Proper Princess

Chapter Nine

Approaching the school was a very different experience when it was unannounced. Unlike all of the other times, the gate was shut. I exchanged a glance with John- he had never been one to visit the school much. We responded to our childhood in different ways- while I did all that I could to cling to my roots and give back to other children in similar situations, John tried to forget about the pain of his past and move forward.

But he had been a street child, too, once. And I could see that now he was witnessing it himself, his intuition was kicking in, as well. I could see the same concern in his eyes as Eli and Michael got out of the carriage to unlatch the gate. Both him and Robert then moved to help them when the gate proved too heavy for them to shove open alone.

The charity school was completely voluntary- street-children often jumped at the chance at free boarding, food, and education. They could come at any time, and leave at any time. But they rarely left- they had no reason to, when they had only turned to crime to survive and were now being given all that they could need and more.

But then why was the heavy gate sealed shut, locking them in?

Every other time I had been to the school in recent years, Lord Bentley had already been standing outside, or just inside the propped-open front doors, waiting for our arrival. He did not know that we were coming this time, though, so the front door to the school was shut, and nobody was outside. I found it strange that, at this time of day, no children were running about in the schoolyard.

Robert was the one to stride forward and knock on the door. It took several moments for someone to finally make their way to open it, and there was the sound of several locks turning before the door was cracked open.

A child- perhaps 11 or 12, if he were small for his age- stood on the other end, peeking out at us. He shifted nervously, glancing over his shoulder as if worried somebody would come up behind him. "Yes?"

"We are here for a visit," Robert said politely. He gestured towards Michael, Elizabeth and I. "These are the children of Lord Baldwin- the founder and owner of the school."

The boy's uneasiness seemed to grow. "I can only open the door for the milk delivery."

Michael stepped forward, seeming a bit irritated. He was no doubt still annoyed at being pulled away from his revolutionary music box 'invention'. "Our family owns the school. You cannot deny us entry."

Seeing the boy's fear, I pulled Michael away, sending him a glare. I then leaned over slightly, coming to the boy's level. He glanced away from me, unwilling to meet my gaze.

"You do not have to let us in if you do not want to," I soothed. "I know where the key to the side-door is. We will go through that one, instead, and I will make certain that you are not punished in any way. Alright?"

He swallowed hard, but nodded, quicky closing the door. I heard the sound of the many locks being turned back into place.

Michael stared at me. "Amelia, there is no reason for us to go through the side door. Is this about your feeling of something being amiss earlier? Are you really going to do this before Count Robert?"

"I've no problem walking to the side door," Robert promised firmly. Already, he was making his way to the side of the school, walking across the grass.

My brother shook his head slightly, walking beside me. "Amelia, you musn't act like this," He mumbled under his breath. "Mother would be furious. And what of Elizabeth? How shall she marry him if he thinks we cannot even walk through the front door of our own properties?"

I turned to meet my brother's gaze. Michael and I had always been close- he and Elizabeth were twins, so we were fairly close in age, and we had always gotten on well because I did not possess any of the feminine qualities that he so despised.