Chapter Two
MR. CHASE HAD figured out the reason behind this house party. Evangeline could tell by the way she caught him looking at her when he joined the children for their tea.
The Amberwood nursery was a large, well-lit chamber that served as schoolroom, dining hall and playroom for the children. At one end it led off to the boys’ bedroom and at the other to the girls’ and their governess’s. Previously, whenever Mr. Chase had visited the nursery, he’d scarcely seemed aware of Evangeline’s presence except to question her about his children’s health or their studies. All his attention had been focused on Emma, Matthew, Alfie, Owen and Rosie, as if to make up for the time he’d missed with them.
In all fairness, Evangeline had to admit Mr. Chase probably spent as much time with his sons and daughters in the course of a year as many fathers who lived under the same roof. That did not mean it was enough, she reminded herself, seeing the way their faces turned continually toward him, like flowers to the sun. With their mother gone, the young Chases needed more of their father’s time. Matthew and Alfie could use his fond but firm guidance to curb their boisterousness. Quiet Emma and Owen needed his assurance that they were noticed and loved. Little Rosie just needed more kisses and cuddles.
If their father was too occupied with his business to provide the attention they required, perhaps an affectionate stepmother could supply some of what they lacked. Better yet, the lady might persuade her husband to devote a little less time to his mill and more to his family.
Those justifications ran through Evangeline’s mind whenever she met a reproachful glare from her employer. However, they did not entirely soothe her conscience. She had always been an open, forthright person. What would her late mother think of the underhanded methods she had used to maneuver Jasper Chase into remarriage?
He had left her no alternative. Evangeline returned his challenging gaze with one of her own. Besides, her matchmaking scheme would not hurt anyone. If it succeeded, the result would benefit her employer, his children and her... not to mention one fortunate lady.
When they had finished eating and the nursery maid cleared the table, Mr. Chase addressed Evangeline. “We need to have another little talk, Miss Fairfax.”
“As you wish, sir. But first I must take the children out to play in the garden then get them ready for bed.” By that time, their father would be expected to dine with his guests. She would be asleep long before the party broke up for the night.
“Then I will join you in the garden.” Mr. Chase smiled down at Rosie, who clung to his leg. “Would you like that, my love?”
Rosie gave a vigorous nod, making her red-gold curls dance.
Did he mean to confront her in the presence of her pupils? Evangeline’s spirits sank. Would he tell them what she’d done? How could the children understand, especially Emma, who cherished the memory of her late mother?
“I would like it too, Papa!” cried Alfie. “What shall we play?”
The children argued about the choice of game in a good-natured way as they headed out to the garden.
“Let’s play hide-and-seek,” Mr. Chase said, putting an end to the debate. “You hide then Miss Fairfax and I will look for you. Off you go now. We will stand over here with our backs to you so we cannot see where you go.”
“Don’t peek, Papa,” called Matthew as he ran off.
“Come with me, Rosie.” Emma took her little sister by the hand. “Help me find a good hiding place.”
Their father lowered his voice, for Evangeline’s ears alone. “Matchmaking, Miss Fairfax? I never thought you would stoop to such nonsense.”
“It isn’t nonsense,” she replied in an emphatic whisper, vexed with him for confronting her now, when she must watch every word for fear of being overheard. “Your children need a mother and it is high time you found them one. Since you have little opportunity for courting, I thought I would make it easy for you by bringing several eligible ladies together. You ought to thank me.”
“Thank you?” Jasper Chase thundered, then remembered where they were and tried to cover his outburst in a tone of false heartiness. “I mean... thank you... Miss Fairfax, for reminding me it is time to look for my hiding children.”
As they made a show of searching the garden, he continued in a casual murmur that could not disguise his exasperation. “If you had bothered to consult me, I could have saved you the trouble of arranging all this. I am done with matrimony. I have no time for anything but my mill and my children.”
Had she gone to all this effort for nothing? The possibility stung Evangeline, as did a bewildering pang of pity for Jasper Chase.
