“He was an idiot.”
Alex shook her head. “Only you would call an Oxford don an idiot.”
“Well, he isn’t one anymore.” Will recalled the stormy evening she had turned up at his rooms at Christ Church College soaked to the bone and pale as ivory. It was the only time he had ever seen Alex cry. And only a little. Even when her heart was utterly broken by a careless man. “And he has you to thank for all his success.”
Alex pursed her lips. “He would likely debate that,” she murmured before giving him a weary smile. “I do hope you can make things work with Phoebe. She deserves happiness. And I think she could find it with you.”
Will glanced down. “I need to get reacquainted with myself first, as it were.”
“A fine idea. And don’t worry too much about Lord Fairbanks,” she added with sudden gravity. The gleam in Alex’s eye was unsettling. “I’ll take care of him.”
Twenty-Two
The front hall of the Langham Place School was filled with fine ladies milling about the tables where students had put together demonstrations showcasing their academic accomplishments. Phoebe stood in the corner watching them all and bursting with pride. There was also a silent auction being run by her mother and sisters while a food and beverage area was staffed by both students and volunteers. Miss Sanderson, the music teacher, was organizing a group of students in the corner to sing a short program. They wouldn’t know until much later if they had raised enough money, but Phoebe felt certain the bazaar was a success.
“I must commend you, Miss Atkinson,” the headmistress said. “You’ve done a marvelous job here. You should be proud.”
Phoebe dipped her head at the praise. “Everyone worked very hard to put this event together.”
“But not as hard as you,” Mrs. Richardson pressed. “I know it takes strong leadership to pull off an event like this. And you’ve demonstrated that you possess the necessary qualities.”
Phoebe blushed. After her argument with Will, she had thrown herself into planning the rest of the bazaar—at the expense of nearly everything else in her life. But that had only proved just howlittle she had outside of the school. It was quite sobering. “Thank you, ma’am.”
The headmistress scanned the room and let out a heavy sigh. “A pity it will all be for naught.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard from the landlord yesterday. Even if we raise enough money, he will not be renewing our lease. I didn’t want to say anything until the bazaar ended.”
Phoebe gaped. “Can he do that?”
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Richardson said matter-of-factly. “It’s all perfectly legal.”
“But… butwhy?” It felt like the room had shifted beneath her feet.
“He got a better offer,” she replied with a shrug. “Someone wants to turn this entire building into one of those ghastly department stores.” The headmistress wrinkled her nose. Not everyone was enamored of the one-stop shopping behemoths that had taken over central London.
“In this neighborhood?”
“It’s changing, and swiftly. I worry that our girls will be forced out once rents rise. And they certainly will if a department store is built.”
Phoebe shook her head in disbelief. “How can you be so calm about this?” She was boiling with anger at the gross injustice of it all.
“You don’t reach my age without being knocked down a dozen times over. But then you get up, shake the dust off, and start again. Whatever we raise today will help us find another property.”
But the thought only made Phoebe’s shoulders sag with the great weight of it all.
“It feels like every time we reach the top, the mountain grows another foot.”
Mrs. Richardson turned to her with a gentle smile. “And yet, that is how most progress is made, isn’t it? Not in great leaps and bounds, but in tiny, diligent steps. It isn’t until you look back that you see how far you’ve come. Don’t let this break you, my dear. Let it inspire you to do more.”
But Phoebe could only nod. She needed to grieve this loss first.
“You should also know that the duke of Ellis pledged to match whatever we raise today.”
The headmistress was watching her closely, but Phoebe managed to tamp down the thrill trying to burst through her. “His Grace is very generous,” she said with a bland smile.
Will had to have made the pledge long before she rejected him. And yet, she couldn’t make herself ask. Because it didn’t matter, either way. This wasn’t about her. It was about the school. The school she had now lost.
