Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“How is everything proceeding?” Gerald said, raising his voice to be heard over the cacophony of hammers and saws.
St. Margaret’s was busier than it had been in years, full of carpenters, masons, and plumbers that Gerald had hired.
The foreman was called Rupert Gleeson. He was a thickset man with a heavy brow and calloused fingers.
The top of his left ear had been shorn off, the result of a work accident, Gerald assumed.
“It’s going well, Your Grace. Everythin’ will be done on schedule. That’s the Gleeson way. You have my word, Your Grace,” he said, nodding firmly. “Do you want to see what we’re workin’ on today? The men are happy to talk to you.”
Gerald passed his gaze over the army of men who were all hard at work. Their brows were slick with sweat, and their muscles swelled.
“I wouldn’t want to distract you from your work. I shall be inside the house if you need me.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” Rupert said, bowing stiffly in a way that made it clear he hadn’t bowed many times before. Gerald left them to it and went in search of Clara. He entered the house and was greeted by Emily. She flashed her bright smile at him and stood by his side.
“I had Sophie draw this for you,” she said, and handed him a drawing. It depicted him with a small girl, holding hands.
“Oh, how wonderful. Is that Sophie and me?”
Emily pouted. “No, it’s me,” she said.
“Oh, of course. I see it now. My mistake. I think I must have some sawdust in my eye from being with the builders,” Gerald said, rubbing his eyes. He made a point of re-examining the picture and nodded firmly.
“It’s wonderful.”
“You will keep it, won’t you?” Emily asked, her eyes filled with hope.
“Of course. It shall never stray far from my sight,” he said, then folded the drawing carefully and placed it in his inside pocket.
Emily smiled and then rushed off, leaving Gerald to find Clara.
He heard the sound of humming coming from a nearby room, sweet and melodious.
When he arrived at the doorway, he saw Clara tidying some toys that had been strewn across the floor.
Her hair was pinned back neatly, and her dress wrapped tightly around her body.
Gerald observed closely as she moved. The tune she hummed was light and bouncy, and it brought a smile to his face. She caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye and, startled, ceased the humming immediately. She gripped the toy she was holding, a small shield, tightly.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, all the softness retreating from her face.
Gerald moved into the room and bent down, intending to help her. He found the matching sword and handed it to her. Clara took it and placed it against the shield before carrying it to the toybox.
“I came to check on the repairs. They seem to be progressing well, and I thought since I was here, I might as well stop for a while. I’m sure I can find a way to make use of myself,” he said, and picked up a few more toys.
“I see, any help is appreciated,” Clara replied. Her words seemed forced, which amused Gerald.
“You can resume your humming. I did not mean to interrupt you.”
They moved around the room, almost as though they were dancing. Gerald didn’t consciously notice it, but they were bending down at the same time, then rising simultaneously. They passed each other as they carried the toys to the two toyboxes, one for the boys and one for the girls.
Clara arched an eyebrow and studied him.
“I don’t think I shall,” she said.
“A shame, for it was a most wonderful sound.”
“Are you teasing me?”
“I would never dare do such a thing.”
“Hmm.” Clara narrowed her eyes, studying him for a moment, and then continued to move on.
“Emily gave me a gift,” Gerald continued, intending to change the subject.
“Oh, yes?” He produced the drawing, and Clara studied it. “I shall have words with her and tell her it’s inappropriate.”
“There’s no need for that. I think it’s rather sweet, and harmless.”
“As long as she doesn’t get teased for it.” Clara tucked a stray strand of hair behind her eyes. There was a weight to her words that suggested she was speaking from experience. Before Gerald could decide whether to enquire further, Clara glanced out of the window, and her eyes widened.
“Oh no,” she gasped.
“Is something the matter?”
“I’ve told those boys not to play by the pond by themselves.
” Clara was already in motion as she was speaking.
She hitched up her dress and marched out of the room.
Gerald thought he had no choice but to follow.
Clara leaned forward, arching her body slightly.
There was a purpose to her movements, and a formidable posture.
Her brow was furrowed and her jaw set. Her footsteps thumped against the ground in an imposing rhythm, a stark contrast to the sweet humming that greeted him.