“Do you even have time for them?” she muttered as she brushed past him to call out Matthew. The boy never could stay still long enough to win at this kind of game.
Mr. Chase soon found the rest of his children, though it took a while to discover Owen tucked between a shrubbery and the garden wall. The quiet little fellow seemed very pleased to play a game at which he could excel.
“Now you must all hide.” Owen motioned them away with a sweep of his arm. “You too, Papa and Miss Fairfax.”
“Come along, Miss Fairfax. You heard my son. We must find a hiding place.” Her employer took Evangeline by the hand in much the same way Emma did little Rosie. She knew his motive was much different than his daughter’s... as was her reaction.
Her strong will resented him taking charge so forcefully, yet another part of her responded to the warmth and restrained strength of his grasp.
A moment later, she and Mr. Chase were crouched behind a small shed where the gardener kept some of his tools.
Her employer turned toward her and continued in a forceful whisper. “I spend as much time with my children as I can, while still earning enough to provide a good life for them. Don’t you think I would rather come home to them every night when my work is done? There are times I miss them so much it is like someone gouged a great bleeding hole in my heart. But this is the home they have always known and the Vale is a healthy place for them to grow up. So I do what I must and make the best of it.”
Suddenly he seemed to recall that he was still holding her hand. He released it abruptly with a rueful scowl.
Though her fingers tingled from being gripped so hard, Evangeline was too stunned by his outburst to take much notice. The raw regret in his blue-gray gaze made it impossible for her to doubt his sincerity.
For the past six years, she had been acutely conscious of how much her young pupils yearned for their absent father. She had suffered those same feelings after the deaths of her parents, so her heart had been quick to sympathize with the Chase children. She’d never stopped to consider how their father might feel about being parted from them.
“I did not realize, sir.” She wished he had not let go of her hand, for just then she would have liked to give it a comforting squeeze. “You always go back to Manchester without any sign of reluctance.”
“My work is important to me.” A defensive note crept into his deep North Country voice. “You of all people should understand that it is about more than earning a wage. But I assure you, I leave Amberwood with much greater reluctance than I show. The children do not need me to make them feel worse about my going.”
His explanation dealt Evangeline’s conscience a smarting blow. At the same time she fought a bewildering urge to console him as she would one of the children.
“I found you.” Owen’s voice broke in on Evangeline’s confused thoughts. “It was easy because I heard you talking. You must keep quiet if you don’t want to be caught.”
“Excellent advice, son.” Jasper Chase emerged from behind the little shed. “I will do my best of remember it after this.”
Evangeline followed, still feeling off balance from the drastic shift in her perception of her employer.
While Owen hunted for his brothers and sisters, she addressed Mr. Chase. “I beg your pardon, sir, for being so insensitive to your true feelings. But you cannot deny you used to come home a good deal more often before...”
She hesitated, reluctant to speak of his wife’s death with the children nearby.
Mr. Chase seemed to understand. He gave a curt nod that warned her there was no need to continue. Then he heaved a sigh. “I cannot deny it. Much as I enjoy being with my children again, coming back to Amberwood always reminds me of our loss.”
For an unguarded instant, the grief he kept so well concealed from her and the children flickered in his gaze.
Though it made her throat tighten in sympathy, Evangeline refused to let it silence her. Instead, she chose her words with care and spoke them as gently as she could. “Is that not all the more reason to consider remarrying—for the children’s sake and for yours? The right sort of wife might ease your unhappy memories, and help fill the hollow in your life that you try to plug up with your work.”
Mr. Chase inhaled a deep breath and paused before answering. “I believe you mean well, Miss Fairfax, but I suggest you consider how you would feel if our positions were reversed. What if I invited a houseful of eligible bachelors to Amberwood to court you?”
“I found everyone,” called Owen. “Now it is Emma’s turn to seek.”
