The Headmistress of Rosemere by Sarah E. Ladd

Author:Sarah E. Ladd
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: ebook
ISBN: 9781401688363
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2013-12-31T06:00:00+00:00

17

The next morning Patience sat at the desk in the study, intent on clearing the mess away. The fact that her brother returned the day her office was in shambles embarrassed her. She moved several boxes to the armoire, pausing once again to sift through the contents of Emma’s box, hoping to stumble upon something she had missed.

After placing Emma’s things in the armoire, she stood at the window and watched the men working on the stable, just as Mr. Sterling had promised. One man raked up debris. Another man in a dusty coat and floppy hat guided a mule pulling a cart, and yet another stacked lumber off to the side. The new stable clearing looked larger. Mr. Sterling seemed to have not held back on the expense. She wondered at the necessity of it, seeing as they only had one carriage, two horses, a pony, a cow, a goat, and a smattering of fowl. But he had been insistent on the details.

Now Patience wondered about him. Were the stories she had heard about him true? Was he as reckless as they had said? And why had he left Darbury all those years ago? And now he was back. She had heard rumors of financial troubles, of servants being dismissed. If the rumors were true, what would account for the fine stable he was having built at Rosemere?

“I hope I am not interrupting.”

Patience turned to see Lydia peeking around the door. Surprised that her sister-in-law was even up at this early hour, Patience motioned for her to enter. Lydia’s blond hair was perfectly curled and swept away from her face, and even though her jonquil silk gown was a bit ornate this early in the day, Patience could not help but compare its fine detail to her own drab frock. “I trust you slept well.”

“Oh, I did.” Lydia smiled and blew out a shaky breath. “Traveling always exhausts me. I feel I could sleep for days!”

Patience returned the smile but could hardly relate. She’d had little opportunity to travel outside of Darbury, except for the summer when her father took her to Manchester to pick up a student.

Lydia opened a book on the corner of the desk and turned a few pages before looking at Patience. “I want to assist.”

“Assist?”

“Yes. With the school. Both my father and Rawdon have told me of the work you do here, and I am eager to be a part of it.”

Patience drew a sharp breath, feeling almost sorry for the girl. Lydia was but a child, hardly a woman. Could she be any older than the oldest pupils, still preparing to make their way in the world? “Here, sit here. What is it you would like to help with?”

“Teaching.”

Patience swallowed, unsure how to handle the feeling that the new Mrs. Creighton was treading too far into her world. “Do you like children, Mrs. Creigh—I mean, Lydia?”

Her eyes brightened. “Oh yes. Quite. I even helped teach my young cousins to read.”

Not knowing what else to say, Patience muttered, “You must miss your family.

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