Chapter 2
1. The Governess of House Whitmore
Irene Vanderberg swallowed quietly, trying not to let her nerves show. It was because of the man who might soon become her employer.
“I won’t be asking too much of you, Miss Vanderberg.”
Duke Dominic Whitmore.
Three years ago, the epidemic that swept across the continent had spared neither the highborn nor the lowly. Even the powerful House of Whitmore had not escaped its reach.
Tragically, the Duke and Duchess of Whitmore succumbed to the disease. Their only son, Dominic, inherited the vast ducal estate at the young age of twenty-three.
Still unmarried, the Duke of Whitmore was now regarded as the most eligible bachelor in high society.
It wasn’t only the prestige of House Whitmore that made him so sought after. He was equally renowned for his striking appearance. It was said that when he had concealed his family background and enlisted in the army, he became the talk of the barracks for being absurdly handsome, despite being surrounded by nothing but soldiers.
…Or so Irene had read in the tabloids.
Irene wasn’t in the habit of reading tawdry gossip magazines, but after being unexpectedly offered the position, she’d looked into Duke Whitmore as best she could.
Experience had taught her that the quality of a job often depended more on the character of the employer than anything else.
And it seemed the magazines hadn’t exaggerated.
Though dressed casually indoors, without the formality of court attire, there was no disguising his tall frame or broad shoulders.
More striking still were the blue eyes beneath his slightly wavy black hair, fixed squarely on her. They were breathtaking enough to steal the air from her lungs.
He really is astonishingly handsome… Not that that was the important part.
“It will be enough if you simply keep Chloe company.”
“You’re truly offering this much… for just that?”
Irene glanced down at the employment contract on the desk once more before asking the question again.
At present, Irene Vanderberg was interviewing for a position as governess to House Whitmore.
Her prospective pupil was Miss Chloe Whitmore, the only younger sister of Duke Dominic Whitmore.
To be honest, Irene was suspicious of the offer from the very beginning. House Whitmore was one of the most distinguished noble families in the kingdom. Wouldn’t it make far more sense to hire a renowned educator than an ordinary governess like herself?
True to the wealth of the house, Duke Whitmore was offering a salary nearly twice the going rate. If commuting proved difficult, he would even provide accommodations in one of the estate’s detached residences.
“Just by spending three or four hours a day keeping her company?”
Tempting as the extraordinary terms were, Irene couldn’t shake her doubts.
Irene Vanderberg had been born into a baron’s family. Her late father had held the title of baron… but through a cruel twist of fate, he had been swindled out of the family’s entire fortune.
Only five years had passed since they had fled their estate under cover of night.
Her father had struggled to rebuild the family, but the world was far less forgiving than an innocent country nobleman had imagined.
Her mother, who had never known hardship a day in her life, fell into depression. Her younger sister, Amy, was forced to leave the girls’ academy she had attended.
For two years, the Vanderberg family was tossed about by the tides of misfortune. Then, three years ago, the epidemic that swept across the world struck them head-on.
Her father had brought the disease home from outside, infecting her mother and then Amy. Irene had been spared only because she had been away working as a governess at the time. Even so, she could do nothing but watch as she lost her entire family.
Her father might have been little more than a hollow shell by the end, but his mere presence as the head of the household had made all the difference. Once he was gone, the way people treated an unmarried woman like Irene changed overnight.
The employer who had once treated her as “the baron’s daughter” began looking down on her after she returned from her family’s funeral.
Feigning concern over how difficult life must be for her, he subtly suggested that she become his mistress. Another time, he had the audacity to recommend an elderly bachelor among his distant relatives, asking whether she might consider meeting him with marriage in mind.
All Irene wanted was to devote herself to her work as a governess. Yet wherever she went, impure intentions inevitably reached for her. A young, unmarried woman with no elder to stand behind her was an easy target. For Irene, suspicion was not cynicism — it was a necessity for survival.
“My apologies, Your Grace, but this is far too generous for someone whose only duty is to spend three or four hours a day as Miss Chloe’s companion. And while I am the daughter of a baron, my knowledge of the customs and etiquette of the high nobility is rather limited. I’m afraid I may not be able to be the kind of companion you’re hoping Miss Chloe will have.”
It would have been easy enough to feign ignorance and sign the contract, but Irene possessed a conscience every bit as strong as her suspicion.
It was tied to her sense of dignity as well. No matter how desperate her circumstances became, she wanted to live honestly, with nothing to be ashamed of.
At that moment, the duke, who had been quietly studying her brown eyes, let out an unexpected sigh.
“Chloe…”
He spoke his sister’s name with visible hesitation before continuing.
“She really is a good girl. She may seem… unusual at first glance, but she has a kind heart. Even if she doesn’t appear that way…”
Watching the Duke of Whitmore carefully choose his words, Irene found herself taken aback.
From the moment she had arrived at the Whitmore estate and exchanged greetings with him, he had carried himself with an air of authority that bordered on arrogance. He was a man who had spent his entire life standing above others, composed and effortlessly commanding.
Yet now, he looked no different from an ordinary older brother at his wits’ end over his younger sister.
“Chloe turned eighteen this year. Before long, marriage proposals will begin arriving, and whether she likes it or not, she’ll have to enter society. She can’t go on living like a recluse forever. She needs to start learning, little by little, how to be among other people… And I’d like you to help her do that.”
Rumors about the Duke of Whitmore were everywhere, yet no one ever seemed to speak of his younger sister.
Irene had simply assumed she was an ordinary young lady and thought little of it…
* * *
Lady Chloe Whitmore was every bit as beautiful as her brother.
Her glossy black hair and lake-blue eyes gave her the flawless beauty of a porcelain doll. Somehow, that only made her seem all the more unnerving.
There was an unmistakable chill about Miss Chloe. Detached from those around her, expressionless as though cut off from the world itself, she radiated a coldness like the heart of winter. Come to think of it, there was something remarkably similar to her brother in that aloof, untouchable air.
It had already been nearly thirty minutes since Irene had been shown into Chloe’s library.
After the maid left, she had tried, however awkwardly, to introduce herself and strike up a conversation.
Chloe Whitmore had not so much as glanced at her.
Despite having a guest standing before her, she remained absorbed in the towering stacks of books spread across the library table, turning page after page without pause.
“Um, Miss Chloe.”
Of course, this alone wasn’t enough to discourage Irene. She had taught the daughters of countless noble families. Some had deliberately refused to speak a single word in an effort to protest their parents’ decisions. Though, admittedly, those girls had usually been twelve, not eighteen.
“Would you mind if I sat across from you? My legs are starting to ache from standing.”
The hand turning the page paused. With a pointed sigh, Chloe snapped the book shut.
Still smiling, Irene walked over to the table.
“May I ask what you’re reading? You seemed completely absorbed in it…”
Resting a hand on the back of an empty chair, Irene let her gaze drift over the stack of books. Instead of finely bound volumes, most were cheap paperbacks. An unexpected sight for House Whitmore…
<The Count of Riedheim’s Secret Maid>
<His Highness the Prince’s Dangerous Affair>
<The Fake Duchess’s Bedroom Scandal>
In other words, exactly the sort of books one would never expect to find in the dignified House of Whitmore…
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