208Clarissa pulled her coat off with a certain amount of relief, setting it carefully on the rack and surveying her tiny home with satisfaction. It was nice to be on vacation – but it was better to be home. After brewing a cup of tea, she decided to check with her neighbor, a Mrs. Tibbins, for her mail and any new gossip. Old Mrs. Tibbins was half-blind, but it didn't hinder her from talking for hours about the latest neighborhood news. It wasn't exactly the most interesting time in the world, but it was rather like a duty. Besides, it didn't hurt her to be courteous to the elderly – it only bored her. Enjoying the falling evening atmosphere, she walked next door and pulled the old-fashioned bell-pull.
Mrs. Tibbins took about ten minutes to answer the door as usual – she was always knitting and talking animatedly to her parakeets, and she always had to finish her conversation with them before coming to the door.
"Marissa, darling," Mrs. Tibbins said, squinting through her large glasses that magnified her eyes almost comically. Clarissa didn't bother correcting her; the old lady had at least half a dozen names for her, anyways. "Do come in."
"I came to see the mail, and the latest news," Clarissa said, helping her to her mothy armchair.
"Mail, oh yes, there was only one. Here it is."
Clarissa glanced at it and sighed – an invoice from her landlord. Her rent was due tomorrow.
"And a man came to see you two days ago," Mrs. Tibbins said, eyeing Clarissa beadily. "Who do you suppose it was, Karissa?"
"I can't imagine."
"He was asking when you'd get back, and he said he needed to talk to you. And he was blonde, if I ever saw a blonde man. I told him I had no idea when you would get back, and it wasn't any of my business if you ever did."
"What was his name?" Clarissa asked at once, feeling a violent lurch in her stomach.
""He didn't actually tell me his name," she said, disgruntled. "He wouldn't stay to tea, either. You wouldn't happen to know who he was, would you? Maybe a beau?"
Clarissa shook her head slowly, trying to control herself. It might not have been who she thought it was – she shouldn't get her hopes up like this – but if it was –
"I asked, is he a beau?"
"N-no. Not exactly. More like an acquaintance."
Mrs. Tibbins sighed in exasperation. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't have one. Would you like some tea, Larissa?"
Daniel, Daniel – if only it was he, and if only she had been there – "I must go, Mrs. Tibbins," she said breathlessly. "I have a telephone call to make."
Daniel stood outside the tiny cottage, twisting his hat in his hands. Clarissa's house was pretty and quaint, with an old-fasioned thatched roof and a picturesque well, moss-covered and traditional. He had come two days ago to check if she was home, and then the old lady had told him she was on vacation – and he'd had to make himself refrain from staking out in her backyard until she came back. Yesterday he had checked no less than twice in the morning, and then he'd gone back to the inn discouraged. He'd only paid the nurse for three days, and this was the last day before he could go back.
And it seemed that his determination had been rewarded; smoke was rising out of the chimney, a beacon of hope. Gathering his courage, he marched forward and knocked on the door.
Her voice hit him almost physically, the familiar clear low voice. After distinctly hearing the clank of a telephone being hung up, he heard footsteps – and then –
"Oh, it's you," Clarissa said, widening her eyes a little. "Fancy, I was just trying to telephone you – come in."
Awkwardly he came inside, wiping his feet on the mat, looking around so that he wouldn't have to look at her just yet. "Nice place," he said gruffly, taking in the homey kitchen-cum-sitting room in a glance.
"It's not mine. It's a rental."
For some reason that made Daniel look quickly back at her; she was flushing a bit. "Mrs. Tibbins told me you'd asked about – well, if I was back."
"Oh. Yes. I wanted – well, where did you go for vacation?"
"Guernsey. It was lovely."
"That's nice." Oh, how should he start this – he was behaving like a fool….Almost unconsciously, he gave her a beseeching look.
Clarissa recognized it, and ignoring the fact that her heart was suddenly pattering madly, she invited him to sit down. "How are the children?"
"I didn't really come to talk about the children," Daniel said abruptly, and then he ran his hand through his hair. "I – I'm sorry, Clarissa, if I alarmed you with my proposal. I didn't mean to."
