by Amelia Grey
His eyes engaged with hers. “You do know you can call on me if you need to.”
“I do, but there hasn’t been anything the earl has said or done that I can’t—” Brina’s words fell away as she thought for a split second the Earl of Blacknight had come up beside Harper.
“You remember my friend Robert Browning, don’t you?” Harper asked.
Robert was probably as tall as Blacknight but thinner through the chest and shoulders as was the usual case with younger men. His hair was as dark as the earl’s, and there was no doubt he had the same handsome features.
“Yes, of course I do. How are you, Mr. Browning?”
“Well, Mrs. Feld,” he said with a smile. “You always look so lovely and especially tonight.”
Brina could tell both Harper and Lord Blacknight’s cousin had been taught the art of flattery. She returned his smile and said, “That’s kind of you to say.”
“I was visiting Lord Blacknight recently, but I didn’t stay long. He seemed busy. There were books and papers all over his desk.” “Have you seen him tonight?”
“No.” She smiled again, deciding not to say more than her one-word answer.
“Perhaps we’ll see him somewhere later in the evening,” Mr. Browning offered.
“Brina,” Harper said, “Robert and I are going to have something to eat before we go. Would you like to join us?”
“Go? You just arrived.”
“I know. We’ve said hello to most everyone. Come dine with us. It will give us time to chat and give Robert a chance to get to know you.”
“Yes, do, Mrs. Feld,” Mr. Browning encouraged, his smile as genuine as Harper’s.
“Well, yes, I will. I’m surprised you don’t intend to stay and visit with—everyone. Your hosts and all the young ladies. I didn’t expect you’d rush away.”
“We must tonight.” He glanced at Robert. “We have a card game and don’t want to be late.”
“Cards?” she queried.
“Yes,” Mr. Browning answered for Harper. “I was introduced to a gentleman who’s starting a new club. We want to play a few hands and see if we think it’s one we might be interested in joining.”
“Terribly rude of us to eat and run, I know,” Harper said. “We’re hoping to slip out without anyone noticing.”
Harper politely held out his arm to escort her into the dining room. Brina smiled and hooked her hand around his elbow.
Men and their cards. There was something about the two of them that made her uneasy. She couldn’t imagine what it could be. But something had her thinking that not all was quite right. And she wasn’t so sure Harper should be spending so much time with the earl’s cousin.
Chapter 12
Brina decided to forgo bonnet and cape since the school was only a short distance away. The midday sun was shining down, and that, along with her simple long-sleeved, dark-gray dress, warmed her aplenty for no longer than she planned to be out of the house.
She walked out the back door, down the steps, and into the small portion of garden that separated her house from the three-story building that used to be a servants’ quarters. There was no intricate lattice work or fancy outside moldings on it. Only a plain sign over the door that read THE SEAFARER’S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. A few paces later, she came to the tall yew hedge that served as a boundary on both sides of the house. In the middle of the shrubbery was a vine-covered trellis that had been built so the servants could easily come and go from the main house. The archway now served as entrance to the grounds of the school.
Finding such a perfect property had been a dream come true for Brina, Adeline, and Julia four years ago. Situated in the middle of a privately secluded cul-de-sac near the business district of St. James’s made it valuable. After hearing what they wanted to do, the owner had made it affordable. Now that Brina lived on the grounds, she was convinced they couldn’t have found a better place in all of London.
The school started with nine girls. All from families that had lost either a father or brother who worked on the Salty Dove. It had taken time for their solicitor to track down eligible girls and explain what the widows wanted to do for them. Persuading their relatives to allow them to come live at a boarding school and be taught to read and write as well as the seamstress trade hadn’t been as easy as Brina thought it would be. Boarding schools for girls were rare. Free ones almost nonexistent.
Another child had been added the first year. Little Nora. At only five, she was younger than the other children. Brina, Adeline, and Julia knew they had no choice but to take her in after her mother abandoned her there shortly after the school opened.
Nora was the illegitimate child of Adeline’s first husband. There had been numerous attempts to find the girl’s mother, but no leads to her whereabouts had been discovered. Their hope was that one day the mother’s circumstances would change and she would come back for her child. In the meantime, her daughter was being well-cared for and educated, and would one day be earning her own way in life as a skilled seamstress.
Brina knocked on the door of the school and opened it, calling, “Hello,” as she entered.
The ten girls immediately pushed back their chairs from the long rectangular table and rose. So did Mrs. Tallon and her two helpers.
“Good afternoon,” Brina said, walking into the large, square room with enough windows to let in plenty of light. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything too important.”
“Not at all, Mrs. Feld,” the headmistress said with her usual pinched expression. “Your presence is never a disturbance for us. We welcome you anytime. Say hello, girls.”
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Feld. How are you today?” they asked, all speaking together.
Brina beamed as the chorus of greetings echoed around the room. Fanny, one of the oldest students, was always easy to spot with her long, vibrant red hair. Recently, she’d learned how to somewhat tame her unruly curly locks by pulling half of them up and away from her face, tying them at the back of her head with a ribbon. Fanny wasn’t tall, but she made up for height in her personality. Unlike the other girls, she was never shy around Brina, always lifting her hand to wave as she said hello. Brina acknowledged her with a slight nod.
