Sacked (To Love a Governess Regency Short) Read online

  Sacked

  By

  Jane Charles

  The characters, places and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Sacked

  Copyright © 2011 by Jane Charles

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.

  For more information: [email protected]

  http://www.JaneACharles.blogspot.com

  Chapter 1

  Elizabeth Claywell yawned as her foot hit the landing of the second floor. Her charges, five young girls, were barely awake. The nurse would see to their breakfast and lessons were hours away. She needed a strong cup of tea before she even contemplated teaching.

  Images of her uncle telling her that he arranged a marriage merged with images of one of his old friends who came to the estate to offer for her had kept her tossing and turning. The gentleman in question was sixty-years-old if he was a day. Toward the early morning hours she dreamed of Lord Fairfield, his blond hair and laughing blues eyes, a hand held out to her, beckoning. She took it and her body warmed at his touch. Elizabeth hated waking from that part of the dream. She felt safe with Fairfield, and in this home, but she also knew it was short lived. As soon as her uncle found her, he was certain to drag her back to Berkshire to marry the gentleman he had chosen.

  It was six months ago she ran away, heading toward Scotland where her mother’s family still lived. She stopped briefly in Northumberland and stayed when offered the position as governess. Lord Fairfield was beside himself with what to do with his new charges, nieces, and she happened upon them as he was trying to put them all into the carriage. They wanted a trip to the confectioners instead, though one had set off after a bunny. Elizabeth came upon the family and helped Fairfield get each of the girls situated. After an impromptu interview he offered her the position of governess.

  Elizabeth looked up just as she rounded the corner and stopped. The door to Lord Fairfield’s chamber was open and he stood in the center of the room, next to a chair, wearing nothing but his britches. The hard planes of his smooth chest robbed her of breath and the flat planes of his stomach rippled when he bent forward. A blond curl fell against his forehead and her hand itched to comb it way from his face while the other one wanted to explore the ridges of his abdomen.

  She knew that she should move on, pretend she hadn’t seen anything and allow the man his privacy, but she was rooted in that spot at the end of the stairs. He raised his arms above his head and stretched. Elizabeth likened it to a feline just awakening from its nap. Not just any cat, but a tiger or lion, or perhaps panther. Her pulse quickened and as much as she told herself to avert her eyes and continue onto the kitchen, she just couldn’t. She had been intrigued by Fairfield since their first meeting and her attraction to the man had grown daily. Alone, at night and in her room, she wondered what it would be like to know him not as employer and governess, but as gentleman and lady. Had her uncle decided her fate belonged with a man like Fairfield, she would have never run away. She was just as certain Fairfield saw her as nothing more than the woman who taught his nieces and kept them entertained and out of trouble. And, it would be highly improper if he did view her in any other light than his employee.

  He bent to one side and then the other and she was mesmerized. When his hands dropped and he turned his eyes locked on hers. Elizabeth knew her face must be as red as the poppies from her uncle’s garden if the heat was any indication. Lord Fairfield didn’t say anything but the side of his lip curled into the hint of a smile and he took a step in her direction.

  Elizabeth willed her feet to move but they wouldn’t. Her body had a mind of its own and was not obeying her today. When he was half way to the door he stopped. “Please, come in, Miss Claywell.”

  On their own accord her feet finally decided to move. But not in the direction of the kitchen, as they would on any proper young lady, but right into her employer’s bedchamber.

  “Yes, Lord Fairfield?”

  “Is there anything I can help you with?” His eyes skimmed down her person and Elizabeth felt as if she had been burned. She couldn’t recall her breasts ever feeling this heavy, nor her senses so heightened.

  “Um . . . I mean . . . no, Lord Fairfield?” Now she was even robbed of speech. Elizabeth dearly wished she could go back to bed and start this day all over again.

  “You seemed to have been waiting for something.” He gestured toward the hall.

  Her face heated a thousand times hotter than before. Was it possible for a person to combust into flames from embarrassment? “I . . .well you see. . . I . . . that is . . .”

  He took a step forward and Elizabeth was unable to continue speaking. He was so close his breath brushed against her cheek. Then, he kissed her.

  His lips were so gentle she about expired on the spot. The sigh came out on its own accord and he must have taken it as an invitation for as soon as her lips parted, he plunged. She had only been kissed a handful of times. Those had been quick pecks out of sight of her chaperone and nothing like this. His tongue probed and she hesitantly touched hers to his.

  Lord Fairfield groaned and delved deeper. His arm locked around her waist, bringing her against his body. Elizabeth tingled from the tips of her breasts, now pressed against his hard chest, to the tips of her toes, and especially in the middle where a harder portion of his anatomy pressed against her abdomen. The back of her mind registered what it was, based on long-ago discussions with her mother just before her coming out. She should pull away, but the sensations were so foreign, so wonderful, she didn’t want to break contact just yet.

  This is wrong. She knew it was wrong, but her body stopped listening to her mind when she was still in the hall and it ignored her now. Instead, she wanted to be closer, not that they could get much closer. Breaking contact was not an option.

