The Governess Diaries

The Governess Diaries The Hellion Club, Book Seven by Chasity Bowlin © Copyright 2023 by Chasity Bowlin Text by Chasity Bowlin Cover by Dar Albert Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. is an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc. P.O. Box 23 Moreno Valley, CA 92556 [email protected] Produced in the United States of America First Edition February 2023 Kindle Edition Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited. All Rights Reserved. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. License Notes: This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. 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Without your support, there is no ‘us’, so we sincerely hope you adore these stories and find some new favorite authors along the way. Happy Reading! CEO, Dragonblade Publishing Additional Dragonblade books by Author Chasity Bowlin The Hellion Club Series A Rogue to Remember (Book 1) Barefoot in Hyde Park (Book 2) What Happens in Piccadilly (Book 3) Sleepless in Southampton (Book 4) When an Earl Loves a Governess (Book 5) The Duke’s Magnificent Obsession (Book 6) The Governess Diaries (Book 7) Making Spirits Bright (Novella) All I Want for Christmas (Novella) The Boys of Summer (Novella) The Lost Lords Series The Lost Lord of Castle Black (Book 1) The Vanishing of Lord Vale (Book 2) The Missing Marquess of Althorn (Book 3) The Resurrection of Lady Ramsleigh (Book 4) The Mystery of Miss Mason (Book 5) The Awakening of Lord Ambrose (Book 6) Hyacinth (Book 7) A Midnight Clear (A Novella) The Lyon’s Den Series Fall of the Lyon Tamed by the Lyon Lady Luck and the Lyon Pirates of Britannia Series The Pirate’s Bluestocking Also from Chasity Bowlin Into the Night Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Publisher’s Note Additional Dragonblade books by Author Chasity Bowlin Part One: Separate Ways Chapter One Chapter Two Part Two: With or Without You Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Part Three: When It’s Love Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Epilogue Author’s Note About the Author Part One Separate Ways Chapter One September 15th, 1810 Highview Manor, Buckinghamshire The house was unnaturally quiet. There were no bustling footsteps of servants moving to and fro. There were no hushed whispers or random giggles from gossiping maids. The entirety of Highview Manor was in a hush—trapped in that space between knowing something awful was about to occur and having it actually happen. A moment frozen in time, hovering on the cusp of catastrophe. The door slammed on the main floor, the harsh crack echoing through the house like a shot. The master, the 11th Duke of Clarenden, had returned from his morning ride, and the confrontation that had been brewing for almost two decades was set to begin. “Oh, dear heavens,” the housekeeper muttered under her breath. “It’s going to be frightful. I know it.” “Hush, Mrs. Stephens,” the butler admonished quietly. “It will be what it will be. We cannot interfere, nor are we entitled to have an opinion on what passes between our betters. We will keep this house as we have always done. Go to the kitchen and make sure that the cook and those gossiping scullery maids have begun dinner preparations as they are supposed to. If not, they will all have their ears pressed to a door as they eavesdrop on things that are none of their concern. Naught will get done.” Mrs. Stephens drew in a deep fortifying breath. She didn’t have Mr. Milton’s ability to turn off her emotions. She’d wept countless tears over the past twenty years for the poor, wretched creature whose life had ended long before she’d drawn her last breath. Now her heart ached for the boy left behind. For he was still very much a boy. At only nineteen years of age, he could hardly be called a man, after all. He’d never known anything from his father but coldness. She suspected that coldness had been a kind of mercy afforded on behalf of her poor mistress. No doubt the poor soul had bargained mightily for her son’s welfare. And may he never know the cost she paid for his place in that house. With her gone now, there was naught to staunch the flow of the duke’s anger and bitterness. And that poor, precious boy would bear the brunt of it. “I’m not like you, Mr. Milton. I love that