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.My Greek, Latin, French and history are excellent, and my skill with mathematics and the sciences should be adequate for most young children.”“I believe my nephew is speaking of supernatural gifts.” Miss Hadrian heaped a plate with food and handed it to Caroline.“I know we’ve discussed such things in the reading circle and you’ve professed an open mind upon the subject.”Caroline lifted an eyebrow as she swallowed a bit of watercress and cucumber sandwich, savoring every morsel.She used the pause to compose her reply.“An open mind, yes.I do not profess to have any experience or expertise in the matter.” And this was the excuse she’d been looking for.There was no way she could work in a household headed by a man as virile and overwhelming to the senses as Sir Merrick, as much as she liked his aunt.“I’m so sorry, but clearly I’m not the governess you require.Thank you very, very much for considering me, and for the lovely tea.”Just as she set her empty cup back on the tea tray, the door burst open, and what sounded like a herd of rhinoceros lumbered into the room.There were five, she noted as the running shapes sorted themselves into individual children, plus a rather remarkable collection of mechanical pets—a dog, a monkey and a bird.A cup smashed and suddenly she understood the lack of ornamentation in this otherwise lovely home.The horde been here just a few days, Miss Hadrian’s letter had said.One of the youngest children, a thin boy of perhaps nine or ten, with straight, medium brown hair and a pallor that hinted at recent illness, skidded to a stop in front of Caroline and winked up at her.“I’m a bastard, you know.” He snatched a crumpet off the tray and flitted away, grinning wickedly.Caroline couldn’t help the smile that emerged through her mask of propriety.“I see.” She helped herself to a raspberry tart off her plate.Delicious.“As am I.How nice that we have something in common.” The noisy cluster all stopped and stared at her with wonder as she bit into the tart and chewed.After swallowing, she added, “However, most people would prefer us not to discuss such things with strangers.It makes them uncomfortable, you know, and the whole point of good manners is to avoid making people feel awkward.”“We don’t need no governess.” One of the girls rubbed her toe on the carpet and stared intently downward.Her dark hair and almond-shaped eyes hinted at an exotic heritage, though her Cockney accent was all London.“Of course you don’t.” Caroline found she was enjoying herself for the first time since she’d left the coach.These children were fun.It was a shame she couldn’t stay.Then her glance strayed over to a scowling Sir Merrick and the thrill of attraction she still felt reinforced her resolve.“And I shan’t be staying, so you needn’t worry.Perhaps, though, since I have been a governess, and I am here at the moment, I can help you understand the purpose of the species while we enjoy our tea?”“You talk funny.” The youngest boy, a tow-headed imp, had his arm in a sling.He stuffed a lemon tart into his face, all in one piece.“I probably do, sometimes.” Caroline saw the fear that lurked behind his pale gray eyes.These children were bold but terrified.It would be good to put their minds at ease before she went on her way—and she could have another bite or two while she was about it.The sandwiches were delicious, after all—if she nibbled long enough, she wouldn’t have to buy supper tonight.“But never mind that.What do you think a governess is supposed to do?”“Take away all our fun,” answered the thin, pale boy, his mouth full of sandwich.The other children nodded.“I see.” Caroline sipped her tea.“So what do you consider fun? How do you like to spend your days?”“Playing.” It was the young blond who piped up.Caroline patted the sofa beside her and he climbed up, allowing her to slip a pillow under his injured arm.“Reading.” The middle boy, the thin, sickly one, injected the single word with reverence.“Working on my machines.” The eldest girl, a lovely waif with rich auburn curls, wore coveralls stained with machine oil, but boasted a surprisingly proper accent.The dark-haired girl shrugged, then whispered softly, “Singing.”“Those are all excellent activities.” Caroline regarded each of them seriously.“But wouldn’t any of those things be easier to do with a bit of learning? For instance, one can play more games if one is able to read the rules.Isn’t that so? And how about all those books in Latin, or Greek, or French? Wouldn’t you like to learn to read those as well?” She turned to the girls.“One needs advanced mathematics to study engineering, and there’s a rather lovely pianoforte over in that corner.Someone to give lessons on that would certainly be helpful to a singer.”Each of them stopped to consider her words.She went on.“And of course, there are a thousand silly things to learn too—like which fork to use for shellfish or how to write a proper thank you note.Totally pointless, but people do expect one to know them.You wouldn’t want to embarrass Sir Merrick or Miss Hadrian, would you? It will look very poorly for them if their wards were unaware of proper behavior.”