Death of a Schoolgirl: The Jane Eyre Chronicles

by Joanna Campbell Slan

Surely my translation was wrong. Could the old woman really have said, “She is dead and I am happy”?

  While Signora Delgatto struggled out the door and I considered her surprising parting words, Miss Jones turned to me.

  “So you are the unlucky individual who arrived soaking wet in the kitchen just this morning, are you not? I heard Emma remark on your injuries,” she said.

  “Yes, a thief accosted me at a coaching inn.”

  “Oh dear! What a dangerous place this world is for an unmarried woman. What a shame. For a woman, being unmarried—without a male protector—and safe are mutually exclusive. Our inferior status forces all of us into a role as chattel.”

  I found this curious. I did not think of Edward as my protector. He was my spouse, my helpmate, and my equal. We were both charged with protecting our son…and Adèle. A sudden wave of homesickness engulfed me. Surrounded by other women’s children, I missed my own Ned. So physical was this longing that my breath caught in my throat.

  “Are you all right, Miss Eyre?” asked Miss Jones. “For a moment, your face showed extraordinary sadness. What might I do to help? I want to be your friend as well as your new colleague.”

  How peculiar. Twice in as many days, women I’d barely met professed to desire my friendship.

  Miss Jones rephrased her offer. “Forgive me if I am being forward, but I do hope to get to know you. There are so few of us, and having the society of other teachers makes this post much more desirable than the solitary position of being a governess, don’t you agree?”

  “I do.” A governess could not mingle with the staff, nor was she generally accepted as an equal by her mistress and master. Save in one instance…mine.

  Miss Jones stared at me.

  “Yes, I understand what you are saying. Being a governess can be very lonely.”

  Miss Miller sent a sidewise glance at me, then quickly studied her serviette.

  “Where were you in service last?” Miss Jones asked.

  “North of here, in Yorkshire,” I said, and to channel the conversation in another direction, I stifled a yawn. “Pardon me! It has been a rather long day.”

  “Yes, Miss Eyre, it has been a trying and troubling day for all of us,” Miss Miller said. Her eyes caught mine and her tone sent another message: And you must not let down your guard. Not yet! A killer may walk among us!

  Chapter 23

  Recognizing I would have to rehearse even my most casual and mundane speech with care added to my overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Every part of my body ached, and the bruising around my eye pulsed with sharp arrows of pain.

  After dinner, Miss Jones, Miss Miller, and I conversed about desultory topics as the students quietly occupied themselves with their assignments and reading. The women shared with me a general overview of the school’s routine, along with a sense of what rules and expectations there were for the students. Discipline, I learned, was left largely to the individual teacher’s judgment.

  “What happened to Fräulein Schoeppenkoetter?” Miss Jones asked Miss Miller. “There’s nothing seriously wrong, is there?”

  “Fräulein has been unavoidably detained. Mrs. Thurston did not share specifics with me. When Miss Eyre happened by to renew our friendship, I conceived the idea that she could step in for a short while.”

  Miss Jones started to speak again, but one of the girls came to ask her a question about geography. I had the sense I was fortunate that the interruption occurred.

  Needle art projects consumed the final hour before bedtime. Emma served tea and biscuits in the library, where a small coal fire had been set in the hearth. At long last, my clothing started to dry out.

  I struggled to keep my eyes open, telling myself that I must take heed of the surroundings and note the different personalities so I could report to Mr. Douglas. Perhaps he could tease out information that would be useful. So far, I could see nothing that might help us conclude the identity of a killer.

  Some girls stitched steadily; others fussed about with their floss and needles. Rufina grumbled that she hated needle arts, Nettie seemed particularly cross about her own work, and Rose mainly sat with her project in her lap and stared off into space.

  Miss Jones pursed her lips. “The girls are all out of sorts. You cannot imagine how distraught the students were about Selina Biltmore’s death. How many children were in the family that you served? You said your post was in Yorkshire?”

  “Just one and yes.”

  “Was the family good to you? Why did you leave?”

  “Circumstances changed.”

