Not Plain Jane

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Not Plain Jane

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  “What is so amusing, Miss Halifax?”

  “Why, you have them moving as if their feet are aflame while I cannot manage to get them to pay attention to one word I say. Oh!” She clapped a hand over her lips. That she spoke so honestly made him laugh.

  “Don’t fret. Your secret is safe with me.” He would have reached up to pull her hand away from those plump rosy lips, but she removed it herself. His gaze fell to the mouth that so alluringly curled up at the edges. Leaning closer, he lowered his voice. “Any other secrets you care to share? I promise, my lips button tightly.”

  And kiss hotly, he thought as a spark of desire ricocheted through him. He breathed in, inhaling the scent of lavender into his lungs. The woman looked and smelled delectable.

  She considered for a moment, then shook her head. A tendril fell from its tidy chignon and lay across one cheek. Without thinking, he reached out and pushed it behind her small ear with the tip of his index finger. As he did, she caught her lower lip between her teeth and held her breath.

  Edward had the feeling his nearness frightened her, so he straightened and took a step back. When she exhaled, his suspicions were confirmed. She was afraid of him.

  “Well, then. If you haven’t any confidences to share and since it seems the children are finally behaving, I shall take my leave.” He inclined his head, and she bobbed a quick curtsey.

  Not Plain Jane

  by

  Sarita Leone

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Not Plain Jane

  COPYRIGHT © 2015 by Sarita Leone

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

  Cover Art by Debbie Taylor

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Tea Rose Edition, 2015

  Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0124-2

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  Love never dies.

  Chapter 1

  Seventeen days and she was still a hopeless disaster! However was Jane going to keep her position when she could not control three young girls? It was only a matter of time before their mother discovered the new governess was entirely unsuitable.

  Unless…

  “Would anyone like to learn the steps to the latest dance?”

  The eldest instantly ceased banging her fingers against the ivory keys of the ill-used pianoforte in the far corner of the day room. Melody’s head swiveled, sending an unruly tumble of red curls across one shoulder. She had refused to allow the mass to be tamed this morning, so she looked more like frowning dust mop than lovely adolescent hiding beneath the ringlets.

  “Which one?” Melody’s tone was, as was her norm, argumentative.

  “Oh, the latest one, of course. Why else would I offer?” Jane forced a sweet smile to her lips and looked the girl straight in the eyes. “I know someone like you must already know all of last season’s dances. You do, don’t you, dear?”

  Melody’s hazel eyes narrowed. Her chin jutted up and down, a rapid movement without sentiment. Jane took it for an affirmative and looked toward the far end of the room.

  One down, two to go, she thought.

  Seven-year-old Amanda’s twirling stopped when her sister’s questionable musical accompaniment ended. Before the small, pampered feet became still, the length of jumping rope she whipped through the air as she spun had knocked a pencil box and china cup to the parquet floor. She stood in the center of the mess, colored pencils scattered in the milky puddle at her feet, oblivious to the chaos. She quirked an eyebrow, waiting expectantly for further exchanges between eldest sister and new help.

  Jane knew it was a disappointment that she didn’t further engage Melody in verbal warfare. As long as her attention focused on one sister, the others thought they could do as they pleased. It had not taken her long to learn that side of the position.

  Let the little one wait. One skirmish still to overcome before some semblance of order could even begin to be restored.

  Two sisters were not difficult to understand.

  Melody, moody and stubborn, didn’t know her place. Was she a child or woman? The truth? She was neither. That awkward in-between phase of life was upon her, and she fought it as ferociously as a parlor cat trapped inside a burlap sack.

  Amanda was too young to remember the father who had deserted their mother. And Lady Letitia Cotswold had been far too busy putting her social calendar in order after her husband’s defection to pay much attention to her children. Especially the toddler whose beautiful green eyes and auburn curls favored the man she sought to forget.

  Denied a loving relationship by the sins of her father, little Amanda yearned for attention. Any sort—good or bad. Her intentional disruption of nearly every minute of every day taxed Jane’s patience. Understanding her charge’s motivation was one thing. Putting up with it—cheerfully, no less!—was another.

  But she was, at least for a moment, quiet. That couldn’t be said for the third—and perhaps most vexing—sibling.

  “Je veux, tu veux, il vout, nous voulons—”

  “Diana! Please—enough with the French conjugations.”

  The feet dangling over the leather arm of the chair near a window overlooking the magnificent rose garden stopped mid-swing. Mercifully, the droning language repetition ended as well.

  Diana looked like neither of her sisters. While their hair was red with gold highlights, hers was the shade of a common dormouse. Their eyes were green with ocher specks in the irises, while the gaze that settled on Jane was dark brown—and filled with dislike.

  Stubbornly, the ten-year-old began the recitation from the beginning.

