An Improper Governess: An Improper Liaisons Novella, Book 2 Read Online Free PDF

shoulder to someone. A moment later, his nieces came into view. Giggling and skipping, they quickly caught up to the governess and then all three of them headed across the grass in the direction of the willow copse and the Doric temple folly.
    He wondered if Regina had reminded Lavinia and Kitty not to go too far in that direction. Or perhaps more importantly, had she warned Miss Adams?
    His mouth curved into a smile as he watched the governess disappear around a bend in the lakeside path. Then again, it might be quite interesting if Regina hadn’t informed her...
    For several long moments, Nicholas considered his options for the day ahead whilst he finished his coffee. As much as he hated to deny himself a swim in the lake, he really should wait until later in the afternoon. And whilst he couldn’t ignore estate matters forever, right now, there was a duty that was even more pressing. A task he couldn’t entrust to anyone else.
    Thrusting aside the thought he was acting like a fool possessed by midsummer madness, Nicholas strode over to his chair and retrieved his tailcoat.
    It was time to go shopping in Hedgecombe.

    * * *
    “ M iss Adams , I do not think we should go any farther.”
    Abigail paused on the path that led to the lakeside folly and frowned down at her nine year-old charge, Miss Lavinia. The small Doric style temple was one of Abigail’s favorite haunts in the park surrounding Hartfield, and given the hot weather, she was particularly looking forward to sitting on a marble bench in the cool shade as she conducted today’s reading lesson. Even at this early hour, the schoolroom was far too hot. “Whyever not?” she asked, adjusting the small bundle of books threatening to slide from her damp, slippery grip.
    Kitty, Lady Barsby’s youngest daughter, giggled before whispering, “Uncle Nicholas might be about. He likes to swim... with nothing on.”
    Oh, thought Abigail just as Lavinia cried, “Kitty!” The girl’s blonde ringlets quivered about her flushed cheeks as she stamped her foot. “You cannot say things like that. It’s not good manners.”
    “Well, it’s true,” pouted Kitty, crossing her arms. “Mama says Hartfield is Uncle Nick’s home now and he can do as he likes, even if that means swimming during the day without a stitch on. I also heard Keziah whispering to Nurse about it, and Keziah said she would very much like to see—”
    “Kitty, it is never a good idea to listen to the idle chat of servants,” chided Abigail, but her tone was far from stern. Keziah wasn’t the only one who would like to see such a thing. The mental image of Sir Nicholas striking out across the lake, his sleek, muscular body plowing effortlessly through the water made desire bloom low in her belly and a hot blush washed over her cheeks. In a feeble attempt to cover how flustered she was, she added with a bit more conviction, “Besides that, eavesdropping is not a ladylike behavior.”
    “We could always sit over there,” suggested Lavinia, nodding toward the willow copse beside the bank.
    “Unfortunately, I don’t think that would be wise,” said Abigail with a sigh. The problem was, she was wearing a gown of pale lemon dimity cotton; she couldn’t bear wearing one of her more serviceable gowns of calico or stuff on such a sweltering summer’s day, and both Miss Lavinia and Kitty were wearing white muslin. Because Abigail had anticipated sitting upon a bench in the folly, she hadn’t brought a blanket along, only the girls’ books. The grass was probably still damp from yesterday’s downpour and all their dresses would become horribly stained if they sat down. She couldn’t afford to ruin another dress, not when she’d just spent a good deal of her savings on items that were now lost. Even more importantly, she was loath to incur the wrath of Lady Barsby who was very particular about how the girls presented themselves.
    She glanced longingly down the gravel path toward the white marble