Mr Davenport, the butler rushed to open the door. Louise with her back turned on the stairs, stood frozen in place.
"Father! You have returned, praise God!" Katherine exclaimed, joyously below.
"My son, you are home!" exclaimed Lady Cordelia, her voice filled with relief and joy as she hurried towards the door. "We have missed you so much." She embraced her son, kissing him on the cheek before stepping back to take a better look at him. "You are looking well, my dear. Your journey has clearly done you good."
Amidst the happy homecoming, Louise slowly walked up the stairs, her heart racing realizing she would soon have to face her employer. As she got upstairs, she went into her chambers and changed from her wet clothes into a dry, more appropriate attire. Her hands trembled as she finished pinning up her braids, heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and fear.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself before leaving her chambers. Just as Louise had emerged from her room, Katherine had dragged her father, Mr Warrington upstairs to meet Louise, with Lady Cordelia following behind.
"Miss Louise!" Katherine exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement.
Turning around to face them, Louise's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the same man from the field standing before her. Her heart raced uncontrollably, her palms growing sweaty. Louise stood there frozen, unable to utter a single word.
"Louise? Are you quite alright?" asked Lady Cordelia, her brow furrowing with concern. "You seem quite different today."
"I... am... fine, Lady Cordelia," Louise managed to say between ragged breaths. Her cheeks flushed as she forced herself to meet the older woman's gaze. Louise bowed in greeting to Mr Warrington. "It's...it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Warrington," she stammered softly.
"You!" he exclaimed in surprise, immediately recognizing her as the rain-drenched stranger from minutes prior. For a moment, they locked eyes, and an unspoken understanding seemed to pass between them.
Lady Cordelia glanced between them in surprise, questioning, "Have you met my son before, Louise?"
"No, no! You must have mistaken me for someone else!" Louise exclaimed in a panicked response, wringing her hands nervously. Their gaze shifted to Mr. Warrington, who seemed privately amused by her flustered reaction.
"I suppose I must have been mistaken," he replied politely, although his intense eyes remained fixed on Louise's face. There was a brief silence as the tension in the air seemed to thicken. Katherine and Lady Cordelia exchanged glances, clearly sensing the undercurrent of something unspoken between their son and the governess.
"Please excuse me, Lady Cordelia, Mr. Warrington. I must prepare for the day's lessons. If you'll all follow me, we'll begin in the study momentarily," Louise said, forcing a stiff smile as she curtsied before hurrying away back to her room, her heart still racing from the encounter with Mr. Warrington. As she shut the door behind her, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves, leaning against it as her legs threatened to give out beneath her.
She berated herself for not having recognized the head of the house during their earlier encounter. It was unpardonable, inexcusable, and yet, there she was, feeling a strange flutter in her chest at the mere memory of their eyes meeting. Surely, he must think her quite foolish! Her heart continued pounding as she wondered how on earth, she could bear to face him again now.