Tutoring A Lady's Heart, page 1
Tutoring A Lady's Heart
A REGENCY ROMANCE NOVEL
BRIDGET BARTON
Copyright © 2021 by Bridget Barton
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Table of Contents
Tutoring A Lady's Heart
Table of Contents
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Tutoring A Lady's Heart
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
A Love Portrait for the Silent Duke
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
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Tutoring A Lady's Heart
Introduction
Kittie Montague, the younger sister of Earl of Courtshire, wants nothing more in life than a chance to learn and get lost in the endless world of knowledge. Much to her brother's dismay, she knows that she is different from other ladies and is therefore utterly bored of high society and her duties. When a new tutor comes to teach her little brother. Kittie will grab this opportunity to learn all the subjects she has always craved in secret. What she didn’t expect though, is that among others, she would also learn what true love is. In a whirlwind of intellect, excitement, and even romance, will Kittie choose the path of her own life? Could the charming tutor be her ultimate destiny, even though they come from entirely different social standings?
Gabriel Whitman is an intelligent tutor, who has devoted his life to providing for his mother and sister, following his father's irreparable loss. After finding employment as a tutor for a well-to-do family, he feels grateful for the opportunity and decides to not let anything stand in his way. However, he soon realises that his heart is playing strange games, as he finds his entire existence entrapped by his student’s sister and her divine presence. Even though the risks are great for his reputation, his career, and even his family, he cannot stop daydreaming about the fascinating young woman and her hauntingly beautiful hazel eyes. Will Gabriel find the courage to claim Kittie’s heart? Or will he bow down to the Earl’s disapprovement, too afraid to jeopardize his achievements for the sake of true love?
The more time Gabriel and Kittie are spending together, the more their unexpected love will confuse them and turn their lives upside down. To make matters worse, when the Earl finds out that his sister is not only learning things she shouldn’t, but has also fallen in love with the tutor, he decides to marry her off at the earliest opportunity. Could a miracle change the Earl's unfair decision and soothe his cold heart? In the end, will Gabriel and Kittie manage to survive the storm and overrule their doomed fates?
Chapter 1
Kittie Montague steadied herself after stumbling forward. She wished her mother would let her wear better shoes for walking, but her mother claimed that a lady of her station was required to look fashionable at all times.
“Are you all right, Kittie?” Jane asked, placing a hand on her shoulder to ensure that she was upright.
“Fine, fine,” she grumbled, thankful that they were on the grounds of her estate and not in public when she had tripped.
“Anyway, I was saying about Lord Glenn. I think he will ask me for a dance at Lady Selwyn’s ball tomorrow evening. I am sure of it,” Jane said with excitement.
“I do hope so. I know how much it would mean to you if he asked you for a dance. Tell me again, does he really own four properties?” Kittie asked, although she cared very little about gossip like that. However, it mattered to Jane and that was important.
As Jane went on about each piece of land, Kittie tucked a stray curl of her nearly black hair from her face. They were nearing a small patch of trees and she was happy to get away from prying eyes. It was nice not having a chaperone when she was with her cousin, but Kittie was still eager to be away from the prying eyes of the estate.
“So, I think we would make an ideal match,” Jane concluded, having told all the reasons why she ought to marry Lord Glenn.
Kittie turned to her, knowing she had no choice but to share the thoughts Jane wouldn’t want to hear.
“I understand there would be a great many benefits to marrying Lord Glenn, but haven’t you heard that he is also rather…well, he has a reputation for flirtation. Is that truly the sort of man you wish to spend your life with? I can’t imagine that you would really want to be with someone who might not be as serious about you as you are about him in return,” Kittie said.
“All men flirt now and then, Kittie. They are simply trying to discover which young ladies are suited for them and which are not. I do believe that Lord Glenn and I are an absolute match and I trust that, in time, you will see it as well. Did you know that he and his family also intend to build a small orphanage for some of the street children? So, you see, he is a good man,” Jane declared.
