sitting with her grandmother in the little stone house, listening to her tell the same wonderful stories she had told Helen’s own mother when she had been a child growing up there. How blissful those days seemed now, and how very long ago. Before the long years of war had begun to change everything.
Thank goodness her memories of the past hadn’t changed, Helen reflected silently. They would always be there for her, reminding her of a time when her future had loomed bright and hopeful. Before the heartbreak of love and the harsh realities of life had intruded to shatter her expectations and chase away her dreams.
Helen picked up the letter she had placed on the seat beside her and smiled as she read it over one more time. It was from her dear friend Desirée Nash. Desirée lived in London now, but before that she too had been a teacher at the Guarding Academy. She had taught Latin, Greek and philosophy for over six years, until a most unfortunate incident had forced her to leave.
Helen’s smile faded as she thought back to that dreadful time. In the spring of last year, Desirée had been caught in a compromising position with the father of one of the students. The fact that she had been completely innocent of any wrongdoing meant nothing. The episode had been witnessed by Mrs Guarding and two of the girls, and it had effectively put an end to Desirée’s future at the school. It had also been a particularly difficult time for Helen. She and Desirée had become close in the brief time they’d known each other, and Helen had shed many a tear as a result of her friend being so cruelly sent away. But she knew there was nothing she could have done. There was nothing anyone could have done. It was simply the way young single women were misused by society.
But now, Desirée was having the last laugh on them all. She had gone up to London and become the companion of an aristocratic lady, and had then fallen in love with the lady’s dashing young nephew. Now, she was betrothed to marry him. Her letter was to inform Helen of the date of the wedding, and to say how very much she hoped her dear friend would be able to come up to London for it.
Helen sighed as she carefully refolded the letter. How wonderful it would be to go to London and see Desirée married. How satisfying to see her take her place in society as Lady Buckworth. Indeed, after everything she had endured, it seemed only right and fitting that she should. Unfortunately, as much as Helen would have loved to go, she knew it was impossible. The school was operating short of the full complement of teachers as it was, and there were new girls arriving all the time. Mrs Guarding had informed them that three new girls would be coming in at the end of this week alone.
Which simply meant there was no way Helen could take the time necessary to attend Desirée’s wedding. She could not afford to risk losing her position here. While she knew that being a teacher was not a profession many people would envy, it was all she had, and in her own way she was happy with it. She valued the company and friendship of the other women who worked here; women who, like herself, had been forced to make their own way in the world. And it was certainly a vast improvement from the positions she had held in the past. Better to be a schoolmistress in a country school than a governess in a fine house where one lived in constant fear of being caught alone by the master.
‘Helen, Helen, come quickly. Mrs Guarding is looking for you!’
Helen looked up to see Jane Emerson hurrying across the grass towards her. Jane was a pretty little thing with big brown eyes and dark hair. She taught dance and deportment at Mrs Guarding’s and was well liked by both the staff and the girls. But her appearance in the garden now with the news that Mrs Guarding wanted to see her came as something of a surprise.
‘But why would she wish to see me?’ Helen asked, hastily slipping the letter into her pocket. ‘I have no classes until this afternoon.’
‘Yes, but Miss Gresham and her father are here.’
Helen blinked. ‘Miss Gresham?’
‘One of the new girls.’ Jane stopped for a moment to catch her breath. ‘Mrs Guarding is gathering…everyone in the hall to meet them.’
‘But I thought none of the new girls were due to arrive until the end of the week?’
‘That was what Mrs Guarding told us, but Miss Gresham is here now and we must all take our places. Come, Helen, we had best make haste,’ Jane urged. ‘You know how Mrs Guarding hates to be kept waiting!’
‘I apologise for our early arrival, Mrs Guarding,’ Oliver told the headmistress in the privacy of her sitting-room, ‘but I thought it best that Gillian begin her studies here as soon as possible.’
Mrs Guarding inclined her head. ‘No apology is necessary, Mr Brandon. I have asked my staff to assemble downstairs and it will be only a few moments before they are there. But in the interim, is there anything you would like to tell me about your ward?’
Oliver glanced at the older woman in surprise. ‘Why would you ask?’
‘Because given Gillian’s age, I thought there might have been another reason for your haste in bringing her here.’
‘I’m not sure I take your meaning.’
The headmistress looked at him in the same manner she might have regarded a tardy pupil. ‘Mr Brandon, I am very proud of the reputation I have built here at Guarding’s, but I am well aware that education is not the only reason parents send their daughters away. Especially to a school like this.’
‘Like this?’
‘Yes. One where the main focus is not to prepare young women for marriage.’
As a man accustomed to plain speaking, Oliver appreciated the headmistress’s forthright style. He was also glad he had left Gillian in the corridor beyond. ‘You are quite right, Mrs Guarding. I did have another reason for bringing my stepsister here, and under the circumstances, I see no reason why you should not be made aware of it.’ He paused, took a deep breath, and then laced his hands together behind his back. ‘Gillian has developed an unfortunate tendre for a gentleman of whom I do not approve. I had hoped that by separating them for a while, she might eventually find her affections cooling, and that the gentleman might find another target for his.’
A gleam of understanding appeared in the headmistress’s eyes. ‘Am I to assume that your ward’s inheritance has something to do with the gentleman’s interest?’
‘I believe it has. Because of her wealth, Gillian will be pursued by a great many gentlemen. Some will love her for who she is while others will court her for what she has. I am hoping that when the time comes for her to make a choice, she will have the maturity and good sense to recognise the difference. At the moment, she hasn’t,’ Oliver said flatly. ‘She has been swept away by the romantic ramblings of a handsome officer and believes herself in love with him. That is why I have brought her here.’
‘I see.’
‘It is also why I would like to make a request of you.’
‘And that is?’
‘The gentleman’s name is Sidney Charles Wymington. He’s a dashing fellow to be sure, but I want it made clear that Gillian is to have absolutely nothing to do with him.’
Mrs Guarding’s eyebrows rose in inquiry. ‘Have you reason to believe he would attempt to contact her here?’
‘Regrettably, I have no reason not to believe it,’ Oliver replied without hesitation. ‘Mr Wymington has become rather persistent of late in his attentions. That is why Gillian is not to be allowed contact with any
