Prelude for a Lord Read Online Free PDF Page B

no,” Alethea said.
    “I assume Aunt Ebena has not funds to hire a governess, so her schooling must fall to you.”
    Alethea coughed. “Me? But . . . I haven’t the faintest idea where to begin.”
    “Surely Margaret brought some school books with her?”
    “None except an atlas that had belonged to her father and several books of published journals from personages who have travelled to various parts of the world.”
    “So . . . no French or history?”
    “No. I must teach her French?” Alethea felt panic begin to set in.
    “And not only book learning, but she must learn to sew, paint, and play music.” Lucy ticked off the items on her fingers. “And above all, genteel deportment.”
    Alethea steered them away from the obelisk at the centre of the gardens. “Are you hungry? I am hungry. Let’s go have tea.” Anxiety always made her want to eat.
    “Where is Margaret this morning?” Lucy looked vastly entertained by Alethea’s discomposure.
    “She had nothing fit to wear to church. Her clothes are too small for her, and apparently she spent a great deal of time roaming the woods near her Aunt Nancy’s home.”
    A choked sound came from Lucy that sounded suspiciously like a snort.
    Alethea ignored her and continued, “Aunt Ebena wouldn’tallow her to attend church in a muddy petticoat. So, this morning Mrs. Dodd is teaching her to bake a cake.”
    “Good. If she is like you, she will eat vast amounts of food.”
    Alethea halted in the middle of the path. “I do not eat vast amounts of food.” She might need a bit of extra nourishment because of her active nature, but surely not vast amounts.
    “To be fair, as a child, you spent a prodigious time out of doors, escaping your governesses.” Lucy gave her a toothy smile.
    “As I recall, I often visited you and your mother.”
    “Unlike you, I would have welcomed a governess with open arms. And now you will need to become one.” Lucy sounded positively gleeful.
    Alethea continued walking out of the gardens and across the street. Her eye sought out her aunt’s door, a gold colour slightly darker than the Bath stones of the building. However, that uncomfortable prickling sensation at the base of her neck had her rubbing it roughly, and then a furtive shadow just at the edge of her bonnet made her turn toward the corner of the square.
    Church-goers had filled the streets, walking and conversing, and Alethea did not recognize all of them. How to know if she was imagining things or if someone had been watching her?
    “What is it?” Lucy asked.
    Alethea didn’t answer, but hurried to the low, arched doorway to her home. The butler opened the door to her, and Alethea didn’t breathe easier until it closed behind them. “Tea in the sitting room, please,” she said to the butler.
    “What has upset you?” Lucy persisted as they entered the sitting room. The old-fashioned furniture, its shabbiness enhanced by the faded burgundy and blue colours, today appeared soothing and safe.
    Alethea sank into a rickety chair. “I think someone was watching me at the marketplace a few days ago.”

    “Watching you?” Lucy dropped onto the settee.
    “I’m not certain. I had a peculiar feeling.” She explained what had happened, pausing only when the butler entered with a tea tray.
    After he’d left, Lucy said, “I’ve told you that you shouldn’t be doing the marketing for the cook. The marketplace is not safe for you.”
    “It is safe for you —”
    “You and I, no matter how you pretend differently, are not the same.” Lucy stared hard at her sister, her face and dark eyes making Alethea almost feel she were staring at a mirror. Except she was certain she never looked at herself like a recalcitrant child as Lucy did to her now.
    Alethea gave a cup of tea to Lucy. “Mrs. Dodd is grateful for the help when her rheumatism is acting up. And she makes sure I get extra seed cakes with my tea.”
    “What were you saying earlier about not eating much?” Lucy