Kittie was not convinced. She had heard that his family enjoyed social endeavours, but that did not mean he would make for a good husband. Kittie was far more concerned about Jane being happy in her future marriage than simply enjoying the comforts of life as her husband offered.
“Honestly, you should listen to me. Lord Glenn is exactly the sort of man I ought to be marrying. If you could see how wonderful he truly is, you would know that I would be an extremely fortunate woman if I were to marry him,” Jane continued.
Kittie sighed and let Jane have this hope. She was quite sure that this would not end well, but Jane wouldn’t hear her out and there was no reason to argue the matter if it was going to simply end in debate as opposed to reasonable conversation.
As they walked from one end of the row of perfectly matched trees and came off the path along the road, they saw a coach drawing near to the estate.
“Who is that? Have you other guests coming by today?” Jane asked.
“It is Henry’s new tutor,” she replied.
“New tutor? I was unaware he needed someone for that,” Jane said.
“Richard insisted upon it. He said that Mother and Father would have wanted it and that if he is to raise us, he wants to raise us well,” Kittie said.
“He has done a very nice job thus far. Surely he doesn’t think he is failing you,” Jane reasoned.
“Honestly, I think he’s unhappy with how he has looked after us. Henry is not as motivated as Richard believes he ought to be, and I know he wishes that I had been married off already. He is always going on about how you are actually motivated to find a husband and he wishes that I would be the same,” Kittie said.
“Oh? You mean he wishes that you would learn from me? I daresay that I agree. You ought to try and find a husband so that we may both enjoy marriage,” Jane said.
Kittie laughed. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t want to find a husband, but she had a great many other things in life she wanted to do. She wished that Jane and Richard would be more understanding of that. Of course, people frequently confused her with Jane since they looked so much alike, but whenever a man learned that he was speaking with Kittie instead of Jane, he would usually end the conversation rather promptly.
It seemed as though her reputation had gotten out for being less than determined to find a husband.
“Anyway, this man is supposed to be an excellent tutor. Richard said that he has a reputation for being extremely intelligent despite his young age,” she said.
“How young is he?” Jane asked with curiosity.
Kittie shrugged.
“I am not sure, exactly, but I imagine he is scarcely older than we are,” she said.
They walked back towards the house and continued talking about Lord Glenn and the upcoming dances. By the time they reached the door, Kittie had grown weary of listening to Jane’s eagerness regarding gentlemen and was hoping that she would, instead, be willing to discuss other matters such as the book Kittie was reading.
Then again, Jane was rarely interested in things like reading, so it was highly unlikely and there was no reason to even have hope for that.
Once they went inside, they walked down the hall towards the stairs. When they passed by the parlour, Kittie looked inside and remembered they needed to gather their embroidery. Henry was supposed to be meeting his tutor in there and she knew she would need to be quick.
“The stitching is in here,” she said.
“Shall I come or go up?” Jane asked.
“Go on ahead. Karina will bring the tea in a moment and I shall be right up,” she said.
Jane went and Kittie stepped inside the parlour to see the back of a man’s head seated across from Richard and Henry. She sensed that Jane had come back and thought her cousin might come in with her, but when she glanced back, she saw that Jane was simply looking inside with curiosity at the man seated in there.
“Oh, forgive me,” Kittie said, apologising for having intruded. She hadn’t realised they were already there. It was embarrassing, walking in while they were busy, but they had been quiet in that moment.
“Ah, Katherine, there you are,” Richard said. “Get your things and be quick about it. Henry needs the room for his studies. Perhaps the study would actually be a better spot for it in general, but I must gather some of my own things from there today. Anyway, be quick about it.”
“Yes, of course. I am sorry for interrupting,” she said, keeping her head down and entering the room further to get what she needed.
But before Kittie could gather the items, the tutor stood and turned to bow to her. When Kittie saw his face, her breath caught for a moment.
Clean shaven, youthful, and with a thick mop of dark brown hair, he really was as young as everyone had said. But it was the blue eyes rimmed with thick lashes and the bright, lovely smile that caught her attention most. His nose was straight and masculine, his expression one of joy and contentment.