  “Je veux, tu veux, il—”

  Jane fought for control. Had she ever treated her beloved Miss Markham with such disrespect she would have been in her father’s study answering for her bad behavior in an instant. But there was no father here, and she certainly lacked the magnificent skills her own governess possessed. Despite those unfortunate facts, she still deserved respect.

  “That’s quite enough. French conjugation isn’t on your lesson schedule for today. In fact, it’s Sunday, a day of rest.” The large room looked as if the Battle of Trafalgar had taken place in the last hour on the polished floorboards. It had been comfortable and more than adequate for their daily activities before it had been demolished by the spoiled trio. Jane swallowed the urge to scream. “You need to play sometimes—but not the way Amanda was,” she amended quickly.

  “Play is for children.”

  “You are a child.” Melody snorted in a most unladylike way to punctuate the point.

  Diana scowled. “Ju
st because you are older doesn’t mean you’re grown up.”

  “I’m not a child like you and Amanda.” An elbow on the keyboard made the expensive instrument groan. “Besides, I agree with you. A girl with such dark looks should study hard. You should cultivate your brain. It may be all you’ve got.”

  “Melody. That is a cruel thing to say. And untrue. Diana is beautiful.”

  “You don’t need to lie.” Diana stuck her chin in the air and shrugged. It was an act; Jane saw the hurt flash in her eyes. “I know my face is unfortunate. Brown hair, brown eyes…dull, that’s what I am. They have Mama’s looks, and I am the odd duck. Well, fine. If that’s the way it is, that’s the way it is. I don’t care—everyone knows I’m the smart one anyhow.”

  “Exactly what I was saying.” Another bang of a well-placed elbow.

  “I’m not lying.” Jane glared at Melody. If that child bashed those keys one more time…

  “Oh, yes, you are.” Amanda piped up. “Everyone knows Diana isn’t as pretty as I am.”

  “See? Even the baby knows it,” Melody said. Thankfully, she kept her elbows at her sides.

  “I’m not a baby!”

  “Yes, you are.” An elbow bang.

  “I am not!” The skipping rope sailed through the air.

  “And Miss Halifax is a liar. All governesses are liars,” Melody added.

  Jane stamped one foot and set her hands on her hips.

  Even a woman with impeccable breeding had a limit to her patience. So she did something a lady never did. She raised her voice.

  “That’s quite enough from all of you. I won’t tolerate one more second of this behavior. We shall have a peaceful afternoon, once this mess is cleared away. And there will be no more talk of this nature, is that understood?”

  Shocked gazes pinned her. Silently, the three girls nodded.

  Satisfied she finally had the upper hand, Jane added, “And I am not now, nor have I ever been, a liar.”

  Not precisely true, considering she misrepresented herself in order to secure the governess position she currently held—by a thread.

  “Well, that’s a good thing to know, considering you are in charge of teaching my favorite nieces.” The silken voice sent gooseflesh along her arms and brought her nipples to attention.

  Jane whirled and found she was nearly nose-to-nose with the handsomest man she had ever seen. He grinned down at her, and she wondered how someone so gorgeous could be related to such an awful family.

  There was just no explaining the gene pool, was there?

  Chapter 2

  Edward Montgomery didn’t make a habit of visiting the children’s day room when he first arrived at Montgomery House, but today it was far preferable than facing his sister’s wrath. The confrontation hadn’t occurred yet, but her predictable defense already rang in his ears. He had allowed feeble excuses for her outrageous behavior in the past, but this time he would tolerate no leeway. Someone had to rein her in, and he was the one to do it.

  But not yet. Even three ruffians in skirts were more agreeable than one well-heeled, angry woman.

  Especially when they were in the company of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel.

  Perhaps not an angel, with the obvious necessary profession of innocence. Heavenly beings were generally accepted as honest, weren’t they?

  “Oh!” The syllable came out in a near-squeak, and a delicate hand rose to the base of her slender neck.

  Unfortunately that delicate part of her anatomy, where he saw a small flutter beneath creamy skin, disappeared into a drab gray morning dress. It was impossibly ugly and unflattering. His gaze traveled lower, to the polished black tips of her sturdy boots. They, too, seemed utterly out of place on such a lovely woman.

  She had to be the new governess. By the looks of things, she was not, despite the desolate attire, at all suited to the position.

  Damn it. Finally a ray of sunshine in the drafty old place—and it was clearly about to be snuffed out by a trio of rainclouds.

  Well, he could be thunderous when necessary. But first things first.

  He bent at the waist and extended his left leg forward. No finer bow was seen in the rooms at Almack’s. Her response, dropping into a low, graceful curtsey and inclining her head as if she were the queen herself took him completely by surprise. No governess he had ever met—and he had managed to go through a few in his boyhood—had the decorum to respond thusly.

  “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Edward Montgomery and you are, I presume, the poor soul charged with keeping my nieces in order.”

