From what she had been told, Victoria knew the story about the Countess having gone on a hunt with her husband those years ago. Apparently they rather enjoyed riding and being out of doors with friends.
She had been trying to challenge the others and, as a result, rode fast ahead. Victoria imagined she must have been a woman with a great amount of spirit.
As she rode, going far beyond their sight, an accident occurred. Something had caused her to fall from her horse and by the time the party reached her, they found her on the ground, dead, with her head next to a stone covered in blood.
It would have been quite a sad, gruesome death, Victoria thought. And it was no wonder that the Earl would not wish to discuss it if that was what his wife had suffered through. No wonder he spoke of it with such a great deal of sadness. It was rather a miserable thought.
But Victoria was unsure if that was truly what had happened as it was only another of society’s rumours. And having fallen victim to that very thing, she often ignored them and chose not to give them another thought.
Bearing that in mind, Victoria decided she was better off getting to work on Marian’s lessons. She went to the study room and had a look through some of the workbooks that previous governesses had put together and saw that the child was woefully behind.
She understood that it was not simply the fault of the previous employees. Marian was difficult and at times, her answers on the page were evidently mocking her tutors. There was little doubt that she was a difficult student with no desire to learn or listen.
But Victoria was determined to change all of that. She would help Marian become the clever little girl that was most certainly in there.
Her strategy, however, would have to be clever and different from any approach the previous tutors had taken. No, rather than simple workbooks, she would have to be active with Marian, using engaging methods as opposed to lectures.
She spent the entirety of the evening working through a few ideas for the following day that would keep her busy and might even exhaust her enough to wear out a little bit of that spirit that was causing so many issues.
Not that she wished to tame the child, but to at least give her a hint of discipline would be useful.
After having completed all of that, Victoria was informed dinner was ready for the staff of the house and she joined them, indulging in foods that did not quite compare to her old finery, but maintained a better quality than she had been eating of late.
Miss Franklin introduced her to all of the other staff members and they got to know one another through lively conversation. It was clear that the employees of the household were far more excitable than she might have thought.
Victoria had sat through any number of proper dinners with her family, the quiet ones where she was more concentrated on which fork to use than whether or not there was any discussion. But here, among the housekeeper and maids and the cook and her assistant, things were rather different.
They all asked her questions and she made it her duty to ask about them in reply, wanting to get to know them better than they might know her. Each one was lovelier than the last and Victoria was confident that she would have a great number of friends amongst them.
Once she had eaten her fill, she felt overwhelmed by the fortune with which she had been met in having these luxuries again. Every bite had been savoured and every laugh appreciated. It had been years since she had felt this wonderful about a simple evening at dinner.
“It was very nice to meet all of you,” she said to the staff as she departed the dining room.
The staff seemed quite kind and she was thankful to know that she would not be alone in the house. Rather, there was an abundance of good people to keep her entertained and grant her their company. Victoria found herself intensely grateful for each of them and wondered if her entire life could have held such wonderful people had she been brought up amongst them.
Those young women of society were harsh and cold, always seeking to better themselves by ruining the reputations of others. There had been a time, when she was very young, that Victoria did not mind listening to the gossip. But as she aged, and particularly once she found herself at the center of it, she had grown bored of such a petty indulgence.
But Victoria finally retired to her room, exhausted by the events of the day and relieved that she might be able to get a fair bit of rest.
The company she had been around was lovely and the kindness of them was thrilling, but it was the time to herself that she valued most. Putting on her nightdress and grabbing a book from the stack she had placed on her shelf, Victoria shifted the candle beside her to see the pages more clearly.
The words on the page brought her peace and the silence was a great gift. Before long, she drifted into a deep, contented sleep. It was the very thing she would need for the day ahead.
Chapter 5
Making his way to say goodnight to his daughter, Reginald was looking forward to hearing her opinion on the woman who would be her new governess. He wondered if Marian would be happy with the arrangement or if she would be irritated by the fact that she seemed unable to have an edge over Miss Jamison.
It had amused him a great deal and he was enjoying getting to know the young woman until she had asked her callous question.
Aware that she was from nobility and likely had a reason for asking, Reginald couldn’t deny the fact that it had wounded him to have to hear it. She ought to have remembered her place rather than going so far as to inquire about his late wife.
Nevertheless, he pushed past it all and made his way to Marian’s room so that he might give her a goodnight as he always did.
“Come in,” she called when he knocked.
“Good evening, my dear,” he greeted. “Are you comfortable?”
“Of course, Papa,” she replied sweetly.
