The Traveling Teacher Read online

  “I will.” As soon as the door closed, she stripped faster than she would have thought imaginable from a Regency dress. Stepping into the water, she realized it was just the right temperature, and she sank down into it.

  In the hallway, Harry paced back and forth. He couldn’t stop thinking about his first wife and their wedding night. Mary hadn’t wanted to marry him. She’d set her cap for a friend of his, but their parents had always planned for them to marry, and when his father died and he became the earl—well, he’d gone along with it.

  He’d done the same thing for Mary, having the servants ready a bath for her and waiting for his wedding night. She had stayed in the water until her skin turned blue, and he’d had to send in four female servants to help her out.

  He had slept in a different room that night and for many nights, trying to woo his wife into his bed. Finally, they had consummated the marriage more than a month after the fact, and she had allowed him into her bed once per week. Thankfully, she had become with child quickly, and they’d been able to dispense with the part of their marriage that truly hadn’t pleased either of them.

  When he looked at Taylor, he knew she wouldn’t be the same. He wasn’t certain about her claims to be from the future, but he was certain that she was willing to kiss and . . . well, hopefully do more with him. He had the right to have a wife who would make love with him more frequently than once per week.

  Ten minutes later, he heard splashing that made him think she’d gotten out of the water. Through the door, she called. “Have the servants come get the tub. I’ll be ready in a few moments.”

  He sighed with relief. Until that moment, he wasn’t sure how much like Mary she was at all. Now he knew.

  After the servants removed the tub, he walked into the room to find her sitting on the side of the bed. He shut the door behind him as he walked toward his beautiful wife.

  Taylor woke up, her head resting on Harry’s shoulder. She pressed her lips to his bare skin and smiled when he turned his head to look at her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Never better.”

  “Just so you know, even if we get rid of the boys, I’m keeping you!”

  She laughed, snuggling closer to him. Marriage with Harry was going to be fun. There was no doubt in her mind.

  Over breakfast the following morning, Taylor let the boys know what they would be doing for the day. “We’re going to start our day with reading in the nursery, and then we’ll go out and work on the new schoolroom. And then we’ll do a little arithmetic. How does that sound?”

  “As long as there’s outside in the middle, it sounds good.” James applied himself to his breakfast with an appetite she hadn’t seen from him before.

  “You’re eating as if you were starving.”

  James shrugged. “Sometimes it feels like I am.”

  Harry watched his wife with the boys, loving the way she was able to connect with them so easily. She truly enjoyed them, and it was obvious. “You can always ask for something to eat. I’ve heard some people even take a tea break in the afternoons. We could start doing that if you’re too hungry.”

  “We might need to,” Henry said, finishing his meal. “We’ll be in the schoolroom waiting for you, Mother.”

  Both boys had hurried through the meal to the point she was worried they would choke themselves. She shook her head as the two of them raced off. “What’s gotten into them this morning?”

  Harry shrugged. “No idea, but I do like being alone with my new wife.” His hand reached for hers, and he stroked his thumb across her palm. “You are an amazing woman.”

  Taylor smiled, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “I’d better go see what they’re up to.”

  Harry kept her hand in his and pulled her toward him, kissing her passionately. “I want you to be thinking about that all day.”

  “How could I think about anything else?” She bit his bottom lip and hurried off in search of the boys, truly wondering what on earth the two of them were up to.

  When she reached the nursery, the boys were both sitting quietly with their hands folded on their laps. The small table that sat off to one side of the room had a small gift on it that had been wrapped with a piece of cloth and tied with a ribbon. She wondered where the boys had gotten the fabric and ribbon, but she walked to the gift. “Is this for me?”

  When both boys nodded, she reached for the gift, carefully untying the ribbon, wondering what they could have gotten her that they were so excited about. Inside the fabric was a small wooden box. In the box were two small rocks. The rocks were pretty shades of blue and green, which had been washed carefully to make them shine. “Oh, these are beautiful!”

  James grinned. “We both collect rocks, but to welcome you into the family, we each decided to give you our favorite.”

  She started to tell them they didn’t have to give her their favorites, but she understood children too well to do so. These were the boys’ prized possessions. “Thank you. I’ll treasure them always.” She turned the box over in her hand, and she realized that one of them must have made it. “Who made the box?”

  “I did,” Henry said. “A long time ago. We decided it was just the right box for your gift.”

  Taylor looked at the box again. “Would you like the box back?”

  Both boys shook their heads. “It’s part of your gift. Your special gift.” Henry seemed thrilled with how much she liked the box as well as the rocks.

  “Thank you so much. You’ve welcomed me beautifully and made me feel special.”

  “Special enough that we don’t need to read today?” James asked.

  She laughed, not realizing the sound carried throughout the entire manor. “Not at all. We still need to read today.”

  The boys grinned at each other good-naturedly as she started the lesson with the song they’d been singing all week. Within minutes, they understood the song and were sounding out easy words.

