WOMEN OF SURPRISE 02: Lydia's Passion

by Tracey J. Lyons

"Miss Margaret is in the sitting room," Anna told her.

  It was uncanny the way Anna knew what people were thinking. "Thank you, Anna. Is there tea?" Lydia thought a good cup of tea might improve her mood.

  "I just took a fresh pot to Miss Margaret."

  Just entering the sitting room and seeing her aunt in one of the wing-backed chairs in front of the fireplace, rather than in her wheelchair, made Lydia feel better. Aunt Margaret had been ill with an undiagnosed malady for quite some time; it was the reason Lydia had come to stay with her.

  "Lydia. Come, sit, have a cup of this lovely tea that Anna made. I've some news for you."

  After pouring two cups of tea, Lydia sat in the opposite chair, anxious to hear what her aunt had to say.

  "As you know the school committee has been seeking an appropriate candidate to fill the position of schoolteacher."

  Swallowing her mouthful of tea, Lydia nodded, wondering what this had to do with her.

  "I believe the school is finished, and we'd like to have the children behind those desks as soon as possible. It's imperative that we find the right person."

  "That makes sense to me, Aunt Margaret. A proper education is important." Lydia agreed. "And yes, the children should be in school as soon as possible."

  Clapping her hands together, Aunt Margaret said, "Oh, I'm so relieved to hear you say that because, my dear Lydia, you will be the person guiding these young minds into the future!"

  Sputtering, and then choking on her tea, Lydia could hardly find the words to speak. "You can't be serious!"

  "You'll do fine. The head of the committee will meet you at the school tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."

  Placing the tea cup and saucer on the table between them, Lydia quickly stood up. "You can't be serious. I don't know a thing about teaching! I'm sorry Aunt, but I can't do it."

  Raising her hands to her forehead, Aunt Margaret began to massage her temples. "I hate it when these headaches come on. This one just seemed to hit from right out of nowhere."

  Immediately Lydia felt horribly guilty at the possibility of being the cause of the spell. Springing from her seat at the sight of her aunt's pale face, she panicked. "Let me go get Anna!"

  Rushing out into the hallway Lydia shouted, "Anna! Anna, come quickly!"

  The housekeeper came running from the back of the house, her face flushed from the sudden exertion. "What is it?"

  "Aunt Margaret is having one of those headaches." Lydia followed along as Anna swept ahead of her into the sitting room.

  Going to Aunt Margaret's side, Anna put her hand to the older woman's forehead. "Miss Margaret, do you need me to fetch the doctor?"

  Waving her hand in front of her face, it looked as if the pain might have subsided. "There's no need for hysterics. I'm much better now." Seeing the doubtful look on Lydia's face, she added, "Really I am. Come and sit back down, Lydia, so we can finish our conversation."

  Going to her aunt's side, Lydia frowned down at her with concern. Giving in to Aunt Margaret's suggestion was not as hard as she'd thought. "If it's what you wish, I'll go to the school in the morning."

  Taking her hand, Aunt Margaret gave Lydia a watery smile. "That would be wonderful, but only if it's what you want to do, my dear."

  "It is." And with those two words, Lydia suddenly felt as if the rest of her life had been decided. She wanted to say it was unfair, but deep down she knew it was high time that she found a way to spend her days. Her cousins were busy most of the day and Lydia did find herself at loose ends more often than not.

  Abigail had her hands full as a new wife and serving as the town's sheriff, and Maggie was working on ideas for a new dance hall. This left Lydia with plenty of idle time to fill.

  Admittedly, teaching would not have been her first choice. Smiling in satisfaction, she asked herself, honestly, what harm could there be in giving lessons and shaping the minds of the town's youngsters?

  Alexander was up before the sun. He enjoyed this quiet time to think about the day ahead. The children were still sleeping soundly and the town below the bluff was in a peaceful morning slumber. From where he sat on the front porch, he could see the roof of the schoolhouse. It should have been satisfying to know that the building was fin ished, that hours of hard work had finally paid off, but all Alex felt was anxious.

