“How is it not?” he snapped. “I see two feral children before me.”
“We had finished our lessons,” Rosalie assured him. “Then, they wished to play a little with the puppies, and I - ”
“I’m in no mood to listen to excuses, Miss. Blake,” Edmund shook his head, still frowning. “Your job is to teach them to behave as ladies. Right now, I see no ladies before me.”
At those words, the girls saddened even more. Rosalie knew that she had to tell him what was really going on. But she couldn’t possibly do that with the girls present.
“Girls, why don’t you head upstairs to your room?” Rosalie urged softly; her hands wrapped around each of their shoulders. She could feel them trembling, but it wasn’t from the cold. “I’ll make sure the puppies are given some food and taken to their pen.”
“Yes, Miss. Blake.” The girls were huddled together. They put the puppies down and rushed up the stairs. It seemed that even the animals knew this was a solemn moment, to be calm and not playful.
Rosalie waited until she could no longer hear the sound of their footsteps, then she turned to Edmund.
“I hope you know that this does not mean the girls will not receive their punishment,” he scoffed, irritated.
“That is within your right, My Lord,” Rosalie made sure to speak with the utmost respect and stillness of mind. “But, has it ever occurred to you that the girls do not need more discipline, but rather more love?”
“What are you talking about?” He grimaced, confused at her words.
Rosalie swallowed heavily before continuing. “The girls have confided in me that they feel you do not spend enough time with them.”
“I do not see how any of that is your concern, Miss. Blake,” he sounded defensive.
“My concern are the girls, My Lord. And anything that touches upon them is something I would like to address. Now, I know that a man of your status in life has many obligations, but you must see that the girls need you as well.”
She watched him as his face turned pale, then a moment later, blood rushed back to his cheeks. He had quickly regained his senses.
“The girls need a firm hand to guide them,” he spoke, clearing his throat. “You’ve seen the way they are. I cannot allow them to stray.”
“I have indeed seen them, My Lord,” Rosalie nodded, smiling gently at the memory of the girls’ cheerful laughter. “They are still just children. Children who have lost those nearest and dearest to them. The world seems a dark and menacing place to them. The only shelter is found under this roof. With you. With your mother. Do not be the firm hand. Be the gentle hand that guides with love, not with punishment.”
His lips parted, as if in an effort to say something, but no words flowed from them. Instead, his jaw clenched tightly.
“I must get back to my business, if you’ll excuse me,” he said, turning away and walking down the corridor, back to the library.
Rosalie remained standing there for a few more moments. She wondered if she had overstepped the line. She knew what that might mean. She dared not even consider it as an option, because that would be the end of her life, the end of her dream.
Chapter 14
Edmund woke up early the following morning and asked for his breakfast to be served in his study. The conversation of the previous day still lingered on his mind. Miss. Blake had spoken to him so boldly, so freely, and yet, he understood why.
No other governess before her had managed to get the girls to open up to them to such an extent. With Miss. Blake, it seemed so effortless, so very natural. She was exactly where she needed to be - right next to the girls. While it was true that the girls still resorted to some of their usual mischief, they seemed so much happier, so much less burdened by the tragedy that had befallen them. At least for this, if nothing else, Edmund was grateful.
She insinuated it’s partly my fault. The insolence.
And yet, it was exactly that insolence that made him realize that she perhaps had a point. He did not in fact, spend much time with the girls. Whenever he could, he avoided it. The girls reminded him of his brother too much. They both had his eyes, his curly hair, his mischievous nature. Of course, he knew where they got it from.
His own selfishness made him ashamed of himself. The girls needed him. They needed their family’s love and support, and he cowered. He had never cowered before, not even in the face of grave danger, but now he had.
How shameful. How wrong.
Suddenly, Edmund got up from his writing desk, leaving the letter he had started, open and unfinished. He walked out of the room, then rushed down the corridor. Within a minute, he found himself knocking on the girls’ study room.
“Come in!” Miss. Blake’s melodious voice answered.
His own heart reminded him of his lack of indifference towards her, as he opened the door. He didn’t walk in. He just peered, leaving the door ajar.
“My Lord,” Miss. Blake curtsied, as she hovered over the girls, seated at a table in the middle of the room. “Please, come in.”
