She then told me that Miss Fairlie had a headache that morning and was being looked after by Mrs. Vesey, an elderly lady who had once been Miss Fairlie’s governess.
‘So we shall be alone at breakfast, Mr Hartright,’ she said. ‘As for Mr. Fairlie, your employer, you will doubtless meet him later. He is Miss Fairlie’s uncle, a single man, who became Miss Fairlie’s guardian when her parents died. He suffers from some mysterious illness of the nerves, and never leaves his rooms.’
While we ate breakfast, she described the quiet, regular life that she and her sister led. ‘Do you think you will get used to it?’ she said. ‘Or will you be restless, and wish for some adventure?’