Page 11 of The Precious Secret of a Loving Governess
“Our Miss Jamison, as I said, was even greater than and wealthier than we. But her father, you see, made some terrible decisions. He did not love his family as he ought to have. And because of that, he made a grave mistake,” Reginald said.
Marian was holding her breath, curious what that mistake might have been.
“Of course, before any of that happened-”
“Papa, you must tell me his mistake!” Marian urged.
“I shall, I shall,” he promised, building the suspense.
“But first, I have more to tell you about Miss Jamison. You see, her mother and father ensured that she was given the very best and made into quite the grand young lady. Because of that, she knows exactly how to turn other young ladies into grand women of society to be proud of. That is why I have chosen her for your governess,” he explained.
Marian looked agonised at having to wait to learn more about the scandal of Miss Jamison’s father, but Reginald did not mind so much. He needed his daughter to listen and to pay attention before he could tell her the rest.
“So you must listen very closely to her. You understand what I mean by that? You must not be cruel to this one because she is exactly the sort of woman I would like to see as your governess. She shall make you a grand lady. No one shall be able to come against you,” he said, invoking a notion that he had long since deemed important to his daughter.
“No one can come against me?” she echoed.
“Not if you listen very closely to Miss Jamison. Truly, she shall be a wonderful tutor for you and turn you into the greatest woman in all of England. But you must be kind to her, you must obey her even. I know how very difficult you find that, but you must do it if you wish to be the sort of woman that I know you are capable of becoming,” he told her.
“I shall listen to her, Papa. I promise,” Marian conceded.
“Very well, I am glad to hear it. And I shall hold you to that,” he warned.
“But please, Papa, you must tell me. What is it that her Papa did? Why is she a governess if she is supposed to be a grand lady of England?” she pushed once more.
Reginald sighed, eyeing his curious daughter with wonder. How had she become such a pushy child? Had he indulged her too much? Had he been so upset about her mother and felt so sorry for her that he had allowed all of this to come about? Or was it her own grief that left her searching for his attentions even when they were not positive?
“Well, Miss Jamison was doing very well for herself, but her Papa made very poor decisions. He wasted his money. He used it for immoral purposes, even. And in the end, it hurt his wife and daughter. They lost everything because he was so selfish,” Reginald told her.
“You told me one time I was being selfish,” Marian said with downcast eyes.
“Yes, and I am sorry for that. But you must understand how important it is that we are not as selfish as he was. We must be kind to others and treat them well,” he told her.
“Yes, Papa,” she replied with a bored yawn.
“Because of his selfishness, they now have nothing at all. Her father is known for being a bad man, a man who allowed terrible things to come upon his family. Her mother lives in a very small house and Miss Jamison had to become a governess instead of a grand lady. So you see, you really do have to treat her very well,” he pressed once more.
“I understand,” Marian nodded.
“Very well, then. So long as you understand. You know, it is good to treat people well. It is what your mother would have wanted,” he reminded her, invoking the woman of whom they scarcely spoke except when Marian pushed for it.
“You think Mummy would have wanted me to be a good girl?” she asked.
“Absolutely. And she would be proud of you for being kind to Miss Jamison,” he told her.
“Then I shall be kind to her. I would like best to make Mummy proud. And if she would want this then it is what I shall do,” she decided.
“I am very glad to hear it,” Reginald replied, sighing and thinking it must be time for him to leave her to sleep.
“Can you tell me more about her? Some days I cannot even see her face anymore. I try so hard, but I don’t always remember what she looked like. She had light hair, did she not?” Marian asked.
“Yes, my dear,” Reginald replied sadly. “Very light hair. Almost white. And extremely beautiful.”
“What colour were her eyes?” Marian asked.
“Ice blue,” he answered.
“Like yours and mine?” she continued.