"I'm sorry I was harsh," she said instantly, her tone honest. "I was a little bit shell-shocked, and I didn't mean to…."
"Didn't mean to do what?"
"To deny you quite in that way."
"You still meant to deny me."
"No. Yes – well, no. I don't know." Her fingers were clasped together tightly in her lap; she looked down, blushing. "I wasn't sure at that point."
"And I thank you for it." She looked up, surprised, and then he went on with that slight bit of encouragement. "It was a sudden thing, and it was an impulse. And I think even a month ago it would have been wrong for you to say yes. It just would have, because I wasn't completely sure what I meant by proposing. And now I do know."
"So you didn't mean to propose?"
"No. I did. But I had no idea – your words, and I can scarcely remember them, but I know that what you said was correct. I wasn't sure if I wanted to marry you because of you or because of the children and Eleanor."
"But you know now that you proposed because of what?" Clarissa said carefully.
"I proposed to you because with all my heart I realized that –"
"Daniel," she cut in hastily. "I know why you came back."
The wind was taken out of his sails. He gulped at her sudden interruption – he was just about to say that he loved her! "Uh, you do?"
She gently and tenderly touched his hand. "You came to ask if I would be your children's governess again."
"No, I did not," Daniel said heatedly, but she stopped him by covering his mouth with her hands. And that movement effectively shut him up – not because he couldn't talk, but because her touch rendered him immobile.
"You did, Daniel, because otherwise we would be going too fast." She removed her fingers and leaned close to him. "I know what you were really going to say."
"And you were going to say no?"
"I would be glad to come as your governess, and someday – maybe more. It's just too soon to say. After all, we haven't gotten to know each other very well yet. As two people in our situation usually do. You know. Like you probably did with Annette."
He was going to protest, but then he noticed that she was trying not to grin. And that fact made him stop in his tracks. So she wanted to wait? She wanted him to draw out the romance, like any other woman, was it? So he could wait, and he could wait longer than she could. He could see in her eyes that she loved him, but obviously she wanted more of a courtship. Well, he could play her game. He would wait.
Her blue sparkling eyes met his amused brown ones. They would both wait.
One year later
Mrs. Alice Wrexley yawned and took a great sip of her coffee, tired to the bone. Moving house, she told herself, was a troublesome event that should really only happen once in a lifetime – and she had the misfortune to be saddled with moving twice in a lifetime. Leaning back in her plush armchair, she stirred in more sugar absently and then picked up the letter she had received just a few minutes ago. Without even looking at the address or the handwriting, she tore it open, feeling that strange women's intuition that something important had just happened
Dear Mrs. Wrexley,
Well, we've finally done it. At least, I've done it. You ought to be proud of 't you predict this about two years ago? I know you couldn't come to our wedding, but your news that you are selling your inherited house is welcome to both of re-extend our offer of being a 'nanny' for Sophia and Maffy. We both decided a little bit of official schooling would not hurt the twins – indeed, they were getting quite tired of each other, and it is nice for them to meet other children. Tessa has been getting satisfactory reports from her school – in fact, it's as though her discipline issues never existed! – and Felicity is getting better at math thanks to her sister's guidance.
I have to confess that we have no back-up plan if you decline our offer; we're counting on you to bring some sense back into this house. It's been a little bit giddy for the past week, if you understand my meaning. The children are adopting Clarissa as their true mother, and I cannot imagine how it was before she came. I do hope you can come, Alice, and you can reply right to Hollytree Manor.
And, before I go attend to my wife – thank you. I realize it's belated, but thank you with all my heart for hiring a blue-eyed governess two years ago.
Love,
Daniel Ferrars
Alice folded up the letter with a sigh, feeling suddenly less-tired and very contented. Her devilish instincts had been right as usual. She contemplated the amount of time it would take for her to write a letter and wait to receive a reply, and then she decided it wasn't worth it.
"Collins," she called for her servant. "Make train reservations for first thing tomorrow morning. I've got some newlyweds to look after."
FIN
Well, that's their happy ending! I can't believe it's finished. Thank you so much to my consistent reviewers, every single one meant a lot to me. THANKS! ice flyer