All throughout the previous night and into this morning, Iris Marlowe had been conducting a rigorous psychological operation on her niece. Her goal was to instill a healthy sense of "stranger danger" regarding the high-earning, smooth-talking young man who ran the academy.
"You listen to me, Blanche," Iris had barked while scrubbing the girl's face with a rough towel. "One can never truly know a person’s heart, savvy? You absolutely cannot go 'climbing the hills' with that Young Master Gray. You go with him, and next thing you know, he’s sold you to a traveling circus, and you’re sittin' there countin' the coins for him like a Dunderheaded fool. Is that what you want? To be a Gourdling for the rest of your life?"
It was a grave warning, and one that Iris repeated several times on their w
