Elizabeth came into the room carrying a tea tray, she saw that she was in her early thirties.
Introductions were made again and Miss Fielding poured the tea and handed round a plate of dainty cakes. Amelia took one for she guessed that they had been baked especially for their visit. They chatted politely for a while and then Harriet answered Amelia’s previous question.
‘Our parents died when we were very young, Miss Linton,’ she said. ‘I don’t remember my father at all and my mother only slightly. But you remember her, don’t you Elizabeth?’
‘I do.’ She inclined her head. Like her sister she was fair with blue eyes and a slight, fragile frame. Perhaps they don’t eat enough, Amelia thought as she sipped her tea and observed them.
‘Our father died when Harriet was a baby and I was about four. Our mother died when I was eight.’ She glanced at her sister. ‘We have looked after each other since then.’
But who else took care of them, Amelia pondered, and how sad, having no other family; she thought of her own boisterous, happy family, but asked no more questions, it didn’t seem fair to pry into such a sensitive issue.
‘As we have only a small inheritance, we have to make our own living, so we decided to open a school,’ Harriet explained. ‘Elizabeth is very clever, she takes after our father. He was a schoolmaster and ran his own school.’
‘Mother was clever too,’ Elizabeth broke in. ‘She had her own confectionery shop after Father died and was very successful.’ Her face suddenly took on a frozen look and her lips tightened. ‘Would you care for more tea, Mrs Gregory? Miss Linton?’
Amelia was shown the schoolroom, which was across the tiny hall from the parlour. It was not a large room and was divided by a curtain. ‘As you see, Miss Linton,’ said Miss Fielding, ‘we do not have a great deal of room but we manage to take eight pupils. Two of them are fee-paying, which pays the rent, and the other pupils are paid for out of the generosity of benefactors such as Mrs Gregory.’
‘But if you have just the one room, Miss Fielding, will it not be rather crowded with another teacher?’
‘We need three more pupils to make the school pay its way, Miss Linton,’ she replied. ‘Harriet suggested that we could use the parlour for older pupils if we had another teacher, and we could also give piano lessons in there.’ She hesitated. ‘We cannot afford to pay very much, Miss Linton, perhaps expenses and a small salary.’
Amelia glanced at her aunt who raised her eyebrows and gave an imperceptible nod of her head.
‘I realize that there are few teachers who can afford to take such a position as this. Young women who teach for a living are generally quite poor, but I understand that earning your own living is not your prime consideration?’
‘No, it isn’t,’ Amelia said slowly, wondering what tale her aunt had spun. ‘I haven’t taught before and I’m not sure that I would be a very good teacher.’
‘Well we could try each other out! If you could take the new pupils,’ Harriet said eagerly. ‘Read to them, teach them to write and add up simple numbers? Nothing too difficult!’
‘I suppose so,’ she said reluctantly. ‘Perhaps for a week or two until you find someone more suitable. I did tell Mama I would be home to help with Christmas.’
The two Misses Fielding looked wistful. ‘You’re from a large family, Miss Linton?’ Harriet asked. ‘I suppose it is always very merry?’
‘Yes indeed.’ Amelia felt almost ashamed toadmit it. ‘I have two brothers and three sisters, my parents of course and other relatives who live near. We are always a houseful.’
‘Then of course you must go home,’ Miss Fielding said softly. ‘You mustn’t worry about us.’
Amelia pondered as they drove home. ‘Aunt Anna,’ she said, ‘how did that happen? I had no intention of agreeing. And I did not wish to be paid a salary!’
Her aunt smiled. ‘They would not
Introductions were made again and Miss Fielding poured the tea and handed round a plate of dainty cakes. Amelia took one for she guessed that they had been baked especially for their visit. They chatted politely for a while and then Harriet answered Amelia’s previous question.
‘Our parents died when we were very young, Miss Linton,’ she said. ‘I don’t remember my father at all and my mother only slightly. But you remember her, don’t you Elizabeth?’
‘I do.’ She inclined her head. Like her sister she was fair with blue eyes and a slight, fragile frame. Perhaps they don’t eat enough, Amelia thought as she sipped her tea and observed them.
‘Our father died when Harriet was a baby and I was about four. Our mother died when I was eight.’ She glanced at her sister. ‘We have looked after each other since then.’
But who else took care of them, Amelia pondered, and how sad, having no other family; she thought of her own boisterous, happy family, but asked no more questions, it didn’t seem fair to pry into such a sensitive issue.
‘As we have only a small inheritance, we have to make our own living, so we decided to open a school,’ Harriet explained. ‘Elizabeth is very clever, she takes after our father. He was a schoolmaster and ran his own school.’
‘Mother was clever too,’ Elizabeth broke in. ‘She had her own confectionery shop after Father died and was very successful.’ Her face suddenly took on a frozen look and her lips tightened. ‘Would you care for more tea, Mrs Gregory? Miss Linton?’
Amelia was shown the schoolroom, which was across the tiny hall from the parlour. It was not a large room and was divided by a curtain. ‘As you see, Miss Linton,’ said Miss Fielding, ‘we do not have a great deal of room but we manage to take eight pupils. Two of them are fee-paying, which pays the rent, and the other pupils are paid for out of the generosity of benefactors such as Mrs Gregory.’
‘But if you have just the one room, Miss Fielding, will it not be rather crowded with another teacher?’
‘We need three more pupils to make the school pay its way, Miss Linton,’ she replied. ‘Harriet suggested that we could use the parlour for older pupils if we had another teacher, and we could also give piano lessons in there.’ She hesitated. ‘We cannot afford to pay very much, Miss Linton, perhaps expenses and a small salary.’
Amelia glanced at her aunt who raised her eyebrows and gave an imperceptible nod of her head.
‘I realize that there are few teachers who can afford to take such a position as this. Young women who teach for a living are generally quite poor, but I understand that earning your own living is not your prime consideration?’
‘No, it isn’t,’ Amelia said slowly, wondering what tale her aunt had spun. ‘I haven’t taught before and I’m not sure that I would be a very good teacher.’
‘Well we could try each other out! If you could take the new pupils,’ Harriet said eagerly. ‘Read to them, teach them to write and add up simple numbers? Nothing too difficult!’
‘I suppose so,’ she said reluctantly. ‘Perhaps for a week or two until you find someone more suitable. I did tell Mama I would be home to help with Christmas.’
The two Misses Fielding looked wistful. ‘You’re from a large family, Miss Linton?’ Harriet asked. ‘I suppose it is always very merry?’
‘Yes indeed.’ Amelia felt almost ashamed toadmit it. ‘I have two brothers and three sisters, my parents of course and other relatives who live near. We are always a houseful.’
‘Then of course you must go home,’ Miss Fielding said softly. ‘You mustn’t worry about us.’
Amelia pondered as they drove home. ‘Aunt Anna,’ she said, ‘how did that happen? I had no intention of agreeing. And I did not wish to be paid a salary!’
Her aunt smiled. ‘They would not
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