Read His Bewitching Jewel (A Regency Holiday Romance Book 7) for Free Online Page A

steadily for a few more silent moments. He would never get enough of simply looking at her. His eyes drank in every part of her. If only she weren’t wearing a cloak…he wanted to see what was underneath the mousy brown thing. He wanted to see Ruby in a vibrant red ball gown that would show off all of her womanly charms.
    Mrs. Teague kept sighing, but she had not uttered one word since he chastised her.
    “I…I think I shall be able to handle it all, sir,” Ruby said, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness. “I confess, I have had encounters with ghosts before, and as you see, I stand here, sound of mind, and body. It unsettled me a bit at the time, but it wasn’t a threatening apparition. Indeed, it had come to warn us of impending danger.”
    That satisfied him. “In that case, I do believe, Miss Massey that you are certainly the woman for the job. My nieces seem quite smitten with you. I haven’t seen Miranda seem so happy with someone since the death of their dear mother, my sister, Lady Isolde.” He could not think of his sister as being Lady Sefton. “To him, she would always be Lady Isolde. She has given you her approval, so I have little choice but to do so as well. Now then, Mrs. Teague, show Miss Massey to her chambers. If you find them not suiting your needs, we shall find another bedchamber for you.”
    “I trust I am close to the girls?” she asked timidly.
    “Aye, you are close enough.”
    *****
    “Come along, Miss Massey,” Mrs. Teague said impatiently. “The sun shall set soon, and I would like to get you sorted, so I can go and finish up my work for the day. Come tomorrow, you shall have charge of Lady Miranda and Lady Cordelia’s education, and with the nursemaids to help you, you shall have quite the job ahead of you. I shall finally be free of the little devils. I pray I shan’t have to see much of them at all, after tonight,” Mrs. Teague said, smiling broadly.
    “Surely…surely, they can’t be that much trouble? Surely, they are little angels…not little devils?” Ruby asked, as she followed Mrs. Teague up the stairs. The footmen had carried her luggage in, and she surmised that they had already delivered it to her room.
    “Whether or not they are much trouble, or whether they are angelic or devilish, I shall leave for you to judge. I think they are too much trouble, as housekeeper, minding them hardly falls to me, and yet…we have little choice in the matter, when there is no one else suitable for such a menial task. The nursemaids do their best, but alas, they are not allowed to take them in hand. I try…but there is only so much I can do without earning the ire of His Grace. I only have one word of caution for you, Miss Massey. The Duke might seem stern and cross at the best of times, but he is exceedingly protective of his young charges, and he loves them as his own children. He will not allow you to treat them too harshly, and he will check in upon your progress with them when you least expect it. So, always, always, keep that in mind. He didn’t like the last governess. He didn’t approve of her teaching methods. I thought she was quite a sweet woman, he did not.
    “As you see, the Duke is rather young, and quite handsome. I would not let his fine eyes, and his pleasing visage impact upon you much, Miss Massey. It is believed, he shall marry a woman of noble birth and fortune…not someone of reduced circumstances such as yourself. While you might be almost equal in birth and manners, and while you have been properly educated, you must remember, Miss Massey that you have come down in the world, you are now the Duke’s inferior when it comes to worldly wealth.
    “You are no longer his equal, and you shall never be so again. Even if His Grace has been extremely generous with your wages…just because you make two hundred pounds per annum, does not give you leave to believe that you still belong in his world,” she paused, and then continued, “Let me make this