Little Secrets Page 3

  Marriage had been a faraway thought in his mind. It was not that he did not have the desire to settle down, have children, and start a family, but his life had been spent between work and looking after his sister for the past few years. Leona had grown older, more mature, and he no longer worried about her getting into too much trouble during the afternoons. She kept to herself, stayed planted at home with her nose always in a book, which made it difficult for her to find a husband when she was not out in the world, meeting available suitors to marry.

  The train ride was not terribly long for a visit, but the mere thought of not seeing Leona every day would be difficult at first. Charley had grown accustomed to having her around, and the house would be quiet without her presence. Another reason, he decided, why it was time to find himself a companion, a woman who could fulfill his desires while also bringing her own touch to his home.

  Sitting by himself, his thoughts were on the pale yellow dress, the ruffled hem, and how her white stockings had been on display, revealing her legs. Though she had not shown a hint of skin, the skirt length was highly inappropriate for a young woman to wear. And yet, he found both the dress and the girl wearing it attractive. The train felt hot and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying not to let his desires stir his cock awake. He needed to be presentable and have a clear, level head when he insisted on meeting with the headmaster.

  Upon his arrival, he exited the train and walked the couple of miles to the Ashby Chateau. The weather cooperated, which made the trip not too terrible. He kept his hat atop his head, blocking the harsh noon sun, as he felt warm in his waistcoat.

  Approaching the main entrance, Charley saw the metal gate had been left open and unlocked. Was the headmaster expecting a visitor? He did not delay as he rushed in past the gates and then strolled up to the main entrance, giving a prominent knock.

  The door creaked open and a woman with dark curly hair pinned to her head blocked the entrance. "May I help you?" she asked, her voice deep and robust. She spoke with a lisp as there was a slight gap between her two front teeth. The gray and black dress she wore grazed the floor but did not hide her thick muscled arms as the material clung to her body.

  "I have come to speak with Headmaster Philip Hartley." Charley felt relieved to know the gentleman's name. At least meeting Eliza had helped him gather a little information.

  "You must be Mr. Stead." The woman glanced him over. "I admit you look a bit younger than I would have expected. Come inside. I shall take you to meet with Headmaster Philip. He was not expecting you for almost another hour. Did he get the time wrong?"

  "I apologize for being early." Charley did not correct the woman's assumptions as to who he was. At least he had a way inside. The name sounded familiar and his eyes widened slightly as it dawned on him: Eliza Stead. Was Mr. Stead her father? Surely he could not have been her betrothed, they would not yet share the same surname. He itched to know more about Miss Eliza, how she was doing at the finishing school, whether she had any prospects for marriage, and even more so, why she was allowed to wear such a scandalous dress! Perhaps that had been why Mr. Stead had been contacted to visit the headmaster.

  "Come, we shall see if Headmaster Philip is free. If not, I am sure you can wait in his office." She locked the front door and led him down the hall.

  The walls were bare and a dull gray with doors to the left and right of them. He followed the woman, presumably a governess, up the stairs as she retrieved a key from around her neck and used it to unlock the door.

  "You keep the girls locked inside?" He wanted to know everything about the finishing school. Perhaps it should not have been a surprise, considering most girls who attended such an elite establishment were well bred and came from money, which meant that they were easily worth a hefty ransom. It was not uncommon to hear stories of unwed brides being snatched and forced to marry solely for their dowry.

  The woman did not so much as smile. "Yes. It is for their own protection."

  Stepping into the hall, Charley's eyes grazed the window of a room in which several young women were playing together, laughing, and having far too much fun for an establishment that focused on the education of young ladies. He did not even have time to register in his mind the painted walls of that room, the colorful décor, and childlike nature of such a place. His eyes landed on the brunette, Eliza, whom he had seen just a few days ago. She no longer wore the pale yellow dress but was now dressed in a powder blue gown with white lace that reached her knees. White stockings covered her legs. "What is she wearing?" He could not keep his mouth from running. "How is that appropriate for a young woman, to reveal so much leg?"