“I’m good,” she answered the girls. “Thank you for asking. I don’t know if you’ve been outside today, but the sun has chased away the cold wind and the weather has warmed considerably again.” They looked at Brina but said nothing, so she added, “I enjoyed hearing you sing this morning. Your voices were pure and enchanting. Angelic. I thought I was listening to a choir in a cathedral.”
Ahhs and gasps of surprise sounded around the room. The girls looked at one another and smiled. Brina was glad her compliment pleased them.
“We’ve continued to work on the flowers you brought us, Mrs. Feld,” Fanny said.
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Brina moved a little closer to the table. “I’ll send over some more. One can never have too many flowers to study.”
“I drew a beautiful snowdrop yesterday,” the tall and thin Mathilda said in an eager voice.
“Did you? How lovely.”
“I drew one too,” one of the other students chimed in cheerfully. “Mine was bigger.”
“But it wasn’t as pretty as mine,” another girl cut in quickly.
“Yes, it was,” Fanny remarked tartly, taking up for her taller, crestfallen friend. “Yours didn’t have any leaves on the stem.”
“We were told to draw a flower, not leaves,” she remarked right back to Fanny, jerking her hands to her waist and sticking out her tongue when she finished.
“I drew a garden of flowers this morning and everyone said mine was the best,” Mathilda injected excitedly, seeming not to want to be outdone by any of the other students.
“That’s because no one else drew flowers today,” one girl added with a high-pitched giggle at the end of her sentence.
Suddenly, in the space of a few seconds, all the girls were talking at once, and Brina couldn’
t hear one over the other. She hadn’t realized how competitive they were.
“Girls,” Mrs. Tallon called above their loud, excited chatter. “You can all sit back down now and go back to your work.”
Quietness quickly settled over the room once more, except for the sounds of chair legs scraping across the wooden floor.
The headmistress walked over to Brina. The skin around her eyes and forehead had tightened, though her lips formed a smile. “Was there something in particular I could help you with today, Mrs. Feld?” She spoke in a hushed tone. “If so, perhaps we can discuss it outside so as not to hinder the students any longer.”
“That’s not necessary. I won’t be long.”
Mrs. Tallon was by no means disrespectful, but Brina felt she was never happy for her to come over and visit the girls. The head mistress had once suggested it might be better if Brina sent a note over and ask Mrs. Tallon to visit her. Brina didn’t want to do that. She enjoyed seeing the girls, looking at their happy faces and hearing their voices.
She supposed she could understand why Mrs. Tallon thought she was interrupting their lessons, but Brina didn’t want to stop, no matter if Mrs. Tallon wished otherwise. Besides, children needed a break from their studies once in a while. And everyone loved unexpected surprises if they were good ones. She knew the girls liked for her to visit them.
“I wanted you to know that with Lady Lyonwood and Mrs. Stockton’s approval, I will be giving the girls painting lessons. I’m not sure of all the details yet.”
Mrs. Tallon’s smile faded rather quickly. “Painting? I believe that would take up a lot of valuable time, Mrs. Feld.”
Brina remained undaunted. “Not really. My plan is to stop reading to them, as I realize most are now reading quite well on their own. So, I won’t be disrupting them for that or taking any more time from their usual studies and sewing preparations. The painting will be in place of the reading.”
“Yes, of course, Mrs. Feld,” she said tightly. “I do thank you for that consideration. As I stated when I came to work at the school, I believe in discipline, decisiveness, and dedication to the art of sewing. If you feel the art of painting will help them achieve my objectives to make them valuable to the community one day, I will yield the time to you for painting lessons.”
Brina felt that went easier than she expected until she realized the headmistress wasn’t finished.
Mrs. Tallon’s lips widened, but there was no pleasure in her smile. “However, I do feel if we find that some of the girls are not inclined to do well with a paintbrush, as many don’t, we must allow them to do something else. Just as we’ve discovered some are better with cutting the fabric and others with the needle, and still others with tying ribbons into a bow and making a shapely rosette.”
“I understand, Mrs. Tallon, and think that’s a reasonable request. I’ll be happy to revisit this if that is the case.”
Mrs. Tallon’s eyes slowly returned to normal and her expression softened a smidgen.
Brina knew she was supposed to let Mrs. Tallon make all the decisions concerning the school but she needed to help in some way. “I’ll be in touch. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”
After saying goodbye to everyone, Brina stepped outside, closed the door, and leaned against it, wondering if it was natural to want to help the girls have a more fulfilled life. Was she interfering more than helping? Was it unusual for her to want them to need her for something? What would she do if she couldn’t help them? Brina knew other ladies in Society successfully lived as widows and seemed perfectly happy without needing the satisfaction she received from being with the girls and the sisters.
Brina took in a deep breath, feeling as if she were an interloper in the school. Perhaps she would go visit the sisters at Pilwillow Crossings and take the bandages she rolled last night. It always seemed to cheer her to talk with them. Surely they couldn’t receive too many donations to give out to the unfortunate who depended on the abbey’s help.
