She's such a beautiful girl, it's quite perplexing, Mrs. Mallinson said.
Julia is indeed a real beauty, but she has no ambition, no drive or enthusiasm. All she seems to do is hang around in the graveyard and read books.
But she wasn't like that as a child, Mrs. Mallinson observed. She was quite a character. I remember scolding her for stealing apples from my garden.
No, as a child she was outgoing, almost boisterous. I'm sure it has something to do with the loss of her parents. A shock like that is bound to drive someone back into their shell.
But she's been in her shell for a long time now. What are you going to do with her?
Aunt Isabella picked up her tea and took a sip while she thought. She's very intelligent, so I suppose she could become a governess.'
That's a splendid idea. Mrs. Mallinson said as she bit into a piece of hot bread and butter.
Julia tiptoed up the stairs and into her bedroom. The room had a low ceiling and a small fireplace. She slept in a single bed next to a crammed bookcase. She lay on her bed and thought about what her aunt and Mrs. Mallinson had been talking about. They were right, before the death of her parents she'd been outgoing. But back then she'd been happy, and now her heart was broken, and she didn't feel like doing much at all. In fact, it was all she could do to get out of bed in the morning. Her parents had made her feel loved and provided a protected environment for her to grow up in. Now all she had was her aunt, and Julia knew that her aunt didn't much like her.
After an hour, she heard her aunt shouting her name. She rose from the bed and looked in the mirror to fix her blonde hair.
Julia, have you given any thought to your future? her aunt asked when they were having dinner. They didn't have any servants; Aunt Isabella didn't have the money, and if she had had, no servant would have lasted very long in her employ. She was a know-all and never satisfied with anything.
Not really, Julia said as she stared into space.
I am going to send you to a place called Thorpe Hall in Surrey. Mr. Andrew Hammond lives there and has been looking for a governess from some time. You will educate his three children.
If you wish, she said without giving the idea a moment's thought.
When Andrew collected Julia from the railway station, Julia was pleased to see how handsome he was. She'd had nightmares about working for a very ugly man who would pester her for sex, but now she could lay that fear to rest. Julia was tall, slender, and blonde and Andrew, by now an expert, found the curves of her breasts and hips very appealing. She's here to educate the children, he reminded himself, as he put her bags into the trap.
Jump up, he said. She sat down next to him, and Andrew touched the pony with the long whip. The black animal set off at a leisurely pace and Julia was relieved. Since her parents death in a coach, she was very fearful of anything pulled by a horse.
Normally I send one of the footmen to pick people up from the station, but I wanted some fresh air today, he said as they left the town of Rotherford and entered the countryside.
I am most grateful to you for collecting me, she replied.
Your aunt told me you are eighteen and that you are an orphan. How did that happen?
An accident sir,
Please call me Mr. Andrew. Sir makes me feel so old. What kind of an accident?
My parents were traveling to London when their stagecoach left the road. They were killed.
Andrew looked at her. He could see she was still grieving; he recognized the look on her face. For so long he had also worn the same expression. My wife died four years ago.
How awful, she said it as if she really meant it, unlike so many people Andrew knew. How did the children react?
John was just two, and my wife died having Sarah, so they were not affected, but Agnes was beside herself. She hasn't really been the same since.
I know the feeling, Julia thought. Out of the town, Andrew gave the signal for the pony to increase the tempo. When it broke into a trot, Julia gasped and held onto Andrew's arm.
Does speed scare you? Andrew said as the wind whistled past Julia's bonnet.
Yes, Mr. Andrew it does. On account of the accident.
Of course, how careless of me, he slowed the horse down to a walk and felt Julia relax again.
“That's it there, he said after another twenty minutes. Julia looked across the field and saw two large houses, one very large indeed. The small one's ours. It's called the Lodge. The large house next to it is my father's house.
Right in the middle of the countryside, I'm going to love it, Julia thought.
When Andrew turned between two giant sandstone pillars that formed part of the intricate gateway to the estate, Julia began to feel at home. She didn't know why, but the location gave her a feeling of serenity. The house had been built in the middle of the estate, and it was, therefore, a long way from the gate, and as they drove through the grounds, Julia looked across green fields full of sheep. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky, and the place was looking its magnificent best.