Lord Preston's Secret Governess

Chapter 13: All In

 
“Yes.” Jacqueline rose slowly, curtseyed, and turned to leave, her steps quicker than usual.
She wanted to escape the stifling atmosphere of the study, to retreat to the privacy of her room and vent her frustrations to Colin. And those frustrations would, in all likelihood, turn into a litany of complaints about Windsor.

As she reached for the door handle, she heard a clink. Windsor was having his tea. But the sound was louder than she expected.
“?” Perhaps he’s more upset than he appeared, she thought as she left the room.
Then, she stopped abruptly. A flash of insight, like a bolt of lightning, struck her.

Perhaps…
“!” She whirled around and stared at the closed study door.
The reason Windsor avoided dining with her, the reason he didn’t dance with ladies at balls, the reason he didn’t attend gentlemen’s social gatherings…

The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, forming a complete picture.
“Could it be…?” Her eyes gleamed with sudden understanding. Then, she sighed softly, a hint of sympathy in her voice.
“Everyone has their burdens.” Everyone struggled with their own anxieties and worries. Mrs. Ritz feared being undermined by Jacqueline, Benjamin worried about disappointing his uncle, Jacqueline fretted about her newfound poverty, and Windsor…

“I should have embezzled some of the family fortune. Earning a living is harder than I thought.” She walked down the hallway, her steps light and silent, bathed in the warm afternoon sun.
Downstairs, the preparations for the ball continued, punctuated by occasional bursts of activity. The unusual commotion in the normally quiet manor was strangely comforting.

* * *
 
Windsor headed towards the dining room later than usual. Adhering to a strict schedule had been a habit since his military days. He usually dined at seven, but lately, his meals had been delayed by an hour or so. He couldn’t deny that the disruption was due to the newest addition to Preston Manor: Jacqueline Somerset.

As the governess, and the daughter of an earl, she dined with the family, not the servants.
The problem wasn’t with her, but with him.
“This way, my lord.” William opened the dining room door.

Windsor, lost in thought, stopped abruptly. William, following his gaze, raised an eyebrow.
“Miss Somerset…?” He looked at Jacqueline, puzzled. Why was she here?
She turned and met Windsor’s gaze. In the warm glow of the candlelight, her eyes seemed a deeper shade of green than usual.
“William, would you excuse us for a moment? I need to speak with Lord Preston privately.”

“…Certainly, Miss.” William, after a quick glance at Windsor, closed the door and left.
Windsor stood at the entrance, looking at Jacqueline with an impassive expression. “Haven’t you finished your meal yet? I’ll eat later.”
“Later? Tomorrow morning?” Jacqueline’s playful reminder of the late hour was met with Windsor’s usual stoicism.

I knew it. He had realized from his encounter with Benjamin that humor wasn’t a common trait in the Preston family.
“Are you aware of the rumors surrounding you, Lord Preston? That you’re as much a subject of gossip as the ‘Penniless Lady’?”
Windsor remained silent, his gaze unwavering. Jacqueline smiled and gestured towards a chair.

“This might take a while. Why don’t you sit down? My neck is starting to ache from looking up at you.”
Windsor walked towards the table and sat across from her, his expression impassive.
Jacqueline smiled to herself. She saw a resemblance between Windsor and Benjamin, who had so diligently given her a tour of the manor.

The boy had been quiet, but he hadn’t ignored her requests. Windsor was quiet, but he hadn’t dismissed her.
Just as she hadn’t disliked Benjamin, she didn’t dislike Windsor Preston. He wasn’t the arrogant man the rumors portrayed him to be.
If he were truly arrogant, he wouldn’t have carried her tea tray in the middle of the night.

She had a complete picture now, and it would be her trump card.
“What do you want to discuss?” Windsor broke the silence.
Jacqueline spoke, her tone neither too serious nor too flippant. “The reason you don’t dance with ladies, the reason you avoid social gatherings, the reason you don’t dine with me, and the reason you don’t drink tea in my presence.”

Windsor’s expression hardened, a flicker of wariness in his blue-gray eyes.
Confident in her deduction, Jacqueline’s voice grew stronger. “Would it be presumptuous of me to say I know the reason?”
He remained silent, his gaze sharp and scrutinizing, as if trying to read her mind.

