A Lesson in Forgiveness by Jennifer Connors

nature, she still enjoyed being clean. Ginny almost felt bad about Colin's coat, since it was now just as disheveled as she was.
    “Why don't you have a seat, Miss Jones? I am going to have a bath, then we can walk up to check on Gerard.”
    “I am sure that my employment will be terminated, Miss...” Miss Jones stopped, realizing she had no idea what this woman's name was.
    “Hamilton. Bethany Hamilton. Please call me Bethany.”
    Smiling as if she expected the other shoe to fall at any moment, Miss Jones said, “Bethany. Please call me Sarah. As I was saying, I would doubt that Mrs. Rodendale would care for me to check on her son.”
    “Don't worry about that fat windbag.” Hearing a small gasp from Sarah made her correct herself. “I'm sorry. I meant to say Mrs. Rodendale. If you wish, I will speak to her on your behalf.”
    “I fail to see what good that will do other than get her to make rude remarks about your character behind your back.”
Ginny barked out a laugh. “And why should I care if she speaks ill of me? She's a bully, Sarah. There is only one way to deal with bullies.”
    “I used to be able to handle women like her. But now...” Sarah stared off into space, as if she were remembering a better time. Ginny took the silence as just that.
    “What happened? You strike me as someone who used to know her way around society.”
    Sarah regarded the screen behind which her new champion stood. If there was one thing she'd learned in her time as a lady, and more importantly, as an employee, it was that no one was to be trusted. And yet, this woman seemed different. She seemed capable of loyalty. How strange.
    “My father was a baron with an estate in the town of Bridgewater, in Somerset. My three sisters and I grew up there until I was nineteen. My mother had died when my youngest sister was born. Then my father died many years later without an heir. His cousin was all too ready to take over the title and estate. We were not welcomed by his family. Since I was the oldest, I became a governess for a family connected to a neighbor of ours. Our town vicar and his wife took in my sisters and continued their education. Two of my sisters are married and my youngest sister has only just turned seventeen.”
    There was a knock on the door. Several maids began to enter the room and fill the tub behind the ornamental screen. After they left, Ginny sat in the tub and washed away the grime. She thought about Sarah's story, so Jane Austen-esque. All that remained for Sarah was to find a rich gentleman who would keep her from ever having to work again.
    Once her hair was washed, Ginny began their conversation again. “I'm sorry to hear that Sarah. Perhaps Lord Whitmore can help you find a better position. You shouldn't have to take that woman's abuse, as well as the abuse of her spoiled children.”
    “No one said life was fair.”
    “Indeed. But if you're not happy, you are the only one who can change your life. If that's a possibility, wouldn't you want to try?”
    Silence fell over the room again like a blanket. Ginny finished in the tub and went about drying her hair. Tabby quickly pinned it up and got her re-dressed so Ginny could check up on the boy. “You are welcome to hide in here, Sarah, if you'd prefer. But you can't hide forever.”
     
     
     
    Walking up the stairs, Ginny quickly found the nursery. It was easy enough to find Gerard's room, it was the loudest. Entering the room, there were children everywhere. A rock concert couldn't compete with the noise level. There were seven or eight children running wild and one very harried maid in the center of it all. When the maid spotted Ginny, she begged for help with her eyes.
    Taking a deep breath, Ginny shouted at the top of her lungs, “SHUT UP!”
    Every child stopped at once and stared at her. Okay, now I have their attention , she thought. “Who is related to Gerard?”
    Two girls came forward, maybe twins, although they could just be close in age,