Her employer’s question hit Evangeline with the force of a runaway mail coach. How would she react if someone pressured her to marry? She had experienced that in the past and vowed never to let it happen again.
The other children scattered while Rosie ran to her father and caught him by the hand. “Will you help me find a hiding place, Papa?”
Mr. Chase did not wait for an answer from Evangeline but responded to his little daughter. “Of course, my love. Come along.”
“Miss Fairfax?”
Evangeline roused from her preoccupation to find Emma staring up at her. “Aren’t you going to hide?”
“Yes, of course.” She wandered off, scarcely aware of where she was going.
She owed Mr. Chase an answer to his question. Evangeline now wondered if she did not owe him more than that.
How would Miss Fairfax react if he tried to make a match for her? When the question first crossed Jasper’s mind, it had been charged with indignation. But the longer he dwelt on it, the more sincerely curious he grew to know the answer. It made him question why such an attractive, intelligent, accomplished woman had not secured a husband long ago.
He had no opportunity to ask her, even if he’d dared, for the children’s games required more of his attention. Later, while their governess got the children ready for bed, Jasper had to hurry off and dress for dinner. He returned to the nursery long enough to hear the children’s bedtime prayers and kiss them good-night.
“Oh, Papa,” cried Emma when she caught sight of him dressed up to dine with his guests. “You look so handsome! Doesn’t he, Miss Fairfax?”
His daughter’s question seemed to fluster her governess in a way Jasper had never seen before. Bright pink roses blossomed in her cheeks, making her look far younger than her years. The sight made him wonder once again how she could have remained unwed. Obviously she had no fortune or she would not be spending her life raising other people’s children. But surely her looks, character and accomplishments should have attracted the interest of men wise enough to care for more than money.
“Very handsome, indeed,” Miss Fairfax replied, though she had only glanced at him for an instant. “Now we must let your father get away to dine with his guests.”
For some reason, Miss Fairfax’s brusque compliment made Jasper self-conscious. He was used to thinking of himself as a practical man of business, a widower with five children, not an ardent young beau who made ladies weak in the knees. To hear himself called handsome was... unsettling.
Once the children were tucked in for the night, Jasper sensed their governess wanted to speak with him.
“What is it, Miss Fairfax?” He affected a severe look. If not for her meddling, he could have retired to his study for a quiet evening or gone off for a solitary walk. Now he would have to entertain a party of guests, several of whom might hope to become the next Mrs. Chase.
She opened her mouth to speak just as the nursery clock chimed.
“It can wait, sir.” She looked relieved by the delay. “You mustn’t keep your guests waiting.”
“That would never do.” His voice rasped with sarcasm as he stalked off.
By the time he reached the drawing room, Jasper was practically choking on his resentment of the situation in which Evangeline Fairfax had trapped him. The sight of his friend Norton Brookes eased his wrought-up feelings slightly. But the way Miss Anstruther tried to lure him into conversation at every turn set his teeth on edge almost as much as Miss Leveson’s incessant giggles. He wondered if the ladies were aware of the purpose behind this house party. If they were, Abigail Brookes and Margaret Webster gave no sign of it, for they seemed more interested in talking to each other than to him.
The moment dinner was announced, Miss Anstruther seized his arm. “Since I will be seated beside you, Mr. Chase, we ought to go in together.”
Jasper barely managed to bite back an exasperated sigh. He had almost forgotten the ridiculous rules of precedence that governed such gatherings. As host and hostess, he and his mother-in-law would sit at opposite ends of the dining table with the lady of superior rank seated on his right and the corresponding gentleman on Mrs. Thorpe’s right. The rest of the guests would range on either side, with the most humble occupying the middle.
That would put Norton Brookes farthest from Jasper, while placing him between Miss Anstruther and Mrs. Leveson.
Adding that to his list of grievances against his children’s governess, Jasper forced himself to smile at Miss Anstruther. “It will be... an honor to escort you.”
He glanced toward his mother-in-law and received a subtle nod of approval as she accepted Norton Brookes’s arm.
