A/N:Yes - I know - I have more "dangling-in-the-wind" unfinished stories, but to keep my muse happy (settle down Lucille) I have to write what keeps her happy. For now, this is it. Not sure how long it is going to be. After NOSGNA I refuse to guess. I was way off. Like WAY off.

I hope you will give this story a chance and enjoy it! Please and thank you! :-)

Gun
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1. The Governess

Miranda looked up with mild annoyance as Kipling, her butler, entered the library. "Yes?" she said shortly as she returned to her manuscript.

"Miss Andrea Sachs, the new governess, has arrived, Milady."

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Only two days late. She better have a good explanation. I was starting to think she had perished on her way from Scotland."

"It seems she had quite the misadventure on her way here, Milady." Kipling waited patiently just inside the door.

Mildly interested, Miranda swiveled her chair. "Well, if she's presentable, do show her in." She adjusted her prematurely white hair as it kept falling into her eyes, as always, and waited for the woman who came so highly recommended to enter.

"Miss Sachs, Milady," Kipling said, holding the door open for a tall, dark-haired woman. She wore black and held her hat as she approached Miranda.

"Lady Priestly," Andrea Sachs said and bowed.

Bowed? Miranda just stared. Didn't this…this girl know how to curtsy? And in nothing in her correspondence with her friends, the McKellars had they mentioned how young Andrea Sachs was. "You're late." Miranda pursed her lips. She thought she could sense a faint smell of smoke from the woman.

Miss Sachs nodded. "Yes. The train derailed." She made an odd little gesture with her hands as if apologizing for the mishap of the train.

"Derailed." Now that sounded too fantastic, but the girl looked at her with unwavering brown eyes. No, not brown. Cognac-colored.

"Yes. It was a terrible accident. Other trains are still being rerouted. Hence my being delayed, rather than late, Milady." Miss Sachs met Miranda's eyes. "I had to travel to the next town to catch another train—"

"Your excuses are of no interest to me." So, not late. Delayed. It didn't escape Miranda that Miss Sachs corrected her, albeit very cordially. She stood and walked up to the new governess, circled her slowly, something that usually made housemaids and valets tremble, but Miss Sachs merely waited until Miranda had completed her studying of her. When she came closer, Miranda could smell more of the smoke. How bad had this 'derailment' been? She had not read anything about it in the newspaper, but perhaps it was mentioned in today's issue that she had yet to get to. As she worked toward a deadline, she didn't always get around to reading the paper until late afternoon.

"Are you in mourning, Miss Sachs?" Miranda walked back to her desk but remained standing. She didn't like the idea of having the young woman towering over her.

"Yes, Milady." Miss Sachs nodded but didn't volunteer any more information.

"Who passed away?" Miranda raised an eyebrow. She needed to know as this girl was supposed to tend to her children's education.

"My grandmother, Milady." A shadow ghosted over Miss Sachs's face.

"Was it long ago?" Miranda prayed that it was since she didn't want her twin girls to be around someone dressed in black for too long.

"The year is almost over, Milady. Another month." A tremor travelled through Miss Sachs's frame and she squared her shoulders and visibly set her jaw.

"My condolences." Miranda thought she needed to offer some polite words regarding the governess's loss, but it didn't seem to register with the girl.

"You come highly recommended, even if you are younger than I understood you to be, but apparently the McKellars were very fond of you." Miranda turned and pulled the golden silk rope next to her desk. Almost immediately, the door went up and Kipling entered the library.

"Show Miss Sachs to her room," Miranda said. Turning to the new governess, she continued, "Take the time to get sorted before the children's tea, at five. I will introduce you to them, and then we will both dine with them, a routine you will stick to unless Kipling or I tell you differently."

"Yes, Milady." It was quite obvious that Miss Sachs was trembling now. Miranda hoped the girl wasn't delicate. She didn't give that impression, but she looked paler now than when she entered the room.

"This way, Miss Sachs," Kipling said and motioned for the governess to follow him.

Miranda sat down and reached for her glasses. Reading the last few sentences she'd written before the new governess finally arrived, she still couldn't focus. Normally, she only had to start typing and the words flowed, but not now. She saw the pale, tall girl who stood clutching harder and harder to her hat, for her inner eye, and the mystery she exuded intrigued her more than her manuscript.

#

Andrea stood in the room located on the third floor of the London townhouse belonging to Lady Miranda Priestly. She was cold to the bone and grateful for the roaring fireplace that some unknown maid had started for her. She tossed her hat, God, she hated that hat, on the bed, and nearly wobbled over to the fireplace. Extending her hands, she felt the warmth permeate her pale skin.

