[Full] Miss Pendleton - Chapter 73

But as she returned to the manor for lunch, she gradually recalled her duties.After the meal, she asked the butler to summon the children to the study room.Soon, Daniel and George, who had been rolling on the lawn with the shepherd puppies their father had given them, were called inside.The three gathered and sat in the study room.

George and Daniel, visibly tense, looked at the teacher sitting across from them.A kind-looking teacher with clear gray eyes and reddish-blonde hair neatly tied up.There was nothing fearsome about her appearance, yet they were terribly intimidated.This was because of their uncle, who, a few days ago, had sternly warned that if they misbehaved with the new governess, he would come and punish them immediately.

But Laura, unaware of the boys’ fears, simply thought they were nervous about meeting a governess for the first time.Laura decided to approach the children cautiously to ease their tension.

Laura hadn’t brought any books, notebooks, or writing tools to begin with.She deliberately turned the prepared blackboard away.Opening a book right away would surely overwhelm them.Instead, she avoided any mention of studies and only asked about how they usually spent their time, what they liked, and what they disliked.

The boys answered hesitantly.But as time passed and the teacher, whom they expected to torment them with Latin grammar, didn’t mention studies, their tension seemed to gradually ease.

Above all, the teacher before them was looking at them with a very gentle smile.What boy could keep his heart firmly closed when a lovely woman smiled and showed interest in him?They began to answer her questions fluently.

She listened attentively to the children’s stories.The boys liked fishing, swimming, gathering berries in the forest, making slingshots, and setting rabbit traps, spending most of their time on these activities.When at home, they only filled their hungry stomachs, teased the horses in the stables, or played with their father’s hunting dogs.

She asked if they had any favorite books, and they eagerly listed titles of detective and adventure novels.She requested they tell her about the stories.When they started to argue over who would speak first, she had them decide the order through a small game.

Though somewhat distracted, the children could narrate a story with a clear beginning, middle, climax, and end.This was proof their intelligence wasn’t lacking.Though they grumbled at losing, they accepted defeat, showing their character wasn’t entirely unruly.Of course, they were somewhat hot-headed, but that seemed due to the lack of someone patiently guiding them.

She played a few simple games with the boys—number calculation games, word matching, and naming the kings of England in order.The children, unaware of the teacher’s intentions, were thrilled to immerse themselves in the games, simply enjoying the play.

Through the games, Miss Pendleton could specifically assess her students.The children’s intelligence was not deficient.With no issues in memory or reasoning, it seemed possible to teach them something if lessons were conducted properly.The challenge, however, was how to teach them.

They couldn’t focus properly on anything except games.They couldn’t stand sitting still, constantly twisting their bodies or burying their faces in the desk.Having never been trained to sit patiently and do something, this was expected.How could she instill knowledge in children who couldn’t even endure sitting still?

Having assessed the children’s basic condition, Laura decided her task for the day was done and sent them back to their play.The children rushed out of the study room like escaped prisoners.

Laura sat in the study room chair, resting her chin in her hand.She began to ponder how to teach these children.Laura was now facing a common challenge for teachers: she had been entrusted with children completely opposite to her in disposition.Children whose personalities and upbringings were entirely different from her own.

When faced with students so different from oneself, a teacher stands at a crossroads with two choices.Should she make the children conform to her teaching methods, or adapt herself to their temperaments?After much thought, Laura resolved to choose the latter—not because she lacked confidence in molding them to her methods, but because she believed it would be better for the children.

The school she had attended, under the pretext of raising refined ladies, forbade any exercise beyond dance lessons.In warmer seasons, there were one or two picnics a month outdoors.Only then could the students move their bodies freely.She remembered those times as happy moments—boating with friends, climbing rocks, playing tennis, and decorating their clothes with picked flowers.

Looking back, it was not only enjoyable but also beneficial to physical health.Only after graduating did she realize that many girls’ schools didn’t even allow that much physical activity.As a result, most ladies from prestigious schools were terribly frail.This was why it was common for ladies to faint while dancing at balls, though in society, this was sometimes seen as a charm.

