where flowers were arranged for the house.
She glanced around when the sun, spilling in the open door, dimmed. She frowned. “Oh, go away. I do ever-so much better if not distracted.” She hunched a shoulder at him and reached for the first vase. A moment later it was taken from her hand, set down and she was swung around. She glared at him.
“If I ever hear of you pulling another such stunt I will lock you in a room at the top of the house, feed you on bread and water and not let you go until you promise you’ll never ever again frighten your aunt, as you would do, by going off on some dangerous adventure.”
She tipped her head. “I think you mean that.”
“Try me.”
One of Verity’s brows arched. “I will never knowingly do anything to frighten my aunt. Surely that is obvious.”
“But you didn’t mind frightening your parents?”
The other brow arched as well. “My parents . But I have told you. They paid us no attention. I doubt they ever knew I was gone.”
“Your sister? Your governess? No one told them?”
“Well, you see,” she said gently, “we all knew they’d not hear anything they didn’t wish to hear, so why bother?”
“They’d not care their daughter was off doing heaven only knew what or where?”
“No.”
“Were they so totally irresponsible?”
“No, of course not. We were fed, housed, clothed and, in our odd fashion, educated.”
He swallowed and his gaze softened. “I pit—”
Her hand covered his mouth. “ Do not dare to pity me . I enjoyed my life a great deal…until their deaths. Excepting our few visits here, of course.” Her mouth distorted, briefly, into a moue.
He frowned. “I loved my granduncle.”
“I did not.”
“Why?”
She gave him a look that said it should be obvious. When he continued to wait for her response she sighed. “Because,” she said, “he never accepted my mother.”
“A mother who didn’t behave much as a mother should?”
“A mother who loved a father to the point the rest of the world didn’t exist,” said Verity softly. “A love so remarkably unselfish she could give up all she knew for him, follow him to the ends of the earth. And he felt the same for her.”
After a moment, Jacob sighed. “You wish for the same sort of love.”
“I do. I’ll not wed without it.”
“You’d become a spinster in this society? You haven’t a notion of what you’d suffer.”
She grinned a lopsided grin. “Oh, not here . There are many families in Italy in need of an English governess. Wealthy Milanese, for instance, where I know the city, know the life, know who would pay exceedingly well for such as I to come to them and teach their daughters English and the ways of an English maiden.”
“And could you?” There was a bite to that.
“Teach them English propriety, you mean? Of course.” Her voice turned dry. “And enough logic, to say nothing of a dollop of cynicism, so the young ladies would not grow up seeing the world through rosy-colored spectacles. I would make them competent to weed the false from the true.”
“Cynic.”
“I am, of course. Are not you?”
He grinned a quickly suppressed grin. “A bit of one, I suppose. It is proper to the male of the species but not , of course, to the female.”
“That sort of hypocrisy is why I’d teach my charges to see and understand what is rather than what should be.”
He laughed, backed away and bowed. “Your point, I think.” Then he paused. “May I have that lovely pale pink rose?”
“Why?”
“I wish to take it to Jenna-mine of course.”
She eyed him. “Why?”
“Because I like her?”
Verity reached for not only the pink rose but a white one as well and then some greenery. With a deft twist, a cut, a bow…suddenly she held a sweet little posy. She looked up at him. “Because I like her too,” she said and handed it to him.
She didn’t see the warmth that grew in his eyes as he looked at the back she turned on him. Nor the softening of
She glanced around when the sun, spilling in the open door, dimmed. She frowned. “Oh, go away. I do ever-so much better if not distracted.” She hunched a shoulder at him and reached for the first vase. A moment later it was taken from her hand, set down and she was swung around. She glared at him.
“If I ever hear of you pulling another such stunt I will lock you in a room at the top of the house, feed you on bread and water and not let you go until you promise you’ll never ever again frighten your aunt, as you would do, by going off on some dangerous adventure.”
She tipped her head. “I think you mean that.”
“Try me.”
One of Verity’s brows arched. “I will never knowingly do anything to frighten my aunt. Surely that is obvious.”
“But you didn’t mind frightening your parents?”
The other brow arched as well. “My parents . But I have told you. They paid us no attention. I doubt they ever knew I was gone.”
“Your sister? Your governess? No one told them?”
“Well, you see,” she said gently, “we all knew they’d not hear anything they didn’t wish to hear, so why bother?”
“They’d not care their daughter was off doing heaven only knew what or where?”
“No.”
“Were they so totally irresponsible?”
“No, of course not. We were fed, housed, clothed and, in our odd fashion, educated.”
He swallowed and his gaze softened. “I pit—”
Her hand covered his mouth. “ Do not dare to pity me . I enjoyed my life a great deal…until their deaths. Excepting our few visits here, of course.” Her mouth distorted, briefly, into a moue.
He frowned. “I loved my granduncle.”
“I did not.”
“Why?”
She gave him a look that said it should be obvious. When he continued to wait for her response she sighed. “Because,” she said, “he never accepted my mother.”
“A mother who didn’t behave much as a mother should?”
“A mother who loved a father to the point the rest of the world didn’t exist,” said Verity softly. “A love so remarkably unselfish she could give up all she knew for him, follow him to the ends of the earth. And he felt the same for her.”
After a moment, Jacob sighed. “You wish for the same sort of love.”
“I do. I’ll not wed without it.”
“You’d become a spinster in this society? You haven’t a notion of what you’d suffer.”
She grinned a lopsided grin. “Oh, not here . There are many families in Italy in need of an English governess. Wealthy Milanese, for instance, where I know the city, know the life, know who would pay exceedingly well for such as I to come to them and teach their daughters English and the ways of an English maiden.”
“And could you?” There was a bite to that.
“Teach them English propriety, you mean? Of course.” Her voice turned dry. “And enough logic, to say nothing of a dollop of cynicism, so the young ladies would not grow up seeing the world through rosy-colored spectacles. I would make them competent to weed the false from the true.”
“Cynic.”
“I am, of course. Are not you?”
He grinned a quickly suppressed grin. “A bit of one, I suppose. It is proper to the male of the species but not , of course, to the female.”
“That sort of hypocrisy is why I’d teach my charges to see and understand what is rather than what should be.”
He laughed, backed away and bowed. “Your point, I think.” Then he paused. “May I have that lovely pale pink rose?”
“Why?”
“I wish to take it to Jenna-mine of course.”
She eyed him. “Why?”
“Because I like her?”
Verity reached for not only the pink rose but a white one as well and then some greenery. With a deft twist, a cut, a bow…suddenly she held a sweet little posy. She looked up at him. “Because I like her too,” she said and handed it to him.
She didn’t see the warmth that grew in his eyes as he looked at the back she turned on him. Nor the softening of
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