Checking the time by pulling out her father's old pocket watch, she saw that she had three hours before the twin girls had their tea at five. A bath would have been lovely. Kipling, the butler, who for some unfathomable reason had taken it upon himself to show her both her room, and the adjoining bathroom, outfitted with a water closet and a bathtub.

Opening her suitcases, she retrieved her robe and some toiletries, among those, her rosewater, and stepped into the bathroom. It was small, but to have her own bathroom was a luxury that had never been bestowed upon her, not even during the horrible years she had lived with her grandmother. Small bottles sat on a shelf above the bathtub, and while she ran the water to fill it, she opened them curiously, one by one. Lovely scents of lavender, citrus, and something resembling winter apples, showed they were liquid soaps. This was another luxury Andrea had never encountered before and she placed her bottle of rose water, which she used to rinse her hair and face, on the same shelf.

Undressing, she moaned when she unhooked her corset and removed her underwear. Her ribs hurt and so did her left hip. She raised her arms and regarded her naked form in the mirror. A large blue-black bruise marred the left side of her torso and down to her thigh. She touched it briefly and winced at the pain. She didn't think she'd broken any ribs, but she wasn't sure. The train had come to such a violent stop and then turned on its side. Sighing, she hoped she would be able to put on her corset again.

The warm water made her moan, but it soothed her bruised body. Leaning back, she washed her hair that still smelled of smoke, and finished off with a rinse using her homemade rose water. The fire that had erupted as the coal from the engine spilled out and ignited the dry grass along the track had created a lot of smoke.

Andrea indulged for fifteen minutes in the bathtub and then came the next challenge. She hauled herself out of the deep tub, and tears rose in her eyes when her side screamed of pain. Muttering a curse, she knew this was far from the ideal start in the Priestly household. She knew if Lady Miranda decided to fire her, she would be in trouble as she didn't know anybody in London and her financial situation was dire. She wasn't destitute, but paying off her family's debt had robbed her of most of her humble savings and what little money her grandmother left her.

Andrea pulled out clean clothes and decided to forego the strict black even if she broke tradition and opted for a charcoal dress. She longed to wear color again, and not be forced to wear black for a woman who'd made her life miserable. Knowing her year of mourning was almost over; she had brought her favorite three dresses. She hoped Lady Miranda would approve of them. She certainly hadn't seemed pleased by her being in mourning.

While she got dressed, which took twice as long as usual, Andrea thought of the woman she was going to work for. Lady Miranda wasn't at all what she had envisioned. When the youngest of the McKellar boys were ready go to onto Eton, Mrs. McKellar had mentioned her good friend of many years in London and her twin girls, age eleven. Andrea had thought it might be an interesting change to teach little girls rather than rambunctious boys and accepted. She had pictured Lady Miranda as refined and traditional, but just from their short meeting earlier, Andrea knew Lady Miranda was anything but. Refined, yes, traditional, absolutely not. The countess was a widow of seven years and had not remarried. The Pristly money was hers from the beginning, and the woman was in complete control of her own finances, which was a rare thing. Learning this before she left Edinburgh, Andrea had been curious about such an unorthodox life.

Tugging at the clasps of her corset, Andrea could barely breathe. She checked the time and gave herself another half hour before she went exploring the parts of the house that were normally available for a governess.

When she was finally dressed, she dried her long, brown hair as much as it was possible with a towel. Normally she bathed in the evenings after her wards were asleep and let it air dry, but now she needed to put it up in her customary twist. It would still be damp, but so be it. At least she was clean, finally.

#

Miranda strode into her daughter Caroline's room. "Dearest, why are you on the bed? Are you unwell?" she sat down on the side of Caroline's four-poster bed and felt the girl's forehead. It was cool, and Caroline didn't look sick.

"No, Mama. I'm just angry." Caroline glowered up at Miranda. "Cassidy is going to cause trouble, and I want no part of it." She slammed a fist into the mattress.

Miranda fought not to smile. Caroline was the more sweet-natured of her girls, while Cassidy, the younger by one minute of them, was all fire and always had an opinion. Caroline was usually content to let her sister lead, but occasionally, like now, she became exasperated.

"What is Cassidy up to now?" Miranda asked after kissing Caroline's forehead.

"She hate the idea of a governess. She thinks she doesn't need one as her plans for when she grows up don't require that type of education. But I love it, Mama. I want to learn and if our new governess is even better than Miss Grey, then…" She slammed her fist against the mattress again. "I hate her."

Miranda shook her head. "No, you don't, dearest. You love your sister, not just everything she gets up to. Tell me. What is she up to?"

