by Abby Ayles
She grabbed her one small suitcase and locked the door behind her. More than anything she was in great need of the income this opportunity would provide. She learned to live frugally from a very young age, but it still had not prepared her for her six-month period without a job.
Of course, she could have always gone to her aunt and uncle and asked for help if she really needed to. It was something she would not consider unless she was near death, however.
They thought they were being kind when they sent her off to Hendrick’s Preparatory School. It had relieved her own parents of at least one of the seven children at that time. Now her mother’s brood was boasting twelve children. Her aunt and uncle were satisfied in their charitable duty to send her, the eldest, off to receive a proper education and the promise of employment afterward.
Hannah began her education at the age of eleven. From that moment on, every waking wish for her, and every other girl at that school, was just to be freed upon their eighteenth birthday.
Unlike so many who died of malnutrition or sickness in the cramp quarters of the ill-heated school, Hannah had made it to her eighteenth year. She was promptly removed from school and placed in the baron’s home.
How something so horrible as that school could have furnished her a post even more horrifying was more than Hannah would ever understand. They clearly cared little for the homes they were sending their wards to.
Hannah could only hope that her new station would be an improvement on her last, and she could again send money back to her family who needed it so desperately.
She watched the countryside pass by out the window of the public carriage. She was happy to be in the box instead of sitting outside with the cases as two other men had done for the cheaper fair.
In the carriage, she was squished tight up against the window to avoid all contact with the gentleman next to her. She would have rather not been smothered into a vehicle with five other bodies, only one of which was another woman, for the duration of the ride.
She could have no opinion on the matter, however, as it was her employer who had furnished the arraignment.
Hannah thought on the Earl of Grimshaw as dusk was beginning to set on her day-long ride. She wondered what sort of a man he was. He had seemed quite fierce at their one and only meeting. He was such an imposing figure even the solicitor had seemed to shrink away from him.
Lord Grimshaw reminded her quite a bit of the teachers from her past. Quick to strike the hand and slow to show any amount of kindness. It seemed an insufferable idea to go to a house that seemed much like her childhood upbringing.
She had no choice in the matter. She had extinguished all her reserves and had already been turned down for six different positions in London, either from lack of reference or worse from word of mouth reference from the baron himself.
At that moment while she was lost in thought, the gentleman who had fallen asleep next to her began to slouch in her direction. Hannah stiffened as his arm came in contact with hers.
Hannah did her best to lean farther out of the window. Even the mere innocent touch of a sleeping man was enough to make her wish to scream in fear.
Her nose was already freezing from the cool breeze blowing by in the darkening outside world. She didn’t care if her nose fell off from the cold, she would hold herself outside the carriage as long as necessary till the man righted himself again.
Finally, just after midnight, the coach stopped at the gates of Brighton Abby. Luckily before that, her gentleman companion had woken and already removed himself at an earlier stop.
Even with the added space in the carriage, when it was her turn to dismount, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She thanked the man who handed her chest down and began the walk through the gates to her new home.
She couldn’t see much of it in the darkness. Thankfully some lights were still in the windows guiding her way. Just as she came to the front of the house a woman came around the corner.
Hannah sighed in relief to see that she would not have to sit outside and wait for the house to awaken to be let in. She smiled gratefully at the woman and followed her to the side of the house where the service entrance was.
Inside she could see the lady much clearer. She was no doubt in her late fifties and covered her head with a large laced cap as Hannah did, though Hannah was sure for an entirely different reason.
“I am Mrs. Brennon, the housekeeper,” she said as she wiped her nose against the cold. “Come inside quickly, child, and make yourself warm. I insisted that David keep the fire warm until your arrival.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Brennon. That was most kind of you,” Hannah replied, grateful for the warmth.
“Come and sit and I will have some tea and sandwiches brought down.”
“Please don’t go through such trouble on my account. If you would just show me to my quarters, I will not keep you up any longer.”
“Nonsense, at my age one doesn’t sleep much anyway,” Mrs. Brennon said as she eased herself down into a chair in front of a warm hearth.
Hannah couldn’t have been more appreciative of the light meal and warm drink brought by one of the maids. She made a mental note to repay the kindness at a later date.
“Now,” Mrs. Brennon said after she finished her tea, “Lord Grimshaw will see you tomorrow in the morning room after breakfast. Nine o’clock sharp, do you hear?” she warned with a wagging finger. “He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“The earl would like to personally give you the details of your duty and the parameters of your stay at Brighton Abby. After this, I will take you to see your new pupils and a short tour of the house. It would do you no good to see it now.”