  Her arms lifted and twined around his neck and her fingers played with the short curls at the back of his head. She had longed to run her fingers through these locks, but knew how inappropriate it was given he was her employer.

  Employer! What was she doing?

  Lord Fairfield’s hands roamed up and down her back, branding her with each touch. His mouth moved from her lips to kiss her cheek, before he gently nibbled on her ear, nipped her neck and trailed kisses down to her shoulder. She was scorched each place he kissed and Elizabeth let her head fall back, lost in a sea of sensations. His hand closed over her breast, gently squeezing and molding it. “Oh, Elizabeth, I’ve waited for so long.”

  So long for what? She couldn’t concentrate enough to voice the question or form an answer on her own.

  He pulled at the top her bodice and she wanted to rip her dress off to give him better access.

  When the proper and confining dress did not give way, his hands snaked around her back, swiftly undoing the buttons until her bodice loosened and the shoulders of her dress dropped to the top of her arms. Fairfield’s attention was back on her breasts in an instant, pushing the gown down as he trailed kisses along the edge of her chemise. Her nipples tightened.

  * * *

  Jared couldn’t get enough of her, or get to her skin quickly enough. How long had he waited to hold Elizabeth? Weeks? Months? She plagued his dreams at night, and his thoughts during the day. Most of the time he was in a half state of arousal when she was in his presence. Now she was here, in his arms, welcoming his touch.

  He slid the gown to her waist, her arms still t
rapped in her sleeves, but he didn’t care that she wasn’t touching him because all he wanted at the moment was to feast on her breasts. The nipples were tight, straining against the linen of her chemise. He bent forward and took one in his mouth, suckled while his hand caressed the other.

  Elizabeth moaned and arched her back. He couldn’t have hoped for a better response. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her and the time had finally arrived.

  He switched to suckle her other breast as his hand slid down her leg, pulling at the skirt until he reached the hem and pulled it up so he could touch her leg. It was covered in wool. He stroked up until he reached soft skin just above the garter. She clamped her legs tight but Jared suspected it wasn’t because she wanted to deny him, but because the pressure added pleasure. He would soon show her what pleasure was. His fingers met the curls of her womanhood, already damp and he bit back a groan. With one finger he parted the folds and rubbed across her nubbin.

  He heard a quick intake of breath and he rubbed across it again. Her legs parted slightly, allowing just a bit more access. He needed to get her out of this dress and onto his bed so he could do this right. Only a cad would take a lady, the first time anyway, while she was still standing with her arms locked in her sleeves so she couldn’t participate.

  “Uncle Jared? Are you awake?”

  Elizabeth stiffened at the sound of Julia’s voice and light footsteps skipping down the stairs, and yanked her dress up to cover herself. He let the skirt drop before he turned Elizabeth so that his back was against the doorway and hastily buttoned her gown.

  “Why are you hugging Miss Fairchild. Is she sad?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. Julia stood in the doorway.

  Chapter 2

  Elizabeth yanked away from Lord Fairfield. Humiliation and shame engulfed her.

  “She is not sad, Julia. I just wanted to hug her.”

  Elizabeth took a slow step toward the door, then another, and another before she fled from the room.

  “Miss Fairfield, wait,” he called after her.

  She didn’t turn around. She had to get out of there, away from him. Away from what she had allowed him to do. Tears nearly blinded her as she flew down the stairs. She didn’t pause at the landing but ran into the small room off of the entry, grabbed her cloak and was out the door. Elizabeth didn’t stop running until the manor was no longer in sight. She sank down at the side of the road as the sobs engulfed her.

  What had she done? Why had she allowed such liberties? What must he think of her?

  * * *

  Jared grabbed the shirt off of the chair and shoved his arms into the sleeves as he called after Elizabeth. Had he ruined everything because he could not control himself? He raced after her when he heard the front door slam. By the time he opened it she was already down the drive, her cloak flying behind her and running as if the hounds of hell were on her heels. He took a step to go after her but stopped when his bare foot sank into the icy wetness of snow and a cold wind slapped against his chest.

  He stood there and watched until she disappeared. Her auburn hair came loose from the confines of the tight bun at the back of her head, a few long tendrils flying in the wind. He would love to see all of her hair loose one day so that he could comb his fingers through the russet curls. He just hoped he still had the opportunity.

  The moment he saw her standing in the hall, watching him, he couldn’t control his desires. The very ones that kept him awake at night, and plagued him when she was in the room. He didn’t stop to think but acted on instinct to get her into his room, close to his bed. Had Julia not interrupted him, who knew what might have transpired. He hoped he would have had enough control not to bed Elizabeth, but knew in his gut that is exactly what would have happened, and with the door open for the world to see. Where had his mind gone?

  He knew the answer as he asked the question. All proper thoughts disappeared at her perusal of his body. Her eyes, darkened with passion, face heated to a lovely, rosy glow, and her full lips parted as if in anticipation. Her appearance was a stark contrast when she ran from his room with a pale face and tear-rimmed eyes. He could only guess at what she was thinking and feeling.