  Miss Miller intervened, obviously tiring of Miss Jones’s attempts to pry into my past. “Miss Eyre served as Adela’s governess.”

  “Indeed! So you must have met her guardian!” Miss Jones threw her hands up in horror. “How lucky you were to have escaped with your virtue intact! That man must be a monster! Hiding a wife while wooing a governess!”

  My teacup rattled as I set it down.

  “Please forgive Miss Jones for speaking out of turn. She knows that Mrs. Thurston takes a strict stand against gossip.” Miss Miller glared at Miss Jones, who met her stare and returned a benign expression. “Tonight we seem to have forgotten our manners. Perhaps it is because the events of this morning were so distressing.”

  Little Caroline approached Miss Miller for help unraveling a knot. While my old teacher’s attention was diverted, Miss Jones whispered to me, “You have heard about Selina Biltmore, haven’t you? Adela found her lying there, dead, this morning. She was already cold to the touch! Can you imagine?”

  “Miss Jones! Please!” Miss Miller sent Caroline on her way as her own voice sharpened with irritation. “Let us not dwell on it. Of course Miss Eyre knows about the tragedy. Please do not pander to nervousness by remarking on the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.”

  “One can hardly call it pandering! I simply seek to warn Miss Eyre that her students might suffer from nightmares. Adela sobbed and sobbed until we dosed her. That’s her French blood, I daresay. They are an excitable people. Prone to dramatics and reckless behavior. They take little heed of the impact on others. The women especially. She must have been quite the trial to you when you were attempting to teach her.”

  “On occasion,” I agreed. “Her French blood and years in that country cannot help but evidence themselves. However, she is a good child at heart. Most adults would suffer agitation, too, when confronted by a dead body. Surely you don’t blame Adèle for responding as she did? She is, after all, just a child.”

  “I was only remarking on what happened and her response to it so that you will be informed.” Miss Jones shrugged in a manner that betrayed petulance.

  “Of course,” I said, to smooth over this hiccup.

  She continued in a more conciliatory tone, “I, myself, have burst into tears several times today. The news of Selina’s death was shocking for all of us. Horribly so. I think it best to warn you that tonight of all nights, your charges might awaken you with bad dreams. I daresay this would be a good night to give them all a drop or two of laudanum. It might help them get through the long evening without interruption, poor dears. Remind me, Miss Miller, to tell Cook to buy more when she does her shopping.”

  “Ma’am? May I begin the readings?” Rufina curtsied to Miss Miller, all the while sucking on a bloody index finger. When she withdrew it from her mouth, I could see that the skin had been broken by several needle pricks.

  The three Seniors—Rufina, Rose, and Nettie—took turns reading Bible passages out loud. Rufina spoke haltingly, stumbling over difficult words. Rose read with a clear voice and dramatic flair, while poor Nettie’s recitation was marked with incessant interruptions as Parthena Jones corrected the child’s lazy tongue. The rest of the girls hid behind their stitching to muffle their giggles, while Nettie suffered no end of embarrassment. The child’s face grew redder and redder with each stumbling pronouncement.

  When Nettie finished, Miss Miller turned to me with a frown. “I am
not a martinet, but her father has sent strict instructions that we teach his little girl to talk like a proper Englishwoman and cure her of this silly lisp. His words, not mine. I think she’s adorable.”

  At long last, the Bible passages came to an end, for which I sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving.

  The girls began to pack up their needlework, and Miss Jones turned again to me. “Where did you learn German?”

  “My cousins are scholars. They taught me.”

  But she was not finished. “Are your cousins here in London?”

  “Actually, I am the guest of Mrs. Captain Augustus Brayton.” The words slipped out before I could weigh and measure them. The expression of surprise on Miss Jones’s face told me she found this fascinating.

  “My! That’s lofty company for a governess, isn’t it? She used to visit the school quite frequently, but then her interest ceased.”

  “Her husband is serving the Crown in India, and he took ill. She, naturally, went to his aid, but has now returned.”

