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Bianca tried to hide the anger from her eyes as she calmed herself to answer, “Well, actually, I don’t like to speak of it, but I have terrible headaches and find sleep a chore The doctor was here dropping off a portion of laudanum”

“Then, please, do not let me keep you from your rest,” Miss Winthrop said as she turned towards the exit Though the words were polite, Bianca seethed at the impertinence in the chit’s tone

“Good night, Miss Winthrop Do take our talk seriously You would be the better for it”

She watched the set of the girl’s shoulders andto have to be eliminated!

~ Nine ~

WHEN SASSY’S CLASSES were over, she went looking for Miss Graves She found her having a cup of tea in the library and approached her tentatively, unsure of the reception she would receive To date, none of the other teachers had been friendly

“Sit, Miss Winthrop, and tell me—what is it?” Miss Graves motioned to a chair

Sassy took up a chair “I would like to skip lunch and head into town to fetch some fabric to make curtains for my bare ,” she explained

“Your…? My goodness, of course, dear” She frowned and put a finger to her thin lips “Putsodd I seem to remember that Miss Saunders, your predecessor, had purchased a length of fabric for that very purpose” As she sighed heavily and touched her lace-covered gray hair, a sad look came into her faded eyes “I suppose she took it with her when she left us Shocking thing … and so very difficult to believe You see, Miss Saunders was such a nice young woer than the Tyler sisters and I—and we had becoood-bye, and that was certainly not like her at all She was not the sort to run off with a man, and I find it difficult to believe that she would just up and leave like that”

“Well, perhaps, she didn’t have a choice,” Sassy offered, “and perhaps, just perhaps, she did meet someone?”

“No! I refuse to believe that She just wasn’t that sort, and also, though not quite unattractive, she was not the girl aNot the sort to turn hed “A sad mystery to me”

“Did she leave a note for the headmistress?”

“Note? No—and that is the other thing You see, she was terrified of the headht have found another position, she would have left ain Miss Graves shrugged and frowned over the situation

Once again, Sassy had been left to speculate about her predecessor Everywas off at Netherby—so in the air and in the walls She excused herself and headed for her room to fetch her cloak and

purse