  Snow came down heavier than it had when he first woke. Surely she would be back shortly because it was too cold to be out in the elements.

  It was best to let her have a few moments to herself Jared reasoned and made his way back up the stairs. Julia stood at the top pulling on her braid, a worried frown marred her brow. The sadness pulled at his heart. The child, all of the children, had been through so much already, with losing both of their parents almost a year ago and he had tried to do the best he could. But, he had also been a bachelor when he inherited the title and five little girls. Elizabeth had been the perfect answer and he always saw her as a more permanent part of the family. More permanent than governess. Had he moved to quick? Not quick enough?

  Jared raked his fingers through his hair as he settled on the top step and pulled Julia onto his lap. “Don’t worry. Miss Claywell will be back in a moment.”

  “She was terribly upset.” Tears pooled in the little girls eyes.

  “Maybe she didn’t like being hugged?” There was certainly no way to explain to a six-year-old what was the true cause of her governess’ distress.

  “But she loves hugs. She tells me so every time I hug her.”

  What could he say to that? “Maybe she doesn’t like my hugs.”

  Julia’s arms wound around his neck and she squeezed hard before placing a peck on his cheek. “I like your hugs, Uncle Jared.”

  An involuntary smile pulled at his lips. To think that a year ago the last thing he wanted in his life was children. But, his five nieces had wormed their way into his heart and he knew that he was wrapped around each of their little fingers. He wouldn’t have it any other way. And life would be perfect as soon as Miss Claywell returned and they settle matters between them.

  Jared lifted Julia from his lap and stood. “Go find your nurse and eat breakfast. I am sure Miss Claywell will be back in plenty of time for lessons.”

  Without a backward glance, Julia was running back toward the stairs leading to the nursery. He only wished things were that simple and made his way to his own chamber to finish dressing for the day. There were serious matters that needed to be discussed with his governess and it was best to do so fully clothed.

  * * *

  Dampness seeped through her cloak and dress and onto her skin before Elizabeth finally looked up. Where had all this snow come from? She searched her pockets for a handkerchief. There were none and she used a sleeve wipe her eyes and nose. She was too miserable to care that she was doing the very thing she admonished Julia for doing the other day. With a sniff, Elizabeth picked herself up off the ground and trotted toward town.

  The flakes of snow had thickened and the ground was now covered. She looked up at the sky and even though she knew very little about clouds, Elizabeth sensed it would not let up for some time. She reached the town of Willanton and stood in the middle of the road. What do I do now?

  She scanned the stores along either side of the road and chose the modiste. At least there she could pretend to look at fabric, or designs, or something. The others didn’t offer the same options for wasting time while she decided what to do next.

  Hand on the door, she stomped the snow off of her shoes before she entered the shop. Her toes were frozen, which she realized now that she had overcome being so upset. Even though more tears threatened, she forced them away. Her slippered shoes were ruined and she dreaded the thought of walking back to the manor in this snow without boots. Not that she would be returning there for a few hours. At least not until lesson time and she prayed Lord Fairfield was locked in the library working. Would it be possible to avoid him from now until eternity?

  “Goodness, what are you doing out in this weather?”

  Elizabeth glanced up when Monique, the seamstress and proprietor of the shop, came forward.

&nbs
p; “I wasn’t really paying all that much attention when I left the manor.”

  Monique closed the door behind Elizabeth. “I should say not. I was just about to close up as I didn’t expect any customers on a day like today.

  Elizabeth couldn’t look Monique in the eye. She wasn’t exactly a customer, but maybe she could order a gown. A simple one so her time was justified and Monique’s wasn’t wasted.

  “Well, come inside and warm yourself.”

  Elizabeth was ushered to the center of the room before a stove.

  “Tell me what you are looking for.” Monique studied her, a frown on her face. Envy pulled at Elizabeth’s heart. Monique was so beautiful, with flawless skin, long elegant nose, full lips and high cheek bones. Why this woman was single was beyond Elizabeth. If Monique were to show herself in London, she could probably land a duke, regardless of lower status.

  Elizabeth pulled her eyes away and glanced around the shop. There was a small case containing gloves, books of patterns set on a table, and stacks of cloth in a back corner away from the light of the windows, not that they need worry about sunlight today. The snow seemed to become thicker by the moment. “Um, I think, yes, I think I would like a new dress.”

  Monique arched a brow as if she didn’t believe her. “Very well, shall we look at some patterns?”

  Elizabeth sat in the chair and picked the first book up off of the table. It held plates of different ball gowns. Would she ever wear one again? No, she shook the thought from her head. Not as long as her uncle lived and he was insistent she marry one of his friends. Just the thought of those hands, wrinkled and riddled with liver spots, made her stomach roll. Though she was quickly approaching being placed on the shelf at the age of three and twenty, she refused to marry anyone for the sake of being married. Perhaps she should have given her suitors more consideration during those three short seasons then she wouldn’t be in this predicament, but none had actually interested her.