With a deep sigh of vexation Adeline looked up at the trellis she stood beneath. She had to admit that she hadn’t had the opportunity to be alone with very many men, but the earl had to be the most intriguing of that lot. He was a menace to her peace of mind. She must keep her intimate thoughts and feelings for Lyon under control. And she would. Just as soon as she figured out how.
The last of the brown leaves of winter had fallen away, and buds of greenery were showing in patches all over the archway. Several vines were woven in between the ivy, but not enough of the plants had grown out for her to know what type of flower would adorn the structure in the next few weeks. Glancing down at her heavy dark blue widow’s skirt and matching velvet pelisse, she found herself hoping the blooms would be bright, cheerful colors. Light shades of pinks, vivid blues, deep purples, sunny yellows, and brilliant reds.
Any color that wouldn’t remind her of the drab gloominess Society expected her to wear.
Shaking her head, and blaming even her complaints about her clothing on the disturbing Lord Lyonwood, Adeline stared back at the school building determined to focus on the girls. The boarding school deserved her complete attention. She was eager to meet the girls, eager for their time at the school to begin.
The back door of her house opened. Adeline turned to see Brina coming out.
“I’m sorry we’re late,” she called and waved.
A smile stretched across Adeline’s face. She suddenly felt uplifted. “It’s about time you two got here.”
“It’s my fault we’re tardy, as usual,” Julia called, gliding up beside Brina and waving, too. “I hope you didn’t give up on us and meet the girls without us?”
“Of course not,” Adeline answered, squinting against the glare of sun that hung above the roofline of her house, and motioned for them to join her. “I’ve been waiting for you out here because it’s such a beautiful day. Come on.”
Brina, the youngest of the three friends and benefactors of the school, was tall, willowy, and a natural beauty. Even in her widow weeds and with her gorgeous silvery blonde hair covered by a wide-brimmed straw hat, as it was today, everyone took notice when Brina walked by. To most of Society she was the epitome of all a widowed lady should be. Devoted to the memory of her husband, and kind to a fault. There was an enticing grace about her that most ladies envied but never attained. Everything about Mrs. Brina Feld spoke of loveliness and goodness.
Adeline knew Brina’s countenance was held together by an enormous, fearless inner strength. Though not much past the age of nineteen when asked, she’d had no reservations about helping fund and plan the boarding school from the moment Adeline suggested it. Brina’s round face and almond-shaped blue eyes always held a smile for everyone be they friend or stranger. Her words were always carefully chosen and gentle. Only Adeline and Julia knew how deeply Brina still mourned her husband. She’d been married less than three months when the ship went down. Her husband had been heralded as a hero, saving the lives of a few but losing his own. Brina’s sorrow for the loss of her beloved ran deep as the sea.
Julia came hurrying down the steps behind Brina. Known in Society as Lady Kitson Fairbright, Julia was the opposite of their dear friend Brina in appearance and deportment. Julia’s shiny chestnut-colored hair always seemed to be falling out of her chignon whether or not she’d donned a bonnet that day. She had rare dark violet eyes and the fairest complexion Adeline had ever seen.
While Brina always said and did the right thing in every situation, Julia couldn’t seem to, at all times, manage the strict rules of propriety. Her carefree spirit was difficult to harness. Never intentionally, but she had been known to walk to Town without a proper bonnet or hat covering her head and, according to gossip, unthinkingly lift her skirts a little too high when stepping over a puddle crossing the street. Sometimes her venturesome, impulsive nature led to unexpected incidents that were difficult for a lady to explain. But Lady Kitson Fairbright had been irreplaceable when it came to helping start the school even though she’d struggled with her own troubles since her husband’s death.
“I’ve missed you two,” Adeline said after hugging first Julia and then Brina. “I hope both of you are never out of Town at the same time again. I had no one to talk to while you were gone.”
“We were not together, remember,” Brina reminded her teasingly. “We had no one to confide in either.”
“I’m not trying to scold you,” Adeline smiled impishly. “Only let you know how wonderful it is to see you. What made you so late? Did you have to stop for Julia to rescue a cat from a tree or to make sure a stray dog had clean water to drink today?”
“No,” Brina answered with a slight roll of her eyes. “Not this time, but Julia told the driver not to go fast. She didn’t want to tire the horses so early because she knew they’d have a long day.”
