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“You’re no more capable of giving that boy love than he is of behaving himself,” she said. “Good luck finding a replacement!”
I ground my teeth and snatched her coat and hat from Waev’s hands and gave them to her.
“Then I thank you for your service,” I said stiffly.
She waved a hand as if she were commanding a servant.
“You may send my earnings to the bank account I gave you,” she said.
“What earnings?” I said calmly.
“I’ve worked here two weeks,” she said. “Longer than anyone else could ever last, I might add.”
“If you’ll check your contract, you’ll find you’re meant to give one month’s notice,” I said. “So long as you quit within that time, you’re not entitled to any pay. You’re free to work the month off and then quit but not a moment before.”
I knew it was harsh but she shouldn’t have insulted Cleb. He was a child. Sometimes they misbehaved. And with her attitude, I wasn’t sure I wanted her near him.
She stared at me, open-mouthed.
“You can’t be serious!” she said.
“You agreed to the contents of the contract when you signed it,” I said.
I learned quickly from my mistakes with the other governesses who suddenly quit under similar circumstances. I didn’t like to make the same mistake twice.
The new development gave the old crone pause for thought.
“Perhaps I was a little hasty—” she said.
Oh no! I wasn’t about to let her get away with insulting my nephew like that—even if he did deserve it sometimes. You didn’t talk down to children, not at the age when they were more impressionable and such things could have a lasting effect.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll use your payment to find your replacement. If there’s any leftover, I’ll pass it along to you.”
The old crone screwed up her mouth and jammed her ugly hat on her square head.
“Fine,” she said. “I wouldn’t stay here another minute if you paid me!”
“Which I’m not,” I said calmly.
I ushered her out the door and slammed it in her face. I leaned my back against the door and pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. It was dull and pulsed deep in my skull, working its way up to the back of my eye socket.
It was the kind of headache only Cleb was capable of giving me.
“She forgot to take her possessions,” Waev said, well used to this show by now. “What do you wish to do with them?”
“Forward them to her new address,” I said. “If she doesn’t want it, donate everything to a children’s charity.”
“Very good, sir,” Waev said.
He bowed stiffly. It wasn’t his shoes or his starched uniform that creaked when he leaned forward. It was his body. The man was nothing but a collection of old rules and regulations. He ruled the household with an iron fist.
Now I needed to find another governess. I thought hiring someone similar to the one I’d had when I grew up would straighten Cleb out. Every child had their teething problems but this was beyond a joke.
Three governesses in as many months. I was beginning to think Cleb really was a demon.
“Post the governess position on the message boards again,” I said.
“I never took them down, sir,” Waev said.
