Chapter 106 – The “Gentleman”
The syllabus worked perfectly fine as Jade shifted half of the teaching hours to Miss Arrowot. Though the new teacher was nervous regarding the parts she was unfamiliar with – particularly the observation of microorganisms using cheaply made Leeuwenhoek microscopes and the mechanics of the pulley-and-trolley system – she was entirely at ease teaching language skills and the hidden rules governing different social classes.
The next batch of students will probably make excellent clerks or office assistants… or even as high-tier servants. Jade thought to herself as she observed Miss Arrowot’s lessons. The new teacher had signed the contract, hence the domus officially secured her as the schoolmistress of the smaller classroom for the entire upcoming year.
“Miss Jade, are you certain we should steer the course of the syllabus in this direction?” Miss Arrowot asked, her brows furrowing as she scanned through their lesson planning for the next week. “Shifting from eye-opening texts and arithmeti-dense lessons to a heavier focus on reading and language… this does not seem to align with our school’s mission.”
Jade tilted her head, putting down everything in her hands to focus entirely on Miss Arrowot’s eyes. Sensing her firmness, the new teacher stopped her work as well.
“Alright, now, let’s go through our employment contract again,” Jade said, counting the points on her fingers. “What, exactly, did Father Rochester ask us to do?”
Miss Arrowot blinked, a hint of hidden nervousness alertly caught by Jade.
Jade prompted, “He ask us to…?”
“Teach the children, so that they can read…”
“Yes, and?”
“Count.”
“And?”
“Write.”
Jade nodded, tapping the table. “Did he lay out any other specific requirements?”
Miss Arrowot paused, then slowly shook her head.
“See,” Jade tapped on Miss Arrowot’s newly drafted lesson plan. “You’ve done exactly what he asked; you’ve already fulfilled the baseline requirements! Anything beyond that is an extra provided by whoever holds the teaching position. These extras are effectively the personal donations we chose and capable of providing, you get me?”
“Donations?” Miss Arrowot was clearly confused by Jade’s words.
“Yeah… you do understand we’re a charity-based school, right?” Jade said, continuing only after Miss Arrowot nodded. “We received lower wages, not just because we’re inexperienced, but also because the school runs on a limited budget.”
“And because the school was founded on charity,” Jade explained, “everything we do counts as a sort of charity – a kind of donation. We are inexperienced teachers going through our own financial difficulties, but we still wish to contribute while receiving help ourselves. Our knowledge is the only currency we have to give.”
Miss Arrowot lowered her gaze, slowly processing Jade’s words.
“Our donations are subtle, and non-physical,” Jade tapped the lesson plan papers again. “But no one can deny that our donations do the students good, right? Some people donate money, others donate food, and we donate our knowledge. Everyone just donates differently.”
Miss Arrowot met Jade’s eyes. “And you, Miss Jade, donate your industrialist insight.”
“Industrialist?” Jade blinked. “Is that how you people put it? Sounds like something big… Yeah, I donated my business insight, so they can eventually open a tiny stall to sell things, enter workplaces with practical skills, or make use of the knowledge to live a better life. And you, Miss Arrowot, are donating your knowledge of formal writing, language, manners, and all. So your students will naturally turn out differently than mine, and that’s perfectly alright.”
Miss Arrowot nodded slowly, a small, genuine smile appearing on her face. “My students shall be well-equipped for writing and professional service.”
“And I heard the telegraph is becoming a big thing for wealthy businesses now,” Jade added. She did not possess a deep historical knowledge of the technology apart from knowing it was the precursor to modern telephones and the internet, but she knew it was something revolutionary alongside railways and steamships. “Imagine your students becoming a telegraph operator one day… I don’t think the children could ever get into those offices under my lectures, but they stand a chance with yours, Miss Arrowot.”
“A… a telegraphist?” Miss Arrowot muttered.
She possessed a much clearer picture of that industry than Jade did. It was a rapidly expanding occupation that had recently begun providing respectable employment for desperate, impoverished middle-class women – a field increasingly geared toward women because the gender was widely considered to possess the nimble fingers and patience required for repetitive typing.
“Yes… I can certainly teach them how to excel in those skills,” Miss Arrowot let out a long, relieved sigh, her eyes meeting Jade’s delightful gaze. A faint flush of embarrassment emerged on her cheeks. “My sincere apologies, Miss Jade, for bothering you with such a small matter.”
“No worries at all!” Jade smiled.
But before she could continue, Josh walked into the room with a distinctly puzzled expression on his face. “Sensei, Sister Lucy is asking for your presence.”
“Sister Lucy?” Jade raised her brows. “I thought she was busy welcoming today’s visitors?”
“Yes, she is,” Josh nodded, staring intently at Jade.
Jade blinked.
A moment of silence processing rippled between them.
Then, a slow realisation dawned on Jade, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. “Wait. Sister Lucy is welcoming the visitors who have expressed an interest in the school’s teachers… and she called for my presence? A guy wants to meet me?!”
Miss Arrowot frowned, looking equally bewildered. “This should not be possible. No one outside of our circle should have noticed you, Miss Jade, apart from Lady Glorissa and Miss Fairborne, and neither of them announced your involvement in the craft production out loud.”
Jade turned back to Josh, “Have you ever seen him before?”
The boy shook his head, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen this gentleman.”
“He’s a gentleman?” Jade felt a mountain of question marks begin to build in her mind. “A gentleman of what kind?”
In this era, one could not simply throw around the term “gentleman” casually.
