Page 18 of A Lesson in Propriety (Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies #1)

Eighteen

Words suddenly seemed difficult to come by, which was exactly why Drusilla found herself all but gaping at Wilhelmine, a direct result of the fact that Rhenick Whittenbecker, a gentleman who most assuredly attracted more than his fair share of feminine attention since he was a more than handsome man, had evidently told his mother he’d lost his senses because of her.

No gentleman had ever come close to losing their senses when they were in her presence. In all honesty, more than a few gentlemen hadn’t even realized she was in their vicinity, a circumstance brought about because she was one of those women men didn’t bother giving a second look to or even a second thought, for that matter.

It was a novel experience, being told a man had lost his head because of her, that condition evidently responsible for why Rhenick had decided they’d have to marry, and with all due haste.

There was a part of her that wanted to immediately dismiss what Wilhelmine had disclosed as pure fabrication. But another part of her, the part that couldn’t ignore the current look on Rhenick’s face—the one that suggested he was hoping a very large hole would open up at his feet so he could jump into it and escape a more than embarrassing situation—wanted to dwell on the idea that she might have, for the first time in her life, caused a man to lose all sense of reason.

The question of the hour now, of course, was ... why?

The answer to that question certainly couldn’t be because she’d been looking her best when Rhenick first saw her, not when she’d been traveling all day and had to have been looking haggard from the stress of the move, as well as the fact she’d been being held at gunpoint.

Her lips suddenly began curving when the pieces of Why would Rhenick lose his senses around me? took that moment to fall neatly into place.

“Should I take the fact that you’re now smiling as a sign that you’re willing to let bygones be bygones with Rhenick and put his ridiculous proposal aside once and for all?” Wilhelmine asked, drawing Drusilla from her thoughts.

She found herself nodding before she could stop herself.

“And you’ll also forgive him his lapse in sanity because you’re quite accustomed to gentlemen losing their heads around you?” Wilhelmine pressed.

Drusilla’s nodding came to a rapid end. “Gentlemen don’t make it a habit to lose their heads around me, but I’ll forgive your son’s lapse in sanity because I believe I’ve just figured out why he lost his head in the first place.” She turned to Rhenick. “You obviously formed a misimpression of me, which then resulted with you coming to the erroneous conclusion that you were instantly smitten.”

He gave his jaw a rub. “Why would you think I wasn’t instantly smitten?”

“Because you were smitten by a fabrication—a lady you assumed was one who laughed in the face of danger because I wasn’t descending into a fit of the vapors simply because Norbert was holding me at rifle-point.” She smiled. “I assure you, I’m not that type of lady.”

“But you weren’t suffering from even a hint of the vapors as you faced Norbert down.”

“A woman in my position doesn’t have the luxury of suffering vapors, Mr. Whittenbecker. I have to embrace a pragmatic attitude these days, and that attitude was telling me at that particular time that I had no choice but to take control of the situation, as I had nowhere else to go with my family.”

Rhenick tilted his head. “So if I’m understanding you correctly, you believe that the only reason I lost my head and then suggested we marry is because I mistook you for an extraordinary lady when you’re telling me you’re nothing of the sort?”

“Exactly.”

His brows drew together. “I’m afraid I can’t agree with that.”

Her smile widened. “Well, of course you can’t because I’m sure you think that admitting to me that I’m not extraordinary would hurt my tender feminine sensibilities.”

“It would hurt anyone’s sensibilities,” he pointed out.

“I’m not that delicate. But since I now have a better grasp about why you suggested marriage in the first place, I’m going to suggest we put that unfortunate incident behind us and begin anew, but only if you agree to never broach the topic of marriage with me again.”

Rhenick opened his mouth, but before he could get an agreement out of it, Norbert came huffing up the drive with Ernie, his mutt of undetermined parentage, loping along beside him. He stopped a few feet away from Drusilla, looked her up and down, and frowned.

“Everything all right with you, Miss Merriweather?” he asked.

“I’ve suffered a raven attack, so things have been better, but Mrs. Whittenbecker is setting me to rights, so I believe I’ll live.”

“Ravens got into the castle?”

“They came down through the chimney when I was trying to clean it.”

“Don’t know why you’d be cleaning the chimney when you have me around,” Norbert said.

“If I’d have known how tricky it was going to turn, I might have at least asked you to hold the ladder for me, although perhaps not, as it’s more important for you to guard the front gate.”

