Jessica Nelson - The Unconventional Governess

A Mutual Arrangement

Henrietta Gordon has one dream: to practice medicine alongside the uncle who raised her. But when he insists she stay in London and find a husband, she must figure out a way to earn money toward her goal. Could handsome earl Dominic, Lord St. Raven, be the answer?

Desperate to find a governess for his niece after his brother’s death, Dominic hires Henrietta—and is soon taken by her smarts and determination. But as Henrietta comes to care deeply for Dominic and his charge, the thought of inevitably leaving them feels impossible, forcing her to decide what’s more important—following her dreams or her heart.

JESSICA NELSON believes romance happens every day and thinks the greatest, most intense romance comes from a God who woos people to Himself with passionate tenderness. When Jessica is not chasing her three beautiful, wild little boys around the living room, she can be found staring into space as she plots her next story, daydreams about raspberry mochas or plans chocolate for dinner.

Also By Jessica Nelson

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Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

The Unconventional Governess

Jessica Nelson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08258-7

THE UNCONVENTIONAL GOVERNESS

© 2018 Jessica Nelson

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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He was a specimen of strong heritage.

Henrietta refused to fault herself for noticing the thickness of St. Raven’s hair or the confidence in his stride. His skin shone with good health and his white, cared-for teeth hinted at a fastidious nature.

Yes, even a doctor could note such things. The churning in her stomach was very natural, she assured herself. Simply a physical and chemical reaction.

And then he turned and saw her.

She, quiet and unobtrusive, edged as close to a wall as possible, yet he saw her. Their gazes connected. She looked quickly away, eager to discourage him from approaching her.

The tactic did not work. Trying not to frown, she nodded a greeting as he neared.

“I see you are walking without pain,” she said promptly.

“Is that why you were studying me so closely?”

Dear Reader,

Henrietta, like many of my other characters, showed up fully formed. I knew she was stubborn, tenacious, and about to be confronted with a man who could calm her fears and give her a reason to love. Enter Dominic. *swoon* I really liked him myself, despite his flaws. He wants to be redeemed. He wants to change. And that is such an admirable quality in a human being. I felt he’d be perfect for Henrietta, a lady who has her entire life mapped out and who is resistant to change.

Enter a headstrong charge (Louise), and I knew I had a beautiful story worth telling. What I did not expect, however, was to be unexpectedly sharing the same circumstances as Dominic, caring for precious little family members who have lost both parents.

It makes this story especially poignant for me. I hope you enjoy it and, as always, I adore hearing from readers. Please forgive any mistakes I’ve made in facts and details. My imagination far outweighs my research skills.

You can find me by visiting my website, www.jessicanelson.net.

Happy reading and may God bless you in every way,

Jessica Nelson

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.

—Hebrews 10:24

I would like to dedicate this book to Denise Petrovich, my very unconventional mother. Life would be quite boring without you. I love you and thank you for all of the creative ways you support my writing.

Many thanks to all of my fabulous writing friends, including the members of my Sunshine State Romance Authors group (Loretta Rogers, Darlene Corcoran, Barbara Cairns, Michael Ditchfield and many others), who one October Retreat night helped me brainstorm my hero into the unique and fabulous guy that he is.

Thank you to Emily Rodmell, editor extraordinaire, who is both kind and wise with her advice.

Final thanks to Jesus, my main squeeze. He is a God who is constantly teaching me in unconventional ways.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

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

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

England

Spring 1814

No conventional daughter of an earl desired to become a physician.