“No one wants to hire a scullery maid that has grand notions,” Mrs. Hughes said. “Besides, these girls are not smart enough to learn to read.”
“That is awfully unfair of you to say.”
Mrs. Hughes stepped forward and lowered her voice. “Do not give these girls false hope that they can rise above their stations,” she remarked. “That would be cruel of you to do so.”
“I didn’t realize I was doing anything of the sort.”
“Despite your reduced circumstances now, you were given opportunities that these girls can only dream about,” Mrs. Hughes said. “Do you think it is fair to rub that in their faces?”
“That was never my intention.”
With a haughty look, Mrs. Hughes’s shoulders stiffened. “If you want to help these girls, leave them be,” she asserted before spinning on her heel and departing from the room.
Georgie stared at the empty doorway. There had to be a way to help these girls without ignoring them. She had only met Rebecca, but she was confident that the girls were intelligent enough to learn how to read. Although that would explain why she saw no books in the orphanage. Did no one read to these girls? How unfortunate. Some of her fondest memories were of her parents reading to her in front of a fire.
She departed from the room and headed back towards her bedchamber. As she turned the corner, she was surprised to see Wilson approaching her with a stoic look on his face.
Her steps faltered. “Whatever are you doing here?”
The butler came to a stop in front of her. “Lord Wakefield dismissed me for helping you leave, and I thought you could use some help here.”
“I am happy to see you, but I daresay that we do not have the funds to pay for a butler,” she admitted dejectedly.
Wilson gave her an understanding nod. “I expected as much,” he replied. “If you are in agreement, I will work for room and board.”
“I’m afraid we don’t even have a room to spare for you.”
“I know, but you do have a floor in the kitchen that I can sleep on. That will be sufficient enough for me, at least for now.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am,” Wilson replied. “I have already secured a blanket and pillow from the closet.”
Georgie smiled happily. “I feel that I must warn you that there are more rats here than people.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. We are in the rookeries.”
“I do not like rats.”
“Very few people do.”
She glanced over her shoulder before saying, “I should also note that the housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes, does not like me.”
“I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Hughes.”
“When did you arrive?”
“This morning,” Wilson said. “Mrs. Peters let me in through the back door, and I have been trying to become familiar with the orphanage ever since.”
“That would explain what I saw earlier,” Georgie said, feeling great relief that the dark silhouette she had seen in the hall was, in fact, Wilson.
Wilson grew serious. “You should know that Lord Wakefield hired a Bow Street Runner to look into your disappearance.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “He did?”
“He was furious when he came home and you weren’t there,” Wilson shared. “I have never seen him so irate before.”
“How did he discover you were involved?”
