The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted Read Free Book Online Page B

much."
    "It is just simply time for Bet to become independent," Will interjected.
    "
You
helped her in this," the old man accused Will.
    "Yes," Will said, straightening his back, "and I would do it again. People need, Uncle, to follow where their hearts and minds lead them." Will softened. "And as Mrs. Larwood's daughter's letter indicates, Bet will be home for the holidays. So it is not as though you will never see her again."
    "And I will write to you, sir," I added. "I will write every week to tell you how I am getting on."
    "But who will read those letters to me, Elizabeth, if you are busy somewhere else, reading to some
one
else?"
    That hurt.
    "I'm sure one of the servants would be happy to do so," Will said, stepping in to save me. "I'm sure they all would rather read letters to you than, oh, I don't know, polish the silver
one more time.
"
    The old man smiled weakly at this attempt at humor.
    "And isn't it fortunate," Will pressed on, encouraged by that weak smile, "why, look at the address on the letter!" Will blushed. "Well, no, of course you can't actually see it. But it is not far from the Betterman Academy, and they want Bet there very close to the day that I am due at school. Why, she and I can share a carriage out! I can see to it that she is safely settled!"
    "Yes," the old man said dryly, "I suppose that is a most fortunate coincidence."
    ***
    When Will was much smaller, he sometimes used to kneel at his great-uncle's feet, when he was in trouble or when he wanted something from him or when he was simply in need of some affection. I used to laugh at Will for this, saying that he looked no better than a well-trained puppy. In truth, I was jealous; jealous that he still had a relative in the world who would lay hands on his head with such obvious love.
    Will's words of a few hours ago echoed in my ears as I entered the drawing room now, late in the evening before the morning of our departure. "Sure, I think you look fine in your suit," he'd said. "But remember: I am predisposed to think you look fine because you have dragged me along in your ...
insanity.
But I do think that before you try your ...
costume
out on the greater world, you should test it here at home first. After all, if you cannot fool one old man—and a blind one at that!—then how do you imagine you'll ever fool anyone else?" Here Will had heaved a heavy sigh. "Besides, Bet, I cannot bring myself to say goodbye to him, not under these circumstances. Who knows if I shall ever see him again? You be me for tonight."
    An hour ago, I'd said goodbye to the old man as myself, wearing my wig and my usual dress. Our leave-taking had been a little formal, a little stiff, with me thanking the old man for everything he had done for me while he hemmed and hawed and asked if I needed anything else. But now, as I entered the drawing room in my suit and without the wig, for the first time I was Will Gardener.
    "Who's that?" the old man said, cocking his head toward the doorway.
    "It's me, Uncle," I said, hoping to God that I sounded enough like Will.
    "Oh." He looked puzzled. "Your tread sounded slightly ...
different
somehow."
    Drat! I cursed my inability to exactly imitate Will's stride. But then I brightened. My tread might have sounded
slightly
off to the old man but clearly not off enough to make him immediately realize I was an impostor. Ever since I'd first come up with my plan, I'd behaved as though wholly convinced that I could succeed. I'd even told myself I could, repeatedly. In reality, all along there had been doubts plaguing me beneath the surface, fears that somehow I would be exposed before I even got the chance to start. But now I saw that those doubts had been unwarranted, and it was like the sun breaking through on a February day. Perhaps I really could pull this off!
    I approached where the old man sat in his chair in front of the fire, taking care now to move with more of the hands-in-the-pockets casualness Will had taught me was the