When Mr. Webster bowed to Mrs. Leveson and requested the honor of escorting her to dinner, Jasper held his breath, awaiting her reply. This party was a precarious mixture of minor gentry and prosperous business folk. Some people with claims to gentility went out of their way to avoid anyone in trade, no matter how great their fortune. Though Miss Anstruther appeared willing to unbend in that regard, Jasper was not certain Mrs. Leveson would be quite so broad-minded.
To his relief, she accepted Mr. Webster’s invitation without the slightest qualm.
Abigail Brookes approached Miss Webster. “In the absence of any more gentlemen, shall we go in together?”
Margaret Webster did not appear troubled by the dearth of male guests. “I believe we can make do.”
Gemma Leveson gave a tinkling giggle. “I reckon that leaves you and me, Mrs. Dawson.”
Miss Anstruther’s companion looked around anxiously at the other guests as if intimidated by having the slightest attention paid her.
“Come along, Verity,” Miss Anstruther bid her in an impatient tone. “Do not delay us with your timidity.”
Mrs. Dawson blushed and scurried to join Miss Leveson.
They proceeded in to dinner, which Jasper was pleased to discover well planned and well prepared. Was this all his mother-in-law’s doing, or had Miss Fairfax worked behind the scenes to make certain the house party would be a success? Jasper could not imagine where she’d found the time. Any family with five children was bound to keep their governess busy, especially when she must often act as both mother and father to them. Then again, Miss Fairfax had proven herself a woman of singular resourcefulness.
Had he shown his children’s governess how much he appreciated her uncommon devotion? The question troubled Jasper. Could that be part of the reason Miss Fairfax wanted to leave his employ—because he had taken her for granted?
Just then he realized the table conversation had fallen silent.
“I... beg your pardon?” he asked Miss Anstruther, who was staring at him expectantly.
“I asked about your children,” the lady repeated with a look of avid interest. “How do you manage all on your own with so many and your business to operate besides?”
Some of the other guests resumed their separate conversations, voices hushed as if to keep one ear out for their host’s reply.
“I am hardly on my own.” He nodded toward Mrs. Thorpe. “Their grandmother has been of invaluable assistance to me. And their governess is a treasure. I do now know how we would have managed the past few years without her.”
Miss Anstruther nodded. “What a blessing it is to have reliable servants.”
Her condescending remark irked Jasper. He was still annoyed with Evangeline Fairfax for arranging this matchmaking party without so much as a by-your-leave. But hearing her referred to as a mere servant vexed him even more. Clearly Miss Anstruther had no conception of the scope of Miss Fairfax’s duties or how much she meant to his family.
Before he could say anything he might regret, Miss Anstruther added, “I do hope we shall have an opportunity to see the little darlings while we are here. I have always been vastly fond of children, haven’t I, Verity?”
“Vastly fond,” her companion parroted like a dull scholar giving a rote response.
“My Gemma dotes on children.” Mrs. Leveson glared across the table at Penelope Anstruther as if this was a contest in which the lady had claimed an unfair advantage.
Jasper could imagine what his eldest sons would think of being called little darlings, but he suspected Rosie would love the attention. “I assure you, everyone will be seeing a great deal of my children, and hearing them too.”
“I heard them before dinner, playing in the garden,” said Abigail Brookes. “They sounded as if they were having a jolly time. If I hadn’t been dressed already, I might have stolen out to join in their games.”
“That would have been amusing, wouldn’t it?” Gemma Leveson cast a mischievous grin at Abigail. “Perhaps we shall have another chance while we are here.”
Miss Webster had been very quiet but now she looked down the table at Jasper. “Your children are fortunate to have such an excellent governess, Mr. Chase. I was devoted to mine. It broke my heart when I outgrew lessons and she went off to a new position. Do tell us more about your children. How old are they? What mix of boys and girls?”
