To Walk in the Sun (Wiggons' School for Elegant Young Ladies - Book 1) (23 page)

“Sophia, are you all right?” Eliza
questioned.

“Of course.” She turned to her friend. “Why
would you ask such a question?”

“Because, you are rather pale, and you look a
bit worried.”

She forced a smile. “It is nothing. I am just
tired, is all. And worried about Miss Crawford and that awful
man.”

“Don’t worry.” Eliza smiled. “We will see
that she is safe. I am sure that once she gives him that piece he
will not bother her again.”

Sophia bit her lip before she answered. “I am
sure you are correct.” She so wanted to confide in them, but if she
told them that Percer would probably kill Miss Crawford anyway,
they would not believe her. Perhaps they would try something even
more foolish than they already had. “We need to get some sleep so
we are alert.”

Rosemary stood and yawned. “I agree. I am
exhausted from everything that has happened.”

Sophia choked back a laugh. If only they
knew.

* * *

Tess woke to an overcast sky and rain. Thank
goodness. The girls would have to be inside and she didn’t have to
worry about Percer, at least not for today. Her mood lightened, she
dressed and made her way to the breakfast room. One by one the
girls entered and took their seats.

“I hate rainy days. We were to explore the
far woods to identify plants that grow in the shade,” a young girl
whined.

Tess shifted her eyes to Natalie. She needed
to tell her all excursions that took the girls away from view of
the house would need to be put off for the moment.

“Actually, I was going to change the lesson,”
Miss Pritchard announced and Tess sighed. “It is too late in the
year. Perhaps in the spring Lord Atwood will allow us to return.
There will be flowers and plants in abundance at that time of
year.”

The young girl offered an unhappy sigh and
returned her attention to her food.

“Miss Pritchard, you are welcome to return
and explore the grounds of the estate anytime you wish,” Lord
Atwood announced from the doorway.

Tess glanced up at him. He had only joined
them for a meal once before. He took his place at the head of the
table and the footman set a plate loaded with food before him.

“Thank you for your offer, Lord Atwood. We do
not have wooded areas around the school and thus we are limited to
our explorations.”

He smiled at her. “Don’t forget I have a
greenhouse that needs attention as well. Once you are back at the
school, if you wish to use the place, simply alert my staff
beforehand and they will make sure it is available to you.”

“Again, I thank you for your generosity.”

His smile was uncomfortable, as if he was not
used to being paid a compliment and then he turned his attention to
Tess. “With the rain, I am assuming the students will need to
remain indoors today.”

“I will make sure they do not go up to the
second floor.”

His lips quirked. “Don’t worry. If I need
silence, I have a place I can hide.”

She didn’t want to ask where that was, but
she knew it had to be somewhere in the house, since he had
disappeared twice before to sleep elsewhere. She couldn’t image
where it would be.

Tess glanced down the table. Eliza and
Rosemary shared a conspiratorial look. She would need to keep a
close eye on those two, or they were sure to go snooping and
disturb Atwood once again.

Conversation continued around the table. Tess
sat back and sipped her coffee, not ready to begin another day of
teaching. In fact, she was very tired at the moment. She would love
to return to her bed. This was the perfect day to sleep away. But,
duties called and she needed to keep the girls busy as it was.

Atwood pushed away from the table, stood and
looked down at her. “Miss Crawford, if you have a moment I would
like to speak with you in the library.”

“Of course.” She set her cup on the table and
stood to follow him. What could he possibly want to discuss with
her now? She was still angry from his accusations last night, but
admitted he was right to keep Percer guessing about their
relationship. Not that they had one, or ever would for that matter.
Of course, she did wonder why Atwood thought so.

He closed the door behind her. She did not
take a seat, but remained standing in the middle of the room. She
must not allow herself to become comfortable in his presence. To do
so would invite behavior she should not exhibit, especially while
the students were also in this household.

Atwood leaned back against the desk, his arms
folded across his chest. “You are becoming almost as indispensible
to me as Wesley.”

This comment surprised her. “How so?”

“The correspondence,” he explained. “What we
managed to do these past two days would have taken me a week.”

She frowned. She hadn’t done all that much,
really.

“You don’t understand. I cannot read or write
without inviting a headache.”

Tess studied him. “Surely you know how to
read.”

Atwood threw his head back and laughed. “I
assure you, Miss Crawford, I am well read, or used to be until the
war.”

“Because of the war you now have headaches?”
She did not understand how the two could be related.

“Yes,” he answered simply and offered no
more. “I hope you will continue to act as my secretary for the
duration of your stay.”

She arched an eyebrow. She had only been a
productive assistant one of the two nights she took his dictation.
She feared he would want more liberties and less correspondence,
given her early behavior.

He tilted his head a looked at her, the left
corner of his mouth lifted. “Don’t you trust me, Miss
Crawford?”

Heat spread across her face. She should not
assume he wanted her to continue for anything immoral, despite what
occurred before.

“Of course,” she answered.

Thou hast however murdered the being whom
thou hadst

thus recalled again to existence – but it was
only in appearance,

for though couldst not deprive that of life
which properly had none.

Wake Not the Dead

Johann Ludwig Tieck

Chapter 19

Vincent fought to keep the smile from his
face. Her emotions played out in her eyes and he knew she expected
him to ask her for favors a gentleman should not ask a lady. Or, at
least a lady who was not his wife. While he would enjoy an intimate
relationship with Tess, he would not demean her in such a
manner.

“Do you still wish to continue meeting at
seven?” Her eyes remained downcast, as if she were afraid to look
at him.

“As we have for the past two nights.” He
grinned. Though this was ill-advised, he relished having her all to
himself in the evenings.

