Read Online 108. An Archangel Called Ivan by Barbara Cartland - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Barbara Cartland
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boy, whose name was Johnnie, replied to her, “but we are not allowed to touch them.”
“But you cannot read a book without touching it,” Arliva said, “and I want you to find me lots of books about horses as well as about the other subjects I will teach you.”
“What sort of subjects?” the girls asked.
“When I was your age,” Arliva said, “I used to pretend I was going with my Papa in a ship all round the world and, until he could take me, I used to look up places I wanted to visit in books and find pictures of them.”
She paused for a moment as if she was thinking back before she continued,
“Then when Papa came home I used to ask him to take me there – and he did!”
“Our father is dead and Grandpapa’s far too old.” Johnnie sighed.
Arliva smiled sympathetically.
“But I am here and perhaps your grandfather will let me take you in a big ship one day which will be very very exciting and I will tell you all about it.”
“Do tell me now,” one of the little twins implored, whose name was Rosie.
“I will tell you what I want to do first,” Arliva said, “but you must come with me to help me. I have asked Mrs. Lewis to give us rooms downstairs so that we don’t have to come up so many stairs. Besides you are all too old for a nursery now that you have me instead of a Nanny.”
“I miss Nanny,” the other little girl, called Daisy, said.
She looked so like her twin, except that she was a little thinner.
Arliva guessed that she was the weaker of the three children and so should have more attention.
“Let’s go downstairs and see if they have decided to give us rooms in one of the wings,” Arliva suggested. “I am sure it’s bad for us to waste our time up here when we might be doing more exciting things in other parts of the house.”
“We are not really allowed in the other parts of the house,” Johnnie murmured.
“That’s all in the past,” Arliva assured him. “We are now starting a new life together and you must behave in quite a different way from how you did while you were in the nursery.”
“You mean we have grown older?” Johnnie asked.
“And wiser of course. Come on, if we don’t get our own way now, it will be more difficult tomorrow.”
She led the way downstairs and found, as she had expected, the butler and the housekeeper were just coming from the West wing of the house towards the centre of it.
“Have you found a new schoolroom for us?” Arliva enquired.
“We’ve found one,” Evans replied, “but I am just hoping that you’ll not do it any harm.”
“You need not worry at all as we will treat it with the greatest respect,” Arliva said, “just as I want these girls and the boy who are no longer children, to be treated as students.”
She was smiling as she spoke and the housekeeper gave a laugh.
“Well you’re a one for thinkin’ up new ideas,” she said. “It never struck us that the nursery was out of date, so to speak, and that Master Johnnie should move down because he’s growin’ up.”
Johnnie laughed.
“When I get to the ground floor,” he said, “or the cellar, I will be old like Grandpapa!”
“I hope you reach them long before that,” Arliva told him. “Now come along, let’s see what our schoolroom is like before we have a great deal to learn in it.”
Johnnie and the two girls ran ahead.
Evans, determined to be in on the act, hurried after them and opened a door at the end of the passage.
It was indeed a vast improvement, Arliva thought, on the nursery.
It had been furnished as a boudoir for someone who was staying in this part of the house. It smelt a little musty as did the bedrooms that had obviously not been opened or used for a very long time.
“These will do us just beautifully and thank you for being so understanding and so sensible,” Arliva enthused.
She knew that the way she spoke pleased both the butler and the housekeeper.
Evans smiled at her before he replied,
“Well, miss,
“But you cannot read a book without touching it,” Arliva said, “and I want you to find me lots of books about horses as well as about the other subjects I will teach you.”
“What sort of subjects?” the girls asked.
“When I was your age,” Arliva said, “I used to pretend I was going with my Papa in a ship all round the world and, until he could take me, I used to look up places I wanted to visit in books and find pictures of them.”
She paused for a moment as if she was thinking back before she continued,
“Then when Papa came home I used to ask him to take me there – and he did!”
“Our father is dead and Grandpapa’s far too old.” Johnnie sighed.
Arliva smiled sympathetically.
“But I am here and perhaps your grandfather will let me take you in a big ship one day which will be very very exciting and I will tell you all about it.”
“Do tell me now,” one of the little twins implored, whose name was Rosie.
“I will tell you what I want to do first,” Arliva said, “but you must come with me to help me. I have asked Mrs. Lewis to give us rooms downstairs so that we don’t have to come up so many stairs. Besides you are all too old for a nursery now that you have me instead of a Nanny.”
“I miss Nanny,” the other little girl, called Daisy, said.
She looked so like her twin, except that she was a little thinner.
Arliva guessed that she was the weaker of the three children and so should have more attention.
“Let’s go downstairs and see if they have decided to give us rooms in one of the wings,” Arliva suggested. “I am sure it’s bad for us to waste our time up here when we might be doing more exciting things in other parts of the house.”
“We are not really allowed in the other parts of the house,” Johnnie murmured.
“That’s all in the past,” Arliva assured him. “We are now starting a new life together and you must behave in quite a different way from how you did while you were in the nursery.”
“You mean we have grown older?” Johnnie asked.
“And wiser of course. Come on, if we don’t get our own way now, it will be more difficult tomorrow.”
She led the way downstairs and found, as she had expected, the butler and the housekeeper were just coming from the West wing of the house towards the centre of it.
“Have you found a new schoolroom for us?” Arliva enquired.
“We’ve found one,” Evans replied, “but I am just hoping that you’ll not do it any harm.”
“You need not worry at all as we will treat it with the greatest respect,” Arliva said, “just as I want these girls and the boy who are no longer children, to be treated as students.”
She was smiling as she spoke and the housekeeper gave a laugh.
“Well you’re a one for thinkin’ up new ideas,” she said. “It never struck us that the nursery was out of date, so to speak, and that Master Johnnie should move down because he’s growin’ up.”
Johnnie laughed.
“When I get to the ground floor,” he said, “or the cellar, I will be old like Grandpapa!”
“I hope you reach them long before that,” Arliva told him. “Now come along, let’s see what our schoolroom is like before we have a great deal to learn in it.”
Johnnie and the two girls ran ahead.
Evans, determined to be in on the act, hurried after them and opened a door at the end of the passage.
It was indeed a vast improvement, Arliva thought, on the nursery.
It had been furnished as a boudoir for someone who was staying in this part of the house. It smelt a little musty as did the bedrooms that had obviously not been opened or used for a very long time.
“These will do us just beautifully and thank you for being so understanding and so sensible,” Arliva enthused.
She knew that the way she spoke pleased both the butler and the housekeeper.
Evans smiled at her before he replied,
“Well, miss,
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