"I can't tell, because she is keeping it even from me. She said that I would ruin the 'surprise', and tell on her. I would never. I would try to put a stop to it, though." Caroline sat up and hugged Miranda.

"Very well, Caroline. I will go find your sister and see what I can find out. And don't worry, Cassidy will not hear about our talk from me." She winked and caressed Caroline's cheek. "Now, go wash your hands. It's almost time for your tea. I'll join you today to make the proper introductions to Miss Sachs."

"That's her name? Miss Sachs?" Caroline slid off the bed and hurried into hers and Cassidy's joint bathroom. "What's her first name?"

"Andrea."

"Andréa? Isn't pronounced Ahn-drea?" Caroline dried her hands and rejoined Miranda. Small for her age, her curly, red hair was kept in long braids. Her freckled face and blue eyes made her adorable and Miranda's heart clenched at the sight of her. Her twins were the most important people in her life.

Cassidy turned out to be busy reading at her desk in her room. Looking up from her book, she smiled angelically at her mother, then glowered at her sister, obviously looking for signs that Caroline might have told on her.

"Time for your tea," Miranda said. "Have you washed your hands?"

"Yes, Mama," Cassidy said, her eyes bright. "I'm famished. What are we having? Do you know?"

"I do. I believe Mrs. Thompson has prepared some veal. Ice cream for dessert if you are good girls." Miranda didn't let on that she saw the fire in Cassidy gleam in the girl's eyes. "Come along. I'm going to introduce you to Miss Sachs."

"Wonderful," Cassidy said, beaming.

They entered the part of the corridor where the room was used for studying and for the girl's dinners. They ate breakfast and lunch with Miranda in the morning room, which was rare among their peers. Normally, children in in her social class ate with the nanny and only visited their parents an hour or two every day—at best. This was not what Miranda wanted for her girls. She loathed the idea of leaving their upbringing to someone who could potentially snuff their fire. It had been attempted with her when she was a young girl, and only her innate strength and disdain for authority had saved Miranda from being a traditional woman of her generation.

One of the housemaids brought the trolley holding dinner for four people. Behind her Miss Sachs carried a salad bowl that apparently didn't fit on the trolley. She placed it on the sideboard where the housemaid busied herself plating the food.

"Miss Sachs." Miranda saw that the new governess had bathed and changed clothes. She smelled of expensive soap…and roses? Her hair looked damp, which meant she had realized she smelled of acrid smoke. Pleased, she gestured at her daughter. "This is Caroline, to the left, and Cassidy, to the right. You may find it hard to differentiate between them in the beginning. My rascals find it funny to switch identities in the beginning when they're introduced to someone new."

"Hello, Caroline." Miss Sachs held out her hand in a grownup manner as she greeted Caroline. "I hope you will enjoy my classes and getting to know me." She turned to Cassidy and repeated the handshake, which seemed to startle Cassidy. "So good to meet the two of you. I've mostly worked with little boys, and look forward to teaching two intelligent girls such as you. Mrs. McKellar was kind enough to let new know that you're much further ahead than eleven-year-old young ladies normally are. I look forward to finding out exactly where we need to start from." She smiled broadly at the girls who merely stared at her.

"Well. Let's eat before the food gets cold," Miranda said and motioned for Andrea to sit next to her at the table.

Cassidy moved in too fast for it not to be suspicious. "I think Miss Sachs should sitt across from you Maman, that way you and her can talk." She smiled innocently, which meant far from her 'devil may care' grin. Even Caroline glanced wide-eyed at her sister.

Miss Sachs took the seat Cassidy offered and when her face didn't show anything untoward, unless she counted a quick flicker of …pain?... Miranda sighed in relief and took the seat across the table.

They spoke of the girls education and Miranda had to concede that Andrea Sachs turned out to be the type of governess that brought the children themselves into the conversation. She was clearly not of the opinion that children 'should be seen but not heard', which she found refreshing.

"I thought you were in mourning," Miss Sachs, Cassidy said and tilted her head. "Your dress is charcoal. Not black."

Miss Sachs smiled gently. "I know, Cassidy," she said, obviously not about to add a title to the children's names. "I only have one solid black dress and it smelled rather bad of smoke as I was in an accident with the train coming here. And if you like, you can call me Miss Andrea," She shifted her calm, cognac eyes to Miranda. "If Milady approves, naturally."

"Why not? I find standing on ceremony is rather tiresome myself." Miranda speared an innocent asparagus.

"Can't you lend Miss Andrea one of your black dresses, Mama? You have a million of them." Caroline looked between Miranda and Miss Andrea.

