I freely confess to having cheated a bit with Chloe and Tory in Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart. Chloe’s mother speaks of wanting to keep Tory on as a paid companion for Chloe now that Chloe is too old for a governess (Tory’s former role), but in reality, companions were more for widows (like Lady Devonmont in ‘Twas the Night After Christmas) or married ladies or older unmarried ladies. They weren’t for women of childbearing age like Chloe. From what I’ve read in my research, paid companions were also given more freedom and seen as higher in social rank than governesses, since they were often of a similar station to their employers. The only difference was that, unlike their employers, women serving as paid companions still needed to make a living, and that was one of the few acceptable professions for women of a certain class. Anyway, I figured that the duchess would be willing to bend the rules a bit for her precious daughter. Of course, Chloe says she has no intention of marrying, so eventually she’d be old enough for a companion, but we all know that will change as soon as our hero sweeps her off her feet!