  There was still the matter of finding the right person to teach the children. According to Mrs. Sutherland, Miss Margaret had someone in mind, someone who would meet him at the school in just a few short hours.

  Tipping the white mug to his mouth, Alex drank the last dregs of his morning coffee. The sky was turning pink and ruby-toned as the sun began to rise over Surprise. Soon the town would come alive-Robert and Laura would be awake, wanting breakfast, and Walter Smith would be expecting the lumber order he placed for his new house last week to be cut and ready for delivery.

  Mr. Jules had also requested some new shelving for the Mercantile. While Cole had made progress on the Smith order, Alex had yet to measure the space for the shelves. The school had taken priority. Today, though, that would all change. As soon as the teacher was hired, Alex would be able to return his attentions to his other clients.

  Exactly three hours later, with the children fed and in the care of Mrs. Sutherland, he was out of the house on his way to the school. As he rounded the bend, the familiar white clapboard building came into view-and parked outside was a very familiar looking buggy. Miss Margaret apparently had come herself to introduce him to this remarkable person who wanted to teach at the school.

  Wiping his feet on the mat carefully placed in front of the door, he entered the cool interior. The air still smelled of fresh cut lumber and wet paint. The wide floor planks had been swept clean and shafts of sunlight filtered through the tall windows lining the outside walls.

  What caught his attention, though, was the woman standing in front of the chalkboard. As her back was to him, he admired her pleasing shape. Allowing his eyes to take in the sight, his breath caught somewhere between an inhale and an exhale. How could he have missed all of that red hair? His high hopes for having a decent day plummeted like a rock sinking in a deep lake.

  Hearing his footsteps, she turned around. He caught the brilliant smile just before it faded from her face.

  "You! What are you doing here?" Lydia Monroe pulled herself up to her full height, which by Alexander's quick estimation couldn't have been much more than five feet.

  Taking his hat off, Alexander eyed her coolly. "I might ask the same question of you, Miss Monroe." He walked to the front of the classroom, stopping when he reached the end of the aisle.

  Taking a bold step toward him, she said, "I'm here to meet with the head of the school committee." Raising her perfectly arched eyebrows, she added, "My aunt sent me down here to see about the teaching position."

  This couldn't be happening. Alexander felt as if his world were spinning out of control. The children of this town needed someone with a firm hand, a woman who was of spinster age, settled in life, and looking for no more than to impart her hard-earned knowledge to young minds.

  Lydia Monroe was not that woman.

  Why, she was the total opposite of what he was looking for. Bold, defiant, and the color of her hair was all wrong. A red-headed teacher wasn't at all what he'd envisioned. And she was young, much too young. He'd bet she wasn't even twenty years old.

  Shaking his head, he said, "No. No. No!" Extending his arm, he pointed back towards the door. "You go back home and tell your aunt that I'm not having any of her interfering in this decision."

  "How dare you? You're not only insulting me, but you're insulting my aunt by throwing her good deeds back in her face. She's a sick woman, Mr. Judson, and I will not be the one to tell her how ungrateful you are. You can go do that yourself." Fury in flight, she stomped by him. Stopping a few inches past him, she spun around and looked at him. "What gives you the right to turn down my aunt's offer?"

  "I'm the head of the school committee."


  What he was sure would have been a scathing retort was cut off as a tall figure filled the doorway.

  "Mr. Judson, I'm glad to catch you here."

  Walter Smith stepped from the shadows, his lumberjack bulk practically filling the space between the two desks where he stood.

  "Mr. Smith, if you've come to see me about your lumber order, I believe that Cole is going to be handling it," Alex said.

  "No, no. I came in when I saw the buggy parked out front, hoping to meet our new teacher." Advancing into the room, he doffed his hat and smiled at Miss Monroe. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

  "It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Smith." Lydia beamed up at the man, not bothering to mention the fact that she hadn't been hired.

