Dangerous Letters

Chapter Twenty-Five

Letter XLVII

March 07, 17--

Dear Hannah,

I had the finest day. With the advent of an early spring, the nightly draft in this estate is much reduced, and I slept fitfully for it. I most of the earlier hours teaching Villette outside and when I pardoned that she might go off alone, I came back towards the house with some general intention of continuing my own study in the classics (the master of the house has ordered a number of books beyond anything I could read during my remaining stay and yet I persist for they are such beautiful editions that I want to thumb through them all).

Madam L---'s face and manner, when she met me at the gate, were more than sufficient to inform me that something important had happened. It was quite useless, however, to ask her for an immediate explanation. I could only conjecture, while she was dragging me in by both hands, that (knowing my present habits) she had come to the garden to make sure of collecting me with haste and seemed to think the news of an unusually urgent kind.

I was bounced into the parlour in a highly abrupt and undignified manner where I was astonished to find that Villette had somehow come in ahead of me and was sitting comfortably by the open window, laughing at something her father had said. She still bore evidence of her romp through the greenery and had brought in enough mud that the tracks of her wayward path were visible over the carpet and all around her current sunspot. I might have scolded her if not for the presence of my Master, who always thinks her wildest eccentricities as pardonable and did not seem to blink an eye at the mess.

He arose when I walked in with some exclamation as "there you are!" as if I had been absent for many hours. He asked for the room and I told Villette that, if she had finished with the garden, she must permit the housekeeper to bathe her – I was surprised when she readily acquiesced.

"You have such control over her," the Marquis marvelled when we were alone together.

"It is not control, Sir," I corrected, "I have her affection."

He poured two glasses of wine, without asking if I would partake, and though I would have declined he set it just to the side of me as he sipped his own.

"Yes, you do indeed."

"And since you eschew punishment, Sir, it is the only way."

I thought I had risked his annoyance then, but he merely nodded. "You are the only governess, I might say, that has succeeded in that venture. Have you considered my offer of employment any further?"

"I am still thinking of it, Sir. I hope you will allow me a day or two more, it is a heavy decision."

He sat, closer than I expected. "If you are still deliberating as to your future, you might then explain one or two circumstances to me." It was then that I saw that despite his mild tone, his eyes were furious. "Yesterday, you had a gentleman caller – " he saw me start and nodded, "you are surprised, good, that lessens one suspicion. He identified himself as Sir. T—D-------, a current suitor of yours who says that he wrote you a letter as to his coming."

"And which I sought only to dissuade him of!"

"I told him that you were not permitted visitors, but he said that I should make an exception given your imminent betrothal. As you might imagine, I chased him off more vigorously for it."

I can still recall the upsurge of gratitude that I felt and the inclination to put my arms around his neck and press him to my bosom in a long and grateful hug. I was saved from this humiliation, however, because as I moved forward from my seat, he withdrew a letter. "Shall we read the romantic drivel of one Sir. T—D-------?"