She entered the morning room, which also served as their combined offices and general meeting area. Anna was already laying an informal light buffet luncheon of cold meats, cheese, bread and fruit for the teachers to share. Smiling at the maid, Sara sat at her desk to make brief notes of how the morning had progressed.
It was several minutes before she was joined by Claire. “Why is it that children are always the most energetic when you are tired?” her friend asked as she entered the room. She sat on the sofa and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.
“Are you unwell?” Sara asked, looking at her in concern. Claire didn’t normally look so pale.
“Yes, I—good heavens, what happened to your dress?”
Sara grimaced at her friend’s surprised tone and twisted to give her a better view. “Henry Copeland happened,” she said. “He decided to take your art lesson outside of the schoolroom.”
Claire pursed her lips and shook her head. “We are going to have to speak with his parents. This sort of behavior cannot continue.”
“Whose behavior cannot continue?” Louisa asked, entering. She made her way directly to the buffet and began filling a plate.
“Look what Henry Copeland did to Sara’s dress.” Sara twisted again to allow Louisa to see.
Louisa’s face darkened. “The little ba—”
“Louisa,” Claire said in a warning tone. The blond lady pressed her lips into a thin line and continued to fill her plate, her movements angry. Claire turned back to Sara. “We will have to discuss this later, after classes have been dismissed. He is obviously not responding to our discipline methods.”
“What’s this?” Jacob joined the conversation as he entered the room. He squeezed his wife’s shoulder in greeting and joined Louisa at the buffet. He gestured a plate at Claire, who nodded and moved to the small dining table. “What happened?”
“Henry Copeland ruined Sara’s dress,” Louisa said in a dark tone.
“Really?” He looked at her.
Claire interrupted to address Jacob. “We need to come up with a better strategy to curtail Henry’s disruptive behavior.”
Jacob shrugged. “I will beat him for you.”
Claire frowned at him. “That will not be effective if he is unaware of the expectations.”
Louisa sat down. “I say he knows them. He wouldn’t be so determined to break the rules if he didn’t know them. He is deliberately misbehaving.”
“Why is that?” Jacob asked, setting Claire’s plate in front of her and returning to the buffet.
“Because he’s an as—”
“Louisa,” Claire said sharply. “How can we be expected to teach proper behavior and etiquette if we do not demonstrate it ourselves, even in private?”
“I know the rules; therefore I know when they should be broken,” Louisa replied hotly.
“That is no excuse,” Claire said.
“The boy is a hellion. If he does not change, I say we refuse him our services.”
Sara sat down, looking at Louisa. “Is that not drastic?”
Louisa returned her gaze with a hard one of her own. “Why should we expose any member of our group to such continued assault?”
“Assault? Isn’t that exaggerating the situation?” Jacob asked, taking his own seat.
“What would you call it?” Louisa challenged.
He shrugged and took a bite of bread with meat. “A boy being a boy.”
“So you condone this sort of treatment toward a lady?”
“I didn’t say that,” he defended himself. “I just think you are blowing this out of proportion.”
“Jacob,” Claire said quietly. “Please don’t push her.”
But Louisa spoke over her. “What if Henry was doing this to Claire? What if it were she who was being pushed and insulted and ridiculed on a regular basis? Would he still just be a boy being a boy?”
“That is unfair,” he said in a flat voice.
Sara stared at her plate, the conversation continuing around her as she picked at her food. Perhaps she should have changed her dress before the others had the opportunity to see it. The ants gathered in her throat the longer she listened to the argument. Why do you always cause trouble, girl? What sort of example are you setting? Do you enjoy embarrassing your father?