  Alexander fumed at the deceit and was about to correct the misassumption when Mrs. Leland White entered the building. She and her husband had four rambunctious youngsters and had been pestering Alex for more than two weeks hoping he'd hired someone for the job. Alex imagined she needed the quiet that the school hours would bring her.

  Clapping her hands together, she pounced. "Did I hear correctly, Mr. Smith, this is our new teacher?"

  "Yes, Mrs. White. This young lady is the new teacher. Mr. Judson I'm glad to see you finally found the time to hire her."

  He was fast losing control of the situation. These people mistakenly assumed he'd hired Lydia Monroe. He was about to correct it, when she extended her hand to first Mr. Smith and then Mrs. White.

  "I'm delighted to be here and I can't wait to meet your children."

  "This is wonderful! I can't wait to tell the rest of the parents. I'm having a tea this afternoon, Miss Monroe. You must promise to come so I can introduce you to the other mothers."

  "I'd like that Mrs. White."

  Her fleshy face beamed in pleasure. "I live down at the far end of Elm Street. Drop by at two o'clock."

  "Thank you, I will."

  The two parents left the building happily discussing the start of the school year, while Alexander was left looking at Miss Monroe.

  "How could you do that?"

  "Do what?" Batting her long lashes at him, she was looking mighty, pleased with herself.

  "Don't play innocent with me, Miss Monroe. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You just let those people think that you're going to be the new teacher."

  Looking around the room and glancing out the open door, she laughed. "I don't see anyone else standing in line for an interview, do you?"

  Of course she was right. "It doesn't make any difference. I'm the one doing the hiring, not your aunt."

  "Look you'll agree that everyone in this town is anxious to get this school open, right?"

  Nodding, he folded his arms across his chest, wondering where her thoughts were heading.

  "And there really isn't anyone else who's come forward to take the job now is there?"

  Shaking his head, he mouthed the word "no" and knew exactly where she was going. He also knew he was about to be backed into a corner and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

  "So then, are you going to hire me?"

  Lydia studied Mr. Judson's face. He didn't look too pleased about the developments of the last few minutes. She wasn't worried and thought that soon he would be just as happy as those two parents were about the new teacher.

  Walking away from him, she inhaled the woody smells still left in the building. This was going to be where she would spend most of her time and her mind was already working at a furious pace deciding what needed to be done.

  There was so much that had to be accomplished prior to opening the doors for the students of Surprise. There were primers that needed to be ordered and each child would need a journal to write his or her thoughts in. She thought back to her school days, remembering what supplies were used by the boarding school teachers. There were writing tablets, pencils, and for the younger students, pieces of slate and bits of chalk.

  Lydia intended to make every moment fun. She felt the excitement stirring inside of her. She was going to be responsible for shaping these young minds! No matter that she was inexperienced as a teacher; she and the children would learn together.

  "I hope you're happy."

  She spun around at the sound of his voice.

  Summoning up her brightest smile, she faced him. "I am very happy as you should be, too."

  Folding his arms across his chest, he looked down his nose at her. "Why should I be happy? You have successfully deceived two parents by letting them think that you are to be teaching their children."

  Carefully, she took a step closer to him. "Do you have anyone else in mind for the job, Mr. Judson?"

  She saw the fleeting look of doubt that crossed his face and knew even before he responded that he didn't. Tapping her foot impatiently she asked, "Well, do you?"

  "No. But that doesn't mean that I approve of you."

  "Of course not, I wouldn't expect you to." Though she tried not to feel hurt by his declaration and indeed she didn't want to desire his approval, Lydia hoped he could at least try to look pleased with the prospect of her as the new teacher. Instead, with his mouth stretched tight in a thin line and his brow furrowed, Mr. Judson looked as if he'd just swallowed a bitter pill.

  No matter. If the school were to open in the next week, she had to go to the Mercantile and see to ordering the supplies. Lydia was too busy to fuss over this man's dark mood. About to leave to take care of business, Lydia felt his hand on her arm, pulling her to a stop.

  "I hope we will not regret hiring you, Miss Monroe."

