The Governess Club: Claire Read Online Free PDF

Claire entered the room with a freshly washed Miss Allison, the other two girls following behind. Noticing the boys still in their seats, he cleared his throat and got their attention. “Stand up, gentlemen.”
    The twins obeyed, starting to scramble toward the table, where Lucy was setting up cooked tea. Jacob managed to grab both boys by their collars and held them firmly, making the struggles futile.
    “Let me go!” Peter demanded, but Jacob simply watched the girls and Claire take their places. Once they were settled, Jacob shook the boys slightly. “What was that for?” Michael asked, disgruntled. “You said to stand, so we did. Why did you grab us?”
    “You were not standing in order to go to the table,” Jacob said in a calm but firm voice. “Ladies had entered the room. Gentlemen do not sit so long as ladies have entered the room and not yet taken a seat.”
    The twins were bewildered. “Ladies? Where?” Jacob nodded his head in the direction of the table. “They’re not ladies,” Peter scoffed. “They’re girls!”
    Jacob moved toward the table and took his seat at the head of it, opposite Claire at the foot. The boys followed. “They are ladies because they are the daughters of a lord, just as being the sons of a lord makes you gentlemen.”
    “Ladies do not stick out their tongues, Miss Mary,” Claire admonished. Lucy began serving the plates as Claire poured the weak tea.
    “But they said we were girls,” she protested.
    “Did they lie? Are you not a girl?”
    “But—”
    “No buts. If you want your brothers to see you as a lady, you must act as one.”
    “The same goes for you,” Jacob told the twins. “There is more to being a gentleman than to whom you were born. It is a behavior that you learn; it is how you treat others. One of those behaviors is to show respect to ladies by standing when they enter a room and not sitting until they do.”
    “I don’t understand why that shows respect,” Peter grumbled. He glared at his sweet bun, tearing small bits off it.
    “Nevertheless, it is something you must do if you want people to respect you.” Jacob said. He caught Claire’s eye and held it as he added, “Besides, there are more ladies in the room than you realize.”
    Claire’s eyes widened in surprise at his comment and a slight flush covered her cheeks. Jacob’s eyes were drawn to that small bit of color, basking in the effect of his compliment. Had no one ever called her that?
    “Excuse me,” Claire said, rising from the table. “I will see if Lucy needs any help.” Her voice lacked her usual confident briskness, another sign that Jacob’s comment had unsettled her. She left the room in a quick rustle of skirts.
    “Do we have to stand every time they do as well?” Peter’s moan brought attention to how Jacob had stood. The twins gave long-suffering sighs but followed suit.
    “What do the girls do for us?” Michael demanded. “They get all the good stuff. I saw Papa give Mama a set of pearls, and all she did was kiss him.” A dramatic shudder accompanied his comment.
    “That’s what girls are supposed to do,” Mary chimed in. “That’s where babies come from.” She said this with an air of superior knowledge.
    “Eww, that’s disgusting,” Peter said.
    “I’m never kissing a girl,” Michael concurred. “It’s gross, pressing your lips against a girl. Papa and Mama even used their tongues. It makes me sick.”
    “Are we going to have another brother or sister?” Mary asked Jacob. He looked at her with panic in his throat, unsure of how to answer or to steer the conversation another direction.
    Sophie rolled her eyes. “Kissing doesn’t cause babies.”
    “I a stork!” Allison cried, putting her napkin in her mouth and flapping her arms. “See, I bringing a baby.”
    “Yes it does,” Mary insisted. “Elizabeth Pike told me at church. That’s why only husbands and wives kiss.”
    “Elizabeth Pike can barely put her hair up in the same