“And we would still work until after
midnight?” She worried her bottom lip after asking the question.
Was Tess concerned with the amount of time they would be alone,
sequestered in this room? Perhaps she should worry because at the
moment he was not thinking about the stack of correspondence on his
desk but focused on her lovely lips instead.

He gestured toward the desk. “I am afraid
some nights could be late, until I am caught up on everything
requiring my attention.”

Tess took a deep breath and folded her hands
primly before her. “I understand, given the past few days, that you
expect that I do not sleep. To tell you the truth, I am exhausted
and can no longer remain awake as I have. Therefore, I would
request that we complete our work by ten.”

“Three hours is hardly enough time.” He
grinned and stalked toward her. “Any other requests you wish to
make?”

Vincent walked behind her. She stiffened.
“That the door remain open.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “But I
prefer my privacy.” He bent forward, his lips a mere fraction from
her cheek.

Tess pulled away and turned toward him. Her
spine was stiff as a board and her chin held high. “Lord Atwood, I
understand you may believe I would continue with an intimate
relationship, but that will not happen. Last night was a mistake
and if you wish for my presence for anything other than secretarial
duties, I am afraid I must decline.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. She was
so adorable, so indignant and he couldn’t help but smile. “We
already agreed that you would perform the duties I requested in
exchange for my letting the students and teachers remain here.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
“Are you trying to blackmail me into continuing to help you?”

He groaned. Blackmail was a tactic Percer
used. He was just trying to tease the delightful teacher. Her words
sobered him. “I am sorry, that is not what I meant.”

Her shoulders relaxed, though only a small
bit.

“If I promise to behave, will you continue to
act as my secretary?” He couldn’t believe he was about to beg her,
but he was willing to do just about anything to obtain her
agreement.

“There are other teachers who would be just
as proficient, and probably more, than I am,” Tess argued.

“I don’t want them.” He took a step forward.
“I want you.”

Tess stepped away from him. “Which is why,
perhaps, you should request their assistance instead of mine.”

“Very well.” Vincent sighed and turned away.
“If I promise not to touch or kiss you, will you continue to act as
my secretary for the duration of your stay?” When he turned to look
at her, his eyes pleaded with her to say yes.

A blushed formed on her cheeks and she
quickly looked away. Ah, so she wasn’t so against him kissing her.
She was afraid of what would happen if he kissed her again. At
least he hoped those were her thoughts.

“And we stop at ten?”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “Yes.
But that leaves me with hours of nothing else to do.”

The right side of her mouth quirked. “Perhaps
you should try sleeping, as the rest of us do.”

He had to tell her. He never bothered to
explain to anyone else, but his staff. Tess had a right to know of
his affliction. The one he alluded to a moment ago. “Please, have a
seat.” He gestured to the couch.

“I can’t, not at the moment, Lord Atwood. The
students are waiting for me.”

He glanced at the clock. It was well past the
breakfast hour. “Very well. I will see you at seven.”

She scooted past him and was out the door
before he had a chance to call her back.

* * *

The girls were already gathered around the
long dining room table. Remnants of breakfast were long gone. Books
lay open as girls read and wrote their papers. Tess strolled down
one side of the table, and glanced at the progress each student was
making.

“I wonder what this is,” Rosemary exclaimed,
holding a piece of paper.

“Is there anything written on it?” Tess asked
as she walked in the girl’s direction.

“No, just odd lines.” She handed it to Tess.
“Is this the type of markings you mentioned yesterday? Should I put
it back in the book where I found it?”

Tess looked at the document and bit her lip
to keep from smiling. So, Sophia had been successful in replicating
a piece of the map. She glanced down at Rosemary, who looked up at
her with wide, innocent eyes. Oh, she would have to keep an eye on
that girl. She looked over to Sophia, who sat next to Eliza. She
bit her upper lip and looked back down at her book.

“I think I will hold onto this.” She
continued on and ignored the whispers behind her. Undoubtedly,
Eliza and Rosemary were discussing how successfully they fooled
her.

Tess glanced at the student’s papers some
more, but her mind was not on what she read. In fact, at this
moment, she could not remember the topic of any of the papers. Her
mind was on the map. Perhaps Sophia had a plausible idea. If she
gave the piece she now possessed to Percer, would he believe it was
real?

Not that it mattered. Regardless of what he
thought to be true, he would still either kill her or have her
arrested as soon as he was in possession of the piece of paper.
That is what she feared most. However, it was better she was in
danger rather than Sophia.

Tess wondered if Percer knew the connection
between Sophia and the Trent listed. Had he simply picked her from
among the girls, or was he taunting her with the possibility of
using the young woman further. The thought sent a chill up her
spine. Whatever his reasoning may be, Tess knew they would need to
remain diligent in protecting the girl and would mention it to
Atwood when they met this evening.

This time a thrill raced through her body and
she chastised herself. No, she must not think about his kisses or
caress. She must maintain a professional relationship with him at
all times, no matter what.

With her new resolve, she turned her
attention to her students and tried to concentrate on what they had
written. She failed miserably and memories of the night before
invaded her brain.

* * *

Vincent rubbed his dry, scratchy eyes. This
was the first time since his return home that he had not slept
during the day. He decided, after Tess’ comment, perhaps he should
sleep at night, as did the rest of the world. The servants did keep
the house sufficiently dark during the day, with draperies closed
in any room that received sunlight, so he was not pained. However,
it was unfair to them to have to clean and work in muted light. If
he could, he would allow the brightness into the rooms. He should
not punish them because of his affliction, which is what had
brought about his sleeping during the day to begin with.

The students needed the light as well. How
could they get any work done by candles alone? Besides, young
ladies were not meant to be stuck in a dark gloomy house. He
glanced out the window. The rain had held off but the day remained
overcast. He amended his thought. They should not be stuck in a
house made gloomy despite the weather outside.