Jacqueline maintained her calm smile. She couldn’t back down now; her hand was too strong. This was a game she couldn’t afford to lose.
All in.
“And would it be even more presumptuous to say I can help you?”

“What is this reason you speak of? Let’s hear it first. We can negotiate afterwards.” Windsor’s question was direct, his usually impassive face even more rigid than usual.
Jacqueline quickly schooled her expression. She knew how sensitive this topic was. She didn’t want to offend him; she wanted to negotiate, as he had suggested.
“I understand you were a soldier before becoming the marquess. That you were raised by your opera singer mother and lived a life separate from the Preston family.”

“That’s a well-known story, Miss Somerset, almost as famous as the tale of the ‘Penniless Lady.’ I trust you didn’t summon me here to rehash common knowledge.” He emphasized the phrase “Penniless Lady.” Perhaps it was his final warning.
But Jacqueline ignored it and continued. “I assure you, I mean no disrespect, Lord Preston. I have the utmost respect for your life.”
“You’ve wasted precisely eight minutes of my dinner time, Miss Somerset. If you truly respect my life, I suggest you stop disrupting my schedule and get to the point.”

“Very well.” Flattery hadn’t worked. He’s a man of unwavering principles, unmoved by empty compliments. She took a deep breath, her stomach clenching with nerves. Her only option was to be direct.
“You inherited the Preston title after Lord Jeffrey Preston’s will was read. From soldier to marquess, from commoner to nobleman. Your life changed dramatically. And you likely never had the opportunity to learn the needlessly complex and tedious etiquette of aristocratic society.”
“Needlessly complex and tedious etiquette.” Windsor repeated her words softly. He seemed remarkably calm for someone whose vulnerability had just been exposed.

He wasn’t one to display his emotions openly, and Jacqueline couldn’t decipher his thoughts.
“Yes, needlessly complex and tedious etiquette.” She chose her words carefully.
“Etiquette, originally intended to show consideration for others, has become nothing more than a tool for the aristocracy to flaunt their status. The rise of wealthy merchants threatened their social standing, so they created these elaborate rituals.”

Windsor stared at her, intrigued by her scathing critique, something he had never heard before.
“They believed these superficial customs could distinguish between noble and common birth. It’s absurd, but they clung to that belief, and aristocratic etiquette became increasingly convoluted, making it difficult for newcomers to assimilate. However…” She paused, her emerald eyes locking with his, the candlelight flickering within their depths.
Windsor, as if mesmerized, stared into those flickering flames. Her voice seemed to drift from a great distance.

“As you know, Lord Preston, no nobleman, no matter how powerful, can escape these absurd customs. This world is surprisingly small, and rumors spread quickly. And one’s reputation in high society affects almost every aspect of their life.”
She was right. Reputation held immense sway in politics, business, culture, and diplomacy. Windsor had become acutely aware of this recently, paying the price for his past indifference.
The royal family was using every means at their disposal to gain custody of Benjamin, and he, in turn, had to enlist the support of numerous nobles and legal experts.

But it wasn’t easy. He had always kept a certain distance from high society. No one was willing to go out of their way for a man who avoided social gatherings and had few close connections.
He was isolated. And he couldn’t suddenly start attending social events and balls. As Jacqueline had pointed out, he was ignorant of aristocratic etiquette.
If that were revealed, it would damage the Preston family’s reputation. He didn’t want to leave Benjamin with a diminished legacy. He wanted to restore the Preston family to its former glory.

“You were probably worried that your actions would deviate from the intricate etiquette of high society. That’s why you couldn’t bring yourself to ask a lady to dance or attend gentlemen’s social clubs. While you were residing at the Preston estate, it wasn’t a major issue, but the capital is different. Here, everyone’s desires and ambitions swirl like a whirlpool.”
Jacqueline had hit the nail on the head, as if she had peered into his mind. Windsor looked at her with renewed interest. He had thought of her as a sheltered flower, but she was surprisingly perceptive, and bold, to speak so frankly to him.
“You’re not arrogant, Lord Preston, as the rumors suggest. You’re simply… unskilled.”

Windsor’s eyes flickered. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.
Then, he spoke, the words escaping his lips almost involuntarily. “How can you help me?”