♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝♝
[Rough Draft] Chapter 52: The Rose Dawn Orphanage
Ivy placed a hand against her combed backlight blonde hair and smiled at the young woman in the mirror, dressed in a velvet summer blue dress laced with white. It had been four days since the shocking conclusion to the Royal Hunt and two days since the orphanage Ivy now oversaw as Matron had opened, leaving little time for Ivy to worry—and yet worry she did.
Her little brave, intelligent Maura had changed and not just because she had gained a new title and name. The image of the Duchess riding back towards the caravan holding a human head which Kirsi then deposited at Nicholas’s feet, was not something Ivy would soon forget.
‘It was not the first or second time Maura has had to kill someone. This man betrayed the king and put us all in danger.’
Ivy brushed her fingers over the emerald broach pinned against the silver silk neck scarf wrapped around her neck. She pushed the cool silk fabric and lace back to take in the dark thread-like markings that had crept up her neck.
‘The curse is spreading again. Thankfully, Kirsi and Hana are visiting this morning.’
With a sigh, Ivy closed her jewelry box and locked it inside the vanity desk drawer. The servant’s house had been transformed into a private living quarter with extra rooms set aside for any children who became ill and needed to be separated from the dormitory.
The new glass windows sparkled with dew beneath the morning light. The white and pink rose bushes that had been planted around the small house greeted Ivy as she closed the front door and pulled on her shawl.
The sun glided over the large yard split into one large section for the younger children to play in and a second smaller section where the older children carried out other chores such as laundry and carpet cleaning for an allowance.
‘We should add a garden for the older children as well. It will be useful for their cooking lessons as well as those with interest in growing and selling crops.’
The large house that had once been Turnbell Manor stared down at Ivy as she continued down the path. The old glass windows that had once seemed so dark and dismal had also been replaced to allow in more natural light and the function to open them inwards for better cleaning.
Ivy headed to the back entrance and knocked habitually. The door quickly opened as Turnbells old cook, Dennis, offered her a welcoming smile as he stepped back, hastily wiping a greasy hand against his apron.
“Morning, Matron! Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Good morning, Dennis.” Ivy closed the door and smiled at the sound of small feet thudding against the door. “It sounds like the children are already up.”
“Mrs. Day’s arrived an extra twenty minutes early so she could get them down to breakfast on time and allow Mrs. Spencer to leave at the appropriate time.”
“How thoughtful of her,” Ivy replied as she continued towards the end of the hall.
“Shall I send a tray of breakfast to your office, Matron?”
Ivy turned back and offered a grateful smile. “That would be lovely, but it can wait until after the children have been fed. Thank you, Dennis.”
The cook nodded, a bit of color coming to his cheeks as he returned swiftly to the kitchen.
Ivy shook her head and continued on towards the foyer. ‘I’m glad a recommended Dennis. After all, if it weren’t for him setting aside food whenever he could, Maura and I would have had to live off one meal a day.’ It was also of some relief to her that Dennis had no quarrel with serving a noblewoman who had once been a slave.
The orphan children that had been placed in Ivy’s care looked up with expressions of mixed shyness and wariness. The older children, in particular, seemed reserved and cautious. Most of them went out of their way to look after the younger children and appeared under the impression that making any noise would get them in trouble.
“Good morning, Sarah and David,” Ivy greeted the eldest pair of siblings.
“Matron,” David replied gruffly while Sarah stepped cautiously in front of one of the girls whose hair was still disheveled.
“It’s alright, Sarah,” Ivy murmured with a gentle smile. “You may help Mary Jane brush her hair after breakfast. A good healthy breakfast is the most important part of the day. Now go along. I believe I smell pancakes and sausages.”
“Pancakes!” A little boy named John cried out as he tore past the siblings towards the dining hall.
David let out a strained sigh and stomped after the runaway while the rest of the children lined along the stairs followed after Sarah eagerly.
“Morning, Matron Ivy!” A woman called from over the railing on the second floor.
“Mrs. Spenser, Good Morning,” Ivy greeted as she stepped to the side to give the children more space to attempt to form two lines. There were twenty-four orphans in total, which made mealtime, bath time, and other activities quite the chore to organize. ‘Thankfully, the older children can take care of themselves.’