Feeling unsettled by the very real prospects of not actually being needed by anyone, she lifted the hem of her skirt and started down the three steps. As she made it to the bottom, she heard a squeak of metal and looked over at her side gate. A sudden rush of expectancy tightened in her chest and halted her steps.
Blacknight was entering her back garden. But just as quickly, she wondered why. He should be going to her front door and waiting to be announced by her housekeeper if he wanted to see her. Did he think he could break every rule of Society?
Yes, he did.
For today, she didn’t mind. Seeing him lifted her spirits and made her forget she was feeling as if no one needed her. She welcomed this unexpected good surprise.
Chapter 13
Trying to tamp down the excitement filling her, Brina took off at a brisk pace and met up with the earl near the trellis. “My lord,” she said, hoping she was breathless from her haste and not from the mere fact he’d stopped by. “I’m surprised to see you today and here in my garden.”
“Your housekeeper told me you were at the school,” he said, taking off his hat and running his hand through his shiny dark hair. “I decided to wait for you. Outside this time.”
Brina couldn’t stop staring at him. She was still amazed by how handsome he was, amazed how her heart beat faster every time she was near him, and amazed by how easily he evaded acceptable rules and manners.
“A gentleman doesn’t wait for a lady to return,” she answered, hoping she sounded at least a little annoyed when, really, she wasn’t feeling irritation at all. But she should. “He leaves his card or a note as to when he might call again.”
Seeming nonplussed by her explanation, he nodded as if he were understanding her but asked, “That’s the proper way, is it?”
“Yes, and you must know it,” she said with no scolding in her tone. “A gentleman doesn’t wait because it might not be a convenient time for the lady to see him. It could turn into an awkward situation when she returns.”
The earl kept his gaze on her and a smile curved the corners of his lips. “Do you feel awkward being with me right now?”
She hesitated for only a moment before answering honestly, “Well, no.” Seeing him had made her feel better. Wonderful in fact. “I can’t say I do.”
Blacknight casually crossed his arms over his chest as his lids hooded his eyes enough to make her wonder what he was thinking and feeling.
“Neither do I,” he said. “So that rule doesn’t apply to us, right? Like kissing doesn’t apply.”
Kissing?
His comment sounded so sincere, it struck a nerve. There seemed to be several things that didn’t apply to them. Brina wanted to be upset with him, but try as she might, she simply wasn’t able to come up with any annoying feelings. She had been very close to feeling sorry for herself when she stepped out of the school and was glad he’d arrived and put a stop to that useless and weak emotion taking hold.
“Never mind kissing. What would the neighbors think if they saw you walking into my garden?” she asked, feigning irritation.
“That you have a visitor?”
Brina laughed at the truth of his statement and shook her head as she looked into the depths of his brilliant blue eyes. “It so happens my neighbor across the street has a spyglass and a good friend who is a known gossip. No doubt it will be in tomorrow’s edition of some scandal sheet that you were seen walking into my garden unaccompanied by me or anyone else. I’m supposed to be helping you remember your upbringing and how to behave so your family will be comfortable you have changed your rakish ways.”
“And you are,” he said softly, his gaze sweeping down her face. “You have already helped me with many things.”
Her brows rose. “Doubtful.”
He chuckled softly. “I want to take you for a ride. In a carriage this time. It seems the former earl recently had a well-sprung curricle built. I’ve taken it out a couple of times. The horses are well-matched and handle it with uncommon
ease. It’s warmed since our last outing and the afternoon is pleasant.”
Brina hesitated. Not because she wouldn’t adore a relaxing afternoon ride in one of the parks or about Town. She would. The day was beautiful. It was the idea of sitting next to him on a carriage seat, feeling the warmth of his body so close, and watching him smile at her that worried her. She hesitated, folded her arms together behind her back, and pretended to study on his invitation, trying hard not to look so eager to go with him.
But she was.
“My uncles, solicitor, and accountants have had me cooped up in my book room for three days. I needed to get out and you were the one I wanted to see. Come with me,” he encouraged.
“We can sit in the garden if you don’t want to go for a ride, or if you have other plans, we’ll do it another time.”
He was daring her to allow him to leave. And she should. But, just as when he’d brought horses for them to ride, she couldn’t send him away. “No. Of course, I’ll go, but a lady needs a proper invitation. I’m not dressed for an outing. I’ll need to change my clothing and shoes, and get a—” He was shaking his head. The top of his hair fluttered attractively in the vagrant breeze and his smile was so charming she couldn’t finish her sentence.
He stepped closer to her. “You are beautiful as you are. What you’re wearing is perfectly acceptable for a ride with me.”
His compliment made her feel as if she were glowing. She looked down at her simple day dress. The neckline of the bodice was a respectable height for a widow, but she wore no collar, no jewelry, and no frills of any kind.
Yet, he said she looked beautiful.
“Once you put on your cape,” he added, “no one will know if you are wearing a morning dress, carriage dress, or evening dress, will they?”
“I suppose not,” she conceded quickly. “I’ll get my things and meet you out front.” Brina turned and rushed inside.
Less than five minutes later, wearing a black cape, bonnet, and soft cotton gloves, she took the earl’s hand so he could help her step into the curricle.
