“Who are you?”
The small voice came winding its way towards her and chased some of Albina’s nervousness away. Keeping her smile on her face, she walked a little further into the room, just as the maids both melted away into the corner.
It was time to meet her charge.
“Good evening, Henry. I am your new governess.”
The small boy blinked back at her. His dark hair was swept to one side of his forehead, his big, brown eyes staring up at her. All in all, he looked rather angelic.
“I don’t need a governess.”
At the very next moment, the covers of the bed were thrown back, and Henry kicked at them hard, letting out a loud, petulant scream. The maids rushed towards him, and Albina stumbled back, her heart hammering furiously with the shock of it.
The butler stepped in at once, his eyes wide.
“Do be quiet!” he demanded, although the child ignored him completely. “Lord Addenbrook insists that you are silent!”
It was not until Albina’s back touched the wall that she realized she had been backing away. She had no thought of what to do, no knowledge of what would be best to help the child – but now the butler and one of the maids were both looking at her expectantly and Albina’s stomach rolled.
What am I going to do?
To them, she was a governess with previous experience of children, and yet, as she stood in the room watching Henry flail about, Albina struggled against self-doubt. If she could not calm Henry, if she could do nothing other than stand back here by the wall, then her ruse might soon be discovered, she would lose her position and might have no other choice but to return home – and to Lord Kingston.
‘The child you will care for will need a good deal of kindness and consideration.’
Mrs. Stanley’s words flew into Albina’s thoughts, and she caught her breath. The butler and the maids were all practically shouting at the child and his response was clearly one of discontent. But if she were to try the opposite, just as Mrs. Stanley had told her, then was there a chance that Henry would react entirely differently?
Taking in a deep, steadying breath and trying to grasp hold of her fears, Albina stepped away from the wall and towards Henry. The boy was still yelling and kicking away the sheets that the maid was attempting to pull over him. With a confidence she did not really feel, Albina stayed the maid’s hand, then sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Henry.”
Her voice was quiet and calm and the child, whilst still shouting all manner of things, eventually glanced at her, his yells becoming a little more infrequent. Albina did not know what else to say but instead simply held out her arms to the small boy.
Henry looked up at her, then looked at her arms and the space she had created there. Albina’s heart was pounding furiously and, whilst the room was silent, there was a great deal of tension still buzzing furiously around it.Please, Henry,she prayed silently, fully aware that the butler and the maid would relate everything she had done to the rest of the household staff.
And then, at the very next moment, Henry pushed himself up onto his knees and practically flung himself into Albina’s arms. She caught him easily and held him close, her breathing quick and her eyes closing with relief.
“My goodness, I never would have thought of that.”
As Albina looked up at them, she saw the two maids exchanging glances whilst the butler himself shook his head.
“We shall leave you to put the child to bed, then,” he told her, making his way to the door, and gesturing for the maids to leave the room. “Let us hope, Miss Trean, that your success with the boy continues.”
Albina said nothing. As she held Henry close to her, there came a sensation flooding her that she had never experienced before. It seemed to calm both herself and the boy for, after a few minutes, his head grew a little heavier on her shoulder and his breathing deepened.
She closed her eyes in relief. Without Mrs. Stanley’s advice, she would never have been able to step forward with such boldness. This was clearly what Henry needed – some love and kindness rather than anger and irritation.
Perhaps she could do this after all.
Chapter Three
“Istill think she looks much too young for a governess.”
Patrick’s eyes narrowed as he watched Miss Trean and Henry walk across the grass in front of the manor house. They had their backs to him, given that they were just setting out on their daily excursion, but from the way that Henry was looking up at the lady, Patrick could tell that he was happy.
That makes one of us, at least.
“Did you say something?”