“Governess,” Georgette said a little sharply, and then thought better of it. After all, she very much needed Mr Winstanley. Her pride was telling her that he ought to have known by her mode of dress and obvious genteel upbringing that she was not seeking a position as a housekeeper, but she knew she was simply being sensitive and that her sensitivity would do her no good in the end. “I am looking for work as a governess, Mr Winstanley.” She attempted a polite smile.
“Of course,” he said, smiling back and seemingly unaware of her poor humour. “And have you recently left a position?” He leaned forward and, as he tipped his head down a little, Georgette thought his nose looked even longer.
“No, Mr Winstanley. I have not left a position, nor have I ever had one. I have not worked before, you see.”
Georgette saw a smile pass fleetingly across his lips. In her world, never to have worked was a sign of status. In the world of Shelford Winstanley, it was likely a sign of uselessness. For a moment, Georgette pondered the differences of class. Work was unheard of in one, and its lack frowned upon in another. Well, since she was very much entering a lower social status, then she would have to accept all that came with it.
“Oh, I see.” From the look on his face, Georgette knew that Mr Winstanley was finally gathering that her circumstances had taken a sudden and dramatic downward turn.
No doubt, he had seen many a well-bred young lady who had suffered a similar fate coming through his doors.
“But I can assure you that I have a first-rate education, Sir,” Georgette said, somewhat defensively.
“I have no doubt, Miss Darrington.” Mr Winstanley smiled reassuringly. “And everybody has to start somewhere, do they not?” She knew he was trying to make her feel better but, in truth, it was not working.
“Indeed,” she said. “So tell me, do you have anything suitable?”
“At the moment, I have filled all of the governess requirements from my clients,” he said, and Georgette felt her heart sink. Once again, she was having her time wasted, and she knew that she had none left to lose. “All but one, that is.”
“Oh, so you do have a suitable position?” Georgette knew that she had snapped a little but could not quite take to his way of doing things. After all, if he had a suitable position, then why not simply say so?
“I have a position, Miss Darrington, but whether it is suitable or not, I shall leave to your own discretion to discover.”
“What exactly do you mean, Mr Winstanley?”
“I have a position on my books which has been there almost continually for the last six months. I have filled it three times, and no less than three governesses have left the position within weeks of arrival. To be perfectly honest, this is the first time that I have been utterly frank in that regard, but I can see no reason for being any other way. You see, I rather fear that the three governesses I sent out there were quite unprepared for what they found and, as such, were rather disquieted by the whole thing and very quickly returned to me in search of other positions.”
“Goodness me, whatever has gone so very wrong on three occasions? Surely there is something wrong with the place?” Georgette said, her mouth going a little dry as her common sense began to tell her that this was her only hope.
“As I understand it, the children in question are not the problem. Rather, it is the employer himself. He has rather an intimidating manner and is little interested in solving any problems which a new governess might find in her new position.”
“Such as?” Georgette said, not keen to be flannelled upon the subject.
“Such as problems with other staff members. There is, I believe, a children’s nurse who was particularly awkward and a certain amount of isolation for the governess to endure.”
“Is that not common for a governess? Not the awkward nurse, I mean, but rather the isolation. After all, the governess is neither fish nor fowl, is she? She is a woman of breeding with no money and therefore does not fit well with either the servants or the master.”
“I see that you have a somewhat pragmatic approach to the whole thing, Miss Darrington; a quality that will, undoubtedly, serve you well if you choose to take this particular position.”
“What else can you tell me about the family?”
“The master of the house is not father to the children, but rather their guardian. As I understand it, he is not a particularly willing guardian, and it was a responsibility that he never sought. There are two little girls of around four or five years; twins, no less.” He paused for a moment. “As to the position itself, it is fairly standard fare for a governess. You are to teach the children the three Rs, as you might expect. On top of reading, writing, and arithmetic, you must also teach the children the typical run of accomplishments. French, piano lessons, watercolour painting, poetry. Whatever you have at your disposal as far as accomplishment training is concerned.”