Page 26 of Fortune’s Final Folly

“I think I shall retire.” Kate made to stand, and his footman stepped forward to pull her chair back. Every inch of her seemed weighed down by some unseen force, and Joshua desperately wanted to relieve the pressure. Yet, he was bound by what Kate would allow. “Thank you for the meal, and please give Dolly my appreciation for her lovely tart.”

She dipped her head, refusing to meet his stare.

“Sleep well,” Joshua said, standing. To himself, he wished her a peaceful slumber and a few hours reprieve from everything that weighed on her.

Kate nodded and hurried from the dining hall, her footsteps sounding in the corridor as she fled.

Tomorrow…tomorrow Henry would return to London.

From there, it would be clear how Joshua would need to proceed. They would have money from the duke, or Joshua would set out for his father’s townhouse for the first time since he departed for Oxford. A part of Joshua suspected meeting with his father would likely be easier than convincing Kate to accept the money.

Joshua rubbed at his temples as his head started to ache.

Perhaps he needed rest as much as she.

Chapter 9

Kate entered her bedchamber, closing the door in her wake and removing her cloak. Tossing the garment on the bed, she took off her gloves, noting the ash that marred the material before setting them atop her overgarment. The room, with its muted blue hues, dark furniture, and bay windows was meant to be calming and inviting. The issue Kate had found with the space was that it was precisely that…peaceful to the point where she found herself forgetting who she truly was and where she belonged. It had progressed so far and fast that Kate had begun to truly see the room as hers—the gowns in the wardrobe, the clean linens, and the tiny, feminine writing desk…all hers.

This reprieve in Cavendish Square with Joshua was only temporary.

She allowed her bare fingers to trail down the fine fabric of the bedding on the mattress, the material soft to her touch.

She belonged in Cheapside with her pupils, and Joshua belonged in a place like his Bond Street office—or in his fancy townhouse.

Yet, each time she discovered something new of the man, she found herself drawn to him even more. Before it had been something Kate was able to push to the back of her mind, but living and working in such close proximity made that impossible—even more difficult than it had been when she’d had her own residence to reside in. She hadn’t been able to truly trust another without reservations since her parents’ passing. In her heart, Kate knew Joshua would never betray the trust she’d placed in him. His optimism was unparalleled, and she often wondered where a man gained such confidence that things would work out as dictated.

She slowly spun in a circle. She was faced by a small table holding a pearl-handled brush and comb, a deep wardrobe closet with only her meager belongings inside, and a long, low bookshelf filled with stories Kate had never read. She removed each of the volumes carefully and perused their titles before replacing them on the shelf, making a mental note on a few to see if Albert’s Bookshop carried them. She would not fall into the trap of reading any of the books here because there was no way of knowing if she’d be in the room long enough to finish one.

Her living quarters above the schoolroom were nothing compared to Joshua’s home. And he moved about the house as if he belonged, while Kate feared tracking soot onto the newly polished floors or spilling her tea on a priceless rug. The thing she’d noted both in her home and his was that they possessed warmth. No matter the size, these walls had seen much love, kinship, and laughter, just as hers had. That feeling only deepened Kate’s sense of peace while in Joshua’s townhouse.

Their time alone had only further pushed her thoughts and emotions to a place Kate wasn’t prepared to explore. She’d barely been able to meet Joshua’s stare after he kissed her—even though it had only been her wrist. Her heart had fluttered, and her nights had been filled with images she longed to experience while awake. It made their morning drives to Cheapside all the more uncomfortable for Kate. Could Joshua sense her wanton thoughts? Did he know her pulse raced every time she even so much as thought about his palm caressing her arm to take her hand?

When she wasn’t allowing her daydreams to overtake her every thought, Kate was worried about what she’d learned regarding her mysterious benefactor. Or, more appropriately, what she hadn’t learned from the file.

The Duke and Duchess of Shrewbury.

Pierce De Vere, the Earl of Holderness.

Who were these strangers, and what did they have to do with her past, her family? And, more daunting, how would they impact her future?

It was something she’d wanted to speak to Joshua about, but she was at a loss for how to bring up the matter.

There was no way he could understand how she’d felt all her life, the sense that she hadn’t truly belonged. As a part of her family but also an outsider. Not because they treated her as such—or at least Kate hadn’t felt such a way until quite recently. It hadn’t helped when she discovered that her father might have struck an agreement with Mr. Cuttlebottom to sell her home. That uneasiness and uncertainty had grown and been made worse when she read Joshua’s file on her parents. These strangers in Oxfordshire… Her parents hadn’t thought her worthy enough to discuss them with her. Had they thought to live long enough the mysterious funds would run out and they’d never have to tell her? Did they think to marry her off to some blacksmith or merchant in Cheapside and the money would no longer be a necessity for her?

Her parents had sheltered her to the point of Kate thinking herself truly breakable. She’d been schooled by her mother alongside the other children in the neighborhood. She’d never been allowed to walk to the bookshop or her father’s vicarage without her mother or father at her side. She’d never traveled outside of Cheapside until Joshua had brought her to his townhouse.

The worst part was that she’d accepted it all without question.

She’d trusted and valued her parents enough to never say nay to their decisions and always abide by their rules. It had been so all-encompassing Kate hadn’t seen them as rules at all but rather her parents’ loving way of guiding her.

In truth, they’d lied to her all these years.

A lie of omission was still very much a lie.

And to make everything worse, the only people who could give her any answers were dead, and there would be no additional money sent.

As long as her mother smiled upon her, and her father held out his hand to her when they walked to his parish, Kate had been happy and content to believe every word they said. Had they spoken of her gullibility while she was fast asleep in the next room? Had they conspired to keep the truth of their and her past from her? Had they thought she’d continue to live in ignorance all her life?