Amelia shrugged. “I do not lack determination.”
“Indeed you do not,” Lady Everly said with a sly smile that suggested she might be very impressed by Amelia’s accomplishment thus far.
The dowager duchess seemed to share her opinion. “You would make a fantastic secretary.” A touch of humor sparkled in her eyes.
“And here,” Amelia said, because she wasn’t anywhere near being done yet, “are my notes on how I plan to finish each room with the individual cost marked down. There’s a list of the teachers who will have to be hired along with an outline of the courses I’d like the school to provide. Mathematics and English will be primary subjects along with history, geography and science. Additionally, I would like to include basic French, some art and an introduction to philosophy and logic. The students will be mixed—boys with girls for the sake of efficiency—though gender specific classes like woodwork and cooking will be taught separately.”
“This is quite an innovative plan,” Coventry said. Head lowered over the papers still resting in his lap, he picked up a biscuit and bit into it before looking up at Amelia. “I don’t believe there will be another school like it.”
“If you pull off this vision of yours, my dear,” Lady Everly said, “the aristocracy might even be hoping to send their children there.”
Smiling, Amelia shook her head. “It is not for them, I’m afraid. I will not allow wealthy children who can afford to attend Harrow or Eton to steal spots from the poor. And besides, I doubt they will want to share a class with someone who is not of their own social standing.”
The dowager duchess frowned. “I suspect you might be right about that.”
Agreeing, Lady Everly said, “Let us talk about how you intend to acquire the necessary funds to run this place. If you want it to be free, as I imagine you do, you will need more than Coventry’s donation.”
“I’ve actually given this matter a bit of thought myself,” Coventry said, surprising Amelia with his level of interest. “St. Agatha’s Hospital is run entirely on charitable donations and fund-raising events. Perhaps that would work for this school, as well.”
“It is not a bad idea,” the dowager duchess remarked. “Quite the contrary.”
Amelia agreed. “We could host a garden party while the weather is good—include a raffle of some sort.”
Tilting his head, Coventry met her gaze, his eyes lingering on hers for an extended moment until he finally said, “I like that idea.”
Elation shot up inside her, buzzing through her veins until she felt slightly lightheaded. Not only was her plan being accepted, but Coventry actually approved of the way in which she was handling it. More than that, the easy smile he wore and the spark that lit up his eyes suggested he was rather impressed.
“I was also thinking of offering paid evening classes for adults,” she said. “I’m not sure how successful it would be, but there could be painting, needlework, French... some of the same classes offered to children but maybe just one or two days a week.”
“That would require the teachers working late, which they might not wish to do,” Coventry pointed out.
“Of course. But their earnings would also be higher, so it all depends on how driven they are. In any case, it’s just something I thought I’d ask them about when I interview them for their position. And here... before we forget... are some sketches I’ve made along with a couple of floor plans.” Picking up the rolls of paper, she undid the ribbons that tied them, pushed aside the plate of biscuits on the table and spread out the first sketch.
Everyone leaned forward in their seats and stared down at it.
“You made this?” Coventry asked. His finger traced the outline of the dining room.
Amelia nodded. “You’ll see I’ve divided a few of the really large spaces, like the ballroom, in order to allow for an extra class there.”
“Talented, smart and creative,” the dowager duchess murmured. “Woe to he who underestimatesyou, my lady.”
Appreciating the compliment and the attention they were all paying to her restoration plan and the value the building would have on the community, Amelia answered the rest of their questions with pleasure.
“I’ll escort you to Mr. Gorrell’s office tomorrow and help you with the final payment,” Coventry told her once all the papers had been neatly put away again.
Thanking him, she found it impossible not to smile in response to the warmth emanating from his eyes, for there was something else too—some hint of wonder, as though he were seeing her for the very first time and found her to be... something more than before.
“You did well today,” Lady Everly said once the duke and his mother had taken their leave. “It is about time he sees your true worth which, if I may be honest, is so much greater than even I could have imagined. This idea of yours and your ability to follow through when women aren’t generally regarded as being capable of much more than marrying and producing children, is remarkable. Coventry noticed it too.”
“The important thing is I managed to convince him to help after his initial disapproval.”
“Of course that is the most important thing,” Lady Everly said dryly. “Your personal interest in him is completely inconsequential.”
Amelia froze. “My personal interest?”
A sympathetic smile materialized on Lady Everly’s lips. “My dear, I can see that you follow him with your gaze wherever he goes and... the look in your eyes when the two of you dance is so... full of longing and desire that one would have to be blind not to see you have feelings for him.”
“Oh God.” A shiver raked across her shoulders. “Do you think his mother might know?” An even more awful prospect occurred. “Do you thinkhedoes?”
