As soon as the darkest night faded to grey, he rolled out and strapped on the wooden prosthetic, determined to cover the school’s roof and still get Patience back to Fenwick on Sea by nightfall. He couldn’t endure another night here, alone with her but not able to touch her.
He pulled the ladder he’d found over to the side of the house where the kitchen jutted out. He would have to pull the ladder up onto the kitchen to reach the higher roof. Staring up at it, his scheme began to feel even more crack-brained than when he conceived it, but he was determined to try. Preventing further damage toThe Academy for the Formation of Young Gentlemenhad become a fierce need in him, the one need he could act on.
A half hour later the sun had peeked out over the horizon, and Zach had dragged the third and last wall of the shed over to the house. He peered up again, lost in gloom. He would have to ask her help, no matter what he tried.
“What the De’il do you think you’re doing?”
An odd little man had come up behind him. Short and stocky with the hard muscles of a laborer, he had the appearance of a farmer—or a farmer’s ox—and he brandished a spade in a manner intended to be threatening.
“Who are you?” Zach demanded, groaning inwardly. The last thing Patience needed was someone she knew seeing a man here with her.
“Miss Patience’s friend. What have you done w’th’lass? She has more than them lads to protect her.”
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear it,” Zach told him. “She and the boys evacuated to The Queen’s Barque when the roof caved in.”
The man’s widened eyes flipped up toward the roof and he grumbled a muffled curse. “Told her it needed done. Hoped it would hold longer.” He studied the boards against the house. “What’re you doing with our shed?”
Before Zach could answer Patience came out the kitchen door wiping her hands on a towel. “Banks! I’m so happy to see you well. Did you and Mrs. Banks weather the storm safely?”
Banks peered up at Zach. “I thought you said she were at the inn.”
“I was. We—did he tell you the roof caved in? We spent the weekend in Fenwick on Sea, but our Norb disappeared. We thought he’d come here after a missing puppy, but he isn’t here.”
Zach cursed silently. As she appeared at first light, it must be obvious to anyone they had been here the night before. He tried to glare some discretion into her, but she babbled on while Banks’s disapproving frown deepened.
“Sergeant Newell kindly escorted me and thank God he did. The coast road is out above Morphew Manor, and we had to come through the marsh. The water’s so high, I don’t think I could have managed it alone.”
You’re babbling, Patience. The less said the better.Banks glared at Zach, but turned up a smile to face Patience. “Good you’re here safely, Miss Patience. I came this morning myself to see how the school fared. I’m that sorry to hear about our roof. I was hoping we’d get another year from it.” He shook his head. “I’ll take a look at ’er, but I fear it’ll be beyond me. You’ll need to hire a roofer.”
“I know. I’ve known since it happened, though where I’ll find funds to fix it is beyond my ken at the moment.”
Her dejection tore Zach to shreds. He leaned his head on his arm where it gripped the top of one of the sad pieces of shed he had to work with. “We’ll have to worry about that after we get you back to Fenwick,” he said. “For now, this will have to do.”
She left them after they refused her offer of eggs and fritters, Banks claiming he’d already eaten and Zach insisting he’d have it later.
The little farmer listened and nodded agreement while Zach explained his plan to pull the ladder up onto the kitchen, climb to the top, and attach the pulley to the eaves. Zach put the loop of rope over his head and one shoulder and started to climb.
“You were here all night.”
Zach stilled half way to the kitchen roof; he didn’t turn. “I was, and, before you ask, I slept in the barn.” He pulled himself over and reached down to pull up the ladder. Banks, sober and stern, peered directly up at him.
“It won’t matter where you sleep. Folks will talk.”
“Not if you don’t.” Zach pulled the ladder up while Banks held it steady.
“She’s not some shopkeeper’s daughter,” the man called from below. “Her lot expect a man to do right by a lady’s reputation.”
Visions of his sister shot through Zach on a wave of fury.So does my lot.He clamped his jaw tight against an outburst, and breathed deeply for control. “I’m a shopkeeper’s son, Mr. Banks, and the lady’s reputation matters to me too.”
Work put a stop to the issue; the two men manhandled the three large pieces to the roof with muscle and cunning. Zach pulled the first toward the gaping hole, crawling carefully and testing the integrity of the remaining roof as he went.
A whistle behind him caused Zach to jerk sidewise, his heart pounding. He had no idea how Banks managed to get up on the kitchen roof. Zach hadn’t lowered the ladder for him.
“It’s a bad ‘un. She’s in trouble for certain.”
Zach accepted the man’s help without comment. “Pity about this,” Banks said. “This school’s been a blessing to the neighborhood.”
“It’s a blessing to those boys,” Zach responded.
