From Governess to Countess (Matches Made in Scandal #1)(41)

‘No. Yes. I don’t know. For the time being perhaps. You said yourself, the army in peace time is not for you.’

‘Quitting the army is one thing, deciding to dedicate my life to raising my brother’s children quite another,’ he snapped. ‘If I wanted to be a father, I’d have married and had children of my own.’

‘Haven’t you ever wanted to do either?’

Her question clearly took him aback. It had surprised her just as much that she had asked it, and she found herself, for some odd reason, holding her breath. ‘My career has always taken precedence,’ Aleksei replied, eyeing her askance. ‘As has yours. I believe we discussed this.’

They had. Allison tried to replicate one of his dismissive shrugs. ‘I just wondered...’

‘Playing the guardian to those three has not changed my mind, but I wonder if it has affected you more than you realise. I think you are in danger of taking your role as governess too seriously.’

And he was horribly right. She could feel a flush creeping up her throat. ‘I cannot afford to do so.’

‘While I, on the other hand, must take my role as guardian very seriously indeed. Which is why I will revoke it, in due course.’

‘I know that, Aleksei.’

He raised a haughty eyebrow. ‘Do you?’

‘I do. I should apologise. The children’s future is none of my business.’

To her surprise, his expression softened. ‘Yet you cannot help caring. It is in your blood, Madame Herbalist. Just be careful you do not come to care too much.’

*

Aleksei and Allison walked on together in a silence which grew more comfortable as they progressed, and found them both fully restored by the time they reached the top of the walkway where the children waited impatiently for them.

From a distance, Peterhof’s famous grand cascade had looked simply like two sets of steps built around a grotto leading up to the central portico, but as the Derevenko party approached, the fountains suddenly spouted, and even the children, who had seen the spectacle before, stopped to gaze in wonder.

‘Do you know how many fountains there are?’ Allison asked Nikki.

The little boy shook his head. ‘But when I am big, I am going to build even more at my palace.’

‘I thought you wanted to be a soldier like Uncle Aleksei, Nikki,’ Elena said.

‘He can’t be a soldier, he is a duke,’ Catiche said.

‘Yes, I can,’ Nikki said, his lip trembling. ‘I can be a soldier as well, can’t I, Uncle Aleksei?’

It would be tempting to lie, and so much easier, Allison thought, watching as Aleksei hesitated, though she was unsurprised by his answer. ‘No,’ he said firmly. ‘It is as your sister says, I’m afraid. You are a duke and, more importantly, will be head of the Derevenko family. That is your destiny.’

‘But...’

‘Aleksei! And accompanied by my favourite nieces and nephew. It is very good to see you all out and about on this most auspicious day.’

‘Uncle Grigory!’

The appearance of the large, red-faced man averted Nikki’s tears. All three children clustered around their uncle, who hunkered down, his pantaloons straining at the seams, to envelop them in a communal bear hug.

Grigory Fyodorovski looked to be in his early forties. A man whose figure and florid complexion reflected his appetites and, Allison thought, made longevity a remote prospect. There was an exuberance to that moustache, and despite his size, a flamboyant style to his attire that indicated the dandy. The twinkle in his currant-like eyes, lost in the creases of his chubby cheeks, spoke of a jovial nature. It was clear that the children loved him, and equally clear, from the familiar way he spoke to them, that he was very fond of them too.

‘I have missed these little ones very much. It does my soul good to see them. And Elena, looking so like her mama, my dear late sister. I still find it hard to believe that she has gone. Forgive me,’ he said, creaking to his feet a few moments later, turning his attention to Allison, ‘I am, as you may have surmised, their uncle, Grigory Fyodorovski, and you must be the new English governess everyone is talking about.’

The man made a sweeping bow, pressing a rather wet kiss to the tips of her fingers, before studying her quite unashamedly through his quizzing glass. ‘Well,’ he said, his busy brows waggling, ‘for once the gossipmongers did not exaggerate. Not an English rose, certainly not, but—ah, I will say no more. I have no wish to embarrass you.’

‘Then it is as well that I require a private word with you,’ Aleksei said, drawing him to one side.

*

‘It has been too long since I saw these little ones. My time is not my own these days, but our Emperor’s to command. How are you, Aleksei? Such a tragic business,’ Grigory said with an immense sigh. ‘One minute, to be in the peak of health, and the next—an appalling stroke of fate for the little ones especially, to be deprived of both Mama and Papa. But they are looking very well, rosy of cheek and bright of eye. That governess of yours is doing something right.’

‘Miss Galbraith has persuaded them to share her love of fresh air and life outdoors,’ Aleksei said, realising with a start that this was true.

‘Ha! Unlike the previous governess, what was her name—Orlova? She left rather abruptly, I believe. I wonder why?’