“She’s right.” The eldest girl nodded her head sharply.“We do need to put on a good front for Sir Merrick’s sake.”The others seemed to take their cue from her and nodded glumly.“All right.” The littlest boy gazed up at Caroline plaintively.“But can we still play some of the time?”Caroline laid her hand on the lad’s good one.“Of course.Play is an important part of everyday life.I’m sure that Sir Merrick and Miss Hadrian will find you a governess who will make time to play alongside you, as long as your lessons are done as well.” Even though she knew she wasn’t the right person for the job, she had confidence that Dorothy Hadrian would let no harm come to these orphaned youngsters.Still, she felt a small pang of loss at the idea of leaving.There was something about this raggle-taggle group that certainly tugged at the heartstrings.Guiding a cadre of street toughs into becoming ladies and gentlemen would be a monumental but rewarding task for a teacher.Merrick cringed when the children burst through the door.This would be the coup de grâce to the idea of hiring Miss Caroline Bristol.Which was all for the best, he reminded himself.She was clearly far too young and far too attractive to make any kind of effective governess.He’d be forever distracted by wondering if her golden hair, which was scraped back into an inordinately unappealing bun on the back of her head, felt as soft as it looked, or if her green eyes could really be that bright.Most disturbing, though, was the hint of power she radiated—something about her made him think she was as gifted as any of the children.Astonishingly, after a short conversation, the children came up to her one by one.“I’m Tommy,” said Merrick’s new protégé.Then he shook Miss Bristol’s hand before politely introducing each of the others.“Very pleased to meet each of you.” Miss Bristol had spoken a few words with each child, though she shied back from patting George on the head.Nell moved over to clutch Merrick’s sleeve and whispered, “Mum says we should keep her.”He nodded, having almost grown used to commentary from Nell’s invisible mother.Miss Bristol swiveled her head, clearly having overheard.“Nell sees ghosts.” Piers plopped onto a stool near Miss Bristol’s feet and took another sandwich.“Our mum still talks to her.”“Well, that seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?” Miss Bristol clearly sympathized.“But surely the messages are for the rest of you as well [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.My Greek, Latin, French and history are excellent, and my skill with mathematics and the sciences should be adequate for most young children.”“I believe my nephew is speaking of supernatural gifts.” Miss Hadrian heaped a plate with food and handed it to Caroline.“I know we’ve discussed such things in the reading circle and you’ve professed an open mind upon the subject.”Caroline lifted an eyebrow as she swallowed a bit of watercress and cucumber sandwich, savoring every morsel.She used the pause to compose her reply.“An open mind, yes.I do not profess to have any experience or expertise in the matter.” And this was the excuse she’d been looking for.There was no way she could work in a household headed by a man as virile and overwhelming to the senses as Sir Merrick, as much as she liked his aunt.“I’m so sorry, but clearly I’m not the governess you require.Thank you very, very much for considering me, and for the lovely tea.”Just as she set her empty cup back on the tea tray, the door burst open, and what sounded like a herd of rhinoceros lumbered into the room.There were five, she noted as the running shapes sorted themselves into individual children, plus a rather remarkable collection of mechanical pets—a dog, a monkey and a bird.A cup smashed and suddenly she understood the lack of ornamentation in this otherwise lovely home.The horde been here just a few days, Miss Hadrian’s letter had said.One of the youngest children, a thin boy of perhaps nine or ten, with straight, medium brown hair and a pallor that hinted at recent illness, skidded to a stop in front of Caroline and winked up at her.“I’m a bastard, you know.” He snatched a crumpet off the tray and flitted away, grinning wickedly.Caroline couldn’t help the smile that emerged through her mask of propriety.“I see.” She helped herself to a raspberry tart off her plate.Delicious.“As am I.How nice that we have something in common.” The noisy cluster all stopped and stared at her with wonder as she bit into the tart and chewed.After swallowing, she added, “However, most people would prefer us not to discuss such things with strangers.It makes them uncomfortable, you know, and the whole point of good manners is to avoid making people feel awkward.”“We don’t need no governess.” One of the girls rubbed her toe on the carpet and stared intently downward.Her dark hair and almond-shaped eyes hinted at an exotic heritage, though her Cockney accent was all London.