Regina had left a note under Helen’s door asking her to come to the stables but received no response. With only one day left to the board meeting and overseers arriving throughout the day, Regina left another note describing Grace’s threat and warning Helen so she would not be surprised in the meeting.
Silence reigned. She wondered if Helen believed her or if she could not fathom her beloved assistant turning on her. She’d been up to the main building twice, despite the risks, but the outer office door was shut with the same sign.
She rode almost every mare the school owned on the first day of the board meeting in an effort not to burst in and warn them of Grace’s duplicity. It would counter the purpose of such an interruption, giving away their relationship by the act itself.
Exhausted, she collapsed at her little table at the end of the day with a glass of wine. Sipping it, she waited. She’d bide her time until well after supper and take her chances and knock on Helen’s door.
When sharp raps sounded at her door, Regina jerked in surprise, nearly spilling her wine.
Twisting the knob, she flung the door wide, wanting all human interactions to be done for the night.
Helen stood there grinning.
“Wha—?”
“Oh, good. You have wine.” Helen bustled by her, wearing a fancier dress in a deep purple and a more elaborate hairstyle than she usually did. There was a bounce in her step as she aimed for the little corner table.
“Helen. Please, come in. Would you like…I see you would.” She shook her head with a smile as Helen took a gulp from her glass before glancing around for the carafe and a second one. “May I ask why you’re here?”
“You needn’t ask. I shall tell you.” Helen snickered at her own silliness. She was clearly in high spirits. “The board meeting went well today.”
“It did?” Regina asked. Concern about the following day’s portion of the meeting warred with hope. “Did you get my notes?”
“Yes, thank you. I am very sorry I did not reply, but we were working day and night to get our plan fully outlined to present to them. And I wanted it approved before I showed it to you.”
“To me?” She could not fathom a reason she’d need to see a school plan.
“Yes. Come, sit. Have some wine.” Helen seemed unable to stop smiling.
Bemused by Helen’s words and her gaiety, Regina went over and sat as Helen pulled two pieces of paper out of her pocket.
“Leah Godwin wrote to me to warn me about Grace’s actions. I confronted Grace, and she was quite critical, saying I was distracted and had let things get away from me.”
Regina growled.
“I was a little. By the most beautiful diversion I could imagine,” Helen said, patting her hand. “But more, the reality is that even with hiring another assistant, the school needs more leadership. I was an impediment.”
“You keep saying ‘was,’” Regina interjected, suddenly worried despite Helen’s cheerfulness.
“I love this school too much to continue to hinder its progress, once I recognized the issue.” Helen pushed the pages toward Regina. “These are what I proposed.”
Regina tried to make sense of the lines and words on the page, but her thoughts were circling about what she’d do if Helen left. She couldn’t bear this place without Helen. Perhaps the headmistress could pursue a role she loved and, if amenable, Regina could go with her. Would Helen want that? Regina could only hope.
After a long moment, the words and lines came into focus, but still did not make sense. Pushing them back, Regina shook her head and asked, “I am sorry. Can you explain it to me please?”
“Running a secret, growing school requires passion. You pointed out that only certain aspects of my work excited me. I carved those out and will keep those.” Helen pointed to a cluster of words with an arrow to the word “headmistress” in a box. Pointing to other boxes and arrows, she continued, “Grace will report to me but take on more responsibility, and we’ll both have assistants to share the work. If she proves herself, then we will lead the school together, both reporting directly to the board.”
This turn of events was unanticipated, but with each sentence, Regina’s concerns grew. “Why would you do such a thing for someone who betrayed you? She does not deserve your generosity.”
“Perhaps.” Helen shrugged. “That is why she has to prove herself. The board was not impressed with her methods, either. I had to insist.”
“But why? And how do you insist to your superiors?”
“Because her actions show she has the passion required for this school. And I insisted by informing them I had broken the rules and intended to continue to do so. Thus, they’d need to find a way to ensure those rules did not apply to my position.”
Petrified by all the ways that conversation could have gone wrong and terrified to hope, Regina clutched her hands in her lap and stared, mute, at the love of her life.
“I love you,” Helen said.
At first, Regina assumed she’d imagined the words or perhaps said them aloud. But Helen looked at her expectantly.