“How will I find my way to the morning room,” Hannah asked.
She had seen very little of the estate in the dark but what she did see was quite massive. She was sure it was an easy enough thing to get lost in its expansive halls.
“Mary will bring you your breakfast in the morning, she will be able to help you on.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Brennon. This is a far better welcome than I could have ever wished for,” Hannah said, grateful from the depths of her heart.
The following morning Hannah woke early in the privacy of her own room. It was nothing she had ever experienced before in the whole of her life. Whether it was sharing a bed with siblings, the massive dormitories of her school, or the servant quarters of the baron’s London home, she had always had at least one companion in her room.
It all seemed very quiet to her as she got out of bed and dressed for the day. The first thing she did before even the maid could enter was replacing the hair cap and thick glasses that served no purpose but to hide her face.
As she finished this, a soft knock came at her door. Hannah wrapped herself in her shawl before cracking it open. Seeing that it was indeed the maid with her breakfast, she opened the door all the way to let her in.
“I’m Mary,” she said cheerfully as she set down the tray. “You will be Miss Jacobson.”
“Just Hannah, please,” Hannah said as the maid turned to inspect her.
She let out a giggle.
“I’ve never seen someone so young wear a cap. And why do you have it on before you are even dressed?” she asked, motioning to the nightgown that Hannah was still in.
“I was just a bit chilled this morning,” Hannah said by way of excuse.
“Well, I’ll have the warm water coming up for you next. Can you start the fire, or do you need help?”
Hannah looked over to the small mantle with the cinders from the fire that had glowed upon her entry the night before.
Next to the hearth was a basket filled with more wood and small scraps to start the fire with. Hannah could barely contain her own joy. Having a fire to warm herself by was a treasured event.
“I can manage it on my own. I only just woke. Is there a bucket I might sweep the ashes in?”
“Don’t be silly,”
Mary said, waving her off with another laugh, “the chambermaid will come around and take care of all of that.”
Hannah wasn’t used to having breakfast brought to her, or maids to clean up after her. Even in the baron’s house, such things couldn’t be afforded and Hannah was expected to take care of her own needs and eat her meals with the rest of the staff.
“I don’t mean to make work for others,” Hannah said.
After all, it was something that had been beaten into her, quite literally, growing up. Every person in this world had a God-ordained purpose. For the misses of Hendrick’s Prep, it was to serve others, not to be waited upon.
“It is no more work than we are used to. This is a big house. It takes a large staff to maintain it. You will find that we are more than amply supplied to see to your comfort. In that way, you will be able to focus all your energy on Lady Caroline and Lady Rebecca. At least that is what the earl wishes.”
“Well if it is Lord Grimshaw’s instructions then I won’t interfere,” Hannah said rather reluctantly.
Mary gave her one last welcoming smile before she went on her way out of the room and to the rest of her duties.
By the time that Hannah had finished the fire, Mary was back to deliver the warm basin as promised.
“Thank you,” was all Hannah could manage before Mary was on her way again.
The house may have been fully staffed but it was also a very busy place. Hannah peeked out of her room and saw the bustle of several other servants going about their daily duties.
Returning to her private room, Hannah washed, feeling most refreshed after such a long trip, and dressed in her simple grey muslin dress. She wrapped her neckline with her cotton fichu that was long enough to tuck through her bodice and double as her apron over her skirts.
She did her best to smooth out any wrinkles in both the cotton fichu and dress that had occurred in the time in her chest.
Finally feeling herself fully put together, Hannah sat down to take her breakfast. She was happy to see a steaming pot of tea, toast, and fresh marmalade.
She was feeling quite spoiled as she ate her toast and took in the sights around her. Along with her bed, there was a cabinet to place her garments in, a small table and a mirror. Additionally, she had her breakfast table and chair, and an alcove with large windows.
After finishing her breakfast, she walked over to the window to get a better idea of the grounds around her.
Hannah’s breath caught in her chest as she looked out the window at the rich green forest that lay beyond the manicured gardens of Brighton Abby.
She was sure she understood why it was called such a name now. The sun seemed to touch every top of every tree, extending across the vast array of vegetation that surrounded the house.
Hannah had never seen so much green in all her life all in one place. It was a most enchanting sight to see. Reaching down, she unlatched one of the windows and let the fresh air in.