  Leaning in close to him, so close she could see the dark flecks in his eyes-and something much more magnetic that would best be saved for later reflection-Lydia said, "There will be no regrets, Mr. Judson."

  He released his hold on her as she pulled free; there was nothing more to say. Lydia walked out into the brilliant day, shielding her hand over her eyes; she headed to Main Street humming a little ditty.

  By the time she reached Mr. Jules's store, Lydia had made mental notes of everything she needed for the school. Entering the store, she went straight to the back counter and hit the top of the bell with her hand, letting Mr. Jules know he had a customer.

  "Ah, Miss Monroe, so good to see you. Are you here to buy some fabric, or perhaps I could interest you in the latest bonnets just in from a haberdasher in New York City?"

  Tempting as his offer was, Lydia knew she needed to purchase the children's items first, then she could browse for herself. Smiling at him, she replied, "I'm here to get some supplies, Mr. Jules."

  Pushing a tablet and pencil towards her, Mr. Jules raised his eyebrows. "May I inquire what these supplies might be for?"

  "They're for the school. You see, I'm the new teacher." Taking the tablet, she began to list all the items, checking twice to be certain she hadn't forgotten anything. Satisfied that she'd listed everything, Lydia handed the tablet back to him.

  "Pardon me for asking, but Miss Lydia, have you ever taught before?"

  The nerve of the man to question her abilities ! She should have noticed the doubtful look on the man's face sooner, but she'd been more intent on the task at hand than on observing the proprietor of the Mercantile.

  Drawing herself up to her full height, she forced a smile. "I'll have you know that I've already met a few of the parents and they are simply delighted to have me as the teacher of their children."

  Seeing that he'd hurt her feelings, Mr. Jules made every effort to make up for it. "Well, rightly so. You are, after all, Miss Margaret's niece and come from a very good family." Reaching across the counter he patted her hand. "Why don't you take a look at the new bolts of fabric while I see to your order?"

  As tempting as his offer was, Lydia needed to go. "Thank you, Mr. Jules, but that will have to wait for another time."

  She left the store and hurried across the street to the sheriff's office. Hopefully, Abigail wasn't too busy to see her. First Mr. Judson and then Mr. Jules with their doubtful airs, Lydia didn't kno
w what to think. Maybe she had acted in haste when she'd given into her aunt's wishes.

  Abigail would know what to do. The door to the office stood open, and Lydia walked in. Abigail was sitting behind her desk studying a pile of wanted posters. "Are you looking for my future husband?" Lydia laughed, referring to the fact that her cousin's husband was once featured on a wanted poster.

  Of course they hadn't been married at the time. Cole had been wanted in connection with a robbery in Albany and he just happened to end up in Surprise at the same time Abigail had taken the post as sheriff.

  "Lydia Louise!" Rounding the desk, Abigail embraced her. "I doubt there will be anyone suitable for you in this batch of posters."

  Lydia looked at her cousin. Abigail was blooming with happiness. Marriage and this job suited her well. "You look radiant, Abigail."

  "Thank you. And you look worried."

  "I was hoping not to be quite so obvious."

  Closing the door to the office, Abigail turned to face her cousin. "Come, sit down and tell me what's going on."

  Sitting in the small leather chair across from the desk, Lydia smoothed down her skirts trying to quiet the doubts swirling around her. "I'm going to be working at the schoolhouse when it opens in two weeks."

  Of course she could have just come right out and said she'd be teaching, but then where was the fun in that? Better to let Abigail ask her.

  "That's wonderful! What are you going to be doing?"

  "Teaching," she blurted the word out.

  She nodded, knowingly. "Aunt Margaret strikes again." Abigail shuffled and stacked the paperwork, then, folding her hands in front of her on the desk, looked at Lydia.

  "So what did the school committee have to say about this?"

  Shrugging, Lydia tried to appear nonchalant. "I'm not sure about the rest of the members, but Alexander Judson isn't too pleased with the idea."

  "Interesting."