Nina Coombs Pykare by Dangerous Decision

was going to throw her out. She was going to be without a home again. What was she going to do? Where was she going to go?
    “You may leave me now,” he said finally, his voice curt.
    “But, milord, your ...”
    “Leave me,” he repeated harshly. “Now. We’ll discuss this later. Perhaps.”
    She swallowed the words she wanted to say. It wouldn’t be wise to push him any further.
    “Now!”
    Hurriedly she started toward the door. “Yes, milord.”
    She kept her tongue between her teeth and made her way out. If they were going to talk about it later, that meant he hadn’t dismissed her. Not yet at least. She sighed in relief. In fact, he hadn’t actually forbidden her to bring the girls downstairs. She pulled in a deep breath. So she’d go on doing that until he absolutely forbade it. She owed them that much. And maybe ...
    * * * *
    As the door closed behind her, Charles leaned back in his chair. Why on earth had he hired this aggravating chit? In one short day she had the entire place in uproar, his whole routine disrupted. She was too stubborn, too determined, to deal with logically. It looked like she would keep after him till she got her own way about this thing with the girls.
    He propped his head on his hand and stared into the flames. Such disturbing things she’d said to him. Could she possibly be right? Could it be that his daughters were afraid of him, that they actually believed he was angry with them and didn’t love them?
    It seemed impossible. But if it were true ...
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Ten minutes after Edwina left the library, the girls came clattering down the stairs before her. Constance clutched an old ball she’d found in the corner of the schoolroom and she was actually skipping for joy. Even Henrietta, whose wooden expression had scarcely changed during breakfast, seemed to be moving with more eagerness now that they were really on their way outside.
    Edwina glanced worriedly over her shoulder. In spite of her fine words to herself, she was nervous. If the earl came out of the library-- If he sent them back up the stairs, told them they couldn’t go outside-- If he actually forbade ... Constance would be heartbroken.
    Edwina took herself in hand. She had made her decision to do what was best for the girls and she couldn’t spend all her time worrying about the earl. He had seemed frightening in his anger, but she hadn’t backed down, she hadn’t conceded that he was right. Of course that was because he wasn’t—he was dead wrong. And he had to be made to see it.
    At the bottom of the stairs they met the viscount coming in from outside. From the look of his clothes he’d already been out for a morning ride. He smiled at her, that pleasant smile that had undoubtedly charmed many a London lady. “Good morning, Miss Pierce. You’re looking quite well this morning. Refreshingly so.”
    “Thank you, milord.” If she looked well, it was because she had a full stomach—for the first time in years, though at the moment it was full of butterflies as well as food. “We’re on our way to play ball, milord. Out in the sunshine.” She cast another glance down the hall, almost expecting the earl to come out and thunder at them to get right back upstairs. But the door to the library remained blessedly closed.
    The viscount looked at Constance and smiled. “I see that you’re very pleased about something. Will you tell me what it is?”
    “Oh yes! We’re going out to play.”
    The child’s eyes sparkled with happiness. Pray God, Edwina thought, that happiness would not be suddenly dashed.
    Constance gave a little skip. “We have not been outside in so long,” she said. “I’m very glad Miss Pierce came to be our governess. It’s almost like having Mama back.”
    Edwina felt the tears stinging behind her eyes. The child reminded her of herself when she first lost her mama, so alone and so eager to be loved.
    Henrietta said nothing, but the viscount grinned cheerfully. “I, too,