A Temporary Governess

Alexander Warner, Marquess of Chester, Indulges In pleasure with his latest mistress, a courtesan, the Countess of Devon, Georgianna Ponsonsby. She hopes to snag Alex as a new husband when the old earl expires. Her (undisclosed) half sibling, Frederic Black, and Alex become friends. Betrayed by his wife before she even marries Alex, he's now older and wiser and determines not to fall into parson's mouse trap again. Hurt and angry, feeling no attachment to his wife's Illegitimate babe, Alex hires Emma Pritchett to bring up the girl. At eight years old, Lady Beatrice has a mind of her own. Rude and spoiled, she intimidates her governess. Their lessons accomplish little, and Jane believes it's because Beatrice is "slow." In actuality, Beatrice is just the opposite. Freddy Black is a scoundrel of the first water. Attempting to seduce Jane, he totally frightens her. Hoping to find another position, she accompanies Mrs. Pritchett and Lady Beatrice to London, there to treat the girl's abscessed tooth. Given permission to visit her friend, Jane blurts out her problems to Clarissa, who convinces Jane she should take her place as a substitute governess for a month until her friend finds a new job. Clarissa also hopes to research the aristocratic world of which she knows little in order to write that romance novel. Clarissa is stunned by sight of the ancient Priory and easily falls in love with its grandeur. Out riding one morning with Beatrice, Clarissa's horse stumbles. Clarissa loses her reins, and the horse takes off. She is saved when Alex rescues her. Clarissa and Alex meet for the first time. It's then he realizes Clarissa is his daughter's new, young and attractive, governess. One night, Clarissa is grabbed and pulled into an empty room across the dark hallway where she is thoroughly kissed by someone. She slams her fist into the attacker's face and runs back to the schoolroom. Never seeing his face, Clarissa's unaware that it was Alex, totally foxed, who kissed her while he was expecting a willing bed partner. Freddy Black begins his pursuit of Clarissa. She believes he's the man who kissed her. When he continues to plague her, she pulls out a pistol she brought along after hearing Jane's tale. Freddy backs down and leaves. Meanwhile, Clarissa and Lady Beatrice are becoming friends. Beatrice takes her on a tour around the ancient castle. There she meets Daniel DeLand, the marquess's cousin, who cares for the Priory's library. He inquires about Jane, and her health and seemed quite concerned. It dawns on Clarissa that Jane mentioned Daniel to her. Clarissa finds ways to keep Beatrice interested in her lessons when a budgerigar is allowed into a cage to the schoolroom. There the pair hopes to teach the bird to talk. For someone who has no interest in his daughter's lessons, the marquess comes to visit the schoolroom. Of course, he's there to see Clarissa, but he is also intrigued by the attempt to train the little bird.