Indeed, the children must have been used to this authoritative manner of Clara’s. When Teddy and Oliver spotted her, they abandoned what they were doing and rushed away from the pond. They placed their hands behind their backs and looked in every direction except at Clara.
“What are you boys doing?” Clara asked, the words imbued with a sharpness that even made Gerald feel uncomfortable. He vowed to never get on the wrong side of Clara’s mood.
“Nothing,” Teddy mumbled. They were still failing to meet Clara’s gaze.
“Children, I’ve told you before that if you’re going to misbehave, then the least you can do is be honest about it. I have always been fair to you, have I not?”
“Yes, Miss Sterling,” the boys said in unison.
“Then please tell me what you were doing by the pond when I have warned you on many occasions to tell me if you wish to play here. I am not angry with you, I am merely worried because it is dangerous.” The hard quality in Clara’s voice, which had been borne more from frustration and worry than from anger, faded.
She bent down slightly and tried to coax some understanding from the children.
Meanwhile, Gerald was keen to investigate the area from which the boys had run. He ambled over in a nonchalant manner and saw pieces of wood joined together by a slack rope. It was little more than a jumble of things, but having been a boy himself, Gerald realized what they were attempting.
“I believe they were trying to build a boat,” he said.
Clara turned as Gerald picked up one of the planks of wood. The rope fell away, dropping to the ground like a dead snake.
“Is this true?” Clara asked, turning back to the boys.
Still intimidated, they nodded mutely. Clara put her hands on her hips and directed them back to the wood.
“Right then,” she said sternly. “As I said, you must come and fetch me if you wish to play beside the pond. As your punishment, I am going to make you build a boat. And it’s not going to be just any boat, but one that can sail across the lake without sinking.
It will be a methodical task, requiring a great deal of effort and concentration on your part. Do you understand?” she said.
Gerald watched her closely. At first glance, her bearing seemed stern, but he noticed the smile that flickered at the corners of her mouth. The boys turned to each other, as though checking that they had heard correctly. They then turned to Clara and nodded.
“Now, the first thing you need to do is fetch more wood. Make sure that they are of a similar length. Perhaps you can ask Mr. Gleeson if he can spare any. I shall go and fetch the other supplies you need.”
The boys looked at each other uncertainly, which did not escape Clara’s attention.
“Why are you two not leaping into action?” she asked.
“We’re scared to ask him,” Teddy said.
Clara sighed. “Then I’m afraid you may not be able to build a boat at all.
It takes a brave soul to venture out on a body of water, and if you do not possess this courage, then you will simply have to stay on land forever.
I shall have to think of another punishment for you, and we will abandon any notion of building a boat. ”
Clara tapped her finger against her lips as she thought, but the boys seemed panicked.
“No, we can ask!” they said and promptly rushed off in the direction of the builders. Gerald followed Clara back to the house as she fetched some glue and more twine.
“That is a most unusual way to punish children, by giving them exactly what they wanted to do in the first place,” he said.
“They were not misbehaving with cruel intent. They simply became caught up in their own excitement. It will suffice to remind them of the dangers of playing by the lake by themselves. And if they are to build a boat, better that they learn how to build it properly. True accomplishments require rigor, and the sooner they learn that lesson, the better.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Gerald said. Clara turned and offered a look that he couldn’t quite discern. There was a slight arch of her right eyebrow before she turned away from him and briskly walked back to the pond.
“You may help us, if you have no other pressing engagements,” Clara replied.
“I wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else but here,” Gerald replied. This time he caught Clara staring at him out of the corner of her eyes, although she offered no comment.
They cleared away the other bits of wood and limp rope while they waited for the boys to return, who came back with one of the builders, who was pushing a wheelbarrow filled with planks of wood.
“Here you go ma’am, with Mr. Gleeson’s compliments,” the builder nodded. Gerald helped him unload the wood, then the builder took the wheelbarrow away. The single wheel creaked as it trundled along the ground.
With Clara and Gerald’s direction, the boys built the boat. They arranged the wood in the right shape and then Clara handed them some glue. When they tried to apply the glue, the wood shifted, frustrating the boys. Oliver kicked at the boat.
“Oliver, remember that we don’t need to kick things when we get annoyed. That isn’t going to help us come to a solution. We must instead engage our minds,” Clara said.