Page 6 of Marriage with a Proper Stranger

“A place you borrow books?” a girl answered.

“Exactly, Becky. Well done. I have brought five books to start us off, and hopefully once we get the word out, we will garner donations to permit the library to grow and flourish. It will be a school library. See the empty bookcase against the far wall? We’ll start there. You will sign out a book with the promise to return it in two weeks.”

A harmony of happy young voices all talked at once. Curious, Sabrina stood and turned toward the window, but the top of her head barely reached the sill. Standing on the bench would be too obvious. Instead, she stood on the tips of her toes. Quite a few children of various ages were sitting at tables, their bright faces all riveted to the front of the room. Unfortunately, from her angle, she could not see the honey-voiced schoolmaster who held her spellbound.

She imagined him middle-aged, wearing spectacles, with a receding hairline and a prominent nose. A kindly gentleman, educated, decent. One who might listen to her scheme?

“The first book is Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Who shall be the first to borrow it?”

The children all called out, save one boy sitting near the window. He looked down at his hands. “James? Would you not like to read this book?” the schoolmaster asked in a gracious tone. Blast, she still couldn’t see the man.

“I don’t read good, sir,” the boy replied in a quiet voice.

“Come here.”

The boy disappeared from her line of sight. Sabrina was wholly captivated by the doings in the room. The schoolmaster had complete control of the children, not with strict discipline and the threat of a caning, but with compassion, respect, and eagerness.

“Improving your reading skills is accomplished with plenty of practice. I am here to assist you. We will all help you, will we not, class?” the schoolmaster asked.

The children all nodded and answered yes.

“Shall we allow James to be the first to sign out a library book?” A cheerful chorus of affirmatives filled the room. “Well done. I see it’s luncheon break. Be off home and return in two hours sharp. Remember; take an apple from the basket on your way out the door. Alice, take one for your little sister.”

The room emptied out and grew silent. The door was on the opposite wall, thankfully, or the children would have caught her spying on them.

“Would you like to come into the schoolroom and have a look around?”

The schoolmaster’s close-in-proximity voice startled her, and she gasped. He stood at the window, but thanks to the midday sun, she could not make out his features.

“Yes. Of course,” she muttered in reply.

Clasping Mary’s arm, Sabrina pulled her along with her as she made her way to the front entrance. “Head to the manor and fetch the carriage. I will wait here for your return and then we’ll continue into town.”

Mary had been with her during her marriage, and had chosen to come with her when Sabrina returned to her father’s house. She was a steady presence in Sabrina’s life, had helped her through some of the darkest days of her desolate life with Pepperdon. It struck her that her loyal maid’s fate was now irrevocably tied to hers. If her father turned her out, what would become of Mary? It made her situation all the more urgent.

Mary raised an eyebrow. “Leave you alone with a strange man? I think not, my lady.”

“I am hardly a green girl in need of a chaperone. I can handle a meek schoolmaster. I’ll be fine, I assure you. Perhaps he will give me an apple.”

Mary smiled and headed off toward the line of trees. She waved, and Sabrina returned the gesture. Sighing, she walked around the perimeter of the building and, as she looked up, stopped dead in her tracks.

The schoolmaster was not a docile, plain man of middling years, but a tall, handsome young man who took her breath away. She’d never seen such virility before, never mind been in such close proximity to it. Her heart fluttered, and Sabrina was shocked at her response, for it was strange and foreign.

He dressed plainly, wearing a black frock coat stretched across broad shoulders, with a simply tied black cravat. No spectacles; all the better to see his piercing light blue eyes. His wavy black hair gleamed in the bright sunlight. Good Lord, he barely looked out of the schoolroom himself.

“Good afternoon. My name is Riordan Black. How may I help you?”

His voice, like melted butter, smooth and delicious. Could he assist her? She should leave immediately, keep her mad machinations to herself. But her feet would not move. Yes, the sight of a handsome man made her heart skip a beat—it still stuttered with an uneven cadence. Sabrina was surprised she even had a heart. All nonsense. The last gasp of long-lost, never-to-return emotions. They had no place here. Straightening her shoulders, she gave him a brisk nod. “Help me? That remains to be seen.”

Chapter 3

Riordan’s smile twitched in amusement at her brusque tone. James had whispered to him that a lady was peering in the window when the boy stood before his desk. Since Riordan’s arrival three weeks past, he’d remained an object of curiosity. Not only for his youth, but for the major changes he implemented right out of the gate. And, he supposed, his dark hair and blue eyes sparked an interest with the young ladies in the nearby town. He wasn’t conceited, but he’d been lucky when it came to inheriting certain family features.

This lady was no blushing maiden, could be his age or older. He would guess older, as she possessed an air of maturity. Casually, he glanced at her hand, looking for a ring, but she wore gloves. Riordan let his gaze linger on her trim form, guessing her height was six inches over five feet. Her attire was fashionable, and, shamefully, he quite enjoyed observing how the buttons of her short jacket strained across an impressive bosom.

Moving upward, he made a study of her face. Fine, pale, porcelain skin, and a light brown shade of hair that shimmered gold in the sunlight. She wore a fashionable hat with green plumes sitting atop her stylishly arranged hair. Pretty features and a pert nose. Her hazel eyes met his, boldly holding his gaze. The coldness he saw in their depths startled him. To be unhappy and weary at such a young age, what could have caused it? “And you are…?”

“Sabrina Durning Lakeside, widow to the late Earl of Pepperdon. My father is Baron Durning. Our small estate is beyond those trees.”