“Regina, I meant what I said the other night. I am in love with you. Forging a life with you is my new obsession. I will always want to be a part of this school, but not to the exclusion of being able to be in a loving partnership in the open.”
Silent tears of joy and relief rolled down Regina’s face before she covered it with both hands.
“Hey now, please don’t cry. You shall make me cry.” Helen reached for her hands, peeling them away from her face to squeeze them.
“You asked me about my dream situation, and I said here. But this was yours, too. It feels as though you are giving up too much. For what? For me? That feels wrong. I’m just a stablemistress.”
“No. You are so much more. Do not belittle yourself. Do you love me?” Helen asked, her voice suddenly timid.
“Yes! I love you so much.” Regina squeezed Helen’s hands. “I was half in love with you after a month of working here. I was not sure I could bear working here without being with you, but Grace—”
“Ah, yes,” Helen interrupted with a start. “I neglected to finish describing my plan. There is another condition of the new roles.” Helen outlined the requirements between Grace and Regina.
Regina grinned at her through her tears. “You are devious.”
“Why, thank you.”
“Helen. I can scarcely believe this. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“No one has ever chosen me first. ’Tis a little hard to take in.”
“Likewise, no one has ever supported me like you have. Even with George, I was the supporter, as I did not have a career. This is a unique and wonderful partnership for me, as I said.”
“So, what now?” Hope burgeoned in Regina’s heart for a wide variety of possible futures with Helen by her side.
Of course, Helen had a plan for that as well, which Regina thoroughly enjoyed.
Helen hurried along the path to the stables, excited to be done with her work for the day and to see her love.
It had taken almost two months of long hours and several trips to London and beyond to find the right fit for an assistant. Grace had taken equally as long, but they were finally fully staffed. Then it had been another month of training the new women in their roles. Thankfully, one was an alumna of the school and was able to help the other.
Grace had been quick to acknowledge at the recent quarterly board meeting that roles were still being defined and she was not yet ready to step up to co-lead. Helen had been impressed but not surprised. She’d known Grace’s over-aggressive approach had stemmed from eagerness rather than viciousness, and as it had gotten Helen what she wanted most, she was inclined to forgive the transgression.
Regina, however, was going to be a bigger challenge. Grace recognized that, and Helen suspected that was where Grace’s willingness to defer the last step in organizational change came from. However, the two had forged an uneasy alliance after Grace’s initial apology and were edging toward more cordial terms.
As she turned through the doorway of the stables, she was surprised to find Grace chatting to Regina.
“Good evening.”
“Hullo, love.” Regina tugged her closer and planted a quick kiss on her lips, and Helen melted.
Grace watched them with a smile.
“Grace, were you looking for me?”
“No, actually. I had been to the village. When I returned the mare I borrowed, I saw a note to both you and Regina, so I gave it to her.”
“I’ll have you know my desk is much saner these days,” Helen said with mock outrage.
Regina snickered under her breath, and Helen elbowed her.
“It is, it is,” Grace answered, hands out in supplication. “I simply saw her first.”
“Hmph.”
“If you are very nice, I shall read it to you,” Regina teased. “’Tis from Leah.”
Helen grinned at them both. Their lighthearted banter eased her worries another degree. Also, she and Grace both were done with work for the day while there was still light in the sky, which was a good sign for the future.
“Come on, love. Let us swing by the cottage and see how the construction is going.” Regina tugged her hand. She kept her room at the back of the stables for the time being, Helen kept her rooms in the main building, and they alternated. Regina was still getting accustomed to the idea of not being within hearing distance if any of the horses were upset. Nevertheless, they were framing a cottage a short way off the path between the main school and the stables, where Helen and Regina would reside. Helen had received pre-approval from the board but was financing it with her own money. Because the land was hers until her passing, they were willing to grant her leeway. She’d taken advantage of that fact and ensured they’d allow Regina to remain there should Helen pre-decease her.
They strolled hand in hand toward the pile of stones and half-finished walls. The cottage had enough of a frame that the roof was completed, so they no longer needed to worry about rain delaying the project.
Regina stepped over the empty threshold and held her hand out for Helen. They stood hip to hip, arms around each other, looking at the half-built interior.
As she did every night, Helen put her head on Regina’s shoulder and said, “I can’t wait.”
And as she responded each time, Regina answered, “I can. The only essential in my life is in my arms.”