Book Two – Chapter One: Hawthorn

Barbossa made sure that he looked his best before approaching in the gate of Hawthorn's Academy for Young Ladies. He spared no expense in having a proper suit cleaned and pressed while he treated himself to a bath the day before he was to arrive in London. Looking like a proper gentleman, Barbossa took a coach to the Academy, realizing only upon entering through the gates that he probably should have sent a letter of introduction ahead of him.

The building was a large stone fortress with stained glass windows. It seemed more like a sort of cathedral than any schoolhouse he had ever seen - not that Barbossa had ever been exposed to cathedrals any more than schoolhouses. Barbossa was pleasantly surprised about the Academy's appearance on the inside of the building. It was bright and much less ominous than the exterior had set it up to be. A large cascading double staircase enveloped the front foyer. Portraits of the royal family, former patrons, and even miniatures of the successful female graduates, adorned the walls with a plaque below each stating the names and dates of said persons.

An attendant saw Barbossa and greeted him with a swift bow. Barbossa returned the gesture. When the attendant asked him how he could be of service, Barbossa replied that he had come on business of retrieving one of the pupils as her guardian so requested. He then gave his name as H. B. Smith and the attendant went promptly to deliver the message to the headmistress. As the attendant had reappeared, the sight of the headmistress soon followed. Barbossa bowed to her and she returned the gesture.

"Mr. Smith," she said in a deep and hoarse voice that did not suit her middle-aged appearance, "I had not been expecting you so soon."

"So soon, Madame?" Barbossa repeated.

"Well, yes. We sent out the letters of dismissal to both your mistress Boyd and Colonel Crestcastle simultaneously last week. Quite frankly, I had expected the Colonel to have responded the faster. No matter, I am pleased that Ms. Boyd cares to take such a deep interest in the child's upbringing. From what I have heard about the child's mother, if I may speak candidly, I am surprised that Ms. Boyd did not keep the girl as her own ward from the first."

"Forgive me, Ms…"

"My apologizes, Mr. Smith, I am Ms. Epp, the headmistress here at Hawthorn's Academy. Please, do come into my office, we shall have much to discuss before I call for Ms. Crestcastle," she said leading him to a side room underneath the staircase.

Ms. Epp sat behind her desk and Barbossa helped himself to one of the seats in facing her. Her office was small and barren. All her papers were in neatly stacked folders and her bookshelves lacked all personality, each shelf being completely uniform with volumes of similar proportions, none of which seemed to have ever been read or dusted.

"Ms. Epp, if I may please inquire, what the letter you sent out pertains to? I'm afraid that I had not a chance of readin' it for meself," Barbossa confessed, though knowing that he had never received a letter. He also knew that the Ms. Boyd, who was supposed to have received it, did not exist; she was simply the aunt which Barbossa was to pretend to be attendant to. None of this surprised him in the least. The only thing that he did not understand thus far was why a letter had been sent out in the past week and what it was regarding.

"It was really quite short and simple," Ms. Epp replied very matter-of-factly. "I do so detest describing such things on paper, I feel that the person receiving it may misunderstand my meaning and it would be rather bothersome to need explain every detail and meaning for what is really quite very simple. You may tell Ms. Boyd that though Ms. Amelia Crestcastle's studies have been quite favourable, her mannerisms outside of her lessons are rather quite appalling."

"Her mannerisms? She has always been quite the well mannered child, ere I saw of her," Barbossa suggested.

"I will confess that the girl does play the part very well, Mr. Smith, but I must insist upon what I myself have witnessed with my own two eyes," Ms. Epp continued. "At first it started as minor complaints from the other young ladies, having heard the girl curse and use profanities in their presence. It soon escalated to direct verbal attacks. These issues I personally addressed with Ms. Crestcastle, naturally, but I am afraid that it did little good in the matter. Last week I was forced to write up a letter of dismissal for the girl after having found her in an actual physical brawl with another young lady - whom I know personally to be one of the most virtuous and mild-mannered girl's in the whole establishment. I came rushing out to see what all the commotion was and there was Ms. Crestcastle gripping poor Ms. Hill by the hair, the poor dear dripping blood from her very nose - which I was later to discover was also dealt by your mistress' niece."

"And what begot such an attack? Surely she must have been provoked in some respect," Barbossa tried to defend his daughter.

"I wish it were so, but Ms. Hill confessed the God's honest truth to both myself and Father Cremmel that she had noted Ms. Crestcastle's struggles with the institution - to which Ms. Crestcastle took immediate offence - and, my word, if it wasn't the very devil that embodied the child! In all my years, Mr. Smith, never have I seen such a thing take place within these walls." She cleared her throat and began speaking a little more calmly, "I suppose there is just no helping the matter, though. I was suspicious at the first when I discovered the girl's history, not being the Colonel's natural child and all. They say that her father was a sailor on a merchant ship! Of all of the ungodly creatures to be having children! Do our streets not run amuck with enough unchristian urchins? Forgive my choler, but we are an institution for education, not miracles. One cannot be refined when one's blood is already tainted. The sinner will always leak out in the end."

Barbossa had no choice but to interrupt the headmistress else he might be forced to inflict some bodily harm of his own, "I believe I do see where the trouble lies, Ms. Now if you please, allow me to collect the girl and we can all get back to our own business."

Ms. Epp stopped abruptly in her thoughts, recovered her composure and agreed with Ms. Boyd's attendant. She stood before her chair and asked to have him wait in the drawing room while Ms. Crestcastle was to be fetched along with her belongings.