Rose lifted her head from her knees. “I went into the village with my mother to visit the vicar. She always does so soon after we return to Bedford.”
A visit to the village should yield many topics. This was the perfect place to start. “And what news did the vicar have?” She lowered her voice. “I’m sure he is the keeper of much information about the villagers.”
Rose tilted her head, looking into the past. “He did state that the blacksmith has a new child; the baker has refused to make sugar plums anymore, as the children were stealing them fromhis shop; and that the inn has been fairly bursting at its seams with visitors. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes, precisely. That is so much fodder for conversation that I believe I could talk for at least an hour.”
“You could? I would not want to bring any of that information into a conversation because I wouldn’t know what to say next. What would you say?”
This time, she widened her eyes, unable to hide her surprise. No one had actually invited her to talk about something before beyond her classes at Silver Meadows. That she could actually be of help was quite exciting, but she forced herself to calm, knowing that she could often speak too quickly for others to follow when she was excited.
“Let’s take the blacksmith having a baby. Now if it’s a boy, I’m certain he is quite excited, as he would want to teach his son his trade and have him help. But if it’s a daughter, he would no doubt be very protective of her and stand in the way of all but the bravest suitors. My brother is much older than I, and he has two boys, which he is pleased about, though his wife would like a little girl. I don’t see him that often, as he doesn’t come to Town very much and his estate is closer to Bath, so he prefers to go there. I have visited him there and it is a lovely place, though to be fair, I prefer a calm country lake to the wild deep ocean. I find it a bit intimidating. Yet the great Greek heroes, like Odysseus, Perseus, and Jason, all traversed the oceans. They had so much courage. It does make me wonder how one becomes courageous. Cicero said courage is ‘that virtue which champions the cause of right.’ Which does explain great heroes, but I’m not sure it would explain myself boarding a ship for the Continent. What cause of right would that be?”
Rose stared at her as if hypnotized before blinking. Dropping her feet to the floor, she clapped mightily. “Oh, that was wonderful. How do you do that? You are so intelligent.” Sheclasped her hands together. “Do you think if I attend the Belinda School for Curious Ladies that I could hold conversations like yours?”
She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She’d never had quite that reaction before. She was truly honored to be so revered but was also loath to lead such a kind lady astray. “We all converse in our own way. But if you do attend the school, I’m sure you will learn to generate plenty of ideas.”
“It sounds perfect.” Rose sighed, relaxing back into the chair. “And you will be there, so I will know someone. I admit to a bit of nerves. What should I expect in my studies? Is it painting, music, or maybe dancing?”
The naïveté of the woman before her immediately had Dory feeling protective. “No. Lady Northwick says we get quite enough of that at home.”
Rose grimaced, making it clear she agreed.
“Instead, you will be taught how to think. Lady Northwick, the duchess, believes that all of life is experienced through thought and wants us to be able to comprehend everything and every experience, even if we haven’t been taught about it, by drawing on our personal knowledge and using our minds. The duchess says understanding comes from that singular ability like the hub of a wheel. So your first year, you will learn how to think by drawing upon your life experience as you engage in a variety of subjects.”
“That sounds exciting. What types of subjects, then?” Rose leaned forward, her eyes dancing with interest.
“Oh, there are so many, like arithmetic, literature, geography, astronomy, biology, animals, nature, and philosophy, which is my personal favorite. We also learn about estate management, the law, medicine, and self—” She stopped, not sure she should mention the self-defense classes.
“Self what?”
Quickly, she tried to think of what would fit. Landing on it, she grinned. “Self-reflection and physical activity.”
Rose sighed. “All of those sound interesting.” She slumped back in her chair. “I do hope no one proposes to me. I know that sounds terrible, but my brother, I know, has studied all that and more. He’s very, very smart. I always feel silly when talking to him.”
At the thought of Lord Harewood looking down his nose at his own sister, Dory bristled. “As your brother, he should not make you feel that way.”
“Oh, no, he doesn’t.” Rose shook her head vigorously, as if the harder she did so, the more punctuated her statement would be. “He’s so kind to me and very protective. He’s a very good sport too.” She grinned, obviously recalling something he’d done with her.
That Lord Harewood was a kind older brother relieved her. “He does seem quite intelligent, though we’ve only conversed a couple of times.”
“You know my brother?”
“I would not say Iknowhim, but I did—”
A knock on the door sounded.
Rose pouted. “I fear they’ve come to take you away from me. She stood and walked to the door, unlocking it with the key she had pocketed earlier. “Yes?”
“I’ve come to show Lady Dorothea to her room.”
“Of course.” Rose turned to her. “You will be nearby, so after you are rested, we can converse further.”
Dory rose from her chair, surprised by the change in Rose’s tone. She’d gone from sounding like an excited child to a refined young lady. It was a bit surprising. Dory walked to the door. “Thank you for the warm welcome. I’m looking forward to the coming days.”
Rose smiled kindly but didn’t say anything further.
Dory followed the maid down the hall closer to the stairs. As the woman opened the door, Dory peeked down the hall toward Rose, but she had disappeared back into her room.
