Chapter Two
THE PARTY DIDN’T HELP Alana to relax or to stop thinking about what lay ahead of her. If anything, the children’s squabbling exasperated her today, enough that she snapped at Henry Mathews, “Do I need to box your ears?”
Henry was one of her favorites. Many of the children at the orphanage who didn’t know their real names had adopted Poppie’s surname with his permission. Henry had had to be different, though, and had picked Poppie’s first name instead.
But Henry was also different in other ways. He didn’t just show a keen intelligence by quickly grasping everything he was taught, he’d also discovered and developed a talent that would serve him well when he left the orphanage. He could carve the most beautiful things out of wood: ornaments, people, animals. He’d given Alana a carving of herself. She’d been so touched the day he’d thrust it into her hands then run off in embarrassment. She’d repaid Henry by taking him on an outing in Hyde Park and had encouraged him to bring along some of his carvings. One of the vendors there had paid Henry several pounds for them, more money than he’d ever before had in his pockets. It finally convinced him that his talent was worthwhile.
She’d caught him just now grappling with one of the younger boys over one of his carvings. But to her threat, he just grinned cheekily at her. “You wouldn’t box me ears. You’re too nice.”
No, she wouldn’t. She had a better tool to use. She gave him a look of disappointment. “I thought you were learning to share your carvings with those less fortunate than you.”
“ ’E ain’t less—”
“That you agreed it was the charitable thing to do,” she reminded him.
Henry ducked his head. But he shoved the toy soldier at the younger boy, who immediately ran off with it.
“ ’E breaks it and I’ll break ’is bleedin’ neck,” Henry mumbled.
Alana tsked. “Perhaps we should work on attitude? Being generous should have warmed your heart, particularly since you can replace that toy easily.”
He gave her a stricken look. “It took me four ’ours to make that. I stayed up late to do it, then fell asleep in class the next day and got punished for it. ’E took it from me chest. Maybe you should be teachin’ ’im not to steal instead o’ teachin’ me to give away me ’ard work.”
She groaned and put out a hand to stop him from running off, but Henry was too fast. She’d been too stern with him. Her being worried was no excuse. She’d apologize to him tomorrow, but right now she had to get home.
But Henry caught her at the door as she was tying her cloak on and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. “I didn’t mean it, I didn’t!” he said earnestly.
She patted his head. “I know, and I’m the one who needs to apologize. A gift isn’t a gift unless it’s given freely. I’ll get your toy back tomorrow.”
“Already ’ave it back,” he said, letting go of her. “’E were just pullin’ me strings to rile me. ’E went straight back to the dormitory and tossed it on me bed. And it were for you, teacher, for your birthday. Can’t ’ave the other carving standin’ alone, eh?”
She took the carving he held out to her. The little soldier was carved in meticulous detail. She grinned. “You see me paired with a soldier?”
“They got courage. It will take a bunch o’ that for a man—”
She caught his drift and interrupted with a laugh. “Come now, I’m not so intimidating that a man would need to be courageous to marry me?”
“It ain’t that, it’s wot you got up ’ere.” He tapped his head. “Women ain’t suppose to be as smart as you are.”
“My uncle disagrees. He arranged my education. And we’ve moved into an enlightened age, Henry. Men aren’t the barbarians they used to be. They’ve opened their eyes.”
He mulled over that for a moment, then said, “If Mathew Farmer thinks so, then it must be so.”
She raised a brow. “No further arguments to support your contention?”
“No, ma’am.”
His quick reply made her laugh. The children idolized her uncle. Of course they wouldn’t disagree with anything he said or did.
She ruffled Henry’s hair. “I’ll put the soldier by the other carving anyway. He’ll be her protector. She’ll like that.”
He beamed at her before he hurried off again. Henry had just made her decision for her, she realized. How could she not continue teaching here?
A gust of cold wind almost dislodged her bonnet as she stepped outside and hurried to the waiting coach. She hoped Mary had the brazier burning. She’d been Alana’s nanny before becoming her maid and occasionally served as her chaperone, but Mary was getting old. She could have come inside the orphanage to wait, but she preferred the quiet of the coach, where she could knit in peace.
Alana thought it was silly for the coach to wait at the curb for her. It could just as easily have returned for her at an appointed time. But it waited at Poppie’s insistence. She was never to be kept waiting anywhere and never was to leave the house without a full escort, which included two footmen and one of the women to serve as her chaperone.
Lady Annette had been Alana’s chaperone for the first six months she had taught at the orphanage. While Lady Annette supported charitable endeavors, she’d firmly disapproved of Alana’s actually teaching there daily because it had the appearance of being a “job.” But Annette had grown as fond of the children as Alana had, and Annette had even started teaching a few classes. She’d seemed to enjoy it, until Lord Adam Chapman came upon them leaving one day.
