Or she would be very soon.
Aiden Bradford needed to be taken out.
Episode 35
Easy to Please
NOAH
The governess sat upright, her back ramrod-straight, as the clock in the dining room continued to tick. It was now half past eight, and Ruby was not sitting at the dinner table.
Ms. Bancroft, the woman who raised me and my brother after our parents died, lifted her hand in a tight wave, reminiscent of something Queen Elizabeth II might have done. The dining attendants who were anxiously waiting at the room’s edge snapped into action, pouring the wine Ms. Bancroft had meticulously chosen and setting the first course onto the warming plates. One of them moved to remove the place setting for Ruby, lest it be a reminder that one guest was decidedly missing.
“It seems your little tart is incapable of keeping appropriate time,” she tutted and sipped her wine.
Nile’s lips twitched, but he was far too sophisticated and gentlemanly to respond with laughter when our beloved governess was in a snit.
“She’s not a tart, and she’s been through a lot,” I noted, feeling defensive on her behalf .
“And you expect me to give her leeway on such improper behavior as missing a dinner without any word or excuse?” she retorted.
Nile shook his head. “Not at all. What I suspect Noah means is that we’d only just arrived moments before greeting you. We came straight from Heathrow. Ms. Dawson has had a very long day and specifically expressed her discomfort and exhaustion earlier. My best estimate is that she’s sleeping, not pointedly ignoring your dinner invitation.”
Ms. Bancroft hummed noncommittally and picked up her spoon allowing it to hover over her soup, primly keeping one hand studiously in her lap as she did so. “And it is your wish that I train the American in proper etiquette?”
“You would do us a great honor, Governess,” I agreed, picking up my spoon now that the lady at the table had.
The flavor of crisp, cold cucumbers delighted my palate as I ate. “This is excellent. My compliments.”
The governess lifted her chin and gifted me a slight smile. “It is. A recipe the chef has been perfecting for years. I especially appreciate the hint of cayenne,” she noted. “I had hoped to learn more of your bride-to-be during this affair. Alas, that will have to wait until she deigns to grace us with her presence.” Her gaze flicked to the clock across the room once more. It was now closing on quarter to nine p.m. Almost a full sixty minutes past the dinner hour.
“Ms. Bancroft, I understand this is an unusual situation, so let me enlighten you further on how this came about.” Nile set his spoon properly down at the side of his bowl and eased back to give the governess his full attention. “As you may know, Grandfather had a strict requirement regarding the division of inheritance between my brother and myself.”
She set her utensil down and placed both of her hands on her lap. “Explain?”
“Grandfather wanted to ensure that the Pennington legacy continues. His grand plan was to force his grandsons to marry in order to secure an additional 2 percent interest in Pennington Enterprises. That slight advantage will allow the married Pennington governing control over our family’s assets.”
Her mouth twisted into a genuine smile. “I see. The old crow had a card up his sleeve to the end.”
“That he did.” Nile smirked.
I watched the two go back and forth as the servers replaced the soup dish with a steaming plate of beef Wellington and roasted asparagus. My mouth watered as I hadn’t had a meal since we’d departed Las Vegas, choosing rather to catch up on my beauty sleep as I intended to visit some of my establishments soon. Hopefully, with the accompaniment of the lovely Ruby.
“Now you understand the stakes,” Nile finished, explaining our grandfather’s grand plan.
“And the girl? You just picked her up off the streets?” she asked, cutting into the perfectly golden puff pastry that wrapped around the individual Wellingtons.
I grinned. “No. We bought her at auction.”
The bite on her fork dropped onto her plate in a very unladylike manner. “I do not appreciate tall tales, Noah,” she chastised instantly, going right back into the role of governess, mentor, educator…mother.
I lifted my hands in surrender. “I promise, I tell no lies. We participated in The Marriage Auction. Chose her from a lineup of women willing to marry for money for a period of no fewer than three years. Then, the couple can stay married if they so choose, or divorce amicably.”
“Bloody asinine!” Her voice rose in anger. “Either of you could have a well-positioned young woman of your choosing on your arm within days. A duchess perhaps. Even a royal heir down the line to the throne of England. And you chose an uneducated, unpolished American? Utter blasphemy.” She picked up her wine and drank far more than even she herself would have considered polite or appropriate at the dinner table.