“We can always send Riley down to man the gate if you need some tasks taken care of inside the castle since he’s a stableboy and we only have my one horse and Miss Ottilie’s contrary donkey, Moe, both of which I take care of,” Norbert pointed out. “But speaking of the front gate, thought you should know that I’ve been turning away men left and right today—two of them being on the concerning side because one of them was here at the bequest of Giacomo Caggianni, a leader in Chicago’s underworld, and the other was sent here by Umberto Zambarello.” Norbert tilted his head. “To be fair to Umberto, rumor has it that he’s turned legitimate on account that he wants to set a better example for his five daughters.”

“So I shouldn’t be as concerned about Umberto as that Giacomo Caggianni fellow?”

Norbert took a second to give Ernie a scratch behind the ears. “I wouldn’t think Umberto’s any less of a threat given that he’s going to have to marry off those five daughters of his. Since they’re known to be a handful, he’s going to need a fortune to succeed with that, and everyone knows your property will turn into a gold mine for whoever acquires it. I suppose desperate fathers are just as dangerous as members of the underworld, especially ones who used to be a part of that world.”

Wilhelmine took that moment to stop the dabbing she’d been doing and caught Drusilla’s eye. “Norbert has just made a most excellent point, but know that I might be able to assist you with avoiding the antics of desperate men. However, before I explain further, I should probably explain how it came about that Rhenick and I were able to breach an impregnable gate since I certainly don’t want you to think Norbert might have been shirking his duties.”

Norbert shook his head. “No need to explain on my behalf, Mrs. Whittenbecker. Miss Merriweather surely already realizes that I’m a trusted employee who’d never shirk my duties, something her aunt was well aware of.” He turned to Drusilla. “With that settled, know that I didn’t hesitate to allow the Whittenbeckers through the gate, even though you’d been clear about your dislike of Rhenick, because he was in the company of his mother. Mrs. Whittenbecker and I attend the same church together, that being the Church of the Epiphany, and she’s known for always lending a helping hand.”

“And you let her through because you thought she wanted to lend me that hand?” Drusilla asked.

“Indeed, although I was in full agreement with Rhenick that she wait before following him up the drive, just in case you brought out one of those weapons Miss Seraphina unearthed after you caught sight of a man you recently chased away.” He settled a warm smile on Wilhelmine. “Before I forget, though, allow me to say how thankful everyone was when you offered to play the organ last week during the service after the good reverend found himself once again without anyone available.”

Wilhelmine winced. “I’m not certain how thankful everyone was as I readily admit I’m heavy-handed with the keys. Poor Reverend Michaelson was all but forced to bellow out the hymn I was attempting to play in the hopes he could drown out my abysmal rendition of that song.”

Norbert shook his head. “You know Reverend Michaelson always belts out those hymns, and not just in an attempt to drown out whoever is sitting at the organ, but also to drown out the less-than-harmonious voices of the choir.”

“It’s a sad day when he’s forced to rely on my dreadful musical talents for any given service, which, in a roundabout way”—she turned to Drusilla—“brings me to the reason why I’m paying you a visit.”

“You wanted to inquire if my mother, my sister, or I can play a musical instrument?” Drusilla asked.

“Not exactly, although I’m sure all of you are proficient with a variety of musical instruments as it’s my understanding that ladies from New York high society are taught from birth to be proficient in the feminine arts.” Wilhelmine smiled. “I’m actually here to discuss that academy Rhenick mentioned you want to open and what your goal is with that academy.”

“Our main goal will be to effectively teach lessons in propriety.”

“And what would lessons in propriety actually entail?”

“I haven’t created a syllabus just yet,” Drusilla admitted. “But we’d definitely spend the first few months devoting ourselves to instructing students on the basics. Those would include proper decorum, composure, table etiquette, the art of conversation, and other social graces young ladies need to have a grasp of, such as watercolors, vocal lessons, and an introduction to a variety of musical instruments.”

Wilhelmine was beaming a smile Drusilla’s way a heartbeat later. “That was exactly what I was hoping you’d say, which means I can now finally get around to that business proposition Rhenick and I have come to offer you.”

“A ... business proposition?” Drusilla asked.

“Indeed, and one that I admit is rather self-serving, as I have three daughters who’ve yet to reach their majority, all of whom would benefit from more than a little instruction in the etiquette department.”

“I thought you said you have four daughters.”

