AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Everything is interconnected, my lady. Dance teaches the lady correct posture, music teaches her persistence, and watercolors teach her patience. There is not one without the other.”
“Very wise.” Isabel smiled. She liked the older lady. Being around her was like being wrapped in a warm motherly embrace, although there was strictness in her voice and posture.
She was thin and tall. And even though she was probably in her late fifties, she still had a bounce in her step, although she carried a cane with her.
“Mrs. Pemberley, thank you very much for taking the time to journey here. I think you are a perfect candidate and your recommendations are exemplary. But my husband is the one who will make the final decision. Would you be willing to stay the night in the guest room and speak with him on the morrow?”
“Oh, certainly. I am too old to travel back to London right away, anyway. I appreciate your hospitality. But may I ask for one more thing before I settle in for the night?”
“Of course.”
“I would like to meet the young lady.”
Isabel smiled tightly. She did not think that was a good idea at all. But perhaps, she was wrong. Maybe that was exactly what they needed to do before selecting a governess. “Certainly.”
They went up to Millicent’s nursery a moment later. Millie sat there with Edith, flipping through her books.
“Good evening, Millicent,” Isabel said with a smile. “I want you to meet Mrs. Pemberley. Mrs. Pemberley, this is Lady Millicent.”
Millie raised her head to look at the older lady but did not say a word.
“The polite thing to do is greet a person to whom one is introduced,” Mrs. Pemberley said softly.
Millicent just stared at her. Isabel shifted uncomfortably. “I apologize, but as I said, she isn’t quite ready.”
“Do not worry, my lady.” Mrs. Pemberley smiled and stepped closer to Millicent. “And what are you doing, Lady Millicent?”
Millie looked down at her book. “Reading.”
“And do you mind if I listen to you read?”
Millie shook her head.
Mrs. Pemberley settled next to Millicent and listened as Millie recited the passages from the book by heart, flipping the pages in all the right places.
Isabel stood in the doorway, watching the pair read. Mrs. Pemberley murmured something, and Millicent promptly straightened in her chair.
Isabel blinked in surprise. This lady was truly a miracle worker.
* * *
Isabel went in search of Vane to tell him the good news. She thought Mrs. Pemberley was a perfect candidate for the governess, but she needed to get Vane’s approval before she could hire her.
The marquess was nowhere in the house, although it was rather late, and he was usually back by this time.
Isabel approached the butler. “Mr. Monroe, have you seen my husband?”
“Yes, my lady. He went to bathe in the stream.”
Isabel looked out the window and instantly wrapped her arms around her. The weather was gloomy, and it couldn’t have been warm. So why was he washing up in the stream instead of the house?
“Thank you, Mr. Monroe.”
She put a shawl around her shoulders and went in search of her husband. The wind blew straight into her face, slowing her pace. Now that she thought about it, she should have waited inside the house. And what did she hope to accomplish by hunting him down?
Nevertheless, she wasn’t one to turn back from a challenge. And perhaps the fresh country air was exactly what she needed. She raised her head to the sky, enjoying her walk and thinking about all the things she could help teach Millie once her education started.
A slight smile adorned her lips. When Isabel was younger, she loved to teach her little sister Samantha everything she knew.
