Chapter 77 – Letters
“These are all letters for me?” Jade took the basket tray from Father Rochester. There were about twenty letters inside.
“Yes, all addressed to you.” Father Rochester watched as Jade picked up one bearing his name and added, “And some, though written to me, are in truth meant for you.”
“Huh?” Jade raised a brow and opened it. Skimming past the pleasantries and decorative language, she found the core message: a reprimand. She was being scolded for being meddlesome, told to focus on her duties as a teacher instead of filling her students’ head with nonsense. Though addressed to Father Rochester, it was clearly meant to pressure the chief clergy – also the principal of the ragged school – into restraining thisoutrageous maiden from further recklessness.
“Huh.” The same interjection, but with a very different tone – flat, dismissive. “Who’s this fella… Oh, a doctor! Well, if all doctors behaved like this, so conservative and closed-minded, I’d expect the future of medical science to be doomed.”
“Now, now, Miss Jade.” Father Rochester tapped the table lightly with his fingertip. “Keep your barbs. One man does not represent all. Do have a look at other letters.”
Jade picked up another, this one addressed directly to her. After a quick glance, she raised her brows. “Over-the-top praise for ‘raising children with noble virtues’… from some lady I don’t even know.” She looked up. “Father, why all these letters all of a sudden? I thought the debate between me and that doctor – what’s his name again? Never mind. I thought it had already blown over. Has someone stirred it up again?”
The last time she had a heated debate with that doctor and his circle of intellectuals – in her classroom, no less, under Lord Ashborne’s witness – the matter had spread by word of mouth through the neighbourhood. But it had never escalated to the point of drawing reporters. She had assumed the doctor might have taken further action, setting off this sudden flood of correspondence.
But Father Rochester shook his head. “These letters come from readers of Velport Daily, the most widely read newspaper in the kingdom. It reaches every city. The report of Josh assisting a baron during an asthma attack was published – small, but notable enough for a corner column.”
The White Robe handed her a newspaper, already opened to the relevant page, and pointed to a corner. The article itself was brief and straightforward, but what stood out was the accompanying illustration. In an age where newspapers were dense with text, such a visual was striking. Anyone skimming the page would be drawn to it at once.
Fortunately, the details were accurate, and the illustration was faithful enough. Jade arched a brow. “Why don’t I remember giving any interview to this… Mr. Allenwood? Josh has been staying in the domus these past few days; no outsider came near him without me noticing.”
“Then perhaps he interviewed the baron and other witnesses instead,” Father Rochester said, smoothing his moustache. “That would explain the letters I’ve received from my acquaintances. It seems some members of the upper class have begun wearing facemasks in the streets. I strongly suspect the baron Josh assisted is endorsing your idea of blocking soot with such coverings. Miss Jade, do you understand the situation now?”
Jade fell silent for a moment before answering slowly, “The debate between my idea that soot particles cause lung disease and their belief in miasma will spread beyond our little circle. It’ll reach a wider audience… and every intellectual in the kingdom will have something to say about it.” She paused. “Which means, more letters.”
Father Rochester nodded. “Indeed. The matter is no longer within our control, not even for the doctors who debated that day. Your name will certainly be mentioned again and again.”
“Well… I guess at least those who disagree with me won’t come all the way here just to throw a bucket of dirty water at me.” Jade let out a small, strained chuckle, but Father Rochester’s calm gaze lingered on her. The chuckle faltered. Jade sighed. “I’m sorry, Father, for dragging our domus and the school into this mess.”
Father Rochester waved a hand dismissively. “If we handle this carefully, we may yet turn it to our advantage.”
More donations, a stronger reputation, better job prospects for graduated students… And the ragged school might even have a chance to become a proper academy – not merely a shabby charity school, but an institution dedicated to educating the poor and providing society with a capable workforce. A school whose certificates would actually carry weight.
“However, we have little power to steer any of this,” Father Rochester added.
One step wrong, leading to a ruined reputation, and the school would be shut down. There would be no more “better futures” for the students… and no more so-called future plans for anything.
“Yeah… Lord Ashborne probably wouldn’t mind, but I genuinely hope we won’t trouble him with these kinds of tedious problems,” Jade said, recalling his face. Those doe-eyes – clear as an innocent husky with potential to wreck a house – sharp, but in the most unexpected way. Yep, better not get him involved in anything; no more cosmetic industry smearing campaigns.
“Do not worry, Miss Jade.” Father Rochester offered a reassuring smile. “Many are beginning to support your views. Your words are gradually proving correct.”
Jade blinked. “How do you know, Father? Are there new findings in scientific journals?”
“No.” Father Rochester lifted a letter from his drawer. “Dr. Lucas Collins – the physician who was meant to debate you, not the one who actually argued with you – has written to share his experiments.”
“His experiments?” Jade repeated, then paused as realization dawned. “He tested soot inhalation on animals? Proved that the soot particles suffocated them?”
“He did not elaborate,” Father Rochester replied. “Perhaps he fears information leaking. A paper on such a matter would be groundbreaking and far-reaching. Still, his tone was most positive; he praised you highly. He also asked whether he might list you as a co-author.”
