The Governess of White Stag Hall

Arrival

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Around midday, Roberts brought the carriage to a jerky halt that woke Edith. The entire vehicle rocked as he jumped down from his seat and then opened the door. "The horses need a rest," he grunted.

He turned and walked off before Edith could answer him, so she alighted from the carriage on her own. Her legs felt like jelly and it was a genuine relief to breathe fresh air and feel the wind on her skin after so long in the stifling carriage. She rolled her head from side-to-side to stretch her neck and then turned to take in the pastoral lands which surrounded them.

She wondered if it was beautiful because it was truly so or because she was so accustomed to London and the blanket of oily, soupy smog which stifled the city beneath its weight. Either way, she was simply grateful for the fresh air and she found a seat on an old, crumbling wall a little off the road.

"Here."

Edith looked up in time to catch an apple as Roberts tossed it into her lap. The driver settled down onto the gravel with a grunt and dropped a basket beside him. Inside there was an assortment of food, including biscuits and jam, hard cheese, dried meat, and fruit. He elbowed the basket toward her. "Have some," he said. "The wife packed enough to feed a village."

Edith smiled. His words and tone were no less gruff, but it was an unexpectedly kind gesture. "Thank you," she said.

Roberts nodded and proceeded to cut slices of the cheese and meat enough for them both with a hunting knife.

"Thank her for me too," she added.

He waved a hand. "She cooks for the family," he said. "You'll meet her soon enough. Thank her yourself."

Edith nodded. Now that he was saying more than three words at a time, she decided that she could risk asking him a few questions. "How long have you worked at White Stag?"
"Eh?" Roberts shrugged. "Since I was a boy. I started off wherever I was needed, doing whatever I was told."

"And now?"

"The same thing most days, except I'm better paid for it."

He went on to talk for a while about the area and the villages outside Newcastle. It wasn't convenient to travel regularly to Newcastle, but White Stag wasn't all that far from a few small villages that were large enough to have most of the necessities. At the very least, most things could be received via the post in a fairly timely way.

The conversation eventually lulled and Edith was content to let it. Roberts' manners were still coarse, but he was much friendlier than he first seemed and it came as quite a relief. She was tempted to ask him about the things Mrs. Horn had said, but it was a fleeting thought. It was probably better not to let her curiosity get the better of her.

They finished their meal and were soon back on the road. With a sigh, Edith settled in for the rest of the journey to White Stag.

*

It was almost evening when, from outside, Roberts gave a shout and startled Edith from her dozing.

"Here's the house, Miss!" he barked, only just loud enough to be heard over the stomping of the horses as they slowed at a bend in the road.

Edith blinked the sleep from her eyes and leaned across the bench to look out the window. She caught the first glimpse of the manor from between the trees as they passed and then, as they rounded the bend, the estate rolled out before them. It was an impressive, almost foreboding structure flooded in the golden light of the early evening. The grounds were immaculately kept and emerald green with neatly trimmed hedgerows and beds bursting with late summer blooms. There was a pond and a small stream which meandered across the estate and then into the thicket which bordered the grounds.