“I do, but Tilda, the eldest, is already married. However, it’s because of her that I came up with my business proposal for you.” Wilhelmine took a second to reach out and dab at some lingering soot on the side of Drusilla’s neck. “Tilda, I’ll have you know, was fortunate to meet and marry a man she truly loves, and one who’s rather affluent. Because of that affluence, my son-in-law was invited to dine with the Vanderbilts in New York. Poor Tilda, even though I provided her with an etiquette instructor before she made her debut, although not one who had much of an etiquette résumé since decorum teachers are few and far between in Chicago, found herself ill at ease during the dinner since she didn’t know how to navigate her way through such an extravagant meal.”

Drusilla leaned a little to the right, probably because his mother now seemed to be putting some elbow grease into the whole dabbing business. “May I assume you’d like to hire me to teach your daughters proper etiquette, as well as perhaps teach them how to play the piano or organ so your minister can stop belting out the hymns?”

Wilhelmine paused with her dabbing. “I have something a little grander in mind, and something that will also help all the families who are in similar situations prepare their daughters for futures that could see them comfortably settling into some of the most prestigious households in Chicago, if not the country.”

“I must say you’ve captured my full attention now.”

“I would hope so,” Wilhelmine returned. “So allow me to get straight to the point. What Rhenick and I would like to propose is this: Whittenbecker and Company will provide everything you need, including materials and labor, to get your castle in tip-top shape.”

Drusilla blinked. “That’s very generous.”

“Not when you take into account that I mentioned it’s a rather self-serving proposition ... and that I will need you to agree to a few teeny little conditions before we move forward.”

“Such as?”

Wilhelmine gave a breezy wave of a hand. “They aren’t anything drastic, simply things like how we need to coordinate our efforts so that you’ll be able to open the academy within the month.”

Another blink was Drusilla’s first response to that. “I’m sorry, but did you say you want the academy opened within a month—as in thirty days?”

“Time is of the essence, dear, given that there are many a young lady, one of mine included, who’ll be wanting to make a debut within the year. But don’t fret that opening in a month is an impossible feat—not when I’ll also be providing you with the full support of my domestic staff.” She gave Drusilla’s forehead another dab. “I do feel compelled to disclose that my staff will need a bit of direction at first since many of them are relatively new to their positions, but I’m sure your housekeeper will be more than up for the task of taking them in hand.”

Irma took that moment to clear her throat. “I’m afraid we no longer have a housekeeper, as Mrs. Donaldson accepted a position with the Fish family two days after we learned our fortune was missing. With that said, though, our butler, Mr. Grimsby, will be perfectly capable of directing your staff, although he can be rather gruff at times, which might leave your staff unwilling to work with him.”

Wilhelmine smiled. “My staff is made up of people who used to work in steel mills, shirtwaist factories, and even slaughterhouses. I assure you, they’ll find taking direction from your butler to be a walk in the park.”

Irma’s forehead took to puckering. “But if you lend us the use of your staff, you’re going to be shorthanded with running your own house.”

“My house is always shorthanded even with a full staff, but you’ll understand why once they turn up here—if your daughter agrees to my proposal.”

With that, Wilhelmine directed an expectant gaze on Drusilla.

“It’s a more than generous proposition you’ve presented me with,” Drusilla began, “but even if we were able to whip the castle into shape within a month, I highly doubt we’d be able to get word out regarding the new academy, which means we might be capable of opening our doors, but there will be relatively few young ladies walking through them.”

Wilhelmine’s lips curved. “There’s no need to concern yourself with getting any word out because I’ve already taken the liberty of reaching out to the mothers of my daughters’ friends.” Her eyes began to sparkle. “I’m sure you’ll be delighted to learn that I’ve been able to comprise a list over the past two days of fifty-seven young ladies who are clamoring to be accepted into your new school. All you need to do to seal our business arrangement is to assure me that you, unlike the schools many of us here in Chicago have petitioned to get our daughters enrolled into, will accept every young lady I send to you, no matter if other schools deemed them unacceptable and refused to allow them entrance into their hallowed midst, normally for the ridiculous reason of an insufficient pedigree.”

“I’m sure I wouldn’t be opposed to any of the young ladies you’d send my way, but before we get into that ...” Drusilla frowned. “Did you say fifty-seven young ladies already want to attend the academy?”

“I did.” Wilhelmine’s eyes took to sparkling more than ever. “Although I probably should have added and counting .”