The butler bowed. “Yes, miss. The blue sitting room is this way.” He turned and trod to one of the many doors that populated the huge entryway and opened it. “I will have some tea brought.”

“And some of Cook’s scones,” Mrs. Stibbons said. She looked shrewdly at Grandpapa. “You, my lord, look a mite knackered, if you don’t mind my sayin’ so. Perhaps you’d like to rest afore dinner? I’ll have a tray brought to your room.”

“That would be lovely.” He shot a glance Anna’s way. “Go easy on poor Greyley. It must be unnerving to return home to find yourself beset with a biblical plague.” He smiled and then limped away, following Mrs. Stibbons who talked unceasingly all the way up the imposing staircase.

Anna, meanwhile, followed Jenkins into the sitting room and smiled at him when he withdrew, quietly closing the door behind him. The chamber was large and well lit by a series of narrow windows. Heavy mahogany wainscoting edged the room and echoed the rich red tones of an Aubusson rug, while a large marble fireplace stood at one end of the room. Still, as attractive as the room was, it had a certain unfinished feel to it.

Perhaps it was the furnishings. Placed here and there about the room was an assortment of chairs and benches of varying ages, most of them appearing very, very old, though none of them truly matched.

Anna trailed her fingers along the edge of a small table inlaid with ivory and made a face at herself in the reflection. “Admit it; you’re too excited for your own good.” Her reflection beamed back at her and she gave a soft laugh.

It was always this way when she took a new position. The opportunity to prove herself was exhilarating. And Anna found children far more pleasant than most adults she knew. Children had faults she could understand: they were painfully honest, given to blurting out whatever wayward thought they had in their heads regardless of where they were or who they were with; they possessed vivid imaginations and a yearning for adventure, which made it very difficult for them to concentrate on the more mundane considerations of their schoolwork; and they had an innate frustration whenever things didn’t immediately go their way. All told, Anna understood children very well indeed.

Furthermore, since she was usually asked to attend to the less settled children, Anna had become adept at discovering the sources of their unease. It wasn’t all that difficult since she spent a great deal more time with her charges than most governesses. If there was one thing her experience had taught her, it was that most problems came from the family itself, and not just the recalcitrant child.

She wondered what Greyley’s charges were like and why they had been acting so inappropriately. Trying to ease her tumultuous thoughts, she walked to a high-backed chair that sat before the fireplace and ran a hand over one of the arms. The seat was covered in ancient purple velvet, the wooden back and arms decorated with delicate ivy leaf carvings. She traced one leaf with the tip of her finger and wondered what she should say to Greyley. If she were to help the children, she would have to win his support. She sighed and wished she could speak to Sara. Of all the St. Johns, Sara was the closest to Anthony. Perhaps she would have some insight.