Julian frowned, processing this. “He didn’t look scared.”
Charlotte tilted her head. “Perhaps not now. But it isn’t very kind to use an animal simply to mock someone. It isn’t fair to them.”
The room felt suddenly very still.
Julian glanced at the frog, then back at her. “You’re not angry?”
“No,” she said simply. “But I would rather you didn’t do it again.”
“Why?”
“Because,” she said gently, “pranks that rely on fear often hurt more than they amuse. And because creatures deserve better than to be frightened for sport.”
Julian looked down at his hands.
“I didn’t think about that,” he admitted.
Charlotte smiled. “Few people do.”
She rose and carried the frog carefully to the window, opening it just enough to place the creature gently on the sill. It hopped away at once, disappearing into the frost-dusted garden below.
“There,” she said, closing the window. “Safe and sound.”
Julian watched the spot where it vanished.
“I found him by the pond,” he said after a moment. “There are more. Sometimes salamanders.”
Charlotte turned back, interest sparking. “Are there?”
He nodded. “And birds. And hedgehogs. I know where they hide.”
She returned to her chair, eyes alight. “You must show me sometime.”
Julian blinked. “Really?”
“Of course.”
He studied her as though reassessing the entire shape of her existence.
“No governess ever wanted to see them,” he said slowly. “They said it was improper. Or dirty.”
Charlotte shrugged. “Nature rarely concerns itself with propriety.”
That earned her a small, startled smile.
He began to talk then—tentatively at first, then with growing enthusiasm. About animals he’d seen. About pranks he’d played. About governesses who left after a week, or two, or less. About afternoons spent hiding in the gardens when lessons felt unbearable.
Charlotte listened.
She did not interrupt. Did not correct. Did not scold.
By the time the clock chimed the quarter hour, Julian had forgotten to test her again.
When he finally fell silent, he looked at her expectantly, as though waiting for judgment.
Charlotte smiled. “Shall we begin?”
Julian nodded.