Miss Anstruther gave an offended sniff. “I was just about to ask that. Do tell us, Mr. Chase.”
Jasper had never thought he would grow tired of talking about his children, but by the end of the meal he had been so thoroughly quizzed on the subject, he was eager to explore a new topic of conversation. With a sense of relief, he watched the ladies retire to the drawing room.
“We shall have to stick together, gentlemen.” He rose from his chair and strode to the opposite end of the table, taking his mother-in-law’s seat. “I fear we are badly outnumbered.”
The two men chuckled—Piers Webster in a rumbling bass and Norton Brookes in a ringing tenor.
“I don’t object to being surrounded by ladies.” Mr. Webster leaned back in his chair. “Provided I am not their quarry.”
Norton gave a rueful grin. “A poor vicar is not likely to be an object of interest to any lady. I reckon you can have your pick, Jasper. The only difficulty will be in choosing.”
“I don’t want to choose.” Jasper hoped they would not be offended on behalf of their womenfolk. “This house party was not my idea.”
Mr. Webster nodded. “Getting a push from your mother-in-law, then?”
“Something like that,” Jasper muttered.
“Well, I won’t pretend I wouldn’t welcome you into my family.” Mr. Webster folded his large hands over an ample expanse of waistcoat. “I’m not getting any younger and it would be a relief to leave my mill in capable hands, until a grandson were old enough to take it over.”
Jasper appreciated the older man’s frankness.
“Margaret is a fine lass, if I do say so,” Mr. Webster continued. “She’s got her mother’s good looks, thankfully, and a sensible head on her shoulders.”
“Which she gets from you?” Jasper asked.
The older man shrugged. “I like to think so.”
“Any man would be fortunate to win a woman like your daughter.” Jasper hoped he had not offended Mr. Webster by seeming to spurn her. “But I have my hands full with my children and my mill. Besides, I’m not certain I am ready to remarry.”
“I wasn’t anxious to think about marrying again for a great while after my wife passed on.” Mr. Webster shook his head. “Now I wish I hadn’t left it too late. Don’t you make that mistake, lad.”
Jasper glimpsed a shadow of profound regret in Piers Webster’s eyes that made him wonder if he might be wise to take the older man’s advice.
Evangeline rubbed her eyes and gave a deep, weary yawn. From her perch a few steps up the servants’ stairs, she could hear voices coming from the drawing room, punctuated now and then by waves of laughter.
She wished she could hear who was speaking and what they were saying—who was provoking the laughter. Then perhaps she could gauge whether her matchmaking plans had any hope of success. Was Mr. Chase joining in the laughter or was he sitting in stony silence, too annoyed with her meddling to make any effort to enjoy himself?
After all she had done to arrange this party, it galled her to hang back and let events take their course. From her earliest years she had been accustomed to making things happen and her industrious mother had encouraged her.
“There are some people who claim Providence helps those who help themselves.” Evangeline fancied she could hear her mother’s words of encouragement. “But I believe it helps those who help others. We who believe must do everything in our power to make our world a better place.”
“I will, Mama,” she whispered fervently.
Orphan girls, like her friends from school, needed her to provide the kind of safe, loving, stimulating sanctuary they deserved. The Chase children needed her to find them a new mother who would make Amberwood the kind of home to which their father would want to return more often.
Yet as much as those goals compelled her, Evangeline could not stop thinking about what Jasper Chase had said to her in the garden. How would she feel if he tried to push her into marriage by arranging a party like this with several eligible gentlemen as guests? She knew the answer to that question all too well. She would feel manipulated. She would feel as if her wishes were of no consequence and her plans for the future did not matter.
Despite the fact that she had been up since early morning and put in a full day with the children, Evangeline knew she could not sleep until she had apologized to Mr. Chase, even if it meant lurking on the servants’ stairs waiting for the party to disperse for the night.
As if on cue, she heard the drawing room door open and Reverend Brookes apologize for being the first to retire. His sister claimed she was tired, too, but perhaps she only felt obliged to leave when her brother did.
