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His brows pinched. “I meant no disrespect to your Mrs. Farrow. Bargaining is not a skill a lady of her position is likely to need.”
It was an innocent enough assumption. “How came you by it, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I’m from a large family of little means, Headmistress,” he said with a laugh. “We lived quite frugally, but I’m unashamed of the hardship we endured. It taught me the value of hard work and to appreciate what I have. Two of my sisters work in great houses. It’s unfortunate that all too frequently the payment for their services is either late in the coming or short of what was promised. Funds must be stretched to cover their families’ needs, and bargaining is a way to extend their coin.”
It was the first time he’d made mention of his family, and what she heard pleased her. She liked his humility and frankness. “I am most grateful for your willingness to share knowledge earned through experience, as well as that which may be learned from books. My girls will no doubt benefit from it.” Their eyes met and held, and deep inside Jacqueline a spark kindled. Again unexpected and unsettling, but not unpleasant. “Your parents must be very proud of you.”
“My mother claims to be content with me,” he replied with another charming, lopsided smile. “My father died some time ago, but I think he would have been pleased to see his only son follow in his footsteps.”
So his father was a teacher, too. “Are you lacking any materials necessary for training the students in this new skill?”
“None, although I’d like to propose having some of your kitchen staff speak to the older girls concerning the current cost of common items. They’ll know what’s reasonable and thereby lessen the risk of your pupils being taken for fools when they leave here.”
His suggestion was something she had until now addressed on an individual basis with each young lady as she was deemed fit for service, usually by means of a chaperoned outing. But if it kept him happy and occupied, she’d oblige. It would certainly do the girls no harm to learn the likely reach of their wages a bit ahead of schedule. “An excellent idea. I shall make the arrangements. I may be unable to spare anyone from the kitchen until next week, but it will be soon.”
“Thank you, Headmistress,” he replied, sounding as though he hadn’t really expected her to acquiesce.
“Have you any questions about your students?”
“Indeed, several.” He rifled through the stack of parchment on his desk. “Ah, here it is. Yes. Misses Janet Fairfield and Suzette Bagley. Are they related?”
“No, monsieur,” she said with a smile. “But they are like sisters.”
“Ah, that explains it, then.”
She frowned. “Is there a problem with either of them?”
“No, not at all. I just marked how close they appeared when I met them in the library this afternoon. Miss Fairfield recommended some reading material.” He held up a copy of Aesop’s Fables. “You allow the students unsupervised access to the library? Do you not worry they might damage the books?”
“Why would they do such a thing?” The look he gave her in return was comic. “All but a few of my students came here not knowing how to read,” she explained. “I often find that once a child unlocks the secret of words, they hunger for them. There is a kind of magic in reading. It takes the mind to places where the body may not go, allowing one to forget, for a while, life’s troubles.” Indeed, they were a desperately needed escape for some.
Reaching out, she took the little copy of Aesop’s Fables from his hand. As before, when their fingers touched, warmth coiled in her belly. Determined not to show how it discomfited her, she stroked the old book’s worn leather spine with a loving finger. “These books are precious, treasured by us all, monsieur. My girls would sooner hurt themselves than damage them.”
He stared at her for a long moment, blue eyes narrowed as if he was trying hard to see inside her, then cleared his throat and again perused his list. “Miss Emma Stone. Is she new to the school?”
It took all her willpower not to show her panic. “Emma is indeed recently come to us, yes. She and her sister were left here by their uncle after their widowed mother succumbed to illness. We tried to find him, to no avail. I could not turn them away.”
“Do you take in every waif left on your doorstep?”
A bitter laugh burst out before she could stop it. “Would that I had the resources to do so, monsieur, but no. I petitioned the school’s sponsor to allow them to stay, as the girls showed both aptitude and willingness to learn.”
“Forgive my saying it, but is not the elder Miss Stone a bit long in the tooth for an orphanage? In fact, I’ve marked several of the girls here are quite beyond the typical age allowed by other establishments.”
Her hackles rose, and she had to force herself to speak in a civil tone. “Firstly, monsieur, this is a charity school, not an orphanage. I know of no orphanage in all of England that strives to educate its wards or better their lot as we do. As for Emma and her sister, they came from a tragic situation. I shan’t elaborate further, and I adjure you to put aside any lurid curiosity concerning their past, lest you inflict pain on the innocent and invite the loss of your position. The school’s sponsor has approved their presence and paid their tuition, and that is sufficient enough reason for you to accept it. Your job is to teach the children of this school, not to judge them.”
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. “Now, unless you have questions pertaining to academic or specific behavioral issues with your students, I shall take my leave and allow you to finish your task here so that you may not upset Mrs. Hayton by being late to dinner.”
Shock and contrition warred on his face. “I humbly crave your pardon, madame. My intent was not to judge, but only to better comprehend. This…school is unlike anything in my previous experience. I have but recently come from an environment where the children were loved, spoiled even, by their parents. Forgive me, but I must know…do all the students here originate from unfortunate circumstances?”
Damn. Damn, damn, and damn! Her face ached from the effort it took to maintain a placid demeanor. “I can tell you only that all were abandoned and have no family but the one they create while here. The details of their personal histories belong to them, not to me. I’m charged only with safeguarding them and providing them the necessary tools to forge a future for themselves.”
His face grew pensive. “Again, I beg your pardon, Headmistress. I did not fully understand the mission of this establishment. Had I known, I might have handled things differently today.”
The breath caught in her
throat. “What do you mean?”
“In the library this afternoon, I believe I may have unintentionally frightened Miss Fairfield and Miss Bagley.”
