Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
“Iam not dim-witted!” Adeline exclaimed.
Deborah ducked as the book she’d given Adeline came sailing toward her head. She felt it breeze over her hair and land with a hard crash into the wall behind her. Deborah drew in a breath, praying for patience, and huffed it out as she stood up straight.
This is how it had been for three days now. The curious girl who seemed all too willing to learn had become obstinate and even aggressive the moment Deborah tried to help with her education.
“I know that,” Deborah stated firmly, settling her sharp gaze on Adeline as she smoothed the skirts of her mint green gown.
Where it came from, she did not know. It had simply appeared in her closet yesterday morning, but she had to admit she loved it.
It brought out the creaminess of her complexion and the reddish gold of her hair.
Now, though, she regretted wearing something so pretty, fearful that Adeline might rip or stain it during one of her temper tantrums.
“No one in the house believes you are dim-witted, Adeline,” she went on, willing her temper to stay in check, “However, there is so much more for you to learn!”
“My Mama taught me everything I need to know,” Adeline replied haughtily, crossing her arms as she settled Deborah with a challenging look. “How to read, how to add and subtract figures. How to show proper etiquette at the dinner table and how to be polite.”
“Show me then,” Deborah insisted, waving an arm toward the girl’s bedroom door. “Have dinner with me. Or tea. Show me that your lessons are moot.”
Adeline frowned as her brows furrowed.
“That they are what?” the girl asked.
“Moot,” Deborah repeated, daring a step toward her, “It means unnecessary. Pointless. See? There are so many other words I could teach you if you would just let me.”
Adeline glowered at her for another moment, then, with a quickness, she snatched another book from the table and flung it at Deborah’s head. Again, Deborah dodged it successfully, but as she rose to her full height once more, she felt her grip on her patience slip further away.
“You did that on purpose!” Adeline yelled. “Using words that I do not know to make me feel foolish!”
Deborah let out another huff as she clenched her fists.
This is ridiculous and a waste of time! I could be using these days to iron out a new plan for Sylvester.
“I believe we have established that no one can make you do anything, Adeline,” Deborah replied, her tone stiff. “If you feel foolish, that is entirely of your own doing.”
The anger in Adeline’s gaze vanished with a suddenness that surprised Deborah, and she watched as the girl’s expression turned sad.
Deborah heaved out another sigh, trying to take one more approach.
“Your previous governesses and nannies- they called you names? Said things to hurt your feelings?” She asked, keeping her tone soft.
Adeline kept her eyes to the floor, but she nodded.
“They always told me that I needed to be kinder, but they were never kind to me,” the girl whimpered.
Deborah’s heart softened a little more as she took in the way Adeline’s stature continued to shrink.
She dipped her head lower, bent her knees, and pressed her arms tight to her sides.
Arms, Deborah saw, that were still bruised.
Though they did look far better than they had when they first met, so she wagered whoever put them there had not attempted to do so again since.
“I know how awful it is to have a mean governess,” Deborah said, daring another step closer to the girl, “When I was younger, my mother put my sister's and my education into the hands of someone else. I suppose that is very common in our society. However, while my mother was kind, the governesses were not. I remember how enraged they used to become if we spelled a word improperly, or spoke incorrectly.”
Deborah shook out her hands, feeling the ghost of old corrections.
“One of them had a ruler that she liked to snap across our knuckles when we were young. She never broke the skin, but I still remember how harshly it stung.”
Adeline glanced up at Deborah.
“Rulers are awful,” she agreed. “I broke the last governess’s one over my knee and threw the pieces at her.”
Deborah let out a soft laugh as she dared another step.
“I wish I would have been so brave,” she said with a kind smile, and to her relief, Adeline dropped her drawn-up shoulders.
Deborah turned to the clock on Adeline’s mantle, and to her surprise, it was nearly three. They had been together since nine that morning, and it was clear that they were both tired and irritated.
“I can see that we are not going to get anywhere with lessons today,” Deborah sighed, “But perhaps we can speak of something else.”
Adeline’s eyes narrowed in distrust, but she did not reach for another book.
“What?” She asked warily.
Deborah looked down at Adeline’s bruises, then up to her face.
“Did your old governess give those to you?” Deborah asked, keeping her tone soft and non-accusing. “Did they all hurt you like that in some manner or another?”
