The Duke Gave Her 4 Old Governesses to Be Rid of Them — By Spring He Was Begging at Her Door

"Four old governesses. Past teaching. Past use. Free to any home that will feed them." The crowd at Hollingford Court laughs. The globe has gone for two pounds. Forty years of copybooks have gone for a shilling. And beside the schoolroom pianoforte, in their best black dresses, stand the four women who taught half the ladies of the county their French. The new Duke has inherited a debt of thirty-eight thousand pounds, and his steward assures him the old ladies have no claim on anything. Then a curate's widow at the back of the crowd raises her hand. Hester Lane has nine pounds to her name and a damp old schoolhouse she must leave by Lady Day. She takes all four of them home. A tall governess with an ebony cane who will not be pitied. A plump one with a brass telescope who teaches sums by the stars. A merry Irishwoman whose hands are too stiff to play. And a quiet one who writes down every single penny. What follows is a winter of thin soup and short money, eleven village girls learning French for a penny a week, a steward with very clean hands, a rumour told in the Duke's name, and a little girl in a blue velvet cloak who has not spoken one word since her mother died, and who walks three miles through the snow to find the only people who were ever kind to her. The Duke can take a ship through a storm. He does not know how to talk to a child. And by spring, he will have to stand in a village schoolroom with his hat in his hands, and ask. A full Regency story about four women the world called past their use, a widow who refused to agree, and the one thing a duke's money could not buy. 🌍 Tell me in the comments where in the world you're listening from. #regencyromance #historicalromance #dukeromance #governess #historicaldrama #romancedrama #duketale #underestimatedheroine #regencyera #perioddrama #foundfamily #justiceserved #cleanromance #narratedstory #silkandcinder Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are entirely fictional, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental. The story, narration, and illustrations are created with the help of AI tools, for entertainment.