tone that made her sound like she was constantly struggling to hold back laughter. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Verity.”
“Likewise, my lady.”
“Please, sit down.” She gestured toward a chair next to the bed, and I moved to sit in it. She studied me for a long moment, looking as though she was trying to determine my personality based on the shape of my head and the contours of my face. Then she smiled. “Yes, you do look like the sort Henry would select. As long as you’re not afraid of bugs, you might actually last. You aren’t afraid of bugs, are you?”
“No, my lady.”
Her mouth twitched as if she were struggling to suppress a fit of giggles. “Of course you aren’t. I’d wager you’re quite the bold one.”
“No one has ever accused me of boldness, my lady.”
“Hmmm,” she said, with an enigmatic gleam in her eye.
“Uncle Henry says Miss Newton is a good example for Flora because she reads and talks about things other than clothes,” Rollo said with great relish.
“Verity, I like you already,” Elinor said. She gestured around the room at walls entirely covered in bookshelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. “You are welcome to borrow any of my books. Oh, I know! We can read the same book and then discuss it together—and you, too, Flora. I would appreciate the company.”
“That’s not necessary, Aunt Elinor,” Flora began, but Lady Elinor cut her off.
“Oh, but I insist. It will be great fun.” She waved her hand, and a book flew off a shelf to land next to her on the bed. I could detect the use of magic, but because of my shield it wasn’t strong enough to cause a visible reaction. I allowed myself a moment of triumph for having mastered that technique. She handed the book to me. “Give it to her once you’re home. I don’t want her accidentally leaving it in the drawing room here.” Flora flushed and glanced away, and I knew that was exactly what she’d planned to do.
“Now,” Elinor continued, “let’s set a time to discuss it. I’m sure you can read this within a week, so let’s say we’ll meet to chat a week from Thursday at four. Verity, you have read this, haven’t you?”
I glanced at the spine. It was Jane Eyre, a novel about a governess in the home of a mysterious magister. I wondered if Elinor had selected it because she thought it might make her niece more sympathetic to my situation, or if she merely thought the romance might appeal to Flora. “Yes, my lady, I have.”
“Oh, please stop the ‘my lady’ nonsense. It’s so tiresome.” I smiled at the suspicion that she and Lord Henry must get along very well.
The maid returned to the room and said, “Dinner will be served in five minutes.”
“Thank you, Mary,” Elinor said. “Please escort Flora and Rollo to the dining room. Miss Newton will dine with me.” She turned to me. “I hope you don’t mind, but I suspect you’d prefer that to dining with the housekeeper and butler. They want chaperones around for any mingling, but not at the dinner table.”
Flora and Rollo left with the maid, and soon a pair of maids bearing trays with covered dishes arrived. They unfolded a small table in front of my chair and arranged a bed tray for Lady Elinor before leaving us alone. I’d barely eaten two bites when she said, “Now, Verity, I want to know everything about you.” Thus began a far more comprehensive interview than I’d gone through when I was being considered for employment. Lord Henry might have had more success in hiring governesses if he’d turned the task over to the children’s aunt rather than to his housekeeper.
And yet I didn’t feel at all unnerved by her questions because she sounded like she was truly interested and not judging me. Being bedridden, she must have been starved for company. I found myself liking her more and more as our conversation continued. It seemed as though only moments had passed before the maid appeared to tell me that the men were about to join the ladies in the drawing room.
“I suppose you must go do your duty,” Lady Elinor said. “It’s a pity because I’ve so enjoyed our chat, and you and I both know that our Flora would never be tempted by those Montgomery boys, no matter how handsome they might be. But appearances do matter. Tongues would surely wag.”