sister, Margareta, and took her time leaving her desk. “Yes, Teacher?” she asked as she stopped in front of Emmy’s desk.
Emmy pulled her shoulders back and inhaled a deep breath before addressing her pupil. The Samuelson sisters had been difficult from the moment the first bell had rung on Emmy’s first day. Whether they believed they were above her authority because their father was the superintendent, or because they were grieving and missing their mama, they were bent on making Emmy’s job miserable.
“I called for complete silence from the upper classes until the first-year students were through reciting.”
Annabeth blinked in feigned innocence. “I remember.”
“Why were you whispering to Margareta?”
The fourteen-year-old girl gave a pouty look. “Why are you picking on me, Miss Wilkes? Is it because my father doesn’t like you and you’re taking it out on me?”
Twenty students sat or stood around the room, all their eyes pinned to Emmy. Annabeth had tried bating Emmy every chance she could get—but Emmy refused to play her games.
“I want you to write on the board fifty times, ‘I will not whisper in class.’”
“Fifty?” Annabeth’s mouth fell open. “My hand will cramp, and my father will be very upset when he hears you’re making an example of me. He doesn’t like to be embarrassed.”
“And I don’t like disobedience. If you haven’t finished by recess, you’ll have to stay indoors.”
Annabeth lifted her nose and walked to the chalkboard, stomping her feet all the way. She picked up a piece of chalk and scratched each word onto the board with deliberate strokes, causing the chalk to squeak in protest.
Emmy slowly sat in her chair and looked back at the younger students. Levi and Zeb stood quietly, their eyes fixed on Emmy’s face, though Levi glanced at Annabeth from time to time.
“Now, where were we?” Emmy asked.
The door opened and a gentleman entered the schoolhouse with a gust of wind.
“What now?” Emmy asked under her breath, rising from her desk once again. “May I help you?”
The man took off his hat and clutched it in his hands, looking left and right at the students as he tentatively walked down the aisle between the desks. “Are you Miss Wilkes?” he asked as he stopped at her desk.
“I am.”
He swallowed hard and turned his hat around in his hands. “I came to speak with you.”
Emmy frowned. “Do you have a student you’d like to enroll?”
“No.” He leaned forward, his greasy hair falling over his forehead, and lowered his voice. “This here is a personal matter.”
Annabeth stopped writing and stared openly at the man while all the other children listened in.
“I’m sorry, but if you’re not here on school business, you’ll need to leave,” Emmy said.
“But this can’t wait. If I don’t talk to you now, some other fella will swoop in and stake his claim.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Emmy came around the desk to show him to the door. “I have a school to run and I need you to leave.”
“Will you allow me to call on you at the Hubbard home?”
Emmy walked with determined steps into the cloakroom and to the door.
“Miss Wilkes.” He followed her. “Did you hear me?”
She opened the door. “I most certainly did, and I am not interested—”
“What is the meaning of this?” Mr. Samuelson stood on the stoop outside the door, his hand raised as if he had just reached for the doorknob. He looked between the strange man and Emmy.
Emmy’s stomach dropped and she grappled for an explanation. “I was just showing this gentleman out.”
“What is he doing here?” Mr. Samuelson demanded.
“I came to see if Miss Wilkes will let me call on her, but she hasn’t given me an answer.” The man looked at Emmy with great interest. “What do you say?”
Mr. Samuelson crossed his arms, his face turning red. “Well?” he asked. “What do you say, Miss Wilkes?”
“I’ve never met this man in my life,” Emmy said to her superintendent. “I have no interest in accepting his invitation and I’d prefer if he left.”
The man straightened his shoulders and shoved his hat back on. “I guess the lady has spoken.”
Emmy lifted her chin. “Please do not return.”
He stepped between her and Mr. Samuelson and walked out of the schoolhouse without a backward glance.
Mr. Samuelson stared at Emmy. “Please put on your wraps and come outside with me. I’d like to speak to you.”
Emmy let out a sigh as she grabbed her wraps and then poked her head back into the classroom. “Greta Merchant, will you please watch over the classroom while I’m speaking with Mr. Samuelson?”
Greta stood and nodded. “Yes, Miss Wilkes.”
Annabeth gave Emmy a smug look at the front of the class, but Emmy chose to ignore the girl as she pulled on her mittens and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
“How many men have come to the school like this?” Mr. Samuelson asked without waiting for her to explain herself.
“None. Like I said, I don’t know—”
“Do you think it’s proper to have men calling on you at the school?”
“Of course not—”
“I knew it was a mistake to keep you on. I should have gone with my first instinct and sent you back east.”
“Please, Mr. Samuelson, listen to—”
“You leave me no choice but to start seeking another teacher to replace you.”
Ben appeared at the edge of the school yard, his curious gaze latched on Emmy and Mr. Samuelson. “Is everything all right?”
“It is not.” Mr. Samuelson shared the scene he’d just witnessed a moment ago. “I shouldn’t have listened to you, Pastor Lahaye. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I caught her in an inappropriate situation—but I never thought it would be at the school.”
Indignation rose in Emmy’s chest. “I did not invite that man into the school!”
“You need to see reason,” Ben said to Mr. Samuelson, his voice calm. “Miss Wilkes is not to blame.”
“If she was a man, this would not have happened.”
Ben chuckled. “I suppose you’re right, but that’s not her fault.”
Mr. Samuelson straightened his shoulders, his jaw tight. “I can see it’s impossible to discuss Miss Wilkes with you. I will bring up this matter at the next school board meeting.” He spoke the words with finality. “I must get back to my store, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s time to release the children for recess.”
Emmy looked at her pocket watch, trying to calm the turmoil she felt in her gut. If she wasn’t careful, she might say something she’d regret—but one look at Ben’s gentle countenance and her emotions began to settle. “I made a promise to you and the school, and I intend to keep it.”
Mr. Samuelson acted as if he didn’t hear her. He gave her a curt nod and then strode away.
Ben shook his head. “That man has a knack for finding fault. I’m just sorry he’s directed that particular talent on you.”
Despite