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suspicious?”
    â€œMiss Bartlett left a few things behind, including a favorite pair of gloves.”
    He raised his brows. “An astute observation.”
    â€œThe girls are far more observant than anyone at the castle gave them credit for.” Concordia angled her chin. “Those who find themselves alone and without resources very quickly learn to pay attention to the little things going on around them—things that others might ignore.”
    â€œI am well aware of that, Miss Glade.”
    She gave him a long, measuring look. “Are you?”
    â€œYes.”
    He said nothing more, but she appeared to accept his assurance.
    â€œAs it happens, I eventually concluded that the girls may have been right about what had happened to their first teacher,” she said after a while. “I did not immediately subscribe to that notion, you understand. I am very well aware that young ladies can be extremely imaginative, especially when they have been left to their own devices for long periods of time. For the most part my students were ignored while they were at the castle. Until I arrived, that is.”
    â€œI imagine that you kept them well occupied,” he said, amused.
    â€œI do not believe in strict regimentation, Mr. Wells, but I have found that a certain amount of order and routine provides a sense of stabilitythat is quite comforting for many young people, especially those who have been orphaned.”
    He was impressed with her insights. “Please continue.”
    She cleared her throat. “When the girls showed me the gloves they had found in the room that Miss Bartlett had used while she was at the castle, I admit that I became quite curious. A teacher’s pay is not so generous that she can afford to be reckless with her possessions. And the gloves were, indeed, quite new and rather expensive-looking.”
    He raised his brows, acknowledging the point. “When did the girls tell you of their suspicions?”
    â€œNot for some time. They were very cautious around me at first.” She moved one hand in a small, dismissive gesture. “Only to be expected. They have been through so much upheaval and turmoil in their young lives. They are naturally quite careful about whom they take into their confidence.”
    â€œYou seem to have an excellent understanding of young people, Miss Glade.”
    â€œTo be honest, by the time they told me of Miss Bartlett’s mysterious departure, I had already begun to realize that there was something very odd, to say the least, about the entire situation.” She sighed. “Actually, I sensed from the start that matters were not as they seemed at Aldwick Castle.”
    â€œWhat alerted you?”
    â€œYou know what they say about things that appear too good to be true.”
    He considered that for a moment. “I beg your pardon, Miss Glade, but why would a post teaching four young ladies at a remote, tumble-down castle far from the nearest town seem too good to be true? It sounds quite the opposite to me.”
    â€œOne’s perception of a post often depends upon the condition of one’s circumstances at the time the post is offered,” she said dryly.
    â€œPoint taken.”
    â€œAs it happens, I had just been dismissed from a very pleasant situation at a school for girls not far from London. I was quite desperate for a new position. When the letter from Mrs. Jervis arrived with the offer of the post at the castle, I was extremely grateful and accepted immediately.”
    He frowned. “Who is Mrs. Jervis?”
    â€œThe woman who operates the agency that found me the position at the girls’ school. She supplies teachers and governesses to schools and private households.”
    He nodded. “What information were you given concerning the position at the castle?”
    â€œI was told that a new charity school for orphaned young ladies had been established at Aldwick Castle. I was to be