My Wonderful Second Life

Chapter 8- A professor's heart

Jennifer was, after several weeks, finally adjusting to life in Aerabitina. The place was calm; the weather was nice, and the people were friendly and loved to laugh. Emmanuel, though not the most competent caretaker, gave off the impression he would do anything in his power to protect the Mountnero ladies. And that, after what happened at the manor, was what they needed. Jennifer just hoped he would not cave in so much to Lucreatia...

Lady Sargosa, the tutor, was a special woman. Tough exterior, capable of turning heads and making grown men sweat (Lord Emmanuel was the obvious proof, though not the only one). Deep inside was a warm grandmother and a patient tutor, who knew where to focus and what to prioritize. Perfect for Lucreatia, whose interest in lady matters was lower than Jennifer's esteem for lord Joshua. There were clear improvements on Lucreatia side that hadn't been possible with Lady Beatrice.

Lady Sargosa was a rare find, and Jennifer's only sorrow was that her father hadn't convinced the lady out of retirement sooner. And her granddaughter, Eloise, was even more exceptional. Jennifer couldn't be happier with her as Lucreatia's first friend. Except for her bit on archery (which was odd even in heavily army related families), she was the epitome of the perfect lady of society. Careful in the way she spoke and showed herself, she transmitted tranquillity to those around her (a good foil against Lucretia's rash nature).

Contrary to her grandmother, Eloise did not inspire a nervous breakdown on poor souls, but it would be a mistake to think she hadn't an eye for things. Like her grandmother, she was a falcon and nothing passed her. No whisper and no glance were unnoticed. And that was the only thing Jennifer was apprehensive about (the bit involving archery didn't count).

The rest went well. Except for Lucreatia's archery... that went worse with time (if that was possible...). No matter how many people cheered for her and no matter how much Lucreatia tried, she hit nothing besides the poor flower beds. By now, those had transformed into gloomy cemeteries for the missed arrows. Still, her sister persisted with her undying enthusiasm, something even Eloise remarked on.

It was Lucreatia's best-known feature besides rashness, unlimited stubbornness.

Jennifer sat there, between Emmanuel and Lady Sargosa, on the metal green chairs, wishing they were closer to Eloise and Lucreatia so they could hear them talk. It would have been far more interesting than the endless silence that happened at the table. Fanny had gone to do some errands and Jennifer almost went with her out of fear for the cutting tension between the two adults. They didn't talk, but Jenni knew they wanted to. She was the problem... yet she, too, wanted to know the subject of their conversation.

So she left them alone. Or pretended to, by saying she would grab some refreshments. Jennifer, however, had another plan, one that started with using the magic twine her sister had gotten from prince Cedric. Most had evaporated away like smoke, but she was able to keep a small portion, enough to tie it around her wrist. And if it worked on Aunt Belladonna and her father, for sure it would work on them. At a safe distance, of course.

Jennifer had chosen some nearby and secluded bushes as her hideout place and waited. One minute, 5 minutes, when 10 minutes passed and Lucreatia failed again in her attempt to score, something caused a noise at the green table. Perhaps a hand clapping on the metal surface. It was time to peer through the bushes.

"She is improving, don't you think?" asked Emmanuel, turning his head slightly at the old woman. His voice rang shaky and his smile was fragile.

Lady Sargosa met his eyes and let out a big, sarcastic laugh. "If she was at least consistent with her skills, then it wouldn't be as bad. She has zero talent or anything below that."

Emmanuel looked at the lady and then at Lucreatia and Eloise, who went back to reviewing the basics (probably for the 100th time). His head bent down, surprising the old woman.