Chapter One
The Belinda School for Curious Ladies
Silver Meadows, Northampton
Late October, 1817
Mademoiselle Lissette Fontainecould see Lady Eleanor was confused even before her classmate spoke. “I don’t understand how this formation could possibly keep the soldiers safe. Wouldn’t Alexander the Great’s enemies simply ride between them on their horses?”
“They couldn’t because the soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder.” At Ellie’s frown, Lissa tried to think of an instance in astronomy, Ellie’s favorite subject.
Unfortunately, she was rather ignorant about that subject, having only used the stars to guide her on her way home at night after foraging for food during Napoleon’s wars.
“Lissette, surely you can explain. You know so much about these weapons.” Ellie crossed her arms over her ample bosom, which was far larger than Lissa’s, and raised her brows in expectation.
Lissa glanced around the sectioned area of what was once a very grand ballroom, but was now a library and the heart of the Belinda School for Curious Ladies’ studies. Her gaze lit upon a shield hanging on the wall to remind students to focus on history.
Rising from her chair, she pointed. “I’ll demonstrate.” She walked to the wall and unhooked the shield. It was far smaller than what Alexander the Great used, as it was more modern, but it would do. The shield was well balanced, the straps feeling good on her arm, though it was heavy, as it should be. “Come, stand next to me.”
Ellie rose and joined her.
“Stand right by my side. Now can you see how the enemy couldn’t come between us?”
Ellie shook her head, sending her bright red curls swaying.
It would help if they had two shields. There were no other shields on the wall, but there was a painting. “Wait here.” Lissa set down the shield and strode to the painting, lifting it off the wall. It was a bit larger than the shield, but it would do. She returned to Ellie again. “Now think of this as your shield. Hold it in front of you like this.”
Ellie took the painting and held it before her. “It’s heavy.”
“Most weaponry is heavy so as to protect the bearer. Besides, Alexander’s men were strong. Be careful not to catch the frame in your dress. You said that one was your favorite blue.”
Once her classmate had adjusted the painting, Lissa stood shoulder to shoulder and overlapped the painting with the shield she held. “See? The enemy couldn’t get between us. Plus, the soldiers would have spears in their other hands, so even before the enemy made it to the shields, they’d hit the spears.”
Ellie’s blue eyes rounded. “Oh, I understand now. But what about my other side?”
“You’d have a soldier there too, and if you were on the end, then”—Lissa moved to Ellie’s other side but perpendicular to her—“you’d be protected by this soldier. It would be a large square of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder that the enemy would have to face. That’s the phalanx.”
The painting came to the floor with a thud before tipping over as Ellie lost her grip. “Oh, dear.”
“Oh dear, indeed.” At the sound of the duchess’s voice, they both looked up, startled. “I thought you two were reading Plutarch.”
Lissa shooed Ellie away, not wanting her to do any more damage. “We were. I was demonstrating what a phalanx is.” Lifting the artwork, she returned it to the wall, though it didn’t hang straight. “We were reading about Alexander the Great.”
The duchess eyed the shield, and Lissa quickly picked it up to return it to its place on the wall. Lady Joanna Northwick was not a harsh teacher by any means. In fact, she welcomed them all with open arms, expecting open minds in return.
For Lissa, the school was a haven…of sorts. It was a relief to not go to bed with a rumbling stomach or the fear of soldiers interrupting her sleep. But as her grandmother’s plans moved forward, it put her in a difficult position. If anyone discovered her middle-class origins, they would be appalled.
Her ability to mimic her betters had brought her this far, but even so, she was quite sure the duchess sensed she wasn’t gentry. Fortunately, her grandmother had saved the life of Lord Blackmore, the man they called the Captain, back in France. And since Lady Blackmore was the duchess’s sister, Lissa found herself at the school.
Making sure the shield was secure, she returned to her seat at the table to join Ellie. “Did you wish us to change books?” She hoped not. She enjoyed reading about battles and weapons. She’d practically grown up with them.
“No. I need you to come to the parlor. You have a caller.”
A caller? Could it be the young merchant she met in the Northampton village? But even as the thought came, it evaporated. It would not be him. He had mentioned he would be sailing out on his next ship. Oh, to travel the seas to exotic lands.The thought made her wish she could have gone with him, not that he would have asked her.
No, the only people who called on her were Lord and Lady Blackmore or her grandmother. Except for the Curious Ladies past and present, she knew no one else in England except Anthony Taylour, Lord Blackmore’s lieutenant, whom she hadn’t seen since he’d left France three years ago.
Rising, she pulled on her gloves, secretly hoping it was one of the Blackmores. She pushed the book toward her classmate.
