With a sweet laugh,Lady Caroline dipped into her curtsy for the fourth time. Her sister Charlotte cheered her from the sideline, clapping when Sarah indicated it was perfect. She waved her hands and the two little darlings hurried over and collapsed onto the blanket that had been spread on a slope overlooking the lake. Charlotte and Caroline wore identical dresses of the palest pink; their gowns were a little shorter than those worn by young ladies and had a scalloped loop of matching ribbon above a pleated ribbon hem, with matching detail at the delicate little sleeves.
Sarah thought the girls made an exquisite picture, with their matching black curls. Although Sarah had noticed one difference between them…Charlotte’s hair parted to the left, while Caroline’s parted to the right. For the last two weeks she had taken their lessons outdoor and by the lake. The girls had loved it, and when Lady Esther had expressed concern, Sarah had invited her to one of their lessons to put her at ease.
“Where do you wish to have luncheon today.”
“At the Grecian gazebo by the lake,” Caroline cried, her brown eyes glowing with her happiness.
“Do you agree, Charlotte?”
She nodded eagerly.
“A young lady never nods to answer a question,” Sarah said gently and with a smile. “She uses her words.”
“Yes, Miss Sarah,” Charlotte said, coming over to her side and snuggling close.
Sarah sensed that they hungered for the affection of a lady in their life, and sneaking her arms around both girls, she drew them close. Her job was to teach them how to be polite, considerate, and amiable. She was to edify their minds and their conduct, but Sarah also believed she should love them with her whole heart. Perhaps Lady Esther or the duke might not approve, but if they needed her affection, she would happily provide it. They were already filling some of the emptiness that lived in her heart.
“Should we take a walk in the woods while the servants set up our picnic?”
They nodded eagerly and she arched a brow.
“Yes, Miss Sarah,” they cried in unison.
Taking their hands, one to her left and the other to her right, they strolled away.
“Why should we walk, Miss Sarah,” Caroline asked with a pout. “It is rather boring.”
“I think it is lovely,” Charlotte said. “I do enjoy the trees and the birds and the flowers.”
Sarah smiled. “It is important to form an appreciation of nature, Caroline, and many things can be boring if it does not engage our minds. Look right there up in that tree.”
The girls looked but saw nothing. She stooped and pointed through the tree line. “Do you see that bird?”
“Oh yes,” Caroline gasped.
Charlotte frowned. “Where?”
Sarah walked them closer and pointed again. When both girls saw, she said, “That is a Chaffinch and you heard the song he sings, that is his call to find…a mate.”
“What is a mate?”
“That is like abeau, a suitor, someone she will marry one day.”
“Aunt Esther is being wooed by Squire Walker,” Charlotte said, surprising Sarah. “He says he wants to marry her. Caroline and I heard.”
“Well,” Sarah said, “That bird there is like Squire Walker, only he is seeking his bird wife.”
The twins shared a glance before they giggled.
Caroline skipped ahead, picking up a stone. “A bird wife?”
“Yes, a bird wife,” Sarah said, laughing along with them.
“How does the song work?” Charlotte asked, her attention keen on the bird.
“Most songs are actually sung by the bird husbands, and the stronger their call, the more likely they will find a bird wife. Look at that,” she gasped when the bird took flight, soaring high and then twisting and spiraling as it plummeted toward the ground.
The girls cried out and clapped their delight. They continued their walk, and she told them about aspen trees and even taught them a bit of geography when they felt at one point they had been lost. On their way back, Charlotte gasped, “There is a cat in the tree.”