Julia smiled sweetly. “You two cannot shame me for making us late. I only wish everyone had the affection for animals that I do.”
“We do,” Adeline insisted lightly. “We simply don’t always show it in the many ways you do. You are a good example for us all. Tell me how Chatwyn is doing. Did he love the coast?”
“Oh yes, very much so, and I did too, of course,” Julia answered. “He didn’t want to leave. What’s not to love about running barefoot along the water’s edge when you’re two years old? He was delighted.”
“Wasn’t the water freezing cold?” Brina asked.
“And rocky?” Adeline added with surprise.
“Yes, but he didn’t care. He ran right over every pebble, shard, and broken shell as if skipping through a soft bed of grass. Every morning he would beg to go to the shore and play. The duke was very attentive. He would have let him go every day had I not insisted that if it continued, Chatwyn could catch a chill and become a weak, sickly child in the future.”
“I think you did the right thing in standing up to the duke,” Adeline said. “And how about you? Was the duke any kinder than when you were in London?”
Julia gave them a breathy sigh. “A trifle I suppose. I do hope it continues now that we’ve returned to get ready for the Season. I think he would keep me and Chatwyn at Sprogsfield forever if he could because it’s so isolated and difficult for me to break any of Society’s rules there. What about you, Brina?” Julia asked, turning to her. “We know what Adeline has been doing all winter, making sure Mr. Clements had everything accomplished. How was your visit with your family?”
“Lovely but wearisome,” Brina said respectfully. “They won’t leave me be. There was a steady stream of eligible gentlemen visiting. Some just for dinner, some for overnight, and others for several days, but all for me to consider as my next husband.”
“And you rejected every one,” Adeline offered as fact.
“Of course.” Brina smiled contentedly. “You two seem to be the only people who understand I have no interest in ever remarrying. But enough about us for now. I want to know if all the girls are here.”
Adeline looked back at the school and laughed. “Yes, every one of them. Mrs. Tallon came over earlier and told me all nine are accounted for and waiting to meet us, so let’s go.”
Julia and Brina walked under the trellis and into the small schoolyard with Adeline. They stopped to stare at the name above the door.
“It sounds very quiet in there.”
“I’m thinking the same thing, Brina,” Julia agreed. “I would have thought with almost a dozen girls gathered in one place there would be a little noise.”
“I’m sure it’s because they are getting settled into their new home,” Adeline said, feeling a rare moment of trepidation herself. “Leaving their families must have been traumatic for them.”
“I didn’t want it to be,” Brina said compassionately.
“None of us did,” Julia answered softly.
“They need time to adjust to what is now going to be their normal lives,” Adeline offered. “We knew that. And they will. It’s best they are quiet for now and get to know each other.”
“I think part of my queasy feeling inside is that it isn’t just a dream any longer. It’s real now and the weight of knowing the girls are here because of us. Even though we won’t actually be taking care of them or teaching them, they are our responsibility. Before it was just an idea, planning and talking about them. Now we are going to put faces to their names.”
“But we all agreed this would be best for their futures,” Adeline added cheerfully, hoping to mitigate the concerns all of them were having now that the girls were on the property. “Many children go to boarding schools—mostly boys—and they do exceptionally well and so will these girls. Learning to read, write, and sew will be invaluable to them when they are old enough to earn a wage, which they will need to do one day, unless they are fortunate enough to marry a shopkeeper, silversmith, or some other tradesman who can take care of them.”
Both friends nodded.
“Besides, we aren’t forcing them to live here,” Adeline reminded her friends. “Their families made this choice for them. If any of them want to return to home they can. Mr. Clements assured me every family he contacted was grateful for this opportunity.”
“It’s just that I know how the mothers must feel about their daughters leaving home and living elsewhere,” Julia said wistfully. “They’ll miss them terribly.”
Adeline knew Julia had feelings and thoughts she and Brina couldn’t yet comprehend with any depth. Julia was a mother. She’d been awaiting the birth of her first child when the Salty Dove sank and took her husband’s life. Her son’s grandfather, the Duke of Sprogsfield, was constantly threatening to take responsibility for little Chatwyn away from her if she dared to stir up gossip about herself. They all knew the duke was powerful enough to do it, so Julia had to rein in her free spirit and acquiesce to the duke’s demands that she behave prudently at all times.
