Bewitching Season Read Online Free PDF Page B

briskly
    down London’s busy Oxford Street, the last item on her list of errands completed. Examining Madame
    Gendreau’s sketches and fabrics for the girls’ dresses had taken the most time, and had in its turn
    generated a new list for the next day: visits to purveyors of gloves, fans, and other sundries, to match
    the snippets of fabric in her reticule.
    But Miss Allardyce felt more than equal to the task of organizing wardrobes for Persy and Pen, and
    knew that Lady Parthenope would approve her choices when she arrived in London in a few days.
    She and her employer shared a strong mutual respect, born of their similar managerial abilities and
    efficiency. Pen had been known to refer to them as General Marlborough and General Wellington
    behind their backs, much to Miss Allardyce’s secret amusement.
    Oxford Street was crowded with shoppers scurrying homeward for the coming supper hour. She
    dodged the rude and the oblivious with ruthless politeness while managing to keep her slippers free
    of the worst of the filth of the streets. London did not suit Miss Allardyce’s sense of order and
    decorum; she could not see herself returning to her parents’ home here after leaving the Lelands. A
    position with another country-based family would be preferable.
    But for now, she would enjoy the melancholy pleasure of helping launch her two pupils into
    society. Both girls would do well. They had been apt and obedient students, and Persy in particular
    had shown a real love of learning that had been most gratifying. A pity she would never have a chance
    to display the depth and breadth of her knowledge. And as for their magical abilities …
    Miss Allardyce sighed as she twitched her skirts from the grasp of a grubby street urchin, then
    extracted a penny from her purse for him. She knew well that the girls could never display their
    magical accomplishments to the world. But she was proud to have developed their talent, and proud
    that she had helped form their strong, upright characters. The good Lord knew that many people with
    the talent were not always equally as moral.
    She squelched the sadness that welled, like blood from a cut, when she thought of leaving them.
    There would be time enough to grieve when she actually left. Professional governesses could not
    afford the luxury of too much affection for the children they taught. But then a memory of Pen’s
    stricken face when she mentioned leaving them last week melted her steely resolutions. Dear girls.
    She patted her reticule, which held the letters from them that had arrived in the morning’s post. Pen’s
    had been particularly amusing.
    Dearest Ally,

    Such alarums since you left here last week! Everyone and everything is in a state of
    disruption as we pack for London . Charles mopes about now that the fun of being
    cosseted has worn off and he realizes that coming to town and listening to us talk about
    clothed and parties will be just as bad as listening to us talk about magic. And Persy is a
    total dolt. Let me tell you why.

    Lord Northgalis came for a visit this afternoon, and whom do you think he brought with

    him? Lochinvar, back from his grand tour! he and Chuckles walked in on Persy and me
    dancing in the schoolroom, much to his amusement and poor Persy’s mortification, as
    her hair had come down in our exertions.

    He is much improved by age and travel and had become a very personable young man,
    nothing like the dreadful boy he used to be. I practiced my conversation on him quite
    successfully, I think. Persy sat dumb until he started to describe his visits to some
    Roman ruins in Italy, when she brightened considerably but would not open her mouth.
    He saw her interest too and kept steering conversation around to similar topics, but she
    still would not speak. I was quite out of patience as she would have been better able to
    discuss the topic than I (don’t scold, but I admit I found his gossip of persons and
    foreign customs more fascinating). As