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    The Headmaster’s Confession
    By Laurel Bennett
     
     
     
    “ I hear the dragon is on her way to see you,” Albert, my secretary, said to me. His mouth quirked a little at the corners as he said it.
     
    “ Which unfortunate girl is she bringing to me now? And what has she done?” I sighed heavily as I closed my ledger. I’d planned to get some business done today. Running a school for girls was not easy. Not when the majority of them refused to follow the instruction of the headmistress. Thank God I was only here once a week. Or when things went poorly. Which seemed to be happening more and more often. “Might it be time to replace Mrs. Haughton?”
     
    “ You could only be so fortunate,” he said with a chuckle.
     
    I tossed my quill onto my desk. “Why did I hire you? I thoroughly dislike you.” I rubbed my forehead. The very thought of the dragon headmistress visiting my office with some unsuspecting girl was enough to bring on a megrim. “Can’t you handle this situation for me? I am supposed to escort my wife to a ball in a few hours.” I pulled out my watch fob and flipped it open. “Two hours. Handle this for me?”
     
    “ That harpy? You must be bound for Bedlam.” Albert avoided Mrs. Haughton with every step around the property. I knew it, because I employed many of the same techniques. “That is why you are the headmaster,” he said with a grin as he got to his feet and stretched broadly. “You get to make those important decisions every day.” He looked at me askance. “I hear she’s bringing Miss Winters.” His voice dropped off as he looked at me, as though he waited anxiously to see my reaction.
     
    Miss Winters, with her warm smiles and lithe body. My cock twitched at the very thought of her visiting my office.
     
    “ I believe the dragon is here,” my secretary whispered dramatically as he walked toward the door. I heard him say good-naturedly, “Good day ladies.” He gestured into the room and they walked in very slowly.
     
    Miss Haughton had her hair pulled back so tightly in a bun that it made her eyes look slanted. But Miss Winters, on the other hand, she was a sight to behold. Her pretty blond head turned as she watched my secretary walk away. Was she looking at his backside? The corners of her mouth lifted only slightly as she licked her lips. I grew even harder behind my desk. Good lord, I wouldn’t even be able to rise to greet them. I groaned to myself, wishing I was anywhere but here.
     
    Miss Haughton didn’t even smile at me. Did she ever smile at all? The only time I’d ever seen her looking least bit happy was when she punished some young lady for some crime or other. I looked at Miss Winters. What on earth had she done now?
     
    “ Eyes front,” the headmistress snapped.
     
    Miss Winters’ head snapped around quickly, no longer watching my secretary’s retreat. She smiled at me and dropped into a very proper curtsy. She lifted the hem of her gown only slightly, and I couldn’t help but wish she would raise it higher so I could see a bit of her trim ankles. Oh, dear God, thoughts such as this would get me nowhere. I had to get the thought out of my head. At this point, there was no way I could rise.
     
    Mrs. Haughton didn’t even wait for me to ask any questions. “She is a disgrace to the school, my lord,” she clipped out. She opened her mouth to complete the thought but I held up my hand to stop her. The sound of her voice grated on my ears. I turned to Miss Winters. She’d just turned eighteen years old. And had been at the school since the age of fourteen when her parents had died. She’d always been a bit of a problem. But it was only because her father was a shipping merchant and she’d grown up without the social background many of the other girls had. But she didn’t lack for wealth. Not at all. Nor did she lack beauty. She was like a porcelain doll with all those blond curls. But she had a sprinkle of freckles that