“Well,” Brina said in a softly dismissive tone. “We won’t think about any of the sad reasons for this school. Only the good ones. And whenever these girls leave, they will have more knowledge than they can possibly have reasons to use it. And the skills to be a superb seamstress.”
“Speaking of which,” Julia said, looking a little oddly at Adeline. “I wanted to tell you I went to see Mrs. Le Roe yesterday, and she was in a dither. She asked me twice if I had received a box of fabrics from her. She was quite fretful, saying that a disgruntled employee might have intentionally had some intimate samples delivered to the wrong clients in hopes of ruining her reputation.”
The earl came as easily to Adeline’s mind as slipping a linen chemise over her head and down her body. She had forgotten him for a few minutes while she talked with her friends, but the infamous box that had contained the crimson stays soared him and all that he made her feel back to the forefront of her thoughts.
“What’s wrong, Adeline?” Julia asked.
“Nothing,” she answered softly.
“I’m not believing you,” her discerning friend stated. “There’s something you’re not telling us. I can sense it.”
“No,” Adeline said absently, thinking she should have returned the fabrics to Mrs. Le Roe. But really, how could she after she’d—after he’d—
“Adeline, what are you trying to hide from us,” Brina said. “Something’s bothering you and there’s no reason to keep it a secret from us.”
“I think it has to do with a box from Mrs. Le Roe,” Julia declared. “Your demeanor completely changed when I mentioned her name. Has she done something to you or someone else?”
“What? No. That’s preposterous.”
Brina quickly removed one of her gloves and placed her palm against Adeline’s forehead. “How long have you been standing here in the sun waiting for us?”
“Not long,” she answered defensively, leaning away from her friend’s touch and willing the evocative images of Lord Lyonwood to fade completely away. “There’s nothing wrong with me. Really.” She paused. “It’s just that—” And then suddenly the words came tumbling out like a waterfall before she could stop them. “Oh, all right, I might as well tell you. I was mistaken for the madam of a brothel, but other than that, I’m fine.”
Adeline watched shock flare in her friends’ expressions.
Oh, dear.
Brina jerked her hands to her hips. “You can’t be serious.”
“She is,” Julia said.
“Yes, it’s true.” Adeline inhaled a deep sighing breath. “In your wildest dreams, would you have ever imagined anyone thinking I was a madam and opening an underground house of pleasure rather than a boarding school?”
“Who are you talking about?” Brina whispered on a broken gasp.
“What are you talking about?” Julia demanded. “Who would dare be so vulgar as to assume such an outrageous thing about you?”
“A tall handsome man with the most intriguing gray eyes I’ve ever seen. My neighbor. The Earl of Lyonwood.”
Brina shook her head in disbelief. “How could he? I remember him. We chatted a few times. He’s always seemed a gentleman.”
“What I want to know is why he would think such a scandalous thing?” Julia asked.
“Apparently it had something to do with the amount of beds being delivered to the school.”
“What did you say to him?” Julia asked.
“I really didn’t know what to say,” Adeline admitted.
“Of course you didn’t,” Brina consoled. “I wouldn’t either. But what did you say? I know you. You wouldn’t have had a fit of the vapors or rushed above stairs to hide from him.”
“You couldn’t have stayed silent either.”
“No, of course I didn’t. I had my say about his actions and words.”
Adeline supposed she’d have to tell them about the incident. Most of it anyway. Not even to Julia and Brina could she admit that the earl had openly looked her over so thoroughly she’d shivered. She couldn’t tell them how he’d made her long for kisses and caresses, or that in a desperate attempt to absolve her guilt over her wayward feelings she’d slapped him. No, she couldn’t tell them any of that. But donning the stays—they would understand.
She began the story by saying, “They were crimson.”
Several gasps, ahs, and sighs later, Adeline concluded her story. “Lyon believed me without question, but not without a bit of rancor because of his mistake I’m sure. You both know earls and dukes well. They think they have the right to do and say what they please to whomever they want.”
“What an absolutely fascinating story,” Julia whispered, still clinging to every word.
“I always thought him a gentleman, but I’ve changed my mind. He’s a beast!” Brina exclaimed.
Just what Adeline had thought.
Julia crossed her arms over her chest as if she wasn’t so sure of that and said, “I know Lyon. He is a handsome devil, but what I want to know is did you keep the stays?”
