturn her. Not physically, that was, but she could not deny that sitting beside him was causing no little disturbance to her spirits. Her conscience was already pricking her for the way she had questioned his reason for offering to take her up. It had been a civil invitation and she had responded childishly, doing the very thing she hated most, drawing attention to her infirmity. Her only excuse was that his arrival had caught her unawares. Suddenly she was confronted by a man she had only previously seen from a distance, a sportsman renowned for his strength and prowess. To look around and see him sitting in his low-slung curricle, easily holding in check those spirited greys, had thrown her own shortcomings into strong relief. She had no doubt that when he saw her take those first, hobbling steps towards the house that he had looked upon her with pity, if not disdain.

  Not that he had said as much and she berated herself for being over-sensitive. It was a relief to turn her thoughts to the future of Meggie and Florence. She felt on much safer ground there but even so, to oppose the new earl at their very first meeting was not an auspicious beginning to their acquaintance. It could not be helped, the well-being of her charges was paramount. The new Lord Davenport had shown himself to be selfish and insensitive, but that was the case with most rich and powerful noblemen so it did not surprise her. What she had not expected was the attraction she felt towards the new earl. It was so strong it was almost physical and it shocked her. Whenever he had visited his brother in the past she had made sure she remained in the schoolroom, sending the children downstairs with their nurse to join the family. James and Margaret had been more than happy to include Diana in any family party, but they knew how much she hated her deformity and respected her wish for privacy when guests were present.