“Co-author? Me? Pfff.” Jade rolled her eyes. “I do nothing – no experiment, no analysis. Putting my name on a scientific paper sounds like a joke!”
“He must acknowledge you in some manner,” Father Rochester said. “Your name has been closely associated with this entire matter. If he ignores that, it may reflect poorly on him.”
Jade rubbed her chin. Father Rochester had a point. “Hm… then maybe he can put my name in the acknowledgement? There’s a section for that, right? Where authors thank their patrons and contributors? Put me there, alongside Lord Ashborne. He should thank Milord for the debate as well, right? I’d feel safer if my name comes after his.”
“Very well. I shall reply to him accordingly,” Father Rochester said with a nod.
Their attention returned to the basket of letters.
“Do I have to reply to all of these?” Jade asked. “There’ll be more coming, right? I can’t spend all day writing replies – I still have work to do.”
“That will not be necessary,” Father Rochester said. He had already skimmed most of the letters – many mentioned him as well – and was certain a few would interest her. “Answer only those you find worthwhile. Some are from individuals who suffer from asthma and wish to ask how they might ease their condition.”
“Oh.” Jade hadn’t expected that, but she nodded. “Alright, I’ll reply to those.”
The thought of hundreds of letters flooding the domus – some to scold her, others to praise her – sent a chill down her spine. It felt like posting something online that suddenly went viral: comments pouring in from both supporters and critics… And she wakes up with half-open eyes to a flood of notifications and DMs that nearly crashed her phone.
That was totally not what she had expected when she debated with those doctors.
“Father, will things settle down once Dr. Collins publishes his paper?” Jade asked, both embarrassed and apologetic for the trouble she had caused.
“I cannot say, Miss Jade.” Father Rochester sighed. He studied the young woman before her with quiet concern. Too much attention did not always bring good – like a plant given more water than it could bear. “For now, I suggest you avoid the major newspapers. The Quinark Gazette should suffice for light reading. And if I see that you are distressed, I will withhold these letters from you as well, Miss Jade. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Father.” Jade nodded. The best way to deal with haters’ comments was simply not to read them. The chief clergy knew nothing of social media, yet his approach was sound.
She distanced herself from the outside news and even kept Josh within the domus to avoid reporters – and worse. As her name drew more attention, many had learned that she had an apprentice, and that her apprentice was the one who had learned the most from her. If they could not find her, she feared they would turn their attention to Josh instead.
According to Raymond and Matt, some had already sought them out at the stall. The visitors had not looked friendly – and once they learned they boys were not her direct students and had received only a few lessons from her, they left with heavy, dissatisfied steps.
Jade maintained her routine. Though letters arrived in increasing numbers each day, she read them only occasionally and replied to those that interested her – just as Father Rochester had advised. Gradually, the number of letters began to decline.
With the incident still unfolding, she continued Miss Arrowot’s training.
Step by step, she involved Miss Arrowot in teaching and in planning for the next semester. However, both Clara and Miss Arrowot were clearly aware of the situation, perhaps even following the news closely, because they would sometimes cast Jade worried glances.
At last, the final week of the second semester arrived. The students would sit for their examination, bringing their lessons – including the tuition class – to a close. Spring had come, and the air had improved; those in the domus who wore facemasks outdoors could now do without them.
For the students, the entire March would be a holiday. Many would be occupied with spring ploughing, working as farmhands or assisting their families with labour.
Semester 3 would be shorter than the others, beginning in the second week of April and ending at the close of May. Jade had originally planned to start in the first week, but the charity bazaar scheduled from 2nd-4th of April required her attention. She gathered the students to prepare for it and assigned roles to those who would accompany her.
The asthma incident slipped entirely from her mind as she devoted herself to drafting a proper exam paper and outlining the next semester’s syllabus.
“Gosh, I haven’t had the chance to teach them about microorganisms or even some basic physics,” Jade muttered. “Microbes are manageable. I’ve got the Leeuwenhoek microscope, so they can observe river water. But do I really have to use steam engines as an example? I don’t even sure what’s going on inside one! What else is visually simple enough for me to explain these physics concepts?”
Miss Arrowot, seated beside her in her room, watched Jade alternated between calm focus and tugging at her own hair while muttering under her breath – like some peculiar incantation. The new teacher wanted to reassure her that biology and physics were hardly necessary for ragged school children, but before she could speak, Jade suddenly straightened, her eyes lighting up.
“Hey… I could use a pulley system! Yes, at least it’s easier for me to explain the pulleys than steam engines…”
“...” Miss Arrowot grew uneasy. She was not sure she could handle teaching such materials in her own semester 3 – she had clearly no idea what Miss Jade was talking about. Yet she did not want her lessons to differ too greatly from Miss Jade’s.
Jade scribbled rapidly on a sheet of paper and was about to explain her idea to Miss Arrowot when Clara burst in, flinging the door open. “Big news, Jade!”
“What–” Jade turned, startled, only to have a newspaper slapped into her face. “Clara…”
“Oops, my apologies. Here.” Clara pulled it back and pointed to the headline. “Look! Parliament is debating a Clean Air Act!”
“...The what?” Jade took the paper and scanned it, her eyes widening with each line.