To be formally identified as a gentleman, a man had to at least belong to the landed gentry – someone who owned a country estate and held a recognised social position. While he might not possess a grand title comparable to a peer of the realm, he must never be mistaken for a mere merchant or a working professional. He needed not to work for a living*, existing solely off the passive income of his land rents or his financial investment.
“I do not know for certain,” Josh recalled. “Sister Lucy did not address him as a lord, but I noticed the signet ring on his finger. There’s a crest engraved on it.”
“Huh,” Jade shrugged, quickly gathering her belongings and shoving the stack into Josh’s hands. “Take these back to my room and meet me out front. Let’s go see who this gentleman is.”
When Jade located Sister Lucy near the altar in the main hall of the domus, an incredibly decent-looking man was standing before the nun. Jade categorised him as decent, not because he was remarkably handsome – though he did possess the rigid, sharp facial structure somewhat like a classical Roman statue – but because his attire was loudly, undeniably expensive.
A top hat and an ornate walking stick served as his baseline accessories. The truly costly element, however, was his coat. It was tailored from fine wool and heavily embroidered with silk, boasting a colour palette that was significantly lighter and brighter than the somber, dark tones worn by most people Jade had encountered in the parish. His pocket watch chain gleamed with the weight of solid gold. His ring, just as Josh had observed, bore a crest intricately carved into a polished gemstone.
Jade strolled up to them and offered a small, polite bow before looking up – at which point she noticed he also wore an opulent cravat brooch heavily decorated with precious metals and glittering gemstones.
She frowned inwardly, instantly disliking how flashy and ostentatious this person chose to appear inside a solemn religious venue. Mr. Rich Sponsor, for all his staggering wealth, would never dress in such a flashy display when visiting the domus.
But flashy or not, that was just a matter of personal preference. Jade maintained her professional, polite smile and waited for Sister Lucy to perform the necessary introductions.
“Mr. Ramport,” Sister Lucy said, “this is Miss Lysmere, one of our teachers.”
Turning to Jade, the nun continued, “Miss Lysmere, this is Mr. Owen Ramport, a gentleman who is interested in contributing to our domus and the school.”
“Greetings, Mr. Ramport,” Jade nodded, lowering her gaze afterward to remain quiet and unassumingly behind Sister Lucy.
“Nice meeting you, Miss Jade… Lysmere,” Mr. Ramport said, offering a smooth, practiced smile before turning back to Sister Lucy. “I came to learn how I might best contribute. I assumed it would not be purely financial, as the papers have been quite merry discussing the fortune a few mere ragged school children managed to earn not long ago.”
“Indeed,” Sister Lucy replied as she began guiding him through the premises, starting with the main hall, where a far corner of the roof was conspicuously awaiting structural repair – an obvious hint that if he truly intended to donate, he could start right there. She had shown that exact spot to various visitors over the past week, but most had only dropped a small handful of coins, and not a single one had actually gone so far as to contact a builder to patch the roof.
“Since you have found us through the papers, Mr. Ramport,” Sister Lucy continued in a pragmatic, matter-of-fact tone, “then you must have read about the workshops founded under Lady Eleanor Ashborne, and how the Dowager Countess of Canareith highly praised the entire arrangement. The student will stand in need of other categories of donations, should you wish to contribute within these next few months. Miss Lysmere can elaborate further regarding this matter.”
Josh approached the group just then, falling silently into step directly behind Jade as Sister Lucy spoke.
Unlike Jade, who had to maintain her composure as a poised teacher, Josh – a ragged teenage boy – could get away with acting a bit more blunt in these social situations. For instance, he openly stared at this Mr. Ramport, observing his every move with wide, deceptively innocent eyes.
“Yes, Sister Lucy,” Jade nodded, keeping her response briefly while carefully controlling her accent and choice of words. “Food and books are currently not our primary concern. However, the children are in dire need of better hygiene resources. I suppose bulk donations of soap or similar cleansing detergents would be a highly appropriate approach.”
Mr. Ramport was slightly taken aback by Jade’s practical suggestions, but he quickly recovered and let out a small laugh. “Soap! Such an acute attention to detail, and one I had certainly never expected to hear. Miss Lysmere, that is a thoroughly impressive suggestion.”
“Thank you,” Jade replied, simply offering a quiet, unbothered nod in acknowledgement of the compliment.
Sister Lucy then led the group to tour the rest of the facility, showing him the dining hall, the study rooms utilised by the clergy members, the classrooms, the kitchen… Though Sister Lucy handled the vast majority of the interaction, Jade was occasionally required to speak up whenever the gentleman’s inquiries directly touched upon daily school operations.
Throughout the entire tour, however, Jade could not shake the distinct sensation that his gaze was lingering entirely too often on her – a habit that did absolutely nothing to improve her impression of him.
It felt as though… he was measuring something. Measuring her.
Finally, after a grueling half hour – which felt like a torturous, hours-long field trip where she had to try her best to ignore the weird feeling – the facility tour came to a blessed end.
Before Mr. Ramport prepared to bid his farewells, he cast a long, deep glance at Jade and muttered, “I am very much impressed by Miss Lysmere’s unique capabilities. I shall certainly call again soon, in the earnest hope of restoring a good lady to her proper place.”
“We shall meet again, Miss Jade,” he added softly. He tipped his hat, flashed her a loaded, hinting smile, and turned to board a waiting stagecoach.
Sister Lucy frowned the moment he was out of earshot. “Such improper speech to utter in front of a maiden.”
Josh frowned as well, watching the vehicle pull away. “A hired stagecoach. He is not quite as comfortable a gentleman as he appeared.”
Jade, however, after a long moment of processing, felt her face contort into a mixture of disbelief and a certain level of disgust as she barked out, “Did he just flirt with me??”