Enrolling Little Etta by Alta Hensley, Allison West Page A

opportunity to see his precious Etta. She seemed to pay no attention to him as he watched her.
    Etta sat across from Leda and they appeared to be quietly chatting, each holding a doll and brushing her hair.
    Philip had not learned to read lips, and was terrible at even attempting to try and make out what was being said. He stood for several minutes, watching the calm exchange between the two girls. They at least seemed to be getting along well enough.
    "Headmaster Philip," Papa Lawrence said, stalking down the hall, his Gracie's hand nestled tight in his own.
    "Yes, Lawrence." Philip clasped his hands together in front of him. "What can I do for you?"
    Lawrence let go of the young blonde's hand. Though she and Etta were both blonde, Gracie's hair was mixed with highlights of red and gold, probably from her time in the sun. She'd been given special privileges to visit the outside gardens with her papa. Lawrence stared at Gracie and nodded. "Tell Headmaster Philip what you said to me about Leda."
    Gracie's eyes widened and she shook her head, vigorously.
    "Gracie." Lawrence's tone grew in intensity as he seemed to grow irritated by her behavior. He swatted her bottom. "Tell him what you said to me."
    Her bottom lip trembled and her hands shook. "I do not want to."
    Philip cleared his throat and motioned for Lawrence to leave the two of them alone. Philip guided Gracie toward his office and sat her down on the upholstered armchair. "Tell me what's going on, child."
    "She is going to be mad at me."
    "Not as mad as your papa. He's standing outside that door, waiting for you to enlighten me about what's going on."
    "It is Leda," Gracie said, her voice hardly above a whisper. "She has been telling me how she does not really submit to her papa, she just lets him believe that so she can get out of here."
    Philip did not typically like the girls tattling on one another, but in this instance, it was useful information that he needed to know. "Lawrence," he said, calling Gracie's papa back into the room.
    "I would like you to give your little Gracie a special treat for being such a good girl and helping me out. Can you do that?" Philip asked. He knew Lawrence would be proud to have some alone time with his little one.
    Lawrence took Gracie's hand and led her out of Philip's office.
    Philip rubbed his forehead, frustrated. It seemed as though Francis had not been imagining the scenario that Leda was fooling them. Now it was up to him as headmaster to devise a plan to ensure she'd learn her lesson and keep the other girls in line. The only problem was figuring out what would work. Everything he had done to force her to submit had been beneficial in the moment but had not offered the long-term effects he'd anticipated.
    Stepping out from his office, he roamed the halls, finding the dark-haired maid mopping the floor. "Vivian, can I have a word with you?"
    Vivian had always assisted Nanny Mae, but she'd never been tasked to instill discipline in any of the littles. She was allowed to dish out a punishment, as all adults at the school were, but she had never felt the need—or perhaps the desire. Philip was not sure which.
    He needed her to step up and take a stronger role with the littles.
    "Yes, of course." Vivian placed the mop against the wall and followed Philip to his office.
    He shut the door behind him. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chair that had just a few minutes earlier seated Gracie.
    Vivian took a seat, her hands on the armrests. "Have I done something wrong, Mr. Hartley?"
    Philip shook his head. "No. I would like to hire a second nanny, and I thought that you might be interested in the position. It is certainly a step up from being a maid at our school."
    Her beautiful brown eyes glistened with tears. Was she excited about the promotion, or frightened of what it meant she'd be doing? "I would like that very much," she said.
    "Good. I need you to start right away. Our little Leda is not being the precious girl she is