“Of course you don’t.” Caroline found she was enjoying herself for the first time since she’d left the coach.These children were fun.It was a shame she couldn’t stay.Then her glance strayed over to a scowling Sir Merrick and the thrill of attraction she still felt reinforced her resolve.“And I shan’t be staying, so you needn’t worry.Perhaps, though, since I have been a governess, and I am here at the moment, I can help you understand the purpose of the species while we enjoy our tea?”“You talk funny.” The youngest boy, a tow-headed imp, had his arm in a sling.He stuffed a lemon tart into his face, all in one piece.“I probably do, sometimes.” Caroline saw the fear that lurked behind his pale gray eyes.These children were bold but terrified.It would be good to put their minds at ease before she went on her way—and she could have another bite or two while she was about it.The sandwiches were delicious, after all—if she nibbled long enough, she wouldn’t have to buy supper tonight.“But never mind that.What do you think a governess is supposed to do?”“Take away all our fun,” answered the thin, pale boy, his mouth full of sandwich.The other children nodded.“I see.” Caroline sipped her tea.“So what do you consider fun? How do you like to spend your days?”“Playing.” It was the young blond who piped up.Caroline patted the sofa beside her and he climbed up, allowing her to slip a pillow under his injured arm.“Reading.” The middle boy, the thin, sickly one, injected the single word with reverence.“Working on my machines.” The eldest girl, a lovely waif with rich auburn curls, wore coveralls stained with machine oil, but boasted a surprisingly proper accent.The dark-haired girl shrugged, then whispered softly, “Singing.”“Those are all excellent activities.” Caroline regarded each of them seriously.“But wouldn’t any of those things be easier to do with a bit of learning? For instance, one can play more games if one is able to read the rules.Isn’t that so? And how about all those books in Latin, or Greek, or French? Wouldn’t you like to learn to read those as well?” She turned to the girls.“One needs advanced mathematics to study engineering, and there’s a rather lovely pianoforte over in that corner.Someone to give lessons on that would certainly be helpful to a singer.”Each of them stopped to consider her words.She went on.“And of course, there are a thousand silly things to learn too—like which fork to use for shellfish or how to write a proper thank you note.Totally pointless, but people do expect one to know them.You wouldn’t want to embarrass Sir Merrick or Miss Hadrian, would you? It will look very poorly for them if their wards were unaware of proper behavior.”“She’s right.” The eldest girl nodded her head sharply.“We do need to put on a good front for Sir Merrick’s sake.”The others seemed to take their cue from her and nodded glumly.“All right.” The littlest boy gazed up at Caroline plaintively.“But can we still play some of the time?”Caroline laid her hand on the lad’s good one.“Of course.Play is an important part of everyday life.I’m sure that Sir Merrick and Miss Hadrian will find you a governess who will make time to play alongside you, as long as your lessons are done as well.” Even though she knew she wasn’t the right person for the job, she had confidence that Dorothy Hadrian would let no harm come to these orphaned youngsters.Still, she felt a small pang of loss at the idea of leaving.There was something about this raggle-taggle group that certainly tugged at the heartstrings.Guiding a cadre of street toughs into becoming ladies and gentlemen would be a monumental but rewarding task for a teacher.Merrick cringed when the children burst through the door.This would be the coup de grâce to the idea of hiring Miss Caroline Bristol.Which was all for the best, he reminded himself.She was clearly far too young and far too attractive to make any kind of effective governess.He’d be forever distracted by wondering if her golden hair, which was scraped back into an inordinately unappealing bun on the back of her head, felt as soft as it looked, or if her green eyes could really be that bright.Most disturbing, though, was the hint of power she radiated—something about her made him think she was as gifted as any of the children.Astonishingly, after a short conversation, the children came up to her one by one.“I’m Tommy,” said Merrick’s new protégé.Then he shook Miss Bristol’s hand before politely introducing each of the others.“Very pleased to meet each of you.” Miss Bristol had spoken a few words with each child, though she shied back from patting George on the head.Nell moved over to clutch Merrick’s sleeve and whispered, “Mum says we should keep her.”He nodded, having almost grown used to commentary from Nell’s invisible mother.Miss Bristol swiveled her head, clearly having overheard.“Nell sees ghosts.” Piers plopped onto a stool near Miss Bristol’s feet and took another sandwich.“Our mum still talks to her.”“Well, that seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?” Miss Bristol clearly sympathized.“But surely the messages are for the rest of you as well [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]