Page 21 of Aurelia

Lord Crewe ignored her and turned to Aurelia. “I would also like you to learn to handle one of the skiffs we keep at—”

Lady Celsa flung down her cutlery with a clatter and jumped to her feet. “You cannot do this, Papa!”

“It seems you are finished with your meal,” the earl said, sounding bored. “You may go to your room.”

Lady Celsa flinched at the ice in his tone, her gaze pleading. “Papa?”

When her father refused to even look at her, she gave a pitiful little cry and ran from the room.

Aurelia wanted to crawl under the table.

Mr. Montgomery began to stand. “I should go and—”

“You should stay and finish your meal, Arthur,” the earl said, and then gestured for the footmen to bring the next course. Aurelia couldn’t help noticing that three of the plates on the table were still largely untouched, only Lord Crewe appeared to have any appetite.

“I apologize for my daughter’s behavior,” the earl said.

Aurelia had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him to apologize for his own while he was at it.

“You think I have been too cruel,” he said, reading her mind in a way that unnerved her. “Tell me, Miss Burton, you mentioned a governess in your past?”

“Yes.”

“Only one?”

“There were two.”

“And did you or your sisters drive off the first one?”

“Of course not. She was of an age to retire.” And the poor woman had also grown tired of earning chicken scratch wages from her father, who often couldn’t even pay those.

“My daughter has had nine governesses in the past six years. Nine. Tell me, why do you think that is?”

“Miss Neville did not care for the castle or the island,” Mr. Montgomery cut in before Aurelia could come up with an answer.

Lord Crewe gave his cousin an exasperated look. “I stand corrected. One of the nine women said she left because she was constantly cold and did not like living remote from the mainland. But why do you think the other eight left, Miss Burton?”

“Are you trying to tell me your daughter is a difficult pupil, my lord?”

“You tell me. Nine—eight—governesses in five years.”

“It does seem excessive.”

He laughed.

“But perhaps there are reasons.” Such as you being an uncaring, dismissive, obnoxious father?

He eyed her with amusement. “Oh, there are reasons.”

“She merely has high spirits,” Mr. Montgomery said, his jaw firm as he regarded his cousin. “You likely have forgotten, Crewe, but there were a few years during your youth when your behavior was hardly commendable.”

Lord Crewe turned to his cousin slowly. “I think we both know the circumstances were rather different for me, Arthur.”

Mr. Montgomery flinched, even though the earl hadn’t raised his voice. “Er, yes. Quite. I beg your par—”

“But my cousin does have a point,” the earl said. “I am not claiming perfection, believe me. I was wild, selfish, and reckless, Miss Burton.”

Aurelia somehow suspected a few of those behaviors still lingered.