Chapter : 40
“It makes me wonder whether the king’s side has made contact with her. A man as efficient as that would hardly sit idle for so long without planning something.”
“Yes. But did Miss Somerset show any signs of that?”
Windsor once again pressed his lips tightly together.
There had been no such signs. And yet… before she could betray them, it might be better to remove Jacqueline first. Even if Benjamin’s education suffered a gap because of it.
Would that make this unpleasant feeling disappear as well?
Windsor leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. It was an unpleasant sensation he had never felt before she came to Preston Manor.
So perhaps, if she disappeared, this feeling would disappear too.
As soon as he closed his eyes, Jacqueline’s radiant smiling face intruded into his mind uninvited.
He tried to push it away—but the more he did, the deeper her smile became. The discomfort that had started at his ankle crept upward through his body, tightening around his throat.
Without realizing it, Windsor’s hand slipped into his pocket. The neatly wrapped gift crinkled and crumpled softly in his grasp.
*****
“I’m back, William.”
Jacqueline greeted the butler waiting by the carriage as if it were nothing unusual. William walked beside her toward the manor.
“Welcome back, Miss Somerset. Young master has been eagerly awaiting your return.”
“Is that so? Benjamin?”
Even though she knew it was likely polite exaggeration, she could not hide the smile spreading across her face. Being liked by a child was more pleasant than she had expected.
Walking slightly faster than usual down the corridor, Jacqueline noticed a familiar figure approaching from the opposite side.
She stopped, her eyes curving as she called out.
“Lord Preston.”
Windsor, who had already recognized her by the sound of her footsteps, finally stopped when he heard her voice.
He turned to her with an indifferent gaze. Seeing her smiling face, he said flatly,
“Did you meet your friend well?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Friend.
Windsor wondered why she had gone so far as to meet Evan Knox while lying to him.
Did she think he would not allow it if she told him?
If so, that was a misunderstanding. He had no interest in whom she met.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“There’s no reason not to be, is there?”
Jacqueline’s eyes curved even more brightly.
If Evan’s proposal for the book succeeded, renting a room in the capital would not be impossible. With luck, she might even find a house with a small yard.
Then she could bring her mother. She could not leave her in her aunt’s care forever.
Just imagining that future made her smile softly.
Windsor’s voice, by contrast, grew colder.
“Benjamin has been waiting for quite a while.”
At that, Jacqueline slightly widened her eyes, as if the words were a reprimand.
After a moment’s tilt of her head, she replied carefully.
“I don’t think I exceeded our agreed time.”
“Please try to avoid going out in the future. If you understand what your duty as Miss Somerset is.”
Jacqueline’s brows slowly furrowed. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
He had allowed her outings so easily before—what right did he have to suddenly change his attitude?
“Today is Sunday, a day without lessons. I don’t think I’ve ever neglected my duties enough to deserve hearing that from you.”
Windsor fell silent, unable to respond. He knew. His words did not make sense.
But before he could think, the words had already come out—like something he could not stop.
It was unfamiliar. Windsor, a man of reason, rarely spoke impulsively.
He always thought before speaking—sometimes so long it bored others.
And yet, in front of Jacqueline, he sometimes spoke without thinking.
Even after speaking, the unpleasant sensation tightening his throat did not fade.
He loosened his tie with a frustrated expression.
“But if it’s your order, I will keep it in mind. I am, after all, a governess employed by Lord Preston.”
She shot the words at him like ice, then walked past him.
Windsor stood frozen, watching her back as she ascended the stairs.
For a brief moment, he even thought it would be better if she were a spy sent by the king.
Then he could dismiss her himself.
And perhaps then, this suffocating discomfort would finally disappear.
Windsor’s eyes twisted faintly as he walked toward the living room.
Left alone in the corridor, William awkwardly adjusted his glasses, visibly unsettled by the sudden cold tension.
*****
“Miss Somerset.”
After changing clothes, Jacqueline found a small figure standing outside her door and slightly widened her eyes.
“Betty told me you came back. Did you enjoy your outing?”
The child looked up at her nervously, as if afraid of being a bother.
Jacqueline smiled gently.
“You know you can knock, don’t you?”
“I… I was worried I might be disturbing you.”
Only after voicing his fear did the boy glance at her cautiously.
“Of course not!”
Jacqueline quickly shook her head and walked down the corridor beside Benjamin.
“I saw a lot of people walking in the park on my way back. Before it gets too hot… how about we take a walk there next Sunday? Of course, only if Lord Preston allows it.”
Benjamin’s eyes widened.
A walk in the park—he had never even imagined such a thing.
“Yes, Miss Somerset!”
He answered quickly, afraid she might take it back.
“Good. Then I’ll ask Lord Preston later…”
Jacqueline paused.
The image of Windsor’s cold gaze resurfaced in her mind.
“I really don’t understand what he’s thinking.”
“Pardon?”
“…Nothing. I’ll ask him later myself.”
Benjamin nodded obediently.
Jacqueline smiled at him reflexively. Being trusted by the child always made her feel warm.
“If we’re having tea, I should ask Betty to prepare it.”
“Um… may I join tea as well? If I’m not being a bother.”
Benjamin still lacked confidence in himself.
Jacqueline suspected it might be because of his parents’ early death.
Having experienced two major losses at such a young age, perhaps the trauma had left a deep mark.
Showing affection to such a child was also part of a governess’s duty.
“Of course, Benjamin. You’ve never been a bother to me. If you knew how much I look forward to talking with you, you’d be surprised.”
“Really?”
Benjamin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Of course.”
Jacqueline smiled.
“We’ll have cocoa for you. You said your stomach hurt after drinking too many cold drinks yesterday.”
“Okay, Miss Somerset.”
They descended the stairs side by side, their steps now perfectly in sync.
Just as tea time began, William entered with a silver tray.
“A letter has arrived for you, Miss Somerset.”
“For me? Who… oh. My aunt.”
Jacqueline opened the envelope casually.
But as she read, her expression stiffened.
She stopped breathing.
Then suddenly stood up.
“Miss Somerset?”
Benjamin looked at her in shock.
Her face had turned pale as if she might collapse at any moment.
“Miss Somerset!”
“I… I need to see Lord Preston immediately. Can you have tea on your own?”
“Yes, Miss Somerset. Don’t worry about me.”
Benjamin nodded bravely.
Jacqueline left the room at once and headed straight to Windsor’s study.
She knocked urgently.
“It’s me, Lord Preston.”
“Come in.”
Windsor looked up from the crumpled gift he had placed in a drawer.
“What is it?”
Jacqueline did not answer immediately. She inhaled shakily, her throat tense.
She looked like someone standing on thin ice.
Windsor stood up before he realized it.
“What is it?”
He repeated, sharper this time.
Jacqueline finally spoke, her voice trembling.
“I think… I need to go home.”
“Home?”
Windsor frowned.
She nodded quickly.
“My mother… she is critically ill. I have to go. I know it’s against my duties as a governess, but…”