Page 55 of The School Mistress (Emerson Pass Historicals 1)

I locked the schoolhouse door and joined the children in the sleigh.

We were all quiet as we headed down Main Street toward Lord Barnes’s office. Even the Barnes children were tired after a long week of school. The Johnson girls were already at work in their father’s shop and waved to us as we drove by. I spotted Isak sweeping the floor of the tailor shop. His father was bent over his work, sewing something by hand. We passed by the apothecary and the Higgins Brothers Butcher. A few men in the barbershop were playing checkers while Mr. Carter gave a man a shave.

The cloud cover was close and gray. By the time we pulled up in front of Lord Barnes’s office, large, fat flakes fell from the sky.

He must have been waiting for us because the moment we stopped, he came out the side door of the building looking dashing in his black coat and fedora. “Hello, family,” he said.

The children all called out to him as he climbed in next to me.

“Miss Cooper, how was your day?”

“Quite fine, thank you. And yours?”

“Better now.” Lord Barnes winked at me as he tucked the blankets around my lap. “What more could a man ask for than this?”

I brushed a snowflake from my cheek, unsure what he meant.

He leaned close and whispered in my ear. “A sleigh ride home next to the prettiest woman in town.”

“Lord Barnes!” I whispered back, pretending to be horrified by his boldness.

“All I do is speak the truth, Miss Cooper.”

Flustered, I turned away to watch the flakes of snow dance in the frosty air and smiled to myself. If he only knew how my heart raced in his presence or how I longed for a kiss. What was happening to me?

When I woke the next morning, the sky was a vibrant blue. Two new feet of snow sparkled like tiny crystals under the sun. Hearing the voices of children, I washed and dressed quickly and went to round them up for breakfast. Flynn and Cymbeline were already up and gone outside to play, Josephine informed me when I entered the girls’ bedroom. “On Saturdays, the staff has the day off, which means we take care of the animals and our own meals.” She sat sideways on the window seat behind Fiona. They wore plain gray dresses with drop waists. Josephine used a soft-bristled brush to comb out tangles in her little sister’s hair. A white bow lay in wait.

“You’re both such big girls to get yourselves dressed and ready for the day,” I said.

“Jojo helps me,” Fiona said, then winced as a particularly stubborn tangle met the brush.

“Sorry, pet,” Josephine said. “You must have been wild in your sleep last night.”

Fiona grinned. “Miss Quinn, one time I fell out of the bed.”

“She was lucky not to break something.” The knot out, Josephine tied the bow around Fiona’s curls.

“Papa said I bounce,” Fiona said.

Josephine popped from the window seat and smoothed her skirts. “We’re ready now.”

“Would you like to meet our pigs?” Fiona asked.

“You have pigs?” I lifted Fiona off the window seat and gave her a kiss on top of her head before setting her on her feet.

“Baby ones.” Fiona’s voice wobbled. “They’ll get killed after they’re fat.”

“Fiona likes bacon but doesn’t care to think where it comes from.” Josephine gave her sister an indulgent smile.

“I understand completely,” I said.

“They have curly tails,” Fiona said. “And pink noses that make funny sniffing noises.

”

Fiona kept hold of my hand as we went down the stairs to the main floor. Ironically, the scent of bacon greeted us the moment we stepped into the dining room. Lord Barnes and Theo were already seated at the table. The elder Barnes read from a newspaper and Theo from a book. They both looked up and said good morning. Jasper stood watch.

“I let the other two eat and go out,” Lord Barnes said. “I hoped just this once we could skip the prayer.”