  "Please come with me, Mr. Stead. I am sure you have a lot of questions for Headmaster Philip."

  He did have a plethora of questions he wanted answers to. Exhaling a sigh, he followed the older woman down the hall. She knocked on the door to the right, the frosted glass window kept him from seeing inside.

  "Come in," a heavy voice bellowed.

  The woman who had escorted him opened the door to his office. "Mr. Stead is early. I thought I would bring him by your office," she said.

  Charley stepped into the room and the woman closed the door abruptly behind him.

  The headmaster glanced up from his paperwork, his dark hair slightly graying on the sides. "Mr. Stead, please have a seat. I know that your daughter, Eliza, was betrothed to Mr. Preston Abbott, and I was asked to inform you that the engagement has fallen through."

  Charley had not spoken a word or even had the opportunity to introduce himself. He strode several steps across the room and took a seat on the sofa across from the desk where the headmaster sat.

  "I know you may be disappointed by Mr. Abbott, your daughter certainly is, and I want to ask that you continue her education at Ashby. She is doing quite well and we have several opportunities available for her to find a suitable husband. I realize the tuition may be outside of your budget, seeing as how Mr. Abbott was previously handling the finances."

  Clearing his throat, taking a deep breath, Charley mustered the courage to speak. "Headmaster Philip, please let me speak freely. I am not Mr. Stead. My name is Charley Lockwood. I came to visit your elite finishing school because I have a sister I am interested in having attend. I have also had the pleasure of meeting Miss Eliza Stead last week and I must say, she has not left my mind. The mention of her engagement breaking up would explain why she was in tears."

  Philip placed his hands upon his desk, slid his chair out and stood, towering down over Charley. "You are the young man Nanny Agnes spoke of—the one she saw outside the chateau." He stepped out from behind his desk. "I am going to have to ask you to leave, Mr. Lockwood."

  Charley did not budge from his position on the sofa. "I am sorry, but I cannot do that. You have put yourself in a tough position, Headmaster Philip, but I can assure you there is a way out of it."

  "Excuse me?" He came around to stand in front of Charley, towering over him.

  Charley was not the least bit intimidated. He knew wealthy men and their power. He, too, had power; the written word could take down Ashby and expose the place for its inappropriate and scandalous nature. "I work for the Daily Times. Perhaps you have heard of it? I can assure you that people will want to know what goes on at your finishing school. Parents and betrotheds will not sit by and allow you to take their money and the dignity of their daughters."

  "Are you threatening me?" Philip's fury built with every syllable of his sentence.

  "No. Not at all. I simply want answers. I am curious, but in no way want you to take my questions as threats. I apologize if that is how you are interpreting it."

  Philip seemed to instantly calm. He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You misinterpret whatever it is that you think you saw."

  "Eliza twice has been wearing dresses the like of which would ruin her name and her reputation. I cannot understand how what I see here equates to a finishing school."

  The headmaster bent his head forward
and shut his eyes momentarily. He pinched the bridge of his nose before glancing at Charley. "You will share none of what you see."

  Charley nodded but did not verbally guarantee.

  "The guardians and betrotheds who enroll their young women into Ashby do so because of our reputation. You will not tarnish it because of a misunderstanding. What you have seen is not the finishing school, Mr. Lockwood, but instead a glimpse into our school of littles. They are two separate entities under the same roof. I do not know that you are ready to understand or explore what we do here, but I assure you that everything is consensual."

  "You are a brothel?" Charley asked, frowning. Eliza had not looked like a girl ready to give herself to just any man.

  Philip shook his head. "No. Far from it."

  "And what do you mean by littles?"

