She was not about to allow one Londoner to change all that—no matter who thought him one of the most eligible bachelors in Britain.
She took a deep breath as she turned the final corner to the kitchen, newly prepared to ignore the presence of Lord Nicholas in her house. How difficult could it be? The man was an antiquarian. He would certainly be interested only in antiquities. It would be easy enough to avoid him.
Besides … she had a house to feed.
A house to purchase.
A houseful of people to care for.
“You cannot make me go to school. I am an earl now. No one tells earls what to do.”
At the words, Isabel came up short, just outside the kitchen. Peering around the corner, she watched James reach across the scarred wooden table for a biscuit and plop it carelessly into his tea, splashing the brown liquid over the rim of his cup. He pouted into the tea for a moment before returning his gaze to Georgiana, who was seated on the opposite side of the table.
Isabel fell back on her heels, eavesdropping. She had asked Georgiana to begin suggesting school to James, in the hopes that he would warm to the idea.
Apparently he had not done so as of yet.
“Unfortunately, James, there is always someone who can tell us what to do. Even earls.” Georgiana poured herself a cup of the warm brew.
“I hate being told what to do.”
“Yes, well, I don’t much enjoy it, either.”
“I’m clever,” James said defensively.
Georgiana gave him a little smile, taking a biscuit for herself. “You are exceedingly clever. I never denied that.”
“I can read. And I know my sums. And I am learning Latin. You are teaching me.”
“You most certainly are. It’s very impressive. But young men … young earls … go to school.”
“What will school teach me that you cannot?”
“All sorts of things. Things that are reserved for earls.”
He watched as she considered her biscuit. “You should dip it in your tea. It’s better that way.”
Isabel smiled. She would wager that Georgiana had never in her life soaked a biscuit in her tea.
“Like this,” James added, plopping a second biscuit into his teacup before fishing out the first, several fingers submerged to the knuckle in the liquid. When he produced the treat and held it high, half of the cookie dropped back into the tea, splattering it across the table. Georgiana made a show of grimacing at the action; James laughed.
Isabel wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the wall. Earl or no, she was not ready to lose James to his title.
“Do you think the men from earlier go to school?” James’s question was rife with curiosity.
“Oh, I am sure of it,” Georgiana said. “They seemed like fine gentlemen. And fine gentlemen go to school.”
There was silence then, as James considered the truth of the statement.
“I have a brother, you know,” Georgiana added softly, and Isabel leaned closer to the doorway. In the three weeks that she had been here, the girl had not spoken of the life she left in London.
“Really? Does he go to school?”
“He did do. In fact, he is very bright because of it. One of the brightest men in Britain.”
And one of the most powerful, Isabel added silently.
“You must have learned from him,” James said matter-of-factly, “or else how would a girl know to speak Latin?”
“I beg your pardon, Lord Reddich,” Georgiana said pertly. “Girls know plenty of things … not only Latin.”
Isabel couldn’t stop herself from peering around the corner again. James’s nose was wrinkled—he clearly wasn’t sure that girls did know plenty of things. “You’re the cleverest girl I know.”
Isabel raised her brows at the reverence she heard in his tone. She would ignore the insult to her own intelligence in light of her brother’s obvious infatuation with his governess—certainly the prettiest one he’d ever had—but she could not resist interrupting their cozy chat.
Pasting a bright smile upon her face, she entered the room with a cheerful “Is it time for tea already?”
James turned eager eyes on her. “Isabel! What happened to the men? One of them was very large! Did you notice?”
Yes. And one of them was very handsome. I nearly made a cabbagehead of myself.
Isabel moved to pour herself a cup of tea. “I certainly did.”
“Where are they? Will they stay here? ”
“They are still abovestairs, in the statuary.”
“May I go and see them?” His eager face was almost impossible to resist. “You may not.”
“Why? I am the earl now, you know. It is my job to keep the residents of Townsend Park safe—I think they should meet me.”
James’s reference to safety—so soon after his concern for her earlier—surprised Isabel. They had always done everything they could to keep the seriousness of the girls’ situations from James, but he was growing older, and more astute, and Isabel sensed that this conversation required more care than usual. “I appreciate that,” she said with a nod, “and I agree that your role as earl is critical to the safety of the manor. But these gentlemen shall be very busy when they are here and we cannot afford to have them distracted.” Isabel considered James’s determined look. “Perhaps we shall have them to dinner one evening. How does that sound? ”
James considered the option seriously. “I should think it would be the right and gracious thing for us to do.”
Isabel popped a piece of biscuit into her mouth. “I am so happy you agree,” she said with a wink to Georgiana, who hid her smile in her teacup. “Now … off with you.”