Evangeline heard the door close, followed by footsteps that paused a little ways away.
“Perhaps it was a mistake for us to come.” Reverend Brookes sounded as tired as Evangeline felt.
“What makes you say that?” His sister gave a wry chuckle. “Just because Miss Anstruther is better bred than me, Miss Leveson is younger and Miss Webster prettier and richer, do you suppose I stand no chance at all of snaring your handsome friend?”
Somehow it irked Evangeline to hear Miss Brookes call Jasper Chase handsome. She told herself not to be ridiculous. She wanted all the eligible ladies to admire her employer and be eager to marry him if asked.
“Tosh,” replied the vicar. “You have plenty of fine qualities to recommend you and Jasper is just the sort of man to appreciate them. There is more to him than a handsome face and a good income. You know that cotton mill of his in Manchester...?”
“What about it?”
Miss Brookes and her brother must be climbing the main staircase. Their voices were growing fainter. But the vicar’s remark had piqued Evangeline’s curiosity. Though her conscience chided her that it was ill-bred to eavesdrop, she stole up the servants’ stairs and strained to catch the rest of the conversation.
“How admirable,” she heard Miss Brookes say as they reached the upper floor. “I had no idea.”
“Not many people do,” her brother replied. “My friend prefers to do his good works in secret. Mr. Webster told me about it. I believe he considers the whole scheme a harmless eccentricity of Jasper’s.”
What scheme were they talking about? The curiosity Evangeline had hoped to slake only intensified. No doubt this was her just punishment for eavesdropping.
It was clearly something to do with Mr. Chase’s cotton mill. But what could be admirable about that? Often during the past six years she had thought quite the opposite about her employer’s business, which kept him away from his children so much. Whatever it was, why had he never told her?
Curiosity battled conscience again, only this time the latter won. Evangeline forced herself to descend the stairs with as much stealth as she could manage. Five steps from the bottom she sat down and resumed her vigil. The brief snatches of conversation she had heard ran through her mind as she tried to figure out the crucial part she had missed.
A while later she jolted awake to find herself slumped against the wall. Thank goodness she had not pitched forward and tumbled down the last few stairs!
Hearing voices, louder and more distinct, she realized what had woken her. The party seemed to be breaking up for the night.
“It has been a most enjoyable evening,” said Mr. Webster. “In spite of the drubbing I took at whist from the ladies. I hope we may play again, Mrs. Leveson.”
“I expect we will have plenty of opportunities,” the lady replied. “Sleep well. I’m certain I shall after such a fine dinner.”
The others wished Mr. Webster and his daughter good-night then the Leveson ladies lingered with Mr. Chase, Miss Anstruther and her companion. The two pairs of ladies did not address a word to each other but made stilted conversation with their host. Evangeline sensed that neither wanted to be the first away to bed, leaving the others to prolong their conversation with him.
Mr. Chase must have realized it too and decided he would have to be the one to end the impasse. “I regret I must bid you good-night, ladies. There is a small task awaiting me in my study which I must finish tonight. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
A subtle change in his voice made Evangeline doubt his sincerity, but she did not believe the ladies knew him well enough to catch it.
Did she know him at all after six years in his employ? Evangeline rubbed her eyes and rose to her feet as quietly as she could manage.
Now that there would be no advantage in outlasting one another, the ladies bid their host good-night and headed up the front staircase.
Mr. Chase strode away in the direction of his study. But instead of marching briskly past the servants’ stairs as Evangeline expected, he turned onto them and started up the steps.
Coming unexpectedly face-to-face, they both sprang back, letting out stifled cries of alarm.
“Miss Fairfax!” Her employer clutched his broad chest. “What in blazes are you doing here at this hour?”
What could she tell him? Evangeline’s heart pounded painfully against her ribs.
It was a natural reaction to such a fright, she told herself. Surely there could be no other reason for her heart to behave that way.