Page 85 of The Mistress of All & Torn

“Please sit down,” Elizabeth invited the teachers, while she remained standing. “As you may have heard, I am Lady Barrington. These are my brother and sisters, my friend and adviser, Miss Cecilia, and Mr. Hoskins, our solicitor. You might remember the two of them, since they visited the school with Lady Sedgewick some years ago.”

“I do remember,” Mrs. Russell said. “Most of the teachers are new; they did not meet Lady Sedgewick.”

“I see. Please introduce yourselves and tell us a few words about yourself,” Elizabeth asked the teachers.

The cook approached with a humble bow and asked, “Forgive me, ma’am, would you like some tea and biscuits?”

“No thank you. May I ask, what are you cooking?”

“Some porridge, madam. For dinner.”

“I must say it does not smell pleasant at all. What else is for dinner?”

“Else, ma’am?”

“Yes. Surely the girls will not only eat this gruel.”

“There is nothing else, madam.” Confused, the cook glanced at Mr. Mullen for support.

Elizabeth struggled to control her fury. “Do the teachers share the same meal?”

“No, ma’am,” the cook answered, appalled by such a notion.

“But you do know to cook a good meal, I assume?”

“Yes, ma’am. I cook whatever I am told to.”

“So the girls are fed as poorly as they are dressed.”

Mr. Mullen stepped forward and declared with much seriousness and utter solemnity.

“Lady Barrington, since I was appointed as manager of this establishment, it has been my purpose to raise these children in the spirit of humility, to rid them of any sentiment of pride or vanity. We teach them discipline and obedience, and they must learn to live with little means. We cannot allow them to be spoiled.”

“Proper food, clothes, shoes and shelter does not mean spoiling, Mr. Mullen! It is our purpose in supporting this school to offer these girls more than they can receive in the outside world. And after being here just half an hour, I dare say they benefit from none of this!”

Elizabeth’s voice—growing louder and more imposing by the moment—brought puzzlement and astonishment to those in attendance.

“They do benefit from simple attire, unsophisticated accommodations, and better education than they could dream of! We teach them rudimentary habits, so they can learn their place in the world. Most of them are, after all, here out of charity. This is an institution for educating orphans or children unwanted by anyone else. We must keep this in mind!”

Anger defeated Elizabeth’s patience, and she hit the table with her fist so hard that the entire room froze.

“Starving children is not a rudimentary habit but evilness, and a man spanking a girl is not discipline but perversity, Mr. Mullen!” she shouted in anger, arousing a tumult of bewilderment and vexation.

“I...Never before…I have never been so insulted in my life! I cannot admit… Lady Sedgewick never…”

“Lady Sedgewick never saw what you are doing here, because she always announced her arrival and you had time to prepare and conceal the truth from her!” Elizabeth continued. “Why are little girls outside, doing hard labour during school hours?”

“The orphans must work to cover their expenses,” Mr. Mullen declared coldly. “We cannot afford to feed everyone with sophisticated food, nor to buy them fashionable clothes, or to hire enough servants to support fifty girls and ten teachers! So those who cannot pay, must work,” he concluded in a derisive tone.

“Is that so, Mr. Mullen?” Elizabeth enquired with a sharp calmness, her threatening gaze fixed on the man’s face. “Let us do the sums. Let us calculate the school’s income from the families’ payments and the amounts paid by the trust, take off the cost of clothes and food—as now we have a clear image of them—and the teachers’ salaries. And then I would be very interested to know what has happened to the rest of the Sedgewicks’ money!”

The astonishment was now universal and the silence heavy and menacing. Mr. Mullen turned red with resentment and struggled to reply, while Elizabeth continued.

“One of you should go and fetch all the girls that are working outside. This moment. I want to see the girls’ bedchambers, the teachers’ rooms, the rest of the classes, the pantry. I want to speak with the servants and then with the pupils. And when I have finished, all of us will dine with the girls and share the same food.”

Murmurs of opposition and indignance filled the room, but Elizabeth ignored them.

“I intend to remain here for two more days, so please prepare some rooms for us if they are available. If not, we will stay at the inn in the village. Mr. Mullen, Mrs. Russell, please join me now.”