  Harry found himself standing outside the nursery, listening to Taylor teach the boys. If they were outside working, he would sneak over and watch them. He didn’t like to not be close to his wife, which was a huge change from how he’d felt about Mary. Mary had gone to London for more than three months at a time twice during their marriage, and he’d felt relieved not to have to put on a smile for her every day. If he frowned at all, she ran from the room in tears.

  Taylor was made of sterner stuff, though. She never seemed to let the boys bother her. At first, they’d made it clear they weren’t happy she was there, and now they seemed to be thrilled with her.

  They were working on their building project shortly before supper, and Taylor spotted him. She raised her hand in a wave, and he walked over to inspect the boys’ work.

  “This is very well done. I’m very proud of both of you for working so hard.”

  “We like this kind of work. It’s fun.”

  He squatted down to look at the frame they’d made, noticing how well put together it all was. “You two really are good at this. Why didn’t you ever do it before?”

  “Our nurses wouldn’t let us!” James blurted out, looking annoyed. “We had to sneak away to do anything fun.”

  Harry just laughed. He knew his boys hadn’t liked their nurses and had slipped away a lot. He’d always had someone trailing after them. “Well, no more nurses, and now you have a mother who understands you. I think things will go better for you from now on.”

  James and Henry both looked over at Taylor with a smile.

  “It’s nice having a mother,” James said softly.

  Harry smiled. “I like having a wife, too.”

  The four of them walked back toward the manor with Harry and Taylor behind the boys, His arm was firmly around her waist, and he didn’t care if people thought he was being too demonstrative. He enjoyed touching his wife, and no one was going to stop him from doing it.

  After supper, she once again tucked the boys in, and they seemed to expect it now.
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  “Will you tuck us in every night, Mother?” Henry asked.

  “I will. Until you tell me to stop, I will anyway. I know eventually you’ll both be too old to be coddled this way, but as long as you’ll let me, I’ll do it.”

  James smiled. “I like it.”

  “Good. Because I do, too!” Taylor kissed James on the forehead and left the boys’ room, smiling through her tears. The boys really had needed a mother.

  She glanced down the hall to see Harry standing there watching her again. This time he had a self-satisfied smile on his face, as if he knew how the night would go and he was looking forward to it. No longer did he have to wonder how she would react to his advances.

  She walked to him slowly, putting a little extra sway in her hips as she went. When she finally reached him, she linked her hands behind his neck. “Hello there.”

  He smiled. “Hello. Do you need a few minutes to ready yourself for bed?”

  She nodded. “Give me two.”

  “I’ll be out here in the hallway counting down the seconds.”

  She laughed. “I think I like you, Lord Twigg.”

  “You’d better, because you have me now!”

  Saturday morning their peace was destroyed when Jane came over from next door. She’d ridden her horse, and her blond hair was streaming behind her. She went straight to the breakfast table and stood looking between Harry and Taylor. “What is this I hear about the two of you marrying? Why would a lord of your stature marry a governess?” Jane asked, her eyes spitting fire.

  “For the usual reasons,” Harry said, taking another bite of his eggs. “If you are hungry, get a place setting from the kitchen. If not, be on your way. If you stand over me and watch me eat, I’m sure to get indigestion.”

  Instead of getting a place setting, she sat down at the table and glared. She looked at Taylor. “I bet you’re feeling rather proud of yourself right about now, aren’t you?”

  “Proud? I suppose so. I’m thrilled to be married to such a wonderful man and have two handsome boys as my sons. I’m truly where I want to be.” Taylor picked up a piece of bacon and ate a bite from one end.

  “I know the boys aren’t yours, and you do as well. Are you sending them away to live with someone else? That’s what I would have done with the little heathens.”

  “And that’s also why I never would have married you, Jane. The thing about Taylor is, I’m not sure if she married me for the boys or if she just considers them a bonus of marrying me. Either way, she’s quite happy they are hers now. You never would have been.”

  “We were betrothed!” Jane yelled at him.

  Harry blinked at her a few times before putting his fork down. “In what world were we betrothed? I never agreed to marry you. I’ve thought of you as a pesky little sister my entire life.”

  “Well, I never.” Jane stood and ran from the house, crying hysterically.

  “Should you go after her?” Taylor asked.

  He shook his head. “Jane is better left to her own devices. Trust me on this.” He ate another bite before looking at Taylor. “I need to go to London this week.”

  She frowned. He’d said “I” need to go, so he certainly wasn’t planning to take her and the boys. “You will be greatly missed. How long will you be gone?”

  Seeing the sad look on her face, he offered something he never would have offered before. “Would you like to take the boys and come with me? The days will be boring because I’ll be dealing with business, but we could see a play or go to the opera in the evenings.”

  Taylor smiled and nodded. “I would like that very much. Boys?”

  James and Henry both nodded.

  “We’ve never been to London!” Henry said excitedly.

  “Who will watch the boys in the evenings if we’re out?”

  “Oh, we’ll take Maude. She loves them as if she were their grandmother.” Harry smiled. “Do you think you could be ready to go for two weeks if we wait until Monday afternoon to depart?”

