Alice closed her diary with a smile. She had just finished writing another fantasy where she managed to get "dour Barbara" fired as governess and run out of town. Alice closed her eyes savoring the feeling but reality crept in as always and tainted her thoughts. The reality was Barbara was still firmly ensconced in the household affairs. Ronald, while deeply in love with Alice, never entertained the thought of firing Barbara and in fact, Alice was careful never to run afoul of Barbara herself.