The First Lesson

A young woman in her late thirties entered the gardens of Lord Wright and bowed in front of them. She was wearing a dark green dress and her hair was tied to a bun. James and Theodore noticed that she looked stern, like someone who has a short temper.

"Good morning," Lady Wright said. "You must be Miss Lily."

"Yes, indeed," Miss Lily replied, and she turned at the boys. "You must be Theodore and James."

"Yes, they are," Lord Wright answered.

Theodore and James stared at Miss Lily, and her presence terrified them. Dr. Wright held their hands and caught their attention. He smiled at them and said under his breath, "Everything will be fine."

"Why don't you join us, Miss Lily?" Lady Wright said. "We would like to know what your lessons are for the boys."

"Glad that you asked, milady," Miss Lily replied. "I would like to know what your goals are so I can come up with a plan."

"I understand. We would like the boys to be well-mannered and intelligent."

"Consider it done then," Miss Lily said.

The maids arrived with trays of pastries and tea. They placed it on the table for the family Kto eat. James and Theodore ate their slice of cake while Miss Lily was observing them. The family didn't take time to notice them eat.

"That is not how you eat cake," Miss Lily said. The boys stopped eating immediately and looked at her. The family was stunned at her sudden action. Miss Lily demonstrated how to hold the fork properly and took a small portion of the cake before putting it in her mouth.

"Make sure that you don't make noises when you eat," she continued. The boys nodded and practiced what she taught them. They were able to get a hang of it right away. Miss Lily was amazed. She turned to Walter and said, "You got smart sons, Mr. Wright. I'm impressed."

Walter smiled and said, "Please call me Walter and thank you for the compliment." The boys were done eating and grabbed a napkin. Miss Lily stopped them and showed them how to wipe their mouths properly. The boys then followed.

"Shall we go inside so we can start with our lessons?" Miss Lily said. The boys smiled and got up from their chairs. Miss Lily told them to excuse themselves whenever they leave the table while there are people seated. They both obeyed and followed Miss Lily back to the house.

While they walked to the study room, Lord Wright followed them and asked Miss Lily for a moment alone. He mentioned that it is an urgent matter. Theodore and James were left in the study as they waited. Theodore became amazed by the books on the shelves. He started to look around as James joined him.

"This place is huge!" James exclaimed as he looked up at the books in awe.

"It is," Theodore replied. He walked towards one of the books and reached out to grab one of them. He chose, "On the Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin. James chose "A System of Logic" by John Stuart Mill. They both sat down on a couch by the window as they waited.

"What do you think they are talking about?" James asked as they both read a book.

"I heard that they are planning to hide us from everyone until we are ready."

"Really?"

Theodore nodded as an answer. James shrugged and continued to read his book. After reading few pages, Miss Lily and Lord Wright came back. They were both surprised to see the boys behaving until they noticed what they were reading.

"James! Theodore!" Lord Wright said. "Those books are way too advanced for you."

"No, it's okay," Theodore said "I like it."

"Me too!" James replied.

"Now I wonder if you still need my services," Miss Lily said.

"We still need you," James answered. "We enjoy reading, and that's true. However, we want to learn how to be gentlemen."

"Very well then," she said. "Shall we begin? Now, stand up for me."

The boys obeyed, closed their books, and stood up from their seats. Miss Lily began to examine the boys. They became very nervous as Miss Lily walked around them and stood in front of them once again.

"James!" Miss Lily said. "No slouching." She then turned to James. "Put your feet together." They did, and their teacher showed a grin of satisfaction. "That is how you stand up properly. That will show pride and confidence."

As they continued their lessons, Dr. Wright was watching them outside of the study room. Theodore noticed him and smiled at him. He immediately ran to him and hugged him around his waist, followed by James. Miss Lily stopped to watch them.

"I apologize for interrupting," he said. "I can't help myself but to check on them if they are fine."

"No problem at all, sir," Miss Lily replied. "Both of them are intelligent."

"Yes, they are my sons, all right," Dr. Wright. "Shall I ask the maids to prepare some tea?"

"That won't be necessary."

"I insist."

Miss Lily paused. "All right, then." She turned to the boys and said, "How about we get a break before we continue?" The boys nodded and went straight to their chairs and continued the books they were reading. They waited for the food to arrive.

When the food was served on the table, Dr. Wright called the boys and noticed that it was quiet. He turned his head to one corner of the study room and saw Theodore and James fell asleep which made him giggle at the sight. Dr. Wright asked Miss Lily to sit down to join him at the table for tea. She agreed and sat down beside him.

"My apologies but I have questions about your beliefs," Miss Lily said. "Why did you adopt these boys? You know that this is going to cause a big issue among aristocrats."

Dr. Wright smirked as he put down his cup of tea. "Then, why did you agree to teach them if you worry about them?" Miss Lily was stunned and Dr. Wright laughed.