  She frowned, thinking about the number of dresses she had. “I could go, but we couldn’t do much, because I don’t have very many dresses yet. The others should be here in three weeks or so . . .”

  “I’ll arrange for a seamstress to come to the townhouse, and you can choose something premade, or you can have her make new things. I’m sure she’ll be very accommodating. A new countess is always someone to be gawked at in London, and you’ll be showing off her work.”

  Taylor grinned. “I would be happy to show off her work. I’m excited!”

  He smiled, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. “So am I. I can’t wait to show you London.”

  Six

  The weekend was a whirlwind of activity as Taylor and Maude worked together to get the boys packed up for their big trip to London.

  “I’m so excited about seeing London for the first time,” Taylor said, trying not to bounce up and down and to instead act like the lady of the manor.

  “I’ve never been,” Maude said. “I can’t wait to go myself. It should be fun to see the social whirl.”

  “I’m glad this isn’t part of the season. I’m not sure I’m ready to be in London for a season yet. I would fall all over myself trying to do the right thing.”

  Maude laughed. “You seem very socially adept to me.”

  “I’m faking it!”

  They finished packing the boys’ clothes, and they went into the master bedroom to pack up Taylor.

  “I’m sure the master’s valet will pack for him, so we need to pack your things.”

  Taylor was glad her Kindle was hidden beneath her mattress. She still read on occasion, but most of her time was spent with family. She would choose a few books from the library to take with her. She found a trunk and put her things in it, feeling as if it was a ridiculously small amount. She placed her brush in with everything else and was extremely thankful when Maude didn’t mention her lack of clothing.

  “Harry is going to see to it that I have an appointment with a seamstress when we get to London.”

  “Good. You need to have more dresses, because you’re a countess now.”

  “I just feel bad spending all of Harry’s money.”

  “All of his money? You certainly must not have had him checked out before you married him. Trust me, you will not be spending all of his money.”

  Later that evening, Taylor approached Harry. “Am I going to embarrass you with my lack of dresses in London?”

  He shook his head, pulling her down onto his lap. “Not at all. If it were the season, it would be harder, but it’s not.” He kissed her softly. “I had never thought of using my study in the manner I’m thinking of using it now.”

  She laughed. “Any of the servants could walk in, so I’m going to say that’s a bad idea.”

  He sighed dramatically. “Fine. I do think you’ll want to have several dresses made while we’re in town, because I don’t think I can leave you behind when I’m in town for parliament.”

  “I would like that a great deal. I’ll need to have someone coach me through the correct manners, but I think I can handle most of it.”

  “How do you know so much about England if you are from New York?” He still wasn’t sure she was from the twenty-first century, but she seemed to be telling him the truth about everything else.

  “I read a lot of books about the Regency period of England, which is what this is considered. Mainly romance novels.”

  He looked at her with wide eyes. “You read romance novels?”

  “I do. Voraciously. I have a device hidden in our bedchamber with nothing but romance novels on it. I have hundreds of books on it, and I read them when no one is looking.”

  “You’re going to have to show me this device of yours. It sounds fascinating.”

  “It is fascinating.” She grinned at him. “I was part of a book club in Manhattan, and we all loved romance novels. We’d meet every other week to discuss them. Everyone in the group was a huge reader like me.”
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  “And you taught school as well?”

  She nodded. “I taught school nine months out of the year, and I had three months off every summer. I read during those three months. As much as I could I read and read and read.”

  “Is no one missing you?”

  “I let the people who matter know that I planned to be gone for a good long while.”

  “Wait . . . you plan to go back?” Harry asked. He felt his heart drop at the idea of losing her from his life. How had she gotten him so attached to her in just seven days? She really must be a witch.

  “I don’t. I came here intending to stay for the rest of my life. I hope you know that.” Taylor could see the fear in his eyes that he could lose her. That was not going to happen.

  “Why don’t you tell me how you ended up traveling back in time to begin with?”

  She sighed. “It all started when a strange purple-haired woman came into my book club.” She sat and thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to actually describe Dr. Lachele to someone who had never seen her. The woman was truly what this century would call an original. She was indescribable.

  “Purple-haired? Really?”

  “Yes, really. She came in, because she loves romance novels like the rest of us do, but one of the girls was going on and on about how she wished she could travel back to thirteenth century Scotland to marry a laird. The two of them went to lunch, and Dr. Lachele—the purple-haired woman—granted her wish and sent her back in time.”

  “How does she know she’s safe?” he asked. “The Scots can be barbarians.”

  “Well, she wished herself back in time to six months after Beth went back, and she talked to her. She asked to stay, and she was carrying a laird’s heir. She was perfectly content with her marriage and her life.”

  “So you did this same thing? You wanted to come back to our time?”

  “I love to read Regency romances, about the balls and the parties that people went to during the season. So I asked to travel back in time to Regency times.” She left out the part about marrying a gentleman, because she wasn’t sure he would appreciate that.