Page 33 of Fortune’s Final Folly

And so, it was as Joshua had always believed—unfair.

He could accomplish nothing more this night; especially laboring over the unjust social classes that kept most of his country’s people in near or abject poverty and had Kate believing that their lives were never meant to cross paths. That some invisible force had deemed them unequal.

He could only continue as he was and make do with what he had. That had to be enough…for the time being, at least.

Across the street, two men exited the building, their arms full of their craftsmen tools as they departed for the night. The pair lived deeper in Cheapside in a boarding house for single men. They’d needed work, and Joshua had been obliged to see the work completed by men from the area. He watched as they passed the cobbler’s shop and the bookseller’s, pausing only briefly as they exchanged a few words with a man standing in the shadows of the walkway before nodding their heads and continuing on as night grew closer.

Joshua extinguished the few candles Henry had left lit for him. While the sun had set behind the row of buildings, it was not so dark yet that it prevented him from collecting his things, locking up, and retrieving Kate for their ride home. With luck, they’d arrive at his townhouse before Dolly retired for the night, and he could thank her for the midday meal she’d packed for Kate and him and tucked away in his carriage without his knowledge.

He smiled. His days were beginning to find a new routine, a better one. However, he was not misguided enough to think that it could be permanent, no matter how much he longed for it to be so. Eventually, the schoolroom would be repaired, and he and Kate would go back to waving at each other from their respective buildings.

She’d made it clear she wanted nothing more; that their stations in life prevented it.

However, he’d seen the longing in her eyes, and it matched his own. Could he prove to her that things did not have to be the way they were?

He moved to the back office and took the key from his desk drawer. The chime sounded in the front.

“I’m collecting my things and will be ready to depart shortly.” It was either Chapman, having pulled his carriage around, or Kate, her work for the day complete. His heart raced a bit at the thought of having someone other than his servant to greet him at the end of his day. He dipped to pick up a primer one of the children had discarded on the floor in their haste to leave earlier and returned it to his desk—or, more accurately, Kate’s desk as she’d been using it during school hours. He headed for the door.

“Lord Joshua Stuart?” an unfamiliar voice asked from the doorway.

“Good evening,” he called into the shadows at the front of the office. Someone stood there, but the darkness obscured them from sight. It was not uncommon for a Cheapside resident to seek him out for legal counsel after they’d finished their workday. “The office is closed for the day. However, I would be happy to schedule an appointment—”

“You are Lord Joshua Stuart…of Stuart and Lords, Solicitors?” the woman prodded.

Joshua took in the sight of the older female, her skirts skimming the floor, the material worn but not tattered. Her hair was piled and pinned atop her head. “Yes.” Few people in Cheapside knew about his Bond Street office.

“I am looking for Miss Katherina Elliott.” Though her words were a demand, and she stepped farther into the office as she said them, Joshua sensed she did not mean to sound threatening. “You will give me her directions.”

Joshua looked over the woman’s shoulder. The planks of wood were still nailed into place, covering the gaping holes where the door and front window of Kate’s home should be.

“I am sorry, but I cannot—”

“You represent her.” The woman’s voice deepened with stern conviction and…something else. Something personal. “Where can she be found?”

“Yes, I represent her,” Joshua agreed. “She is my client. However, I cannot give you her personal information. How did you find me here?”

“I was originally given the directions to your office off Bond. They sent me here,” she paused, clasping her hands before her. “After some prodding, of course. You went to Shrewbury. Was it Pierce who sent you?”

“Pierce De Vere?” This was the first person he’d come into contact with who seemed familiar with Lord Holderness outside of his less than stellar reputation in town.

“Yes.” Agitation flowed off her in heavy waves, and her chin trembled slightly—in an almost familiar way. “Did he send you?”

Joshua shook his head. “No, no. I only know the man by name, and even that, only of late.”

“He is not another client of yours?”

“Certainly not.” The dimness of the room prevented Joshua from seeing the woman’s face clearly, but her shifting moods were evident. “I serve only Miss Katherina. I was charged with delivering her stipend on a quarterly basis. Did you come to ask after only De Vere?”

Joshua had given away too much information mentioning the money, but he needed to know what this woman knew before she fled. She stepped from foot to foot in an anxious manner as if she were preparing to flee. If she left his office without sharing what she knew of Kate and De Vere, he might miss the opportunity to truly help Kate.

“I am here for Katherina. Where is she?” The curt, clipped tone had Joshua taking a step back. “I have waited long enough, and I will not wait another moment.”

The urgency in the woman’s voice had him discarding his jacket and setting about lighting the candles once more. She remained in the doorway, shrouded in shadows from the lack of light within the room, the setting sun outside being of little help.

Light filled the office as he re-lit the wall sconces to reveal the woman. She was dressed as Joshua had suspected in a flowing, multicolored skirt with a thick, jeweled belt and yellowed blouse. The woman pinned him in place with her hardened stare.

It was not that Joshua couldn’t move, it was that he didn’t want to move.