“What?” Adeline shook her head. “No. I threw them into the fire as soon as I could rip them off. The gold bow, too.”
Brina and Julia looked at each other, and then back to Adeline.
“What gold bow?” Julia asked.
“Oh,” Adeline whispered. “Didn’t I mention the tulle?”
“No.” The edges of Julia’s lips lifted with a smile. “Exactly where were you wearing it?”
Suddenly the three friends started laughing. It felt wonderful to feel something other than anguish over the incident. Adeline filled them in on the strip of fabric she’d tied around her waist before saying, “As you can imagine it was an awkward meeting for both of us once our identities were made known.”
“Have you seen him since the night it happened?” Julia asked.
“Once,” she admitted honestly but decided not to tell them it was only a few minutes ago. “Over the garden wall, and we were tolerant of each other.”
Adeline didn’t want to go into further details about that conversation where there was somewhat of a peace made between them, so she added, “I fear he will not be an easy neighbor to live beside. When I returned home yesterday from seeing Mr. Clements there were so many carriages waiting in front of his house they had clustered in front of mine as well. My driver had to let me off down the street and I walked home. Which I didn’t mind the stroll, of course.” Adeline smiled. “But I did wonder why he had so many people visiting.”
“Perhaps it was his tailor, his boot maker, and his milliner getting him ready for the Season,” Julia offered.
“Maybe even a button maker, too,” Brina added. “A beast like him needs to be buttoned up tight.”
The friends laughed again.
“Enough about Lord Lyonwood,” Adeline said, feeling better now that she’d shared the story with her friends. Most of it anyway. “We have spent enough time discussing him.”
“Very well,” Julia said. “But it does sound as if Lyon is an exciting man to be around.”
“Yes, he is,” Adeline said without thinking and then quickly added, “Let’s go meet the girls.”
At first Julia and Brina were reluctant to give up the stimulating conversation about the earl so quickly, but Adeline remained adamant that she was through with her story and they had no choice but to follow her into the school. She had told them all she was going to about her neighbor.
Adeline had personally selected Mrs. Tallon out of all the applicants for the headmistress of the school. She was a robust, stern-looking woman who was, at least, twenty-five years older than Adeline. There was a motherly appeal to her, too. She opened the door, curtsied, and then waved her hand toward the girls.
“My ladies, come inside. The girls are waiting. Girls, show the proper respect to your benefactors.”
Adeline saw the nine girls ranging in age from eight to twelve standing in a line as straight as toy soldiers until they each made their curtsy and mumbled their greeting. All were different in size, shape, and color of hair and eyes. They all wore the freshly pressed dresses Mrs. Tallon and her helpers, Miss Peat and Miss Hinson, had made for them. Two of the girls stood out from the rest. They were holding hands. She might have thought they were sisters had they looked anything alike.
One was almost as tall as Adeline and had the gangly rawboned look of a male youth. Her blue eyes were large. Slightly protruding front teeth enhanced her sharp nose and chin. A timid smile stretched across her thin lips. Her light brown hair was unusually short for a girl, barely touching her shoulders. She was introduced as Mathilda, but the girl whose hand she was holding was the one Adeline had most wanted to see.
Fanny Watson. The little girl she’d seen that day on the docks had been found. A lump grew in Adeline’s throat. Fanny was a head shorter than Mathilda with vibrant long and curly red hair. Her bright blue eyes, her nose and mouth, were small, lovely. She was stout and her rounded cheeks had more freckles than Adeline had ever seen on anyone.
That day near the docks wafted across Adeline’s thoughts once again as she looked at the girls with a feeling of awe. When her brother-in-law had seen her in tears that afternoon, he thought she was crying for the loss of her husband. But the tears had not been for him. Would never be for him. She’d lost all feeling for her husband when, after a few months of marriage, he’d yelled at her in anger that his mistress had given him child, but his wife hadn’t, and it was damn time she did.
That admission from him had been a blow she didn’t think she would ever recover from, but now she had.
There was a fleeting rush of sadness for what the girls had been through. It faded quickly and was replaced with a hopefulness. Their futures were filled with possibilities.
It would always hurt Adeline that she was barren, but now she had nine girls she was responsible for. They wouldn’t ever take the place of having a child of her own, but they would give her a purpose in life that she hadn’t had before.
She inhaled a deep breath, smiled, and said, “Good morning. Welcome to The Seafarer’s School.”