Page 60 of A Lady's Past
“You had better stop loitering and get on, then. We do not wish our guests to think you lax in your studies.” How she managed not to grin or laugh was a mystery.
Crane and Wallace bowed, and all arms and legs, ran down the hall with their black coats flapping behind them.
Diana hid a giggle behind her hand. “They are quite curious.”
“We do not get many female visitors here, Miss MacLeod. Please accept my apologies for the boys.” Mrs. Fallcraft opened the door to her left and they stepped into a room that might have been transported from a fairy tale.
Where the hallway had been stone, this room had been covered in a light blue damask wallpaper with an elegant rose pattern. It was feminine, but not so much that a man would be uncomfortable in the room. The sturdy overstuffed furniture would bring comfort to any soul needing a soft place to rest, and the light scent of fruity tobacco reminded Diana of Lord Rupert Everton and the way Everton House had given her comfort. Large windows overlooked the garden they’d just left, and books lined one wall. A small writing desk sat in the corner, but the bulk of the room was taken up by a pianoforte and seating for conversation. Diana waved off the apology. “This is lovely.”
“My sanctuary away from boys and men. Once a week, I invite two or three of the students to have tea with me. It’s become a tradition and strangely, they all covet the invitation. The rest of the time, I can come in here to write letters, play the pianoforte, and relax before bed, and the sound of rambunctious boys is left outside.” She settled into a large chair as if it were a throne.
Diana and Honoria sat adjacent to her on a deep couch. Diana toyed with a gold fringe at the edge of the dark blue fabric. “I imagine a small refuge is needed with so much energy around you all the time.”
Honoria clapped her hands and laughed. “If it were me, I would never leave this room. I can’t imagine how you run such a large school on your own.”
A maid arrived with tea and Diana wondered how she had known to bring it. They had not seen Mrs. Fallcraft call for refreshments. The woman was fascinating.
“I have help from five teachers employed by the school. Occasionally, I ask a former student to help, depending on the problems that arise. I have been raising and teaching boys for so many years, it is all I know.” She poured the tea and handed each of them a cup and saucer.
The tea service was all white without painted flowers or vines. It was perfectly practical for a lady who ran a boarding school, and the rich tea warmed Diana’s insides. “May I ask you something that is none of my business, madam?”
“Are you in love with one of the Horsemen?” Excitement flashed in Mrs. Fallcraft’s eyes.
Honoria laughed. “I think I could fall in love with all four of them.”
Trying to give Honoria a scathing look, Diana was so amused, it probably looked more comical than scolding. “No. Not a Horseman. I was wondering what you would be willing to divulge about Mr. Laurent.”
The fire eased from Mrs. Fallcraft’s eyes, but her smile remained. “I see. Well, Jacques was never a student here. He did visit each summer with his parents when they were in England. He was a lighthearted youth who thought his father the beginning and the end of all things. He and Middleton have been friends since birth, as their fathers met here at Buckrose. I have only seen him a handful of times as an adult, but whenever he is in this area, he makes a point to visit. I’m sorry, I don’t know what you want to know.”
Diana put her tea down. “I’m not sure myself. I suppose I need to know if he’s a good man or just charming. He wants to help me, but perhaps he just has some need to assign himself to a lost cause.”
Tapping the edge of her teacup with her index finger, Mrs. Fallcraft watched Diana over the cup’s rim. “I would not wish to gossip, but I can see you are in earnest, Miss MacLeod. Jacques’s adoration for the women in his life nearly landed his head in a basket in front of the Bastille. He is not given to random affairs, as far as I am aware. I have never heard of any untoward news or behavior about him. He is charming, that is true. He has a way of making everyone in the room more comfortable, but I believe he is genuine in his desire to help those around him. And he does like to find a lost cause and repair the damage. It is why he and Middleton have gotten on so well; they are so different.”
“I don’t understand.” Diana had not noticed a large difference between the two friends. Middleton was a duke, so naturally he had a higher sense of importance. Though for a man of power, Middleton was fairly humble.
“Preston Knowles is as serious a man as I have ever known. He has a set idea of how things should be. If he sees something wrong, he fixes it, with authority. He would not know how to have fun were it not for his friendship with Jacques Laurent. And for his part, Jacques would not have such a deep need to right every wrong. I cannot tell you if Jacques is in love with you, but he is a man of honor.”
“I didn’t mean to question his honor. Forgive me. I suppose I am afraid of being hurt.” Diana picked her tea up off the table and sipped, using the china as a shield.
Mrs. Fallcraft nodded. “I understand, my dear, but love is always a risk.”
“Hear, hear!” said Honoria.
“It seems as though I shall never find a safe haven such as this.” Diana couldn’t stop the low sigh that pushed from her chest.
“Pish. Safety is boring.” Honoria sipped the last of her tea and put her cup down with a snap.
Laughing, Mrs. Fallcraft put her cup down as well. “Her ladyship is correct. When I came here, I was barely twenty and already widowed. My parents planned to wait out my mourning period and marry me off to some rich old man. I couldn’t bear the idea, so I ran with what fortune was left to me. Bad weather forced me off the road to this abandoned castle, where I found two young boys who had also run away. They were twelve years old and had come all the way from Eton. Together we built this school with the help of the earl who’d left the property vacant. The Earl of Buckrose had to do quite a lot of legal work to change his entailment and give this place to the school. It has not always been easy, but here it still stands. It has been quite the adventure. I know that if you are under my Horsemen’s protection, you have been through a lot. Take the advice of an old woman. Do not let the bad that has befallen you close you off to the good that awaits.”
It was perhaps the sagest advice Diana would ever receive. “I hope I can take your advice and have as wondrous a life as you, ma’am.
* * *
Diana dressed in a yellow gown for dinner. Its low-cut neckline was far more revealing than she was used to, but she admired herself in the glass before she went down, and thought how nice it was to look like a real lady.
The way Jacques looked up at her from the bottom of the stairs made any momentary worry over her gown disappear. His admiration sucked all the air out of the room, and Diana had to remind herself to breathe.
“You are stunning,” he said, offering his arm for escort into dinner. “Why did you not join us in the parlor before dinner?”