When he stood straight, their eyes met for a moment and Kittie was certain she had never seen a man so handsome in all her life. She knew that he was there for Henry, but she had never expected that she would meet a man so shockingly striking and it took every ounce of willpower to tear her eyes away from him and curtsey.
Kittie was certain that everything in her life was about to change.
Chapter
Gabriel froze. The last thing he’d expected when agreeing to tutor a boy in a new home was to discover that his sister was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes upon.
Her hair was nearly black and her eyes a hazel green. She had the sweetest, heart-shaped face and an elegant neck that she held with exquisite poise. Although she had a resemblance to her two brothers, Gabriel sensed her delicate femininity and also the way she seemed both independent and bashful, a lovely blend of the two.
He caught himself before her brother could notice his pause and the fact that he was staring at her with interest. The worst thing he could possibly do now was lose his new position because he was too obvious about his interest concerning the sister of his new employer.
As far as he was aware, she was the only female in the family. Everything he had learned had prepared him for two brothers and one sister, but no one had told him that she was undeniably lovely.
“Katherine, this is Mr Whitman. Mr Whitman, this is my sister, Lady Katherine Montague,” said Lord Richard Montague, the Earl of Courtshire.
Gabriel smiled at Lord Courtshire and then turned back to Lady Montague and gave another small bow of his head.
“It is very nice to meet you, Lady Montague,” he said, adding another bow simply because he forgot that he had already done so. When he remembered, his cheeks burned with embarrassment, but Lady Montague smiled at him and did not laugh or say anything to embarrass him.
“And you, Mr Whitman,” she replied. “I have heard great things about you, and I am certain that you will be very good for my brother.”
“Very well. Katherine, please leave us so that we may discuss Henry’s education,” Lord Courtshire said, ushering her out the door with a look and an impatient tone that would have told anyone they must leave before they were in trouble. She seemed to understand, and she made her way out the door quietly.
Gabriel saw that there was another young woman trying to sneak a glance in the room and the moment Lady Montague was out the door, the other whispered something and giggled. But Gabriel could not give them his attention for long. Although he had never anticipated that he might work in the home of such a beautiful young woman, he also realised it was pointless to notice her. He had too many other things to concentrate on now that he had been given this duty.
He returned his attention to Lord Courtshire, sitting across from him once more. Next to him, the younger Lord Montague, a boy of fourteen, shifted in his seat. He didn’t appear to be particularly pleased about this new situation and Gabriel couldn’t blame him. It was obvious that he didn’t enjoy schooling very much and Gabriel felt sorry for him that his older brother had such obviously high standards.
“Now, Mr Whitman, I am aware that you have a rather extensive reputation and I have heard that you are highly impressive for a man of your age, but I find that I am still surprised by your youth. Do you truly believe that you are equipped for handling my brother? He is fourteen years of age and you scarcely appear much older,” Lord Courtshire said, adding a laugh at the end.
Gabriel smiled, used to this question.
“Indeed, my lord, I am well equipped. I can also assure you that I am older than your brother by nearly a decade. Although many consider that young for teaching someone of your brother’s station. I am well-read and well-studied. I know a great deal about all of the important subjects, and I have been tutoring nobility for the past four years,” he said.
“That is very shocking, I must admit. Tell me, what do you enjoy teaching the most?” Lord Courtshire asked. It seemed to Gabriel that he had a long list of questions that he had memorised in order to try and trick Gabriel or otherwise get him to make a mistake. This was a clever means of weeding out any potentially diabolical tutors who would not do well for his brother or for the family as a whole.
“Latin is one of my favourite subjects. I also enjoy mathematics and history,” he said.
“Excellent. Henry is not overly fond of his studies. How do you handle children who may be somewhat resistant to learning?” Lord Courtshire asked.
Gabriel looked at Lord Montague for a moment and saw that he appeared rather embarrassed by this assessment from his brother. It was clear that he didn’t appreciate being considered lazy, which was the undertone of what Lord Courtshire had said. Nevertheless, Gabriel was determined to do his best and give the young Lord Montague more understanding than that.
