Lie by Moonlight (36 page)
Ambrose winked at her as she led the excited students toward the door. She smiled at him with all the love that was in her heart.
Stoner and Felix handed out the parasols in the front hall. Then Ambrose opened the door with a gallant air.
“Where are we going, Miss Glade?”
Concordia looked down at a small, freckle-faced girl. She could not have been more than eight years old and already there was an adult’s wariness and hesitation in her eyes.
But beneath the caution and anxiety there was also the glimmer of a child’s hope and resilience.
“What is your name?” Concordia asked gently.
“Jennifer, ma’am.”
“There is a fair in the park today, Jennifer,” Concordia said. “I thought it would be instructive to attend. Fairs are very educational events.”
Jennifer and the other girls stared in stunned delight.
“We’re going to a fair,” someone whispered.
Ambrose winked at Concordia. “I shall look forward to hearing about your day when you return home this evening, Miss Glade. Have fun with your new students.”
“I will,” she promised.
She stepped out onto the steps and unfurled the beautiful green parasol that he had given her. The flower of Vanza worked into the design in gold thread caught the light and glowed as bright as the day.
“Follow me, ladies,” she said to the girls hovering in the front hall.
She led her students outside into the sunshine and into the future.