Adeline’s face turned red, but instead of answering, she clamped her lips shut and lowered her gaze toward the carpet. Deborah kneeled before her, but even then, Adeline would not look at her.
“I need you to know that I will never hurt you like that, Adeline,” Deborah insisted gently, “I promise you. No matter what you do, no matter how many books you throw at me, I would never do that.”
Deborah drew in a breath as her eyes searched Adeline’s downcast face, looking for any sign that Adeline believed her. The little girl was a vault and gave her none.
“We will keep trying,” Deborah said when Adeline didn’t respond after a long moment.
“I know you are smart. I want to see how smart you are. I am married to your uncle now, and unlike those horrible women who tried to teach you before, I am not just going to run away from you. You and I, we will find a way to talk and work with each other.”
Adeline drew her bottom lip between her teeth and began to nibble at it, but again, she did not respond. Still, no objects were thrown, and the look of rage had not reappeared. Deborah decided to take both as small victories.
“I think we have both tried hard enough today,” she sighed, rising to her feet. “I would love it if you chose to have supper with me this evening. I shall be at the dining table at six sharp.”
Again, Adeline made no move nor said any word to indicate that she heard her. All the same, Deborah gently placed her hands on the little girl’s cheeks, bent down, and kissed the top of her head. Adeline looked up at her at once, appearing shocked at what Deborah had just done.
“Very well then,” Deborah said softly, petting back a few loose strands of the girl’s dark hair.
“I hope the rest of your day is far more pleasant.”
As Deborah closed the door and stepped into the hallway, her heart felt torn between going back in for one final attempt and leaving the girl be.
Ultimately, she decided to let Adeline rest. She had started the day with rosiness in her cheeks, but by the end of their time together, Deborah did not miss how the girl had taken to taking in deeper breaths or how her complexion had turned sallow.
She stayed there in the hallway a moment, tapping her fingers against the brass doorknob as she contemplated what to do next. Adeline had not confessed where the bruises had come from. Perhaps she never would. However, perhaps someone else in the house could tell her.
In the kitchens, she found a very different atmosphere from the one she had just left. There was laughter, chatter, and a sense of camaraderie among the servants as they worked on one thing or another. However, such warmth seized the moment Deborah’s presence was noted, and all eyes turned to her.
Deborah had met them all a day after she settled into the Calder Estate.
There was Mrs. House, the housekeeper. She was a slight woman with sharp eyes and a kind smile, exuding maids, Theresa and Lina, were preparing meals, and he often had them laughing as they all worked.
They were all now standing by the long counter in front of the windows, seemingly prepping the night’s meal.
Arina and Belle, two of the cleaning maids, were there as well; one was darning a sock, the other folding dried bed sheets at the large worktable where Mrs. House sat at the opposite end with her schedule book and pen.
“Forgive me,” Deborah offered, giving them all a kind smile, “I did not mean to intrude or interrupt.”
Mrs. House rose from her seat at the large wooden worktable and smiled politely as she placed her pen down.
“No need for forgiveness, Your Grace,” Mrs. House replied politely, “This is your house, and we are at your service. How may we help you?”
She then gestured toward Jeremy and added, “If you are in need of a nibble, I am sure Jeremy would be happy to make you whatever you are hungry for.”
Jeremy quickly nodded his head, offering a kind smile toward her as he bowed his head; his hands still on the roast, he seemed to be rubbing spices into.
“It would be no trouble at all, Your Grace,” he agreed, “And I noticed that you never did ring for lunch.”
“Oh, no, I will happily wait for your supper, Jeremy,” Deborah hurriedly assured him, offering a kind smile in return for his. “It has been so long since I have tasted such fine food; it is certainly worth waiting for.”
Pride glimmered in Jeremy’s light brown eyes, and this time his hands left his work, and he turned to her to give her a formal bow.
“Your words honor me, Your Grace,” he said humbly.
Deborah bent her knees in a small curtsey, remembering how her mother taught her to pay respect to everyone willing to work in a household. They may be getting paid, but they were also giving up parts of their lives to serve, and that should be honored.
“Well, tea then?” Mrs. House offered.
“Actually, I was hoping to speak to you all about Adeline,” Deborah explained.