Page 38 of A Gentleman's Reckoning
He sized up the hole. It was now imperative that the wall be fixed as soon as possible, and he hoped that the mason would be up for the challenge. Although it did not appear to be a full load-bearing wall, there was surely structural damage that needed to be remedied if the orphanage was to be safe.
“I was just curious,” Gabriel said through gritted teeth. “I saw plaster through the hole and wanted to see if it would hold. ’Twas stupid of me.”
“I’ll say,” Timothy said, and John silenced him with a look.
At last, the surgeon arrived, and Lady Geny’s brother stood nearby in rapt curiosity, watching everything he did. John gave up telling them to stay back, for he did not think that any more stones would come loose. The surgeon lost no time in setting the bone, which caused Gabriel to fall into a swoon. John glanced over at Timothy who looked as though he were about to do the same.
“You are relieved of your lessons for the morning, Timothy. You may go and join your friends, and I will see you tomorrow morning.”
The orphan was off like a shot, and John turned to Lady Geny’s brother. “You seem to have a stomach for this sort of thing. You are not queasy at all.”
“Not really,” he answered, flashing John a smile. “I found it more interesting than anything else.”
The surgeon picked up his tools and stuffed them into his bag. “Shame you are going to become an earl, then. You might have made a fine doctor.” This caused the boy to beam from the praise.
Geny had been watching everything, and she stood and gestured to two servants coming from the stable entrance. “He is here. You will need to have him brought to his bed and inform Nurse Ramsey about his situation.”
“Yes, my lady,” one of them said. This was easily done, especially since Gabriel was still unconscious. John got to his feet, his knees stiff, and the earl’s son turned to his sister, his hands on his hips.
“Geny, shall we tour the asylum now? We can begin with the chapel.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the hole in the wall with a broad grin.
Geny met his look with narrowed eyes. “Yes, indeed. But we will go through the door, like civilized people.” She turned to John. “Mr. Rowles, you have been set back in your work by this incident. We will not trouble you to escort us.”
Her smile was distant, and John understood why. But it didn’t make it easier to see the change. He had been trying to protect her from himself, and of course he could not tell her about his true purpose here. He had no choice but to keep his distance. If only she knew how much it cost him.
He bowed. “Very well. But take care, if you will. This hole has weakened the structural integrity of the building on this side. I would avoid the chapel, and the meeting room which is upstairs, until I can have a look at it.”
Lady Geny nodded her understanding and put her arm around her brother’s shoulders. Together they left the stable. John turned again in the quiet to survey the damage, finally noticing the empty stalls. In the confusion, he had not noticed the flurry of activity as the grooms and stable hands had rushed over to the horses to calm them. They had already led the horses to the far end of the stable, away from the dust and commotion. He was alone on this end.
He walked over to the pile of stones and circled it, examining the statue more closely. It did not appear to be broken. He wondered if this was what had caused the stones to fall—if it had not been properly anchored on the side of the chapel. Otherwise, he found nothing but stones and the broken plasterthat had once held it together. There was also the smooth plaster from the inside of the chapel.
He walked around the pile to the other end and found the same thing on the ground, except for the smooth stone that was sitting at eye level on the side of the chapel. He went over to examine it, pulling the loose stones away to have a better look. It appeared to be made of marble—a plaque, it seemed, that had been hidden between the decorative screen and the wall. It sat between the bare stones and mortar on the side of the stable and the smooth plaster on the side of the chapel. He tried to turn it over, but it was too heavy.
“Hey!” He lifted his arm to wave to a stable hand, who came running. “Give me a hand turning this, will you?”
The stable hand attempted to help, but they ended up needing a third person to pull it loose. They turned the plaque to view the opposite side. On it were names, some of which he recognized as being early donors. Next to the names were numbers in pounds, presumably the amounts that had been donated.
“What’s this?” He had spoken his thoughts out loud, and an older servant who had wandered over to see what they were about leaned in.
“This used to hang in the chapel, but I ain’t seen it in years.”
John looked up at him, drawing his own conclusions. “You’ve been here since the asylum opened?”
“Ay.”
John returned his regard to the plaque, thinking it might offer some clues that the ledger books had not provided. Perhaps that was why it had been hidden—although, then why have it made in the first place? He glanced at one of the two stable hands who had assisted him. “Can you get another sturdy fellow and have this brought to my office?”
“Yes, sir,” the man said.
Chapter Fourteen
On Thursday, Geny was downstairs waiting for Margery so they might visit the Elgin Marbles. When the knock came on the door, she tied her bonnet under her chin and grabbed a parasol. The weather was fine, and she would not need to bring her cloak. The butler opened the door, and Geny stepped forward to exit but discovered Mr. Thompson rather than Margery standing on her doorstep.
“Oh!”
He lifted his hat and bowed. “Miss Buxton is in the carriage, and I took the liberty of coming to knock on your door. I hope you don’t mind my company today, as Mrs. Buxton was otherwise engaged.”
Geny had recovered from her surprise and smiled, taking his presence to be a welcome sign. It meant that he was making headway into Margery’s heart, whether or not she realized it—or even wanted it.