  “Oh! That explains her recent absence. I was wondering why she lost interest in us. My! I can’t imagine visiting with a society lady like Mrs. Brayton at her home. Much less having her as a hostess! How did you meet her?”

  “Through my former employer, Adèle’s guardian.”

  “Have you known her long?” Miss Jones was nothing if not insistent.

  This was exactly the sort of conversation I hoped to avoid, since any mention of Lucy might lead to explaining our real relationship, the bond that came from our husbands being best friends. No, such a discussion might lead me to slip and announce my true status—I was too exhausted to think clearly. Yet here I was in the thick of it with no way out. I set my teacup down rather too clumsily and the clatter caused Miss Miller to face me. I sent her my unspoken cry for help—and she responded by saying, “I suggest we escort the students up to bed early, since it might take a while for them to get to sleep. Ladies, put your work away. Let’s have a hymn before bed. What might you suggest, Miss Jones?”

  “The girls practiced a nice one with Signora Delgatto just this morning. Come along now. Stand in your places.” She rose and directed them into three neat rows, where the girls waited for their cue. Miss Jones raised her hands then dropped them to signal the start of a well-loved hymn with a verse that included the words “make us thy sorrow feel, till through our pity and our shame love answers love’s appeal.”

  I could not know it then, but it proved oddly prescient.

  Chapter 24

  After singing, the students lined up with their proctors at the head of the queue. Rufina, the head Senior, led the way to the dormitory. Her face wore an expression of tense resignation. The dragging of the Seniors’ feet, the abject silence, and the general aura told me they were all terrified.

  Once in the Senior dormitory, I checked on Adèle while the three other young ladies untied their pinafores, hung them up, and washed their faces. I was tucking the blanket up under Adèle’s chin when Miss Miller knocked on the door.

  “This is our schedule, and a roster of our students. Here is the German primer we use. There’s a notebook, a sketchbook, and several pencils in the muslin bag. The classrooms have slates and chalk for each student.” She pressed the pile upon me and asked, “Have you considered where and how to begin?”

  “My first task will be to assess where the girls are in their learning.”

  “Good idea. Fräulein Hertzog wasn’t with us long. Perhaps three months? So I imagine the girls have retained little, if any, real skills.”

  She leaned close and whispered, “Remember, I am across the hall from you if you need me. The walls do not muffle noises as much as one might like.”

  Setting the book and bag on top of my dresser, I returned to my charges. All had undressed and were climbing into bed. I stepped behind the modesty panel and removed my dress, shivering as I did. After pulling my night rail over my head, I slipped my arms into my white lawn wrapper. Tying the belt caused me to stop and look down. This would never do. Both my night rail and wrapper were trimmed with deep ruffles of lace, an embellishment totally out of keeping with the post of a humble governess.

  It is only lace, and nothing more, I thought as I ripped the frothy trim from the garments.

  I turned the lace over and over in my hand. Feeling the pattern of holes and stitching, I recognized this torn fabric as a metaphor for my life—I had ripped myself from my husband and son, from the life I loved, a world rich and fine. Now I pretended to be something less than what I was.

  I tucked the trim into a pocket of my wrapper. Perhaps no one would have noticed the extravagant embellishment, but I couldn’t take any chances.

  No, I had made my choice. I was committed to this course of action. I sighed and prepared myself. I surmised that the girls would watch my every move, the way a frightened dog watches his master for proof that all is well.

  My instincts were correct. When I stepped out from behind the screen, three sets of eyes stared at me. Their expressions ranged from curious to cautious. Adèle snored lightly and rolled over.

  “That was her bed,” ventured Rufina, pointing to the empty cot beside mine, with covers twisted ’round and ’round like a stork’s nest. The pillow appeared to be missing, but a glance told me it rested awkwardly between the wall and the floor, as if it had fallen there.

  “Caje is supposed to come get her mattress at some point,” said Rose. “If she was sick, he’s to burn it. He’s the houseboy and he’s awful strong.”

