Page 44 of A Gentleman's Reckoning
Another woman might have played games or treated him with coldness after the way he had acted, but Lady Geny was not cast from that mold.
“I am very well, I thank you. Has the mason begun the repairs yet?”
“He is in there now, taking measurements with an eager Timothy at hand to learn what he can of the trade.” John smiled, happy to be near her, though reason dictated he should stay away.
A look of satisfaction appeared on Lady Geny’s face. “Timothy will excel in whatever he does. He may not be academic, but as I said from the beginning, he is a very clever boy.”
John chuckled. “He is indeed clever. And he may even turn out to be more of an academic than either you or I suspected he would. Without Gabriel present for his lessons, he is applying himself most diligently and is learning fast.”
“I am glad to hear it,” Geny said, a fond look in her eyes. Then she brought those eyes to his.
Their gazes held until John realized that they were in public view and wrenched his eyes away. He could not resist attempting to gain more time in her company, try though as he might.
“Where are you going? I will walk with you, if you wish it.”
Her maid had been speaking to the groom, but she now went into the carriage to pull out a wrapped bundle and brought it over to her mistress.
Lady Geny accepted it. “I was planning to bring these curtains to the classroom to see how they will look when hung.” She turned to the maid. “Mr. Rowles will accompany me, so you may begin your lesson with the girls.” The maid dipped into a curtsy and went off.
John reached over and took the bundle from Geny and began walking toward the entrance.
“A set of curtains will undoubtedly give the classrooms a fresher look. It is a shame the donations have fallen off so greatly that we cannot do some of the most basic repairs. Something like this is bound to help the appearance, at least.”
Lady Geny stopped at the doorway and gave him an odd look. “Are there truly no donations?” She corrected herself. “Is it true that the asylum accounts are so tight?”
John held out his hand to help her over the step leading into the entrance hall.
“It is so. To own the truth, I do not know how we are going to pay for the repairs to the wall. There have been no donations coming in apart from the usual ones, but those are only enough to cover the ordinary running of things.”
Lady Geny stopped in the middle of the hall as though in surprise, and he drew to a halt beside her, confused. But she only shook her head and moved forward again toward the classroom that lay next to the dining room. John set the bundle on the table and glanced at her again. She had gone curiously silent.
“Mr. Rowles,” she said, turning to look at him fully. “Mr. Thompson informed me recently that he gave a donation of five hundred pounds to the asylum. If you have not received any donations, where do you suppose it has gone?”
Surprise gave way to exultation. He had caught the earl at last, for surely it was Lord Goodwin who was pilfering thefunds. But then the complexity of proving it dawned on him, and his mood plunged. His next emotion was relief that there would be money to repair the stable wall if only he could get his hands on it. Finally, he chose caution for fear of saying too much to Lady Geny and inadvertently spoiling his plans.
John settled for the truth. “I was not aware of Mr. Thompson’s donation, but I shall look into it.” She did not look convinced, and he could understand it when he was remaining so vague. “Of that you may be sure. There is no question that the foundation of the asylum must be properly restored.”
She nodded reluctantly and began to untie the bundle, pulling out the blue curtains she had made.
“May I hang these for you?” he asked and was rewarded with a warm smile—much more than he deserved.
Chapter Sixteen
Mr. Rowles had had a strange look on his face when Geny brought up Mr. Thompson’s contribution, and she could not help but have a seed of doubt that he’d had something to do with its disappearance. It was there and then gone again in a flash. Surely it meant guilt on his part? His back was to her as he studied the window frames.
No, no. Even if he did not give her any reason for why he thought the funds were missing, she had to trust him. The goodness he had displayed in his treatment of Gabriel and Timothy—and of her—could not be conjured up at will. Someone who offered to train orphans with no incentive or prodding was not someone who would willingly steal from them at the same time. And he had shown nothing but tenderness and respect toward her.And desire, she thought with a flush.
Mr. Rowles had had rods installed in the windows as promised. She shook out the curtains she had made, and he turned and took them from her—thankfully not glancing at her face at that moment.
“These are very pretty. Did you make them all?” He looked ather now from where he stood on one of the chairs, with one of her curtains in his hands.
She mustered a smile, pleased by his compliment but still troubled by the missing donation and flustered by the way he continually overset her tranquility.
“Yes, I did. I have enough free time on my hands that I am always pleased to have a project like this to keep me occupied.”
He removed the rod from where it hung and began feeding it through one end of the curtain before inserting the rod into the bracket on the far side and attaching it to the one closest to him. He hopped down and went over to take the second curtain, pulling a chair up to that window next.
“I saw you at the opera on Saturday.” Geny had decided she would bring it up. Of course he must have assumed she would, for it had been evident that they both recognized each other.
