Stiffly, Honoria inclined her head.
"Which brings us back to my question, Miss Anstruther
Wetherby. What the deuce are you doing here, gracing our quiet backwater?"
Honoria hesitated; there was a restlessness in the long limbs, a ripple of awareness-not of her, but of the body on the pallet behind them-that suggested conversation was his need. She lifted her chin. "I'm a finishing governess."
"A finishing governess?"
She nodded. "I prepare girls for their come-out-I only remain with the families for the year before."
He eyed her with fascinated incredulity. "What in all the heavens does old Magnus think of that?"
"I've no idea. I've never sought his opinion." He laughed briefly-that same throaty, sensuous sound; Honoria suppressed an urge to wriggle her shoulders. Then he sobered. "What happened to your family?"
Inwardly, Honoria shrugged. It couldn't hurt to tell her tale, and if it distracted him, well and good. "My parents died in an accident when I was sixteen. My brother was nineteen. We lived in Hampshire, but after the accident, I went to stay with my mother's sister in Leicestershire." He frowned. "I'm surprised Magnus didn't intervene."
"Michael informed him of the deaths, but he didn't come down for the funeral." Honoria shrugged. "We hadn't expected him. After the falling-out between him and Papa, there'd been no contact." Her lips lifted fleetingly. "Papa swore he'd never ask for quarter."
"Stubbornness is clearly a family trait." Honoria ignored the comment. "After a year in Leicestershire, I decided to try my hand at governessing." She looked up, into far-too-perceptive green eyes. "Your aunt wasn't exactly welcoming?" Honoria sighed. "No-she was very welcoming. She married beneath her-not the mild mesalliance the Anstruther-Wetherbys got so heated over but truly out of her class." She paused, seeing again the rambling house filled with dogs and children. "But she was happy and her household was welcoming but…" She grimaced and glanced at the dark face watching her. "Not for me."
"Fish out of water?"
"Precisely. Once I came out of mourning, I considered my options. Funds, of course, were never a problem. Michael wanted me to buy a small house in some safe country village and live quietly but…"
"Again, not for you?"
Honoria tilted her chin. "I couldn't conceive of a life so tame. I thin
k it unfair that women are forced to such mild existences and only gentlemen get to lead exciting lives."
Both black brows rose. "Personally, I've always found it pays to share the excitement."
Honoria opened her mouth to approve-then caught his eye. She blinked and looked again, but the salacious glint had disappeared. "In my case, I decided to take control of my life and work toward a more exciting existence."
"As a governess?" His steady green gaze remained ingenuously interested.
"No. That's only an intermediary stage. I decided eighteen was too young to go adventuring in Africa. I've decided to follow in Lady Stanhope's footsteps." "Good God!"
Honoria ignored his tone. "I have it all planned-my burning ambition is to ride a camel in the shadow of the Great Sphinx. One would be ill-advised to undertake such an expedition too young; governessing in a manner that requires spending only a year with each family seemed the ideal way to fill in the years. As I need provide nothing beyond my clothes, my capital grows while I visit various counties, staying in select households. That last, of course, eases Michael's mind."
"Ah, yes-your brother. What's he doing while you fill in your years?"
Honoria eyed her inquisitor measuringly. "Michael is secretary to Lord Carlisle. Do you know him?"
"Carlisle? Yes. His secretary, no. I take it your brother has political ambitions?"
"Lord Carlisle was a friend of Papa's-he's agreed to stand as Michael's sponsor."
His brows rose fleetingly, then he drained his mug. "What made you decide on governessing as your temporary occupation?"
Honoria shrugged. "What else was there? I'd been well educated, prepared for presentation. Papa was adamant that I be presented to the ton, puffed off with all the trimmings-paraded beneath my grandfather's nose. He hoped I'd make a wonderful match, just to show Grandfather no one else shared his antiquated notions."
"But your parents were killed before you were brought out?"
Honoria nodded. "Lady Harwell, an old friend of Mama's, had a daughter two years younger than I. After putting off black gloves, I broached my idea to her-I thought with my background, my preparation, I could teach other girls how to go on. Lady Harwell agreed to a trial. After I finished coaching Miranda, she landed an earl. After that, of course, I never wanted for positions."
"The matchmaking mama's delight." An undercurrent of cynicism had crept into the deep voice. "And who are you coaching around Somersham?"