  Philip took a deep breath before continuing. He seemed annoyed, but no longer as angry. "The littles' school is a place where women can cherish their inner child by being little. They are bathed, fed, disciplined, and cared for, just as a child would be. It allows the young women the opportunity to be completely submissive to their husbands; fulfilling a need for both parties, both sexually and emotionally. The women who come to us all remain with their virtue intact until they marry. Papas and little ones may earn time together when a little has good behavior. I do not tell you this so that you might report on it back to your newspaper. If you do harbor any feelings for Miss Eliza, you must know that she is trained to submit, to call her betrothed 'papa', and is expecting both love and discipline."

  "Papa?"

  "Yes. There are many men who desire a woman to give herself completely to him. A man who wants nothing more than to love, shelter, and cherish his wife as a papa would a little girl. These men want to be papas to their littles. Becoming a papa to a little is a great responsibility. But this connection between two adults allows them to find a bond that cannot be denied."

  Charley's head swam as he listened to Philip explain the concept. He did desire to spend more time with Eliza, and the thought of watching her carefree, without worry or doubts, did appeal to him. The powerful pull toward this concept almost took Charley's breath away. Had he gone absolutely mad? Why did the idea of becoming Eliza's papa seem so appealing? He had barely met this woman, and yet… He wanted nothing more than for her to be his little. Listening to Philip speak, was as if all the jumbled pieces of his life had a connection now.

  "When you spoke to me as if I were Mr. Stead, you mentioned the finances of her continuing at Ashby. How much money are we talking, Headmaster Philip?"

  "Well, that depends. If you decide to enroll your sister in our finishing school, I could grant you a better price."

  "Leona will not be in attendance. This place is not appropriate for her." He did not dare say that he worried about his reputation as well, but his heart had begun to win out when speaking of Eliza. Charley wasn't given the opportunity to meet too many young women who were unwed.

  Philip seemed to relax, his shoulders hunched slightly as he nodded. "I can assure you that our finishing school upholds the reputation that I am sure you are familiar with. We keep our littles separate. The girls do not even know what exists beyond the locked door. If you are enrolling your sister to find a husband, we have a ninety-eight percent marriage rate. You need not worry about her being in good hands."

  Charley found it difficult not to worry, but he admitted to himself that it would give her a chance to wed a husband. "Would she live at your school?" It was much too far for her to travel daily by train.

  "Yes. The fee for her studies, including room and board, is eight guineas. For both girls, I can make it fourteen guineas."

  "What length of time is necessary for my sister to attend your finishing school?" Charley could possibly pay the finances for a year, but if he spent much more than that, he would have trouble when it came to providing a bountiful dowry.

  Philip walked back around to his desk, taking a seat. "We offer a one-year curriculum which focuses on French, hosting guests, dancing, and the final class is music and theater. I am sure you will find her studies well-rounded. Did she have a governess in your home?" he asked.

  It had been several years since Leona had studied French. The governess had been dismissed when their father died. His sister had been twelve years old. Charley had felt she had had enough education and hoped to marry her off when she was sixteen. He had taken an apprentice job at the newspaper and Leona had spent her days sewing, cooking, and cleaning the house. Charley did not mind her company, and perhaps that had been in part why he had delayed her attendance into a finishing school, in addition to the cost.

  Having saved every penny earned after paying for food and rent, Charley could enroll her for a single year at the Ashby. "Tell me, Headmaster Philip, for how long do you expect Miss Eliza to continue her education at your school?"

  "At least two more years. Is that a problem for you?"

  Charley knew meeting the payments would be difficult, but he lived in his childhood home with minimal outgoings each year. He could make it work, if this was what he wanted. "May I meet with Miss Eliza before agreeing to become her betrothed?"

  Philip smiled. "As much as I would like to offer you such an opportunity, unfortunately, the interaction between a papa and a little will happen only after a contract is signed. I would be happy to give you a tour of the playroom so that you might watch little Eliza playing with her friends. I know it is most uncommon what we do at Ashby, Mr. Lockwood, but I can assure you that Eliza is a wonderful young woman who has found the inner child within her. She would be pleased to make your acquaintance and accept your hand in marriage."