  She met his gaze. The blue eyes seemed bluer when she smiled.

  “Yes, I am the, ah…”

  “She’s our governess,” Melody finished. “For now.”

  Diana and Amanda raced for him, grabbed him by the legs and around the waist, and hugged him tight. The aura of Almack’s dissipated amidst their loud chatter.

  Melody had not risen to greet him. So, she was as difficult as his sister contended. It was a good thing he had returned. A day or two of attention might dispel that churlish attitude.

  “Does your governess have a name by any chance?” He winked at the woman—who seemed struck dumb—and directed the question to Amanda.

  “Miss Halifax.” Amanda grinned up at him. Was that a spot of milk in her eyebrow?

  “Miss Jane Halifax,” Diana said.

  “Plain Jane,” Melody added.

  Edward’s hand curled into a fist. He had never spanked a child, and God knows Melody was on the cusp of young womanhood, but he itched to put her over his knee and chase the nastiness right out of her.

  “Apologize.” Even to his own ears, the word was a bellow. He’d become his father in a heartbeat—not something to be proud of, but between the long ride from the city and the impending sibling confabulation his patience was nowhere at hand. “Now!”

  “No.” A hair toss covered her face—and the glare he was certain hid beneath the curls. Why in blazes wasn’t she presentably combed, anyhow?

  He didn’t care. About the hair, that is.

  “Then go to your room. And don’t come out until you’ve apologized to Miss Halifax.”

  Melody stood, regarding him with a blistering look.

  “I’ll starve in there if you don’t send food.”

  He shrugged. “Your choice. Now, apologize or go.”

  Long legs made the trip between musical instrument and doorway short. The door slamming behind her made his jaw clench. It was a miracle the governess was not leaving—for good. If he were in her shoes, he would be long gone.

  Apparently she was brave as well as beautiful.

  Or desperate for the position. That was always a possibility.

  Amanda tugged the hem of his riding jacket. He looked down. When he saw tears streaming down her cheeks, he scooped her into his arms. She buried her face in his neck. Now he was sure she was milk-splashed. He could smell it in her hair.

  “You won’t let Melody starve, will you? Like starve until she dies?”

  The devil sat on his shoulder. The girls needed to be taught there were consequences for their actions. Lessons began now.

  “I might.” He furrowed his brow, contemplating the idea. When Miss Halifax’s eyes widened in shocked silence, he winked at her. “Melody can decide to apologize to Miss Halifax for being so rude. That would save her from starvation.”

  “What if she doesn’t say she’s sorry?” Arms tightened around his neck, tugging his heartstrings and almost making him capitulate. But the girls were spoiled to a degree that someone had to take a stand—even if that someone had to fight to ignore the tiny fingers digging piteously into the back of his neck.

  “We all make choices in life.” Time to hammer the point home. “Melody has to learn that she cannot treat people so shabbily. It is unacceptable.”

  Diana shook her head. “I don’t think she can unlearn the one thing she knows best.”

  The littlest girl lifted her head. She brushed tears off
her cheek with a fist and nodded in agreement.

  “That’s the truth. Melody is good at being mean.”

  Dismay pooled in his gut. He knew the girls were unruly but to hear that even among themselves they recognized their bad points disheartened him. His experience with child raising was non-existent, but Letty was failing miserably as a mother. The fact that the new governess looked ready to bolt so quickly after the last one had been run off by his nieces’ pranks did not reflect well upon his sister’s capacity to nurture.

  Putting off dealing with Letitia was not an option, not now that he had visited the girls. Better to let the battle begin, especially since it was going to be a rather long one. His mental list of points to discuss grew with every passing minute.

  But before he could deal with Letty, he had to soothe the two girls. And their governess.

  Oh, how he could soothe that woman…

  “I think she is going to starve,” declared Amanda. “It is the only thing that can happen, Uncle Edward.”

  “No, it isn’t. Melody will see that she was wrong. She shall apologize properly, and that shall be that.” He hoped. If his niece was half as stubborn as his sister, she might, indeed, starve. “I’m sure Miss Halifax will accept Melody’s apology.”

  “She isn’t very good at apologizing.” Diana glanced between the governess and the room around them. “I suppose we should clean this mess. Otherwise, you might send us to our bedchambers as well, and we might starve, too.”

  Amanda gasped. She placed a small hand over her open mouth and stared into his face in abject horror.

  He tickled beneath her chin with a finger until she wiggled in his arms. Then he put her down. Chancing another wink at the silent governess, he nodded.

  “That is absolutely spot on. You young ladies had best put this room to rights if you don’t want to suffer the same consequence as your sister. And I want you both to apologize to Miss Halifax. The shenanigans taking place when I entered were completely out of order. Anytime in the future I hear your governess asserting her innocence, I shall know you are behaving like street urchins rather than proper young ladies. Do I make myself clear?”