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    Not Plain Jane
    Not Plain Jane
    Not Plain Jane
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    Not Plain Jane

    By Sarita Leone

    2/5

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    About this ebook

    Governess Jane Hallifax is hiding from a terrifying past. Edward Montgomery is a duke but even his title can t save him from assuming the role of parent that his ailing sister cannot and will not. Neither is prepared for what s in store but caring for three mischievous little girls while evading kidnappers proves to be a recipe for love and laughter.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe Wild Rose Press
    Release dateJun 17, 2015
    ISBN9781509201242
    Not Plain Jane

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      Book preview

      Not Plain Jane - Sarita Leone

      Inc.

      What is so amusing, Miss Halifax?

      Why, you have them moving as if their feet are aflame while I cannot manage to get them to pay attention to one word I say. Oh! She clapped a hand over her lips. That she spoke so honestly made him laugh.

      Don’t fret. Your secret is safe with me. He would have reached up to pull her hand away from those plump rosy lips, but she removed it herself. His gaze fell to the mouth that so alluringly curled up at the edges. Leaning closer, he lowered his voice. Any other secrets you care to share? I promise, my lips button tightly.

      And kiss hotly, he thought as a spark of desire ricocheted through him. He breathed in, inhaling the scent of lavender into his lungs. The woman looked and smelled delectable.

      She considered for a moment, then shook her head. A tendril fell from its tidy chignon and lay across one cheek. Without thinking, he reached out and pushed it behind her small ear with the tip of his index finger. As he did, she caught her lower lip between her teeth and held her breath.

      Edward had the feeling his nearness frightened her, so he straightened and took a step back. When she exhaled, his suspicions were confirmed. She was afraid of him.

      Well, then. If you haven’t any confidences to share and since it seems the children are finally behaving, I shall take my leave. He inclined his head, and she bobbed a quick curtsey.

      Not Plain Jane

      by

      Sarita Leone

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

      Not Plain Jane

      COPYRIGHT © 2015 by Sarita Leone

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

      Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

      Cover Art by Debbie Taylor

      The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

      PO Box 708

      Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

      Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

      Publishing History

      First Tea Rose Edition, 2015

      Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0124-2

      Published in the United States of America

      Dedication

      Love never dies.

      Chapter 1

      Seventeen days and she was still a hopeless disaster! However was Jane going to keep her position when she could not control three young girls? It was only a matter of time before their mother discovered the new governess was entirely unsuitable.

      Unless…

      Would anyone like to learn the steps to the latest dance?

      The eldest instantly ceased banging her fingers against the ivory keys of the ill-used pianoforte in the far corner of the day room. Melody’s head swiveled, sending an unruly tumble of red curls across one shoulder. She had refused to allow the mass to be tamed this morning, so she looked more like frowning dust mop than lovely adolescent hiding beneath the ringlets.

      Which one? Melody’s tone was, as was her norm, argumentative.

      Oh, the latest one, of course. Why else would I offer? Jane forced a sweet smile to her lips and looked the girl straight in the eyes. I know someone like you must already know all of last season’s dances. You do, don’t you, dear?

      Melody’s hazel eyes narrowed. Her chin jutted up and down, a rapid movement without sentiment. Jane took it for an affirmative and looked toward the far end of the room.

      One down, two to go, she thought.

      Seven-year-old Amanda’s twirling stopped when her sister’s questionable musical accompaniment ended. Before the small, pampered feet became still, the length of jumping rope she whipped through the air as she spun had knocked a pencil box and china cup to the parquet floor. She stood in the center of the mess, colored pencils scattered in the milky puddle at her feet, oblivious to the chaos. She quirked an eyebrow, waiting expectantly for further exchanges between eldest sister and new help.

      Jane knew it was a disappointment that she didn’t further engage Melody in verbal warfare. As long as her attention focused on one sister, the others thought they could do as they pleased. It had not taken her long to learn that side of the position.

      Let the little one wait. One skirmish still to overcome before some semblance of order could even begin to be restored.

      Two sisters were not difficult to understand.

      Melody, moody and stubborn, didn’t know her place. Was she a child or woman? The truth? She was neither. That awkward in-between phase of life was upon her, and she fought it as ferociously as a parlor cat trapped inside a burlap sack.

      Amanda was too young to remember the father who had deserted their mother. And Lady Letitia Cotswold had been far too busy putting her social calendar in order after her husband’s defection to pay much attention to her children. Especially the toddler whose beautiful green eyes and auburn curls favored the man she sought to forget.

      Denied a loving relationship by the sins of her father, little Amanda yearned for attention. Any sort—good or bad. Her intentional disruption of nearly every minute of every day taxed Jane’s patience. Understanding her charge’s motivation was one thing. Putting up with it—cheerfully, no less!—was another.

      But she was, at least for a moment, quiet. That couldn’t be said for the third—and perhaps most vexing—sibling.

      "Je veux, tu veux, il vout, nous voulons—"

      Diana! Please—enough with the French conjugations.

      The feet dangling over the leather arm of the chair near a window overlooking the magnificent rose garden stopped mid-swing. Mercifully, the droning language repetition ended as well.

      Diana looked like neither of her sisters. While their hair was red with gold highlights, hers was the shade of a common dormouse. Their eyes were green with ocher specks in the irises, while the gaze that settled on Jane was dark brown—and filled with dislike.

      Stubbornly, the ten-year-old began the recitation from the beginning.

      "Je veux, tu veux, il—"

      Jane fought for control. Had she ever treated her beloved Miss Markham with such disrespect she would have been in her father’s study answering for her bad behavior in an instant. But there was no father here, and she certainly lacked the magnificent skills her own governess possessed. Despite those unfortunate facts, she still deserved respect.

      That’s quite enough. French conjugation isn’t on your lesson schedule for today. In fact, it’s Sunday, a day of rest. The large room looked as if the Battle of Trafalgar had taken place in the last hour on the polished floorboards. It had been comfortable and more than adequate for their daily activities before it had been demolished by the spoiled trio. Jane swallowed the urge to scream. You need to play sometimes—but not the way Amanda was, she amended quickly.

      Play is for children.

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