Miss Perkins didn’t bat an eyelash. She sat perfectly still, as if considering his proposition.
Wick knew that a typical governess only received between ten and twenty pounds per annum. He would offer five times that.
‘I should pay you the wage of one hundred pounds a year, in addition to your room and board. I am sure that such funds will be of use in your upcoming marriage.’
‘I have never been a governess before,’ Miss Perkins said. ‘I fear, my lord, that my lack of experience would be a disappointment to you.’
Wick stood up taller. ‘I don’t give a fig about your experience. I am looking for someone who will have a degree of influence over my sisters. I know that they will never be controlled. It isn’t their nature and I wouldn’t want it to be. I only wish for a kind and well-mannered woman who can curb their more dangerous expeditions and will not have hysterics when they bring home snakes or other wild beasts.’
‘I am not prone to hysterics.’
Mantheria smiled at the young woman. ‘I noticed how calm and collected you were during last night’s crisis. That is why I suggested the idea to my brother. I think you will be the perfect governess for my younger sisters.’
A little colour stole into Miss Perkins’s cheeks and her glasses fogged up. ‘I am well-versed in the Bible and English literature, but I do not speak French or Italian. And, whilst I can play the pianoforte, I would not consider my skill anything worth mentioning.’
Wick waved his hand. ‘Frederica already speaks both French and Italian, and she can play the pianoforte very well. You would only need to encourage her to practise. And Helen has no interest in music—she is a naturalist at heart. She would enjoy it most if you read the same books as her and collected insects. She doesn’t believe in pinning them to boards, though. She thinks it’s rather barbaric and so do I. And Becca... Well, my Becca is a sharp and talented young artist. But she has difficulty reading and she was teased at her former school. Her last governess called her slow.’
Mrs Perkins gasped, bringing her hands to her cheeks. ‘The nerve of the woman, to speak to your sister that way. I hope that you sent her packing?’
‘She left of her own accord,’ he admitted. ‘And she wasn’t the first governess to find my sisters’ strong natures too difficult to handle.’
‘I do believe that I would be happy as their governess as long as you do not have any unrealistic expectations of my abilities,’ Miss Perkins said slowly.
Mantheria clapped her hands. ‘Hurrah!’
‘And Becca?’ he couldn’t help but clarify. ‘You’ll be kind to her and help her with her reading?’
‘I shall certainly never call her names,’ Miss Perkins said, taking off her glasses and rubbing the lenses clean with her handkerchief. ‘And I would be happy to help her with her reading. But I do not know that I will be any more successful at it than the previous governesses.’
He appreciated her honesty. ‘Excellent—you shall be our new governess... Are you able to come to London with us today, or shall we send a carriage for you in a few days?’
Mrs Perkins stood up quickly. ‘I shall go and have the servants prepare my daughter’s trunk at once.’
She bustled out of the room and they could hear her voice in the hall, calling for a maid.
‘I do not think we are in that great deal of a hurry, Mary,’ Mantheria said with a little chuckle. ‘We must wait for Louisa as well.’
But Miss Perkins had also got to her feet. ‘Lady Glastonbury... Lord Cheswick, I should like to be ready to leave when you are. If you will excuse me? I must say my goodbyes to my father.’
Miss Perkins reached the door just as Louisa walked into the room. Wick did not recognise the gown she wore, and it looked as ill-fitting on her as Miss Young’s dress had, that first night she’d arrived at Hampford Castle. It was tight on her shoulders and at least six inches too short on her legs. Her face, however, looked pink and fresh and healthy.
‘I am afraid I was a bit of a slugabed this morning,’ she said. ‘Where are you off to, Mary?’
Miss Perkins pushed up her slipping spectacles with her index finger. ‘Louisa, I have been offered the position of governess to the Stringham sisters.’
Louisa beamed at her. ‘Oh, I am sure the girls will love you—and you them.’
Mantheria got to her feet as well, and walked to the door. ‘I will help Miss Perkins pack.’
She closed the door behind her, leaving Louisa alone with Wick. Something that she had never done before, since she was supposed to be acting as her chaperone. It took him only a few seconds to realise that his sister expected him to propose to Louisa right now.
Taking a deep breath, he wished he’d had a little more time to prepare. He walked back to the window and looked outside. What should he say? Should he kneel?
‘Perhaps I should go and help Mary and Mantheria,’ Louisa said, fidgeting with the material of her skirt. ‘I’ll leave you to your thoughts, Wick.’
Spinning on his foot, he held out his hand, although she was too far away for him to touch her. ‘No. Don’t go. Forgive me. I am trying to compose myself—words—speech...’
Louisa raised one eyebrow and it was as if her green eyes devoured him whole. Wick wished he was brave enough to offer his heart as well as his hand.