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Chapter 10
Anne let out a small gasp, and Freddie immediately began apologizing.
“Anne, I am so sorry. I was only coming up here to see if you were done for the evening, but when I came upon the girls’ room, I heard your voice, and so I wanted to hear what you were saying to them. But then I did not want to leave as it was such a heartfelt moment, though now I am standing here I realize how this might come off as me spying on you, and I don’t want you to …” Freddie was speaking a mile a minute without taking a breath.
“Freddie,” Anne finally managed to interject, “Stop.”
Freddie seemed so caught off-guard by this comment that he froze with his mouth open, mid-word. He blinked at Anne a few times before she said what she wanted to.
“I do not think that you would be the kind of man to spy upon me,” she said calmly. “To tell you the truth, I am quite ... touched that you stayed to listen to the girls and me engaging in our nightly dispute over the location of Sir Rupert Dinkelberry the Fifth.”
Upon hearing the dog’s full name, Freddie began laughing. She was glad that her attempt to jar him from his embarrassment seemed to have worked.
“... Sir Rupert Dinkelberry the Fifth?” Freddie checked with Anne. “That is the name of the missing dog?”
“Oh yes,” Anne said in mock-seriousness. “And don’t you dare refer to him as anything else on holidays or his birthday; otherwise, you will receive a very stern talking to from that little girl.”
They both remained serious for another moment until they began chuckling, and that chuckling then evolved into laughter. But then Anne realized that they were still right outside the girls’ room, and so she quietly shushed them both.
“Sorry, shall we retire to somewhere more ... private? I have a few notes regarding the children’s schooling that I was wondering if we might …”
“Yes,” Anne interrupted him before he could finish. When she saw the surprised look on Freddie’s face, she knew she had to cover up the reason for her enthusiasm slightly. “I would very much enjoy discussing the children’s education, for as you know, I am very passionate about ... that.”
It was the least sincere sentiment that Anne had ever made regarding the children’s education, and she immediately felt very silly for having said that. She truly hoped, however, that Freddie would not detect the real reason she was happy to see him beneath her facade.
When he simply smiled and gestured for the two of them to walk down the hall together, however, Anne breathed a sigh of relief. She was so happy to see the young man that she was amazed she’d even been able to string together any words whatsoever, let alone ones that made sense.
As they walked away from Amelie and Margaret’s room, Anne felt her heart start to beat a little faster, her palms began to sweat, and she felt the top of her exposed chest begin to get warm. She gently and casually tried to place her hand upon her chest to calm down the redness that was appearing on her skin, but that only seemed to worsen. Instead, she decided to focus on what they were discussing instead of her bodily reactions to seeing Freddie.
“You know,” he began, looking at each painting in the hallway as they passed them, “I was thinking today about the possibility that while we have endeavoured to give all of the children a well-rounded education, there may be ways in which we are still failing them.”
“Oh, yes?” Anne asked. She placed her moist palms against her dress to try and wipe away some of the sweat, and this time, her plan was successful. When she drew her palms away, they were far less wet than they had been a few moments prior.
“Absolutely,” Freddie said in a low voice that made the hairs on the back of Anne’s neck stand on end. “For example, I understand that there are a few subjects that, through absolutely no fault of your own, you have received less training in, is that right?”
Anne nodded. “Chiefly arithmetic. It was not a subject young women were encouraged to learn, and so I have always felt guilty that the children are not receiving all of the information they could in that area.”
Freddie turned his head to the side to look at her, and when he did, Anne stumbled a little, but it was such a small move that Freddie didn’t seem to notice it. She was very grateful for that. She was not sure what had come over her that was making her quite this nervous around Freddie.
“As I said, that is certainly not your fault,” Freddie reminded her, looking over to her once again. “However, I do have a potential solution to this problem, and I hope you are not offended by it.”
This time, when their eyes met, Anne focused very hard on controlling her movements and ensuring that she did not accidentally let herself stumble over his good looks. When she and Freddie had first been introduced, she had thought that he was good looking, but now he was around all the time, and she was becoming better acquainted with his looks, she thought he was positively dashing. This was such a new feeling for Anne, and she loved every moment of it, even if she was sure nothing could ever happen between them.
“I don’t believe I would be offended by anything that you were to suggest, Freddie,” Anne said honestly. “All of our interactions thus far have been nothing but positive, and I cannot imagine that you would extend an opportunity to me that might in any way be improper.”
Just then, they reached one of the smaller sitting rooms, and so Freddie pushed open the door, ensured that there was no one inside, and then encouraged Anne to come in. She walked through the door and took a seat in the chair closest to the large window. Freddie sat across from her.
“That is very kind of you to say, Anne,” Freddie responded humbly. “In that case, might I suggest that to enhance the children’s arithmetic skills ... that perhaps I teach them.”
Anne’s heart immediately began beating faster upon hearing that suggestion.
Could you imagine, she thought, having Freddie present with you and the children every day for an arithmetic lesson? You would get to spend so much more time with him, and the children would begin to admire him even more!
As Anne was thinking that, however, she did not realize how long a pause she was taking, and when she finally returned to reality, Freddie had a disappointed look on his face.
“I can tell by your long pause that perhaps you do not think this is a wise idea,” he said quietly, playing with the bottom corner of his jacket.
“No, no!” Anne said a little too loudly and then brought her volume down for the next part. “My apologies, Freddie, I quickly became lost in my own thoughts and excitement about this prospect. I would love ... I mean, we would love to have you come and teach the children arithmetic, of course. My only concern is that we should check with Lord George before proceeding.”
