Page 7 of One Last Secret

I never took that melancholy seriously. I assumed it was the struggle of reaching adulthood that we all go through. I’m afraid I scoffed at Annie’s depression, not believing that my cheery sister could really suffer from anything more than surface sadness.

I won’t make that same mistake with Celeste.

CHAPTER THREE

I finish the first day’s assessments shortly after lunchtime. Celeste is a very bright young woman and her schoolwork ranges from above average to brilliant. She doesn’t struggle in any subject, but based on her academic history, I can see that she has a great deal more affinity for mathematics and science than for literature and history.

I am surprised by that. In my experience, artistic people are generally not great mathematicians. Often, this is due simply to disinterest in the subject rather than a lack of competence, but Celeste is the first artistically gifted student I’ve seen who possesses a near-genius level understanding of math. She has already completed the highest levels of math offered at the high school level and is ready for multivariable calculus, a course typically offered to college math students in their third semester.

I am grateful for the online resources available to teachers now. There is no way I'd be able to teach her this information on my own knowledge. I was a middling math student at best, and I've not yet encountered a student who requires instruction in such high-level calculus.

Literature, history, and the science that doesn’t rely directly on mathematics will be far easier for me. I have a great fondness for literature and history and an armchair fascination in science. Her knowledge of science likely far outstrips mine, but I will be able to guide her toward avenues of interest to her.

Academically, she will do quite well. Her mathematical skill alone will be more than enough to earn her entry to any STEM school in the nation. If she does as well in her final semester as she has so far, she will have little trouble earning a grant or scholarship to help her complete her education.

Socially, however, she is as stunted as she is brilliant academically. That is the area of her education that I must work hard to improve. The old saying that it’s not what you know it’s who you know holds true, even in staunchly academic fields. She must learn to interact with others if she is to succeed.

I must get her to open up to me first, though. I will be pushing her outside of her comfort zone socially, so she must at least trust that I am doing so with her best interests in mind.

So, when her schoolwork is finished, I ask if she’ll join me for some afternoon tea. She seems stunned by the request, more evidence that she’s not used to others taking an interest in her. Eventually, she accepts, a little warily, and I lead her downstairs to the kitchen.

“I’ve never had tea before,” she confesses to me as I set the kettle to boil.

“Tea is one of God’s greatest gifts to man,” I say with a smile. “I confess that I enjoy coffee more, particularly in the mornings, but no Englishwoman could call herself such without at least some fondness for tea.”

“Do you believe in God?”

The question brings me up short. I intended the comment as a pithy saying more than a statement of faith, but she wouldn’t know that since she has limited experience with conversation.

“Well… I believe that there are forces that work for good in the world and forces that work for evil. To the best of my ability, I ally myself with the forces working for good.”

She nods. Her face still hasn’t changed expression since I first saw her, but at least she’s talking now. “I believe in God.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Devils exist for sure, and if they exist, then God must exist.”

That's a lot less wonderful. I consider how far I should probe, but after all, she's reaching out to me. If she closes the door, Iwon't force it open, but as long as it's open, even a crack, I'll reach through. "Why do you say that?"

She frowns slightly, the first time her face has moved. “Because there’s so much evil and pain in the world. There wouldn’t be so much if there wasn’t something causing it, right?”

“I find that people are more than capable of causing evil without help from devils,” I reply. “Likewise, people are capable of great kindness without urging from a God.”

She gives me something that just might be a smile. “I’m glad that you think so.”

“I know so,” I reply. “Now, would you like toast with jam?”

She nods, and the movement is so innocent that it sets my heart aglow. There is a child behind that shell, after all. I finish the tea and toast, and we sit to eat.

“Why did you decide to leave England?” she asks.

“Oh, I moved here when I was a child,” I reply. “My father received a very lucrative job offer and moved the family to Boston when I was eleven years old.”

“Do you like America better or England?”

“Both places have excellent qualities. The English countryside is breathtaking, and the American cities are just as breathtaking in their own way.”

“Are people nicer in England?”

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