The age of the children in Dawn Rose Orphanage, a name chosen by the crown prince himself, ranged from five to thirteen. They were all malnourished, with scars and bruises still healing from whatever horrible abuse they had suffered through before being rescued by the Royal Knights. None of them knew how to read and write. A few of the smaller children barely even knew how to put together a conversation.
One small boy of barely nine years old broke Ivy’s heart every time she saw him. His left arm was in a sling while his right eye remained hidden under an eyepatch that didn’t hide the burn scars. According to Jesse’s file, he had been a fighter. He had also been stored in a separate room with three other badly tormented children, who had been left to die.
Jesse kept to himself, which might be why he always appeared to be the last one down the stairs. Mrs. Day followed behind him patiently and nodded towards Ivy.
“Good morning, Viscountess.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Day. Thank you for coming in so early.”
“I should be the one saying that,” Mrs. Spenser replied as she picked up her purse from the table beside the railing and headed down the steps towards the coat hanger for her cloak. “Now I can get home in time to sleep before I have to wake up and make Mr. Spenser’s dinner.”
“Good morning, Jesse,” Ivy murmured to the boy as he walked past him with a slight limp. “Did—something happen to your leg?”
“I believe he tripped while heading to the privy outside,” Mrs. Spenser answered. “David went with him.”
“Didn’t they take a lantern?”
“I offered them one, but David insisted that I keep it.”
“Did you only have the one?”
“Y-yes, Matron.”
“Let’s keep two lit at night then. We can afford the extra oil. But I would prefer the older children get their sleep. Perhaps I should ask the Duchess about having another person on staff at night.”
“Well, if she agrees, I know another housewife that could do with a bit of extra work who doesn’t mind late-night hours.”
“Alright. Tell your friend to write up her references, and I’ll pass them on to the Duchess when I speak to her later,” Ivy replied with a determined smile as she watched Jesse head towards the dining room.
“I will—that is—I’m afraid she can’t write, Matron,” Mrs. Spenser said hesitantly.
“Then have her come by to see me for an interview during morning lessons,” Ivy replied with a sympathetic smile.
“I will, Viscountess. Thank you!” Mrs. Spenser turned, beaming as she retrieved her cloak and headed for the door.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, Matron,” Mrs. Day commented as she moved to stand closer to Ivy. “But are you expecting company today?”
“Pardon?” Ivy turned towards her, confused.
“I just—noticed you put on a bit of makeup, is all.”
“Oh,” Ivy reached towards her neck and then quickly dropped her hand. “Yes, Viscountess Hana and Duchess Krisi are visiting this morning to check in on the children.”
“Oh goodness,” Mrs. Day’s eyes widened as she hastily pulled a pocket watch from the waist pocket of her dress. “Well, I will do my best to see they are on their best behavior. I’m going to grab some breakfast and a strong cup of tea before they get here.”
***
After breakfast, the children gathered in the center of the house beneath the glass dome ceiling. What had once been Lady Helena Turnbells rose garden had been paved over with stone panels engraved with roses. Four long wooden desks lined with six chairs each filled the center of the room. A mahogany desk before a large blackboard on a raised wooden platform faced the rows of tables.
The children filed into their seats by age and height to allow the younger, shorter children to sit up front while the older and taller children (for the most part) were placed in the back.
Mrs. Day began their daily morning lessons by assigning duties. David and Sarah handed out the small slate boards for copying letters, while two of the younger children, Rosie and Benny, handed out a piece of chalk to each student.
While the children prepared for their lessons, Mrs. Day wrote the following six letters they would be practicing onto the large chalkboard. Ivy watched from the doorway as the chairs filled. Most of the students remained distracted by the stained glass windows Lord Percy had installed into the walls around the classroom. Ivy found her gaze drawn to them as well.
