Page 29 of Love Lessons for a Lady

In her mind, she’d been around and around the possible scenarios, and none ended well, except Mrs. Crenshaw's removal as director and headmistress. But as Chasity was beginning to discern, Mrs. Crenshaw was exceptionally crafty and cunning.

Their cooling tea had been forgotten on the mahogany pillar tea table. The four friends huddled together in the Marquess and Marchioness of Trenholm’s stately drawing room and discussed Chasity’s predicament in hushed tones.

The small gathering for tea Mercy had promised Chasity had grown to a mere fifty or sixty of London’s loftiest. Undoubtedly, there were thrice as many le bon ton who hadn’t made the cut and, even now, discussed their disfavor with others equally disgruntled about their lack of invitation.

However, this animated throng provided Chasity and her friends the perfect opportunity to sequester themselves in a quiet corner for a coze. The four women hadn’t all been together since they’d lived at Haven House and Academy for the Enrichment of Young Women before any of them took their first paid positions.

Chasity had seized upon Mercy’s invitation to tea as an opportunity to escape the school for a few short hours. Balderbrook’s Institution for Genteel Ladies no longer felt safe or welcoming. Since Thursday, she’d waited tense and alert, fearing that at any moment Mrs. Crenshaw would lower the proverbial hammer and boot Chasity to the curb for an imagined or contrived infraction.

“It’s so blasted wrong,” Faith Roth said vehemently, her strawberry blonde eyebrows veering sharply together. “Why should you be punished for being honest?”

“I’m praying it shan’t come to anything as extreme as my dismissal,” Chasity admitted.

“And I truly hope that I am mistaken in my suspicions.”

She’d had time to reflect these past days and had come to the disquieting conclusion that she was not. Mrs. Crenshaw had entered too many convenient errors in the books.

At the very least, the headmistress should be dismissed for her ineptitude and incompetence. At the worst…charged with embezzlement, misappropriation, and malfeasance, which would undoubtedly mean imprisonment.

The good Lord only knew what Mrs. Crenshaw might be capable of in order to hide her crimes. Look what she’d asked of Chasity in order to manipulate Aston?

Yes, indeed, Chasity must be extremely careful and prudent until the matter was resolved.

“We shall all pray that it doesn’t,” Joy Morrisette avowed, leaning in and nudging Chasity’s shoulder with her own. “I can ask my husband if he has heard of any positions should it come to that. Brandon knows a great many people, and they are always confiding in him.”

“I’ve already written Lady Balderbrook, requesting a private audience with her tomorrow when she comes for the quarterly inspection.” Chasity almost feared revealing that secret, except these were her dearest friends. They’d been raised together as sisters. She could trust them.

Mrs. Crenshaw was sure to fly into a dither or have an apoplexy if Lady Balderbrook honored Chasity’s request and met with her privately. However, Chasity would tackle that obstacle if and when it arose.

“At this juncture, all I can do is pray her ladyship indulges me.” Chasity gave a little shrug. “Or else I’ll have no recourse but to write letters to the board members and reveal my suspicions.”

Perhaps she ought to pen the letters tonight and stash them someplace safe if she was dismissed. She might not have convenient or immediate access to ink and a quill wherever she found herself if she was terminated from Balderbrook’s Institution for Genteel Ladies.

Yes. Yes. That was precisely what she would do.

She supposed she could always return to Haven House and Academy for the Enrichment of Young Women for a time. Although if her reputation were soiled, she might bring disgrace upon the girls still at the foundling home and make it difficult for them to find employment.

Well then, Chasity would have to do everything in her power to ensure she kept her position. She knew exactly what her contract terms were, and she hadn’t committed any act worthy of termination. Being truthful was neither immoral nor an act of insubordination. Neither was it disloyal, as no supervisor or employer had the right to request or require someone to be deceitful.

If Mrs. Crenshaw thought Chasity would go quietly without a fight, she had better devise another scheme. To Chasity’s knowledge, Stella Ramsbottom hadn’t shared the conversation she’d overheard between Chasity and Aston with Mrs. Crenshaw.

Or had Stella been deliberately eavesdropping?

Most likely.

From the conspiratorial covert glances Pomposa Wetherwax and Geraldine Belcher had leveled Chasity the past two days, Mrs. Ramsbottom had blathered what she’d heard to them.

Why she hadn’t snitched to Mrs. Crenshaw yet, Chasity had no idea.

Yesterday when cleaning the hearth in Chasity’s office, Josie had confided, “I would have my tongue cut out before I betrayed you, miss. Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you, Josie.” She truly was a dear thing.

Josie had edged closer, and after a furtive glance around the room only the two of them occupied, had whispered, “I always knew there was something off about the headmistress. My mum always says if something seems fishy, you can bet it will start stinking soon enough.”

Chasity wasn’t exactly sure what that was supposed to mean, but she had no reason to doubt Josie's sincerity.

Mercy’s gaze circled the room before she focused on Chasity once more and offered an encouraging upward sweep of her mouth. Mercy jutted her chin out. She’d always had a mulish bend.