Page 33 of Kismet

Going to the door, he released Catherine so that he could open the door for the sisters and the faithful Lambert who trailed behind. The ladies seemed to flit around the store of odds and ends in some sort of odd order that only females understood. Watching them with an indulgent smile, he was happy to let them wander. He looked down at the display next to him and saw a display of penknives. One of them instantly caught his fancy.

“I see you have found one of my more gentlemanly displays.” The proprietor nodded to the glass case that showed his wares.

“Yes, would you mind if I take a look at that knife there?” There was no hesitation as Theodore's finger singled out the one he instantly favored. It was bronze, not steel like most of the others, and there was a green stone that was inlaid in the handle. While beautiful, it was the arrow design it sported that piqued his interest the most.

“Marvelous choice, sir. This is a nice little penknife and though it is bronze, it has an impressively sharp edge,” the man explained as he opened the case to take out the knife. Laying it on a piece of velvet, he also put a sheath next to it. It was slightly longer than the average penknife, coming to close to three inches. “It comes with a charming leather sheath to protect the user from the edge when not in use. The handle, if I may say so, is a work of art. The arrow design showcases the exquisite combination of green dragon skin agate and meticulously crafted bronze. It is slightly more expensive than some of the others, but still a good purchase.”

“It is worth whatever you are asking. Unfortunately, I don't have much on me right now, but could you please send the bill to the Earl of Matlock?” Handing the man his card, Theodore looked up and spotted Catherine and Lydia looking at something across the store. Catherine looked up and smiled at him from across the room before turning back to what her sister was saying. “Can you make it look presentable for a gift?”

Following Theodore’s adoring gaze, the older man grinned. “Ah, yes, I can certainly do so. It's not often you come across a lady who can truly appreciate the intricacies of a blade like this,” he observed. Exchanging a knowing wink, he reached down to retrieve a velvet bag and deftly concealed the knife within its soft confines. “The ladies love things in cute little bags. This should do nicely.”

Theodore accepted the small package from the proprietor and a sense of anticipation built within him. He gingerly slid it into the pocket of his greatcoat, feeling its weight against his chest. “Thank you.”

The elderly proprietor's face lit up with a warm smile as he looked at Theodore. “If you will forgive my presumption, my wife and I have been together for some thirty years and it all started with a look like that. May you have as much happiness as my Martha and I have.”

“I plan to.” Giving the man a salute, Theodore moved back to Catherine’s side, already wondering how he might present the gift to her.

Catherine looked up at Theodore, a smile on her face. He had been so amicable about taking her to the candy store, then without hesitation he had purchased the pound of chocolate drops she asked for. When he asked if she wanted one, she shook her head and the poor dear had looked perplexed. Now they stood in front of a nondescript building near Cheapside.

She could see he was confused but was willing to leave him in the dark a while longer if it meant she got to surprise him. As she entered the small garden, she could already hear the distant sounds of play, growing louder with each step she took towards the refined building. Grinning, she waited for the squealing. It did not take long.

Soon they were surrounded by a gaggle of children, their little voices all vying for her attention.

“Miss Catherine!”

“It is not Thursday, Miss Catherine. Why did you come today?”

“Who is with you Miss Catherine? He is so tall!”

Catherine leaned down and hugged them all in turn. They eventually noticed Lydia and Lambert and went to them for hugs as well. Catherine spotted the dorm mother in charge of the group and smiled. “Hello, Mrs. Cleaver. How are you and the children doing today?

The woman was of middling age and with such a cheerful disposition, her smile was infectious. “We are all fine, miss. We have just been taking advantage of the nice weather to let the children expend some energy. I see you have brought a visitor.”

Blushing at the knowing look in Mrs. Cleaver’s eyes, Catherine replied, “Yes, this is Lord Matlock. He is Mr. Darcy’s cousin.”

While several of the children had split off to talk with Lydia a few had stayed, including a little girl who was staring silently at Theodore with her thumb in her mouth. Kneeling so he was more on her level, he offered her a smile. “Hello, my name is Theodore. What is your name?”

Taking her thumb out of her mouth she whispered, “Sara.”

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Sara. Do you like it here?”

The girl nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “It is clean and warm, and the food is really good. Though they are making me learn my letters, I do not really mind.”

Chuckling, Theodore smiled up at Catherine before continuing his conversation with Sara. “They made me learn my letters when I was your age too, but I enjoyed it eventually. You probably will too.”

She watched Theodore speak with little Sara for a moment before turning back to speak with Mrs. Cleaver. “I brought some treats for all of the children, and I thought while I was at it, I could show Lord Matlock around a bit.”

“That is so nice of you. I will make sure all the children get some.”

Catherine reached out and gave the older woman a hug. “Make sure you and the other dorm mothers and teachers get some too.” Noticing that Sara was still talking with Theodore she asked, “Sara, I was hoping to show Lord Matlock around the school. Would you be willing to guide us?”

“Yes!” Reaching out, Sara took Theodore’s hand and began walking towards the building. “I know where everything is! Would you like to meet Mrs. Smith? She cooks the food.”

Eventually they made it up to the top floor of the school and Catherine explained, “Some girls learn to take care of the smaller children on the lower floors, but this is where we practice with the girls on household chores. They can also learn how to serve tea or work on ladies’ dresses. Most girls, when they are old enough, can find a position as a maid or even as a nurse to small children.” Inside the room, a few older girls were working on mending fancy dresses with some of the older women.

“What about the boys?” Theodore asked, still holding Sara’s little hand.

Catherine continued walking around the set up that resembled the inside of any typical well-to-do house. “When a lady visits the school, she brings her lady’s maid to help with the girls and her carriage is brought around back where the boys learn about the horses and how to work with the tack. They learn how to be grooms or sometimes footmen. I have known William to send over his valet to work with some of the older boys.”

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