Page 56 of An Arranged Betrothal with a Contrite Duke
Miss Carrick blushed.
“We only started that just this morning,” she said. “He and I began a unit on Shakespeare a couple of weeks ago, during a private tutoring session.”
Lydia gave the young boy an approving smile.
“What is your name, darling?” she asked.
He grinned at her.
“Samuel Johnson, my lady,” he said.
Lydia curtseyed to him.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Samuel,” she said.
A little brown-haired girl timidly scooted forward, freezing as soon as Lydia looked up at her. Lydia gave her a gentle smile, motioning her closer. The girl reluctantly complied, looking down at the floor.
“Two plus two is four,” she said softly. “Two times two is four. But two divided by two is one. So is one times one.”
Lydia giggled, clapping again.
“Very good arithmetic, my dear,” she said. “What is your name?”
The little girl blushed and smiled at the praise, and she glanced up at Lydia with hooded eyes.
“Sally Francis,” she said in her soft voice.
Lydia knelt and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, that is very good work,” she said. “You are a very smart little girl.”
Yet another girl squirmed her way to the front of the class. In her hand, she had what looked to be part of a large knitted doily.
“My mama was teaching me embroidery before she died,” she said. “Now, Miss Carrick is helping me to finish what I started when Mama was alive. Oh, and my name is Teresa Johns.”
Lydia’s heart squeezed. The poor child had lost her mother recently. And yet, as she brushed her black hair out of her green eyes, she smiled sweetly up at Lydia.
Lydia smiled down at the girl.
“Well, Teresa,” she said. “That is a very lovely piece. I cannot wait to see it when it’s finished.”
The girl beamed proudly, and Miss Carrick ushered the children back to their seats.
“All right, children,” she said. “I would like you to each pull a piece of stationery from your desks and begin working on your penmanship, please? I would like to speak with Lady Strawbridge for a moment.”
Lydia watched intently as the children complied, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of the children's accomplishments. Their growth was a balm to her wounded heart, and she knew that she had made the right decision in establishing the school.
Once the children were performing their tasks, she joined Miss Carrick over by the back window of the classroom. She smiled at the teacher, impressed at how much progress was being made, even though the official opening wasn’t for another few weeks.
“Miss Carrick, I cannot thank you enough for your dedication to these children,” Lydia said earnestly, her voice wavering with emotion. “I can see that they are truly flourishing under your care.”
Miss Carrick blushed and dipped her head modestly.
“It is my honour and privilege to serve, Miss Lydia,” she said. “These children are our future, and I am committed to helping them achieve their full potential.”
Lydia smiled and nodded.
“There is nothing more important than education, in my opinion,” she said. “I am delighted to see that they are getting such good education here.”