The glass artwork curiously depicted six different elements. A flock of crows beneath a glass cloud above a tree bent towards the ground represented air. Several burned timbers of a fallen house depicted fire. A towering wave crashing down upon a dock and small house pictured water. A swarm of boulders raining down upon a surprised group of soldiers represented earth. A bolt of lightning striking and shattering the tower of a place depicted lightning. And last but not least was the glittering pale rose above a field of frozen cattle which represented frost, or winter.
A slate board fell to the floor with a noisy clatter, drawing Ivy’s gaze from the stained glass artwork as David hurriedly scooped up the broken writing board and passed the frightened child his own before carrying the broken pieces to his seat.
Mrs. Day turned around and raised an inquiring brow at Ivy, who raised her hand and motioned for the teacher to continue her work. Ivy moved towards David’s seat at the back and leaned down to whisper near the boy’s left ear.
“It’s alright.” Ivy drew back as the tense boy flinched. “You can get a replacement, David. You can’t write on a broken board.”
“Y-yes, Matron.”
‘The poor boy,’ Ivy sighed as she returned to the back of the classroom. ‘So frightened and yet so determined to protect the others. He reminds me of the old Maura in that way.’
“Alright,” Mrs. Day announced as she set down her piece of chalk and turned to face the classroom. “I noticed many of you preferred drawing or simply napping instead of practicing your letters yesterday. So, with the Matron’s permission, I have devised a solution to reward those who put in the effort to get their work done.”
David returned to his seat with a new writing board while the other children straightened at the mention of a reward.
“Denise, you may come in now,” Mrs. Day called out.
Ivy smiled as the cook entered, carrying a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. She tried not to laugh as the children devoured the cookies and rare chocolate, a few leaning over their tables and sniffing eagerly as the cook did one lap of the classroom and then returned to his kitchen.
The moment the door closed, the students whipped around in their seats and sat up eagerly.
“That got your attention, I see,” Mrs. Day observed with a cunning smile. “Good. The first person at each table to finish writing all their letters will receive three cookies each. The rest of you will get one each as long as you finish your work.” She pointed to the board behind her with a small wooden stick. “Write each letter five times, legibly and neatly, and when you are finished, bring your writing board up to my desk. You may begin, now.”
A clatter of chalk tapping and scratching over slate followed Ivy as she left the classroom with a smile and returned to the foyer where another teacher had just arrived and was hanging up her cloak. “Oh, good morning, Lady Charlotte.”
Charlotte turned and bowed her head with a polite smile. “Good morning, Viscountess.”
“Please, it’s just Matron here,” Ivy protested, well aware that Charlotte was married to a Baroness and likely did not know of Ivy’s less than respectable background. “Have you finished preparing lessons for the children?”
“Ah, yes,” Charlotte eagerly reached into the stylish leather bag she carried and a bag of marbles. “Since they’re all basically at the beginner stage, I decided to start with these. I have a craftsman building a set of twelve counting frames the children can share for calculations once we get to that part.”
“Excellent,” Ivy nodded her approval, certain the children would be delighted with the opportunity to play with colored glass marbles. “Well, while the classroom is occupied, you’re certainly welcome to make use of the library, and Dennis just made a lovely batch of chocolate chip cookies if you’re hungry.”
“Just a cup of tea for me, thank you—Matron.” Charlotte smiled politely as she headed towards the dining room that connected to the kitchen. “But if you need me, I’ll be in the library planning out future lessons and—Oh! I almost forgot!” The Baroness whipped around with an apologetic smile. “There was a man outside asking for you. A commoner if I had to guess based on his mannerism.”
“For me?” Ivy raised a brow as she turned worriedly towards the door. “Did he give a name?”
“Yes, in fact. Gus, no last name, but he said you would know him.”
“Oh!” Ivy blinked in surprise. “I do indeed. Thank you, Lady Charlotte. I will see to it.”
Charlotte nodded, though her gaze lingered between Ivy and the front door inquisitively for a moment before she shrugged and continued on to the kitchen.
‘I really should tell her about my past. It feels shameful hiding it.’ Ivy brushed her fingers nervously against the silk scarf at her throat. She turned and quickly towards the front door. The door opened with a quick twist, and the tall, familiar figure with sun-kissed brown hair and ebony eyes turned to face her.
“Gus! It is you!”