  “He isn’t the houseboy,” corrected Rufina. “He’s the footman. Sort of. Only he doesn’t wear a uniform. And he isn’t that strong. That bed does not weigh much.” To prove her boast, she walked over and hefted the head of the cot, lifting it easily.

  “Wonder if we can have our things back,” said Nettie in her babyish lisp. “Miss Eyre, do you suppose we can have them?”

  “What do you mean?” I pulled pins from my hair and shook it out.

  “Selina took all my sweeties and put them in the top drawer of her dresser. I was just thinking, she will not be eating them, so do you suppose I could have them back?”

  “May I have my sash? It is my prettiest one, and it is all satin, and my papa gave it to me,” said Rose.

  Rufina scratched at a scab. “I should like my kite. I worked a long time on the tail. It’s rather a good flier.”

  “Why does—did—Selina have these items? You say they belong to you?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Rufina said. “They are in her dresser. Top drawer. She showed them to us from time to time.”

  “Why does—did—she have possession of them?”

  The girls exchanged looks. No one spoke. I sat on the bed, resisting the urge to lie down. Once I moved to a prone position, my eyes might snap shut and I’d be fast asleep.

  “Because she took them,” Nettie said finally. “She told us we had to share with her. She said we were like her sisters, and sisters are obliged to share, and then she took them.”

  “But if she said you were to share, then you must have her possessions as well.” I folded down my sheet and spread the wool blanket over my bed.

  “No, miss. I don’t have anything of hers.” Rufina shook her head emphatically.

  “Nor do I,” added Nettie.

  “Me, neither, and Adela told all of us that Selina took her hair ribbon,” said Rose as she slipped into her bed and pulled the covers up into a neat horizon under her arms.

  “She got so angry.” Rufina sighed and wiped a spot of blood off her elbow with the hem of her gown. Her covers were already halfway off the bed.

  “Who got angry?” I fought to concentrate, but the lure of sleep tugged at me.

  “Adela did. She and Selina started pulling each other’s hair.” Rose added a dismissive roll of her eyes.

  Oh dear. I was reminded that their quarrel had gotten so heated as to become violent. Did Waverly know that? If so, he might suspect Adèle. Perhaps that was why he wanted to t
alk with her.

  As I struggled with this disturbing line of thought, the girls again gave each other sideways looks. As if reaching a consensus, Nettie said, “Miss Eyre, are there really ghosts?”

  Before I could answer, Rose said, “We’re worried that Selina will come haunt us.” Her lower lip trembled.

  “Don’t be silly!” Rufina guffawed. “There is no such thing as a ghost! What gooses you two are!”

  “Geese,” I corrected her. “The plural of goose is geese. Come here, girls.” I patted my mattress, and with no more urging, they tumbled onto my bed.

  Another adult might dismiss their fears out of hand, but I knew better. When I was but ten, I saw a beam of light, complete with dancing motes where no ray should have entered. This came with sound I was confident portended a visitation from my dead uncle. To this day, I remembered the experience of raw terror, a sensation too vivid to allow me to make jest of my young charges or their similar concern.

  “Although Christ our Savior rose again, I have heard naught of other people rising from the grave. The creed tells us this will happen when Christ comes again to judge the quick and the dead. Until that time, I am sure we are safe.” I paused and added, “From Selina’s return.”

  They huddled together, clinging one to another as if shipwreck victims. Their bleak expressions told me they found my explanation hard to credit.

  “Selina would come back. I know she would. It would be just like her to come and scare us,” Rose said.

  Nettie’s eyes widened. “Mrs. Thurston says Selina died in her sleep, and I know that it happens to bad girls all the time. But I do not want to die! I am so sorry for all I have done! I am a sinner and I am afraid!” With that, she burst into noisy sobs.

  I took her into my arms and patted her back. “There, there. It’s all right,” I half whispered to her.

  The other girls stared at me in surprise. Was it possible that Mrs. Thurston forbade affection between teachers and their pupils?

  Rufina guessed my concern. “Mrs. Webster was awful kind to us, but Mrs. Thurston, well, she don’t think the teachers should spoil us overmuch.”