However, she secretly believed that the high number of women dying in childbirth was partly due to the lack of exercise in girls’ schools.Because of this, Laura had often thought that if she became a schoolteacher with influence over its management, she would encourage more physical activity for students.Childhood physical activity was undoubtedly linked to adult health.

In that sense, Daniel and George were fortunate.Growing up running wild in the dirt and forests without anyone stopping them was a great blessing, wasn’t it?She wanted them to play freely and healthily at least until they went to school.Public schools would impose discipline anyway, so until then, they should fully enjoy their childhood.

The next day, Laura took the two boys outside.She asked them to show her the forests and rivers they loved so much.Excited that someone was interested in what they liked, they took their teacher’s hand and led her to the forest.

The forest, made up of giant trees, was damp and dark but fragrant.They showed her a hundred-year-old elm they climbed regularly, pointed out a swamp teeming with insects, and explained the paths between the shrubby areas where they set rabbit traps.She spent the afternoon walking through the forest with them, learning its layout and how the boys played there.

At first, she only followed their lead and observed their play.But as time passed and Laura grew accustomed to the boys, she stopped merely watching.Instead, she began to play with them.

They chased squirrels together, gathered acorns, made traps, fished, played tag, and collected insects.

At first, keeping up with the children was impossible.She was too frail to play with such energetic boys.Having done little exercise beyond dancing at balls since graduating from a girls’ school, it was only natural.After a day of running, rolling in the dirt, and climbing trees, her limbs felt heavy as lead when she returned to the manor.

But after about a week, Laura’s frail body began to adapt to the physical activity.As her body adjusted, her mind changed too.Soon, she found fresh joy in playing tag with the children, covered in sweat, or crawling through the dirt to collect something.After running around thoughtlessly with the children, her mind felt clear, and her pulse beat pleasantly.

What had initially been a concern—the children’s high energy—began to grow on her.Though mischievous, hot-headed, and rough, they were sturdy in body and mind, as children raised in the dirt should be.They opened their hearts surprisingly quickly to their new governess, who had become their playmate.It was only natural for boys to warm to a lovely and kind teacher like Laura, who took a deep interest in what they did.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Fairfax, observing Laura’s teaching methods, was astonished.She hadn’t expected Laura to go to such lengths for the children.Laura, clearly a refined young lady, was expected to teach conventionally—conducting word games in the study, giving tests, and occasionally coaxing the children with sweets or candies.

But defying expectations, Laura ran to the forest with the boys every day, returning in the evening covered in dirt, with torn clothes and leaves stuck to her.

Mrs. Fairfax fully understood why Laura was doing this.She knew how distractible her sons were and how they couldn’t stand sitting still.Laura had realized this in a single day and devised the most suitable way to teach them: earning their affection as an adult who understood them.That alone told Mrs. Fairfax what kind of person Laura was.

“What a clever woman Miss Pendleton is.”

Olivia, too, was as surprised as her mother by Laura’s teaching approach, though she didn’t understand Laura’s intentions as well.

To her, a lady’s conduct meant never losing dignity at any time.In Olivia’s eyes, Laura seemed to have completely forsaken her ladylike self.To think she’d abandon a lady’s dignity just for a job was unthinkable.

But that thought stemmed only from her jealousy of Laura, who had taken the attention of her perfect uncle.Deep down, she knew it was absurd to criticize Laura for not acting like a lady when she was no longer one.But Olivia had no other choice—there was simply nothing else to fault Laura for.

On Laura’s first day, when they met on the stairs and Olivia realized Laura was an unexpectedly stunning beauty, her resentment grew, and she set out to find Laura’s flaws with burning determination.

But over the past few days, all Olivia had discovered was that Laura had a graceful walk, gentle speech, and refined manners.She wasn’t just ladylike—she was as elegant as royalty.

The more Olivia tried to find Laura’s faults, the more her observations only heightened her own insecurities.Were all the noble ladies in London armed with such exceptional refinement?When she debuted in London three years from now, would she even stand out?

In her anxiety, Olivia threw herself into piano practice, painting, and reading more books.But the unease did not subside.