Brambles and Thorns by Jocelyn Kirk

Author:Jocelyn Kirk [Kirk, Jocelyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Tags: romance, historical, mystery, New England
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2017-04-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Lessons of Life and Love

Elena and Willa, followed by several girls, ran from the kitchen garden onto the back porch of the farmhouse. A sudden rain arriving on a brisk wind had caused them all to scurry rapidly to the porch, where they collapsed laughing on the creaking boards. Willa threw open the door to the kitchen, and the girls, remembering their manners, stood aside to let their teachers pass.

It was late September, and Miss Bellwood’s School for Girls had been in operation for three weeks. During that period, it had evolved that Willa would spend one day per week at the farm teaching walking and posture. This was extremely valuable to Elena, for it gave her a chance to tackle the mountain of papers that seemed always piled on her desk. It had the added advantage of keeping Willa safe for one day from the frequent visits of the Duke of Simsbury. Throughout the summer, he had become Willa’s serious suitor, to everyone’s astonishment. Willa, now just eighteen, viewed him as quite middle-aged. She was in awe of him, but to his attentions, she was, so far, impervious.

Elena settled herself at her desk. At least Willa’s heart seemed less devoted to Captain James Scott than it had been. The girl was too young to wed, and Elena had never observed any symptom of love on Captain Scott’s side, on the rare occasions that they saw him.

Her own heart was as confused as ever. Ben Garrick, accompanied by Drs. Garson and Soames, had gone off to Boston in July to attend their seminar and meet with fellow astronomers to compare findings. She was very surprised that two months later he was still away. Megan had received a few letters from him, and she hinted to Elena and Rosalie that he was very busy and not sure when he would return.

Rosalie was forthright in her assessment of the situation. “He’s trying to control his feelings for you, Elena. I advise you to come to an understanding of them yourself before he returns. This limbo the two of you occupy is not a good situation.”

Elena was fretful. “How on earth am I to do that? One day, I feel one way; the next day, I feel the opposite.”

As she began her paperwork on that rainy afternoon, she tried hard to push all thoughts of Ben from her mind. In all honesty, running a school had turned into a more arduous task than she had envisioned. Acquiring students had been the easy part, for her school had no competition in the area. But her constant concerns about adequate foodstuffs, the procurement of educational materials, the health and safety of the girls, making provision of wood, coal, and food for the winter, and the nearly constant supervision of fifteen young ladies had taken their toll on her energy and patience.

Elena leaned back and sighed. She was about to check her bank account statement, an activity that always cheered her, when heavy footsteps sounded, followed by a knock on the office door.

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