  Charley did want to see Eliza again. "May we take a walk now?" He pointed toward the door.

  "Yes. Come, let's see what the littles are up to at this hour." Philip stood and Charley did the same, following the headmaster out of his office.

  Shutting the door on his way out of Headmaster Philip's office, he approached the window where he had caught an earlier glimpse of Eliza in the beautiful blue gown. As his eyes landed upon her, seeing her dress the color of summer skies, he felt a smile tugging at his lips and his heart speed up. He had not quite understood the sensation he had felt earlier, the attraction at the way she was dressed, but now that it had been explained and made sense, she did look younger, untroubled, and happier.

  Eliza grabbed her doll and ran out of the room. "Mr. Charley Lockwood," she said, having remembered his name. "What are you doing here?"

  "Little Eliza, you are not to be running out of the playroom without Nanny Agnes," Headmaster Philip chastised as Agnes trailed after Eliza, coming out into the hall.

  "Nanny Agnes, this is the gentleman I was telling you about," Eliza said.

  Charley could not help but smile. She had talked about him? He had not thought he'd made a very good first impression, but apparently she had not forgotten entirely about him after all. The fact she had run out to see him made his heart swell. "How are you doing, Miss Eliza? Are you happier? No more tears?" He had not wanted to bring up their encounter, but he did not know what else to say to the young woman.

  "I must excuse myself for a moment," Headmaster Philip said, shaking his head, seeming quite displeased. It was not as though Charley had spoken with her first. She had run out into the hall to greet him.

  "Little Eliza, you are to come back to the playroom and not bother this fine gentleman." The older woman held out her hand.

  Eliza's green eyes sparkled as she smiled. "I am sorry, but I have to go. I hope you will visit again, Mr. Lockwood."

  "I would be delighted to, little Eliza," he said, trying the words out on his tongue. He had never harbored quite such a fantasy before but seeing the smile and eagerness to please him, Charley knew without a doubt he had done the right thing. "From now on, you will call me 'Papa.'"

  Her eyes widened and the smile grew upon her face before she clutched her nanny's hand and skipped back into the playroom.


  Nanny Agnes shut the door behind them and pointed at the other young women, probably instructing Eliza to go back to playing and ignore him.

  Charley found it difficult to hide the swell in his chest or bulge in his trousers. Eliza stirred a desire inside of him he had not known existed. Such a school of littles sounded scandalous but was it as bad as it seemed? Part of him felt conflicted as he considered whether to write about the chateau or not. Was it as shameful as he first believed it to be, based on her dress? His eyes scoured the playroom and he caught sight of all the young women as littles, dressed in short skirts with stockings all the way up past the hems of their dresses.

  He did not want to ruin the perfect opportunity to visit Eliza again, while doing a bit of research on his own. His boss, James, at the Daily Times had been insistent on finding the story, not just telling the news. Charley had not known what it meant until he set eyes upon Eliza. What was her story? Would she allow him to tell it? Charley had been unable to let it go, desiring answers, and to spend more time with the young woman who was to call him papa.

  Stepping further from the door and back down toward the headmaster's office, he waited outside until Philip returned. "I would like to sign the papers to enroll my sister into Ashby. I would also like to further discuss the matter of Miss Eliza."

  "Her father will be here soon. I will need to speak with him, but if you would like to come back on Monday with your sister, I can have the papers ready for you to sign. Just be sure to bring a check for the amount due for both tuitions. Let me walk you out."

  Charley did not feel ready to leave, but he also did not wish to overstay his welcome. The last thing he wanted was to meet Eliza's father, especially right now. He was still getting his head wrapped around the littles' school and what it all meant. "Of course," he said, glancing one last time at little Eliza in the playroom before he headed down to the first floor, through the front door and across the lawn for the main gate. He had gotten the answers he was searching for, but he was not sure what to make of them. No doubt he would be back on Monday. He wanted to see Eliza again soon.