Miss Andrea blushed and looked like she'd rather cover her eyes with her hand. Miranda smiled at her firstborn. "I doubt they would fit, Caroline, but it was a nice idea. I believe Miss Andrea is at the end of her mourning period, for which a dark gray dress is entirely appropriate."

They kept the conversation light during the rest of the meal, and Miranda occasionally regarded Cassidy who was beginning to show signs of distress. "Are you all right, dearest?" Miranda said as she delicately dabbed her lips using her linen napkin.

"Mama…" Cassidey looked unhappily at her half-eaten food. She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. You're going to be so angry." She blinked slowly.

"Cassidy?" Frowning now, Miranda looked over at Miss Andrea, who in turn glanced back and forth between Miranda and Cassidy.

"What did you do?" Caroline whispered and held on so hard to her silver wear, her knuckles whitened. She gaped at her sister.

"Excuse me? What's going on?" Miss Andrea shifted as if to get up, but as she did, the chair scraped along the floor and she fell off it. Disappearing between her chair and Caroline's, the chair clattered to the floor.

"Miss Andrea!" Caroline pushed her chair back and then knelt on the floor. She pushed at the governess' chair and tried to get it out of the way, but it wouldn't move. Rounding on her pale sister, Caroline glared at her. "So this is what you did! You glued her dress to the chair!"

Miranda rounded the floor and found their new governess curled up on her left side, trying to catch her breath. Sure, she had fallen off the chair, but something else must be amiss since the girl was white as a sheet and tears clung to her lashes. "Miss Andrea?" Miranda looked over at the chair where the skirt of her charcoal dress was indeed firmly glued to the seat.

"Just let me…breathe…" Miss Andrea held up a hand as if warding Miranda off. "It's not because…I fell. I was a bit bruised yesterday…in the train crash."

"I see." Miranda tugged at the fabric that was stuck to the chair, but to no avail. "We have to cut you loose, I'm afraid. I will reimburse you for the dress, naturally, and Cassidy will be punished." She sent Cassidy a glare. "You dearest, owe Miss Andrea an apology."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Cassidy came around the table, looking down at Miss Andrea. "I had already done this…and then I liked you despite everything and then it was too late."

To Miranda's astonishment, Miss Andrea smiled. "You're forgiven. Now, can you and your sister bring me your best pair of scissors? I think you must be the one to cut my skirt loose, Cassidy."

It was somewhat of an experience to watch Cassidy's face while Miss Andrea spoke. She went from pale to pink, only to go on a mission for their best pair of scissors.

"You are very forgiving, Miss Sachs." Miranda tugged fruitlessly at the skirt. "Damnation, which glue did they use? It must come from the garden shed. I know the gardener keeps some potent chemicals out there."

Just as the girls left the room to find the tool to cut Miss Andrea loose, Miranda saw Andrea slump to the floor and groan. "I'm sorry, Milady, but it hurts more than I wished for the girls to know. I can't be on my left side, or I will become sick. May I ask for your assistance to change position?"

"Of course." Miranda understood that Miss Andrea had underplayed her pain while her girls were still in the room and now she was in agony. She knelt behind Miss Andrea and tugged her up as far as the skirt would allow. This meant holding the girl pressed to her chest, which made her own stomach contract and clench. It was a long time since she had embraced anyone but her children. Apparently, that was something that one needed to practice judging from how it affected her to hold Miss Andrea.

"Mama! We have some scissors, and we have Miss Serena!" The girls ran into the room, followed by the housekeeper, Serena.

"Oh, my goodness, Milady. Good thing I bumped into the little ladies." Serena held up large fabric scissors and studied the chair. After sending Cassidy a long look, she made the process short with the skirt of Miss Andrea's skirt.

Miranda felt Miss Andrea slump against her for a few moments before she stumbled to her feet. "Thank you, Miss Serena." She then turned to Miranda, her complexion gray rather than just pale. "I think I need to go and find something to wear—"

"As it turns out, Caroline's idea earlier might have some merit after all," Miranda heard herself say. "Why don't you come with me to my room, and we can peruse my closet? I have a feeling we can find something. At least it will be better than a dress with a massive hole in the skirt." Miranda knew it was only half the truth. She had seen how Miss Andrea favored her right side and moved with a limp. "Girls, let Miss Andrea lean on you until we reach Mama's room. Then you can go back to your study room where I want Cassidy to work on designing a card that shows she's truly sorry. Caroline, you may read one of your books."

"Yes, Mama," the girls said in unison. They stepped in under Andrea's arms and she leaned against their shoulders. Slowly, they began walking to Miranda's suite one floor down.

Miranda walked ahead, wanting to make sure that their new governess didn't fall down the wide staircase.

Continued in part 2