Free Love Inspired Historical November 2014 by Rhonda Gibson, Winnie Griggs, Regina Scott, Danica Favorite Page B

on, we should make a point to adhere to it.”
    â€œI’m sure, if that’s the most convenient schedule for you, it will work fine for the children.”
    â€œGood. Now let’s move on to bedtimes. I believe it should be no later than eight.”
    â€œFor the younger ones, perhaps, but the older ones might find that restrictive.”
    â€œI suppose, if they want to occupy themselves quietly in their rooms for the first hour then that would be acceptable.”
    Was she worried about them being too much of a bother for her? But they would only be here for a few days, God willing, so he supposed he could go along with her on this. “All right. What else?”
    They discussed bath times, responsibilities for keeping their rooms tidy, and the level of decorum she expected them to maintain in her home.
    Simon tried to keep his thoughts to himself and go along with her plans. But he had to wonder—what kind of childhood had the woman had if she thought this was an appropriate routine for youngsters? If this was how she’d spent her time at her boarding school he’d say she would have been better served staying home. “So, are we done?” He hoped his tone didn’t convey any of his disdain for her plans.
    â€œNot yet. We need to discuss the amount of time we might want them to spend learning artistic and social skills.”
    Enough was enough. “Mrs. Pierce, these are
children.
” He didn’t bother to mask his irritation. “They also need time to just
be
children, to play.”
    She remained unruffled. “Of course. But it is also important that they be trained while they are young so they may grow into adults who respect and value knowledge and refinement.”
    â€œWhat did you have in mind?” Simon reminded himself once more that this was her home and that they wouldn’t be here for long. But he would draw the line quickly enough if he saw her do anything that would make the kids feel as if they didn’t measure up to some arbitrary standard she might have in mind. They’d already faced enough of that in their young lives.
    And quite frankly, so had he.
    â€œI would be willing to work with them on literature, art, music and etiquette.” She actually had a hint of a smile on her face, as if this was something she looked forward to. “In addition, I could work with the girls on their household skills, and perhaps you could work with the boys on whatever skills are particular to young men.”
    â€œMrs. Pierce, I don’t—”
    She held up a hand to interrupt his protest. “Of course I didn’t mean to imply we would address all of these things at the same time.”
    Thank goodness she recognized that much at least.
    â€œDepending on the length of your stay,” she continued, “we might not get around to all of it. But we could assess what skills they already possess and what they might be most interested in learning, and work up a plan from there.” She gave him an “I’m right on this” look. “Because it is always good to have a plan worked out.”
    He chose his words carefully, not wanting to insult her. “Mrs. Pierce, while I know you mean well, a governess is the last thing these children need right now.” Or maybe ever. “I think it’ll be a better use of everyone’s time if we just assign them their fair share of the household chores and leave it at that.”
    There was the merest hint of disappointment in her expression but it disappeared quickly. “I disagree. But if that is how you feel, then of course that is what we must do.” The frostiness was back in her tone.
    â€œMaybe when they get settled into their new home and begin to establish their own routines—” he figured she’d like his use of that word “—then that will be soon enough to worry about all that. But for now they just need some calm and as much