She was sure even the air smelled better than it did back in London. She closed her eyes for just a moment as she soaked in all the smells and sounds that seemed to engulf her.
Finally glancing down to the watch at her waist, she was startled out of her relaxing meditation. It was now a quarter to nine.
Panic seized her in realizing she had fifteen minutes to get her person to the morning room. Worst of all, she had forgotten to ask Mary how to get there.
If her first impressions of the earl, not to mention the housekeeper’s warnings the night before, were any indication, Hannah had a feeling he would not take her tardy appearance lightly.
Chapter 3
“Please excuse me,” Hannah said to a gentleman who was fortunate to be in the hall she was presently searching. “Could you be so kind as to point me to the morning room?”
She recognized the footman as the one who had stoked the fire the night before. He gave her a rather large toothy grin as he looked her over.
“So, you are the new governess, then?”
“Yes, and I am sorry to be rude, but I am a trifle late for a meeting with the earl. If you could quickly point me to the proper room I would be greatly in your debt.”
He surveyed her again. Hannah could not have been more grateful for her homely appearance as his eyes drifted over her. Finally, he decided she was wanting, much to her relief.
“Well, you’re going the wrong direction to start,” he said, not finding much interest in her looks. “Then you will turn right at the main stair and you will find it two doors down in the east wing.”
Hannah looked in the direction he was speaking and did her best to remember his words. She nodded her thanks before hurrying back the way she had come.
Luckily, she found the room just as the watch attached to her waist indicated the hour. She breathed a sigh of relief as she knocked promptly on the door.
“Come in,” a deep commanding voice called from within.
Hannah opened the door, set her chin at a proper height and entered the room.
She found the earl sitting behind a small writing desk situated in a corner of the room. It was an exquisitely beautiful room with golden wallpaper and floral couches all facing some great windows to the east. It was no wonder this was called the morning room, for the light from the rising sun brought warmth to every inch of it.
“Please have a seat,” the earl instructed from behind his writing desk while he continued at his work.
Hannah hesitated for a moment. There was nowhere to sit but on the couches facing the window in front of him. It didn’t seem proper to put her back to him as his desk was behind the couches.
“Miss Jacobson, is there a reason why you will not sit?” he asked rather impatiently as he put his quill down for a moment to study her.
“It is only,” Hannah hesitated. “I only wonder if it would be proper for me to sit when the only available seats have my back to you.”
“If you would please have a seat, Miss Jacobson, I will join you presently. I am just finishing up some business.”
Hannah didn’t think his sharp tone was quite necessary. Nonetheless, she seated herself and enjoyed the view out the window as best she could with the sound of his quick writing scratching the parchment behind her.
Finally, the earl finished his note and sealed it for delivery. Once finished, he rose from his seat and came to sit across from her on an opposing couch.
“I apologize for the delay,” he said as he attempted to soothe his own nerves. “Have you settled yourself well in your new quarters?”
“Yes, thank you, Lord Grimshaw. They are more than I expected.”
“Good. Now let us get on to the business of expectations for the girls’ education and your role in the household.”
“Of course,” Hannah said expectantly.
“My daughters are seven and five. I am sure that you will be most adequate in seeing that they continue in their scholarly education?”
“Yes.”
“I would ask that half the day be spent in scholarly learning and the other half in training as proper young ladies. You may organize the day as you wish so long as both of these standards are met.”
“I would be happy to impart whatever knowledge you deem necessary.”
“I am glad to hear that,” Sebastian said, relieved to see the demure lady was all business as was he.
“Now, there are some rules that I must insist you follow while you are here at Brighton Abby. I assure you there is an important purpose for all of them and I would ask you to adhere to them strictly.”
“Rule number one, I would ask that you do not go into the local village unless I take you myself.”
Hannah’s jaw dropped open.
“But, sir, I am not sure I understand the meaning of such a rule. Surely if I go along with other members of the staff that would be sufficient to see me safely there and back. What other purpose could you have for insisting I go only in your presence?”
“Please, I assure you it is for a good reason. I,
perhaps, may assign another I feel would be appropriate for the task, but as of right now that is not so. We will go to town each Sunday, and then again once a week on the afternoon of your choosing. Please advise me what day would be best at your earliest convenience so that I may make my own preparations to be available at that time.”
Hannah was utterly shocked at his demand as well as his delivery of it. There was no question in his mind that this was completely right to do.
“The second rule pertains to the first. I would ask that each Sunday you attend services with us in our family seat so as to watch the girls.”
