Chapter 10 #2
He paused to find his key and stared at his front door. He’d spent so many years cultivating the appearance of a man without a care in the world that he’d almost come to believe that was all he was. Carenza had reminded him that those who knew him well knew he was more than that—but was he?
The door opened, and his butler bowed to him.
“Good evening, Mr. Laurent.”
“Good evening.” He went into the hall and relinquished his hat and cloak. “I’m going straight to bed. Would you be so good as to send Proctor up to my rooms?”
“Yes, of course, sir.”
Julian went up the stairs and into his bedroom. For the first time he pictured Carenza naked and waiting for him in his bed and groaned. She was not manageable at all; in fact, she was quite the opposite, and worse still, part of him was enjoying it immensely.
“Is everything all right, sir?” Proctor inquired as he came in through the dressing room door.
“Yes, thank you.” Julian smothered a yawn. “I think I drank too much brandy.”
“Then you’ll sleep well tonight.” Proctor helped him out of his tight-fitting coat. “Any instructions for tomorrow, sir?”
“Yes, make sure I’m up by eight. I’m visiting the Cartwrights.”
Proctor bowed. “Then I’ll make sure to press and put out your fourth-best coat.”
“Perhaps you could make it my second best? I am giving a speech,” Julian said as he untied his cravat. “And I promise I won’t go near a single child.”
The next morning, despite dressing as plainly as he could, it still took Julian a considerable amount of time to get ready.
He arrived at Musgrove House to find Carenza and Allegra awaiting him in the drawing room.
Neither of them was prone to dress extravagantly, but he was pleased to see that they both wore simple gowns that would withstand the inevitable stickiness of the institution.
He apologized for keeping them waiting and escorted them down to his carriage. Carenza took the seat opposite Allegra, and Julian sat next to her.
“I don’t need to remind you to keep your wits about you, do I?” Julian said. “The only skill most of these boys excel at when they’re taken in is pickpocketing.”
“Don’t worry, I left my diamonds at home,” Carenza said. “And the Musgrove tiara.”
“Not the Smythe-Harding one?” Allegra winked at her.
Carenza gave her a severe look. “I don’t have the ability to find your jest amusing yet. That woman is still giving me the cut direct.”
“And I don’t see it affecting your social life, sister, so perhaps you did get the last laugh after all,” Allegra commented as she looked out of the window. “Where exactly are we going, Julian?”
“The East End,” Julian said.
“I am aware of that from the filth, but what is the address?”
“Whitechapel Road. The Cartwright Institution is quite close to the London Hospital. We’ll be there in a minute.”
Julian’s coachman knew the way and required no direction. When the carriage drew to a stop, Julian stepped out to help down Carenza and Allegra.
“Oh.” Allegra looked up at the house and the ten-foot-high wall that surrounded the front facing the road. “It is rather grim, isn’t it?”
“But solid and well-maintained,” Carenza said as they approached the side entrance. “And is that a garden at the rear? How nice for the children to have somewhere to play.” She smiled up at Julian and took his arm. “I am so looking forