Fortune’s Final Folly

by McKnight, Christina

  Chapter 6

  Joshua stood in the street outside his office, Kate by his side, as they both stared at her damaged schoolroom. The front window had been shattered in the fire brigade’s haste to extinguish the flames. The front door was missing, and Joshua had his driver and stable hand nailing wooden planks to the opening to keep vagrants out. Next, they would cover the large window. Through the gaping hole where the window had been, Joshua took in the burnt desks and ruined books.

  The flames, thankfully, hadn’t damaged the building beyond repair or traveled much farther than the ground floor. However, Joshua was certain Kate did not possess the funds necessary to fix the building.

  “You can stay at my townhouse until the building is safe again,” he offered. He turned slightly to find Kate assessing him, her cheeks rosy despite the cool breeze.

  When she refocused on the schoolroom, Joshua fought the urge to take her hand and reassure her that all would be well—hopefully, in the not too distant future.

  Joshua had no right to promise her anything, but at least in his home she would be safe, cared for, and fed.

  Dolly, bless her kind soul, would see to that.

  And he wouldn’t need to worry incessantly over Cuttlebottom. He’d thought on the matter of the cobbler all night. There was no proof he’d set the blaze, and the simple fact that he’d left his shop and headed down the alley on the far side of the schoolroom would not be enough to urge the authorities to take a closer look at the matter. It was possible the fire had been started by less nefarious means.

  The cobbler was an established businessman in Cheapside and had been a close friend of the vicar’s, while Kate was a single woman without the benefit of a husband to seek retribution on her behalf. That did not mean Joshua did not plan to see Kate’s wrongs made right, and her building whole once more no matter who or what was responsible for setting the blaze.

  Kate crossed her arms over her chest. Her demeanor had been the same all morning—confusion mixed with uncertainty. “I cannot ask that of you, my lord. I haven’t any notion how long it will take or if I’m capable of repairs at all. Mayhap it would be best to sell what is left of the building to Mr. Cuttlebottom and be done with it all.”

  Never would Joshua allow the beast to profit from Kate’s loss. Though the time was not right to worry her with his suspicions.

  “I will assist you with the repairs.” Joshua clasped his hands behind his back as if the task were as simple and easily completed as that. “My stable hand, driver, and I will be at your disposal until the schoolroom is restored. Until that point, you may continue teaching in my building. The back office, while cramped with all the children in attendance, should suit well enough.”

  “Joshua—ummm—my lord,” she said, brushing at her cheek. “I haven’t the coin for the repairs. Even with your help, it is a fruitless endeavor. And your office...I cannot repay you for its use.”

  “Never you mind.” He brushed off her concern. “I can work in the front room of the building, and I have some savings—”

  “No,” she cut off his words. “If I agree to remain at your townhouse and use your office for my schoolroom, I shan’t take your money. It is too much. And I do not wish to impose on your kindness.”

  “Please, allow me to finish.” If anyone would understand Joshua’s position, it was Kate. “I do not have much saved, certainly not enough for all the repairs needed. However, it will be a start. Mayhap you can contact the individual who sends you money every few months.”

  Joshua adjusted his cravat, hoping to dispel the awkwardness that had settled between them over his generous offer. They’d never spoken of the parcels he delivered to her. In fact, he’d mistakenly opened one a few years back before realizing it was not addressed to him. That was the only way he knew they contained money.

  In the world of the ton, it was garish and uncouth to discuss matters such as finances with anyone but your man of business and perhaps your steward. Again, Joshua was reminded of how different his upbringing was compared to his chosen life in Cheapside. Certainly, he could have taken to a life of the beau monde and wiled away his allowance and time at the racetrack or White’s while spending his evenings in fashionably crowded ballrooms.

  “It might be possible for your benefactor to advance you the funds for the repairs,” he prodded.

  Her lips pursed, and her discomfort visibly grew. “I do not think that is a good idea.”

  “Why ever not?” he asked. “If you’d like, I can draft the request on your behalf.”

  She shook her head. “I am unaware who sends the money. We have never met nor communicated in any way except for the envelopes I receive. There is never any correspondence included with the funds.”

  For not the first time, Joshua was plagued by his own lackadaisical handling of the situation. “You do not know whom the stipends are from?” He’d assumed Kate’s mother or father had spoken of the quarterly bequeathals before their deaths.

  Keeping her eyes trained on the schoolroom, she said, “The first envelope arrived not long after my father’s death. I was so overwhelmed and blessed to have the money, I did not question who’d sent it. I’d even convinced myself for a time that it had come from my father’s parishioners or, mayhap, one of my students. I feared if I questioned the origin of the money, it would stop coming. I know it sounds silly—and frankly, feeble-minded on my part—however, I was barely able to keep food in my stomach and was ready to close the school when it arrived. I did my best to make the funds last for as long as possible, but then you delivered another envelope. And another, and another…”

  “And, suddenly, it was not so important who your benefactor was.” It hadn’t mattered overmuch to Joshua either—curiosity aside—when his uncle had charged him with the task of delivering the envelopes. “You are not feeble-minded at all.”

  She lifted her chin and turned toward him, a spark of defiance in her blue-grey eyes. “It didn’t matter as long as I was able to keep my mother’s school open, and the children had a safe place to come and learn.” She sighed, and Joshua noticed a bit of her fortitude flee. “I know it was wrong to keep accepting the money; however, I justified taking it because I was not benefiting from it—my pupils were. I traded lessons for eggs, milk, and fabric. Some children, born to more blessed families, paid me in coin, which I used for other necessities.”

  Joshua held her hard stare, making sure she saw understanding in his eyes. “You have done nothing wrong, Kate. The parcels are left at my office, and since your father’s death, they have come addressed to you. The money is meant for you. Of that, I have no doubt.”

  “Who do they come from?” she asked. “And how does this benefactor know my family? Surely, you must know.”

  “I am uncertain, as well.” He regarded the building across the street once more. “I have been delivering them to your family since I finished at Oxford and came to London to work with my uncle. I always assumed you knew who they were from and never wished to pry into such a private matter. My uncle’s instructions were to deliver the envelopes and ask no questions. Confidentiality between a solicitor and his client is paramount.”

  A small girl, dressed in a pink pinafore with scuffed black half boots and bouncing blond curls skipped down the street. Children came and went from the schoolroom so often that Joshua was not familiar with them all. But when the little girl stopped in front of Kate’s building and looked up at the shattered window and the covered doorway, he suspected that she was a pupil of Kate’s.

  “Lily,” Kate called. When the girl turned, Kate waved and looked both ways before crossing the street to greet the child.

  She knelt before Lily, embracing the girl before drawing back with a smile. How Kate remained positive with her students despite everything that’d happened was beyond him. Joshua was too far away to hear their conversation, but when Lily’s smile turned into a frown, he suspected Kate had told the girl the schoolroom would need repairs before they could begin lessons
again.

  He hoped that Kate accepted the use of his office to continue with the children.

  Kate stood and nodded back in the direction the girl had come skipping from. Lily walked away, likely back home, her shoulders slumped.

  Chapman had confided to Joshua that all the children had taken the news of the fire in a similar fashion. Their upset was a clear testament to Kate’s skill as a teacher. When Joshua had been young, he’d relished the days his tutors had called off ill or were otherwise indisposed. He’d spent the days lost in far more interesting and exciting things—at least his boyhood self had thought them far more appealing than lessons.

  He marveled, not for the first time, how Kate was unlike any other woman in his acquaintance. He had not met a more selfless woman, one who thought of more than their appearance, social status, and what event they’d next attend. What would London be if more of the ton worried about others and less about themselves?

  Miss Katherina Elliott was not only beautiful on the outside, but she possessed a rare heart of gold. Her curling, ebony hair and striking, almond-shaped, bluish-grey eyes were captivating. And Joshua hadn’t been surprised to discover that there was far more to the woman than met the eye.

  If his grandmother were alive, Joshua imagined she’d love Kate and admire everything about her as much as Joshua did.

  By the time Kate returned to his side, Joshua had decided on a course of action she’d be unable to refuse.

  Chapter 7

  Kate peered out the window of Joshua’s enclosed carriage at a building that made her Cheapside schoolroom appear barely inhabitable—and downright primitive. They’d journeyed from Cheapside to Bond Street and turned onto a well-maintained cobblestone road lined with shops and offices with broad windows, gas lampposts, and door latches of polished silver. She knew they were polished because she’d seen a man in uniform scrubbing at one until it shone. The roadways were not marred by filth or rubbish, and the lords and ladies who walked the street were dressed in gowns fancier than Kate could ever dream of possessing.

  She imagined this was what the most proper and wealthy Englishmen and women donned for dazzling balls. But for promenading in the streets? It seemed overdone and senseless, not to mention wasteful and highly unconventional. The grime on the London breeze from the millions of chimneys in town was enough to tarnish any fine silk or satin. When she was younger, her mother had taken in laundry as a way to earn extra coin. Kate had spent many hours scrubbing dresses to remove the soot.

  Besides, how did these ladies accomplish anything if they took hours to merely dress and style their hair for the day?

  The Stuart driver, Mr. Chapman, climbed down from his perch and pulled open the carriage door with a grand flourish that nearly made Kate giggle.

  Attached to the overhang outside the building directly in front of their carriage hung a plaque engraved with the same, Stuart and Lords, Solicitors. It was not like the simple shingle that swung on rusted hooks in front of Joshua’s Cheapside office.

  No, this was the type of building Kate could picture a grand lord doing business in, far removed from the working class who populated her neighborhood.

  Through the massive front windows that reached from nearly the ground to the first-floor roofline, Kate watched finely dressed men hurrying to and fro. A servant in a tailored uniform, different from the man polishing the latches, opened the front door, and a couple exited; the man’s uneven step supported by a cane with a large, shining emerald jewel mounted to the top. A woman young enough to be his daughter—if not granddaughter—grasped tightly to his arm. However, the way the man held her close to his side and whispered in her ear was not that of a fondness shared between father and daughter.

  Joshua stepped from the carriage. The couple issued him a hearty greeting before they continued down the street to their waiting coach, and Joshua turned and held up his gloved hand for her to take.

  Her fingers shook as she took in the proffered palm, knowing his hold would be tight and supportive in a way Kate needed in that moment. She could depend on Joshua, no matter what came their way. When she stared down into his eyes, she felt a connection that went beyond their friendship. It was something…more.

  However, at no time in the last twenty-four hours had Kate felt more out of place than she did in that moment. Not even when she’d awoken in Joshua’s fine house, garbed in a nightgown that did not belong to her, and learned he was the son of a duke. Not when he’d offered his assistance to help her repair her home, or when he’d insisted she use his Cheapside office as a makeshift schoolroom until hers was ready. She hadn’t even felt peculiar when she learned Joshua had sent his driver and stable hand into her home to collect some of her personal possessions.

  Only now, when presented with his outstretched hand as if she were a titled lady, did Kate realize how much Joshua’s world, his upbringing and his life, were removed from her own. The differences must be apparent to everyone but Joshua as he smiled up at her.

  And Kate did not need to glance down at the sagging heel of her boot to understand the stark reality of their mismatched pairing.

  Yet, she’d been unable to fully grasp the lifeline he offered after she’d seen Lily on her way home. Joshua had mused that if his uncle had set up the delivery of her money, it would stand to reason he’d have record of it at his Bond Street office. Which meant, somewhere on the other side of the towering glass façade, Kate could find answers she hadn’t realized she longed for.

  It had never escaped Kate’s notice, or that of those who lived in Cheapside, that she did not resemble either of her parents. Neither the vicar nor his wife had possessed any memorable traits in their appearances. Both had grey hair, brown eyes, and fair, albeit weathered, skin. Neither had been overly tall or remarkably short. In fact, they’d blended in with everyone else in Cheapside. Unlike Kate with her creamy complexion akin to the brown sugar her mother had sprinkled sparingly on her porridge, her long, thick, curly ebony hair, and her almond-shaped eyes. Her father had affectionately dubbed them enchanting. When Kate had turned her pleading stare on him, he nearly always gave in to her wishes. Her mother had jokingly called her their little temptress, and though the moniker galled her father, she’d noticed that he smirked each time her mother used the affectionate name.

  Apart from their unique appearances, one would have to be daft not to notice that her mother had been much too old to have given birth to Kate. Even as a child, she remembered her father’s frailty and her mother’s wrinkled, sagging skin.

  Though it did nothing to deter Kate’s utter adoration of the pair.

  She’d known from a young age that she was blessed far beyond most in London.

  “Miss Kate?” Joshua wiggled his fingers. “Is something amiss?”

  She wanted to ask if he had the time for her to recite her ever-growing list of things that were seriously amiss of late; including but not limited to her newfound awareness of him. She’d been in his home, his office, and had met those closest to him. He was no longer the kind solicitor who worked across the street. He was now the man who’d helped her in her darkest hour, saved her from perishing, and gave her hope that life would someday return to normal.

  Yet, Kate was acutely aware that nothing would return to their previous normal. The old ways could not exist any longer—at least not for Kate.

  She took Joshua’s proffered hand, ignoring the heat she felt through their gloves, and stepped from the carriage, satisfied she’d stilled the quiver in her fingers.

  When Joshua tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and pulled her close—not as close or as intimately as the couple who’d greeted him a moment before—Kate was aware how ill-fitting and weathered her gown was with its threadbare elbows and stained, fraying hem. She was satisfied her sagging heel did not slap the ground loudly as she walked, utterly betraying her position on his arm.

  To his credit, Joshua did not seem to notice her attire as he nodded to the livery servant as he opened the
door, and they entered the building. It was as if they accompanied one another regularly and not only due to the damage of her home. It was a sensation Kate was oddly at ease with, despite her unease with her lackluster appearance. Joshua seemed to neither mind nor care—and she appreciated that fact. Their strides mirrored one another’s as he set the pace.

  Inside, clerks and clients alike halted to greet Joshua and incline their heads to her when introduced—as a client of Stuart and Lords. Again, guilt swamped her at the thought of the expense of such an association with Joshua. The amount would be far more significant than she could ever hope to repay.

  They made their way deeper into the building, and Kate leaned close to whisper, “Do all these gentlemen work for you?”

  Joshua chuckled, the deep rumbling growing from his chest in the same way her father’s laughter had when she surprised him with one of her impetuous questions. She knew it came from his heart. “Some, yes. Others hold similar positions as solicitors, hence the name, Stuart and Lords.”

  “Oh,” she mused, unable to think of a suitable reply that would not betray her bewilderment as they traversed the crowded office.

  “After my uncle passed, I brought on many gentlemen similar to myself who studied law and desired the benefit of a steady income and fulfilling work. Now, there are eight solicitors, including myself, and we each own an equal share of Stuart and Lords.”

  “Which allows you to work from your office in Cheapside?”

  “Very good, Miss Kate.” He nodded and drew up short before a door at the rear of the large building. “My income from Stuart and Lords enables me to help those with fewer means in Cheapside.”

  She longed to ask why he would choose to work in Cheapside when he could just as easily help people from this grand office in the safer part of London. If her father had been offered a more prestigious congregation, would he have forsaken his parish in Cheapside? What of her mother? She’d been intelligent enough to seek a position as a proper tutor for an English family; however, she’d remained at her husband’s side and taught children who might have otherwise not been afforded an education.