By some stroke of luck, Michael had managed to finish all nine slices of cake and not be sick at the party. The next morning, however, he remained in bed. When Mother inquired as to why he had not come down to breakfast, I fought off a smirk, and simply told her that he had caught a stomach illness at the wedding the day prior.
Father was the first to finish eating, and he glanced over at Elizabeth and I as he stood. "I will be going down to the school today. Would either of you like to come?"
Mother was quick to interject. "Elizabeth will not be going. She is having tea with myself and the Earl today."
Elizabeth looked up from her plate, startled. "I am?"
Lady Baldwin nodded, dabbing at her lips with her napkin. "Yes. He sounded rather eager when I invited him yesterday. I have asked Miss Lancing to help you prepare, as I know you have never dressed for a formal courtship before."
Father frowned, shaking his head slightly. "A courtship, is it? Is it not a bit early to call it such a thing? "
Elizabeth nodded, looking a bit pale. "Yes, Mother. I thought you said it was only tea."
Mother sighed. "Elizabeth, Darling, really. We cannot keep playing this game. Now, your younger sister is stepping out as a debutante, and do you know how humiliating it will be if she is wed before you? People will wonder why that is, and assume something is wrong with you. Then we may never find you a husband, and what shall become of you then?"
Elizabeth stayed quiet. We both knew what would happen. Eventually, Mother and Father would die. The boys would inherit the lands, and while I was sure they would allow us to remain in the house if needed, we would eventually run out of money if we remained unmarried and bringing in no income.
That meant an income would simply have to be brought in, one way or another. Elizabeth would end up a governess herself if she was unwed. While I rather liked the idea, I knew that Elizabeth despised the thought of becoming working-class. She had simply never been raised in a way that made that seem permittable, and it would be seen as a humiliation and failure.
"I can stay, too, if you like," I offered my sister. I was not sure if that would be what she wanted or not- would she prefer I stay for emotional support, or leave so there was one less witness to her embarrassment?
She considered for a moment. "No, you should go. The children love when you visit."
And so it was less than a quarter of an hour later that I was on the carriage with Father, and then another hour before we pulled up just outside of the school. It was a large building- father had built it with the intent of it being used to take orphans and runaways off of the streets and to educate them in order to steer them away from a life of crime.
London was a big city, with many peasant children constantly about, so the school had to be quite large to accommodate all of them. Father also had no credentials to run a school, so an Educator wing was also necessary to house the Headmaster and whatever staff he felt needed to be hired.
When we walked in, there were a few young girls on their hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. A boy was standing on a windowseat, washing a window with a cloth. The Headmaster, whom had been recommended by the Lord Mayor of London himself, was watching them work, and smiled at us as we entered. "Ah, Lord Baldwin, Lady Amelia. How lovely to see you again."
Father shook the Headmaster's hand. "You, as well, Lord Bently. How fare the children?"
Lord Bently nodded towards the children cleaning. "They finished up with their morning lessons and are doing their daily chores. They have their trade lessons this afternoon- the girls will have needlework, and the boys will be sent out to the blacksmith for a lesson."
Father nodded approvingly- his main goal in building this school had been to teach the children basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as skills in tradework so once they graduated from the school they could find work and not simply end up back in the streets. "Excellent. I spoke to Madame Debuire down at the dress shop- she said she will take on and provide boarding for a female apprentice between the age of 12 and 14. Perhaps one of the older girls whom has completed her studies is prepared?"
As they spoke, I edged closer to the little girls scrubbing the floor- they both wore aprons, as I supposed was necessary for chores. Neither girl looked to be older than eight. I waited until the smaller one noticed me and looked up before I spoke. "Hello."
She seemed nervous, glancing between me and Lord Bently. He had not noticed our conversation. "Hello."
"What is your name?"
She swallowed. "Adele, Miss."
I smiled at her, crouching down a bit to get closer to her level. She seemed very nervous, but many of the children at the school had been on the streets because they had been on the run from abusive homes or orphanages. It left them weary and timid. "Hello, Adele. I'm Amelia."
"I..." She hesitated. "Hello. Um... I am not supposed to talk."
I frowned, not understanding, but Lord Bently suddenly laughed from behind me. He came to help me stand upright once more, patting Adele on the head. "The girls can't talk as they do chores- nor during mealtimes. Adele has a million things to say, and will never get her chores done or food eaten otherwise. And that one- Violet- is her older sister. Just as bad with it."
I smiled, recalling all of the times my own sister and I had gotten in trouble in childhood for chatting endlessly during naptime, bedtime, and lessons. "Alright, you can keep working, then. It was nice to meet you. Adele. You as well, Violet."
Violet smiled at me, but Adele was already back at work, seeming to be racing herself to see how fast she could finish the floor.
As usual, Father made his rounds. He checked on the library to make certain all the material he wanted the children to learn was there, and popped into a few of the classrooms to ensure they were tidy and being taken care of. We finally came to the dorms- first the boys' dormitory, and then the girls', as they were kept on opposite sides of the school. While boys and girls were not given lessons together, Father had felt it important that they be kept in the same school and have mealtimes and freetime together, so as to not permanently separate siblings.
There had been a time in my childhood where I had known every, single face in the school by name. But now the children I had grown up with had graduated out of the school, and gone off to work, or some even attended Universisty now. They were much better off because of the school, but it did leave me a bit sad that I knew so little about this new generation of children here. As we passed by children doing their chores and cleaning, I realized I could not assign a name to a single face.
"Everything seems to be in order, as usual, Sir," Father said to Lord Bently, shaking his hand as we made it back to the front door. My eyes again found some of the children who attended the school- the charity school had endless funding, since the richer families had gotten to know many of the street-children from my own generation.
Getting to know myself, Eli, and John had caused many of the Noble families to understand that these street-children were just as any other children, and they had grown sympathetic and started sending in larger and larger donations. As had the other families who simply liked to see the crime rate go down with the young pickpockets and thieves being taken off the streets.
Just as we always did after a visit to the school, Father and I went down to the bakery and bought out all of the scones and cheesebuns. We made our rounds through Main street, offering food to the beggars, and calling any peasant children we saw begging, telling them about the school and pointing them in the direction of it if they wanted to attend.
For many, the thought of a bed and three meals a day was enough for them to set off in search of the building. It was a straight path to the school from Main Street, and if they were still walking about in search of the school as we made our way home, we would just offer them a ride in the carriage and bring them in ourselves.
Once we had made it all the way through Main Street and back, father helped me into the carriage and asked if I would care to take a stroll through the park with him. Though I generally valued the one-on-one time we spent together, I shook my head this time, and he smirked as he caught on- I wanted to go home and hear all of the details from Elizabeth about her tea with the Earl.
When I arrived at the house, I found Elizabeth in our room, seated at the desk near the window. She was writing something, but covered it with a book as I walked in. I did not blame her- it was probably her diary she was writing in. I had gone through a phase in childhood where I had read through her diary at every opportunity, and that had never been fully forgiven.
Instead of asking her about her writing, I plopped down on my bed. "How was tea with the Earl?"
Elizabeth heard the teasing in my tone, and turned sideways in her chair to look at me. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, just to die for. Did you know he owns property that stables horses?"
I laughed- Elizabeth had always been a bit frightened of horses. She stayed away from the front of the carriage, as a result, and always grew weary when I approached to pet the horses. "It's almost like he knows you."
"He'll know me better on Sunday," Elizabeth sighed. "He is coming over again for a midday meal and a stroll. Mother is very insistent on this one. She says he is of good blood."
I frowned. That was a term used often in high society- 'A good man from good blood', or 'Be careful, he comes from bad blood', implying that people were only as good as the families they came from.
Considering I was not born into a noble family, and had been born a peasant, I found that notion rather offensive. Even if Mother never meant it as a jab at me, because she considered me one of her own, the sting whenever she made such a reference was undeniable. My blood was not truly that of nobility.
"Well, at least midday meal is just tea and light foods," I commented, shaking off the negative emotions. I was being too sensitive. "That is far less formal than a dinner."
Elizabeth did not seem cheered up in the least. "I suppose," She said, her twiddling her fingers together nervously. That was new- Elizabeth had never been one to fidget much. "But do you remember who else is to stop by for a midday meal on Sunday?"
It took me a few seconds to recall, and I groaned. The Duke who lived nearby had been invited by Father- and as such, his wife and daughter would surely come as well. I was sure this was an intentional move on Mother's part, a strategic way for the Earl to see that we associated well with notable families.
While the Duke and Duchess were nice enough, their daughter was not. We had never gotten on- in our first meeting, just after I had been adopted, she had called me a street-urchin and I had pounced on her, landing blow after blow until I had been dragged off and whipped. Though they say first impressions are important, and Mother implied that if I would simply be open-minded about Molly I would like her, it was entirely untrue. It had nothing to do with first impressions- the girl was spoiled, arrogant, and entitled.
As such, she was nothing but a nuisance to me.
I exhaled, causing my whole body to deflate a bit as I was sprawled on my stomach. "Perhaps if I go to her house and break her leg, she will not be able to-"
"Amelia," Miss Lancing scolded, entering the room at the very worst possible moment. I quickly sat up, lest she land a lash across my backside or legs in rebuke as she passed.
Leaning back against the headboard, I sent her an innocent smile. "It was only in jest, Miss."
She just raised her eyebrows at me. I ducked my head as she got to work on my hair, taking it down for the evening. "Felix is downstairs," She informed me. Elizabeth stood up, ready to accompany me down. "He shall be joining you for dinner- as will John."
I grinned. I loved dining with them- I had grown up stealing food alongside John and Eli, nibbling on small scraps of bread on the side of the road. It was always a bit surreal to sit beside them as a grand feast was put in front of us. "Excellent! When will John arrive?"
Miss Lancing fought back a smile. "He has been here since before you arrived home from the school. He is in Michael's bedroom."
Elizabeth made her way down to greet Eli as I stomped off to my brother's room. Knocking on the door, I did not wait for permission to enter, and just barged in. Indeed, John was there- he was sitting beside Michael on the sofa near the window. John had a notebook in his hand, while Michael was fiddling about with the lens of his telescope.
"Michael, please tell me you aren't about to look through that in broad daylight," I begged, thinking of how quickly the magnified sunlight would blind him. Then I reached over and smacked John on the back of the head. "And you- not even coming by my room to say hello!"
John rubbed at the back of his head, looking chagrin, but Michael just looked over his shoulder to make a face at me. Though they were twins, it was still so strange how similar he and Elizabeth looked when they sent me that exact same glare.
"Of course not," Michael retorted, going back to adjusting the lens. "There is going to be a meteor shower tonight. We are just preparing."
I sat on the floor near their feet, deciding that there was not enough room between them for me to squeeze in. "May I come watch with you?"
Michael hesitated. "Yes. But do not tell Mother- she will say it is improper for you to be in here after dark with John. But I am chaperoning, so really, there is no threat."
John and Michael shared an amused look I did not quite understand, and I huffed at them. "John and I do not need a chaperone. It is not like that."
My brother reached forward, patting my head patronizingly. "I know, Meli. Hey, go and fetch my sword for me, will you? The spare, as well. John and I wanted to practice."
Once the telescope was ready and pointed in the direction my brother and best friend had deemed appropriate, they stood in the center of the room. For a few minutes, they practiced fencing, and I loathed the fact that I was a girl and had been denied the right to learn such an amusing passtime.
Still, I clapped and laughed and cheered them on, until Mother came to the room the see what all the fuss was about. She scolded us, sending the boys outside with the swords, and telling me to go to my own room and practice my needlework rather than trying to be one of the boys.
But perhaps if girls were not sent to do needlework as boys got to fence, I would not have desired to partake in boyish games. So I fully blamed the society that I had been raised in when my governess walked in, paling when she saw that I had swiped my brother's sword and was battling invisible enemies in my room.
I hurried away as my governess snatched the sword from my hands, knowing full well that the lashing would be severe if I did not make haste. And as I made my way to the gardens, knowing I had only prolonged the consequences rather than avoid them, I decided perhaps it was time to truly try being a Lady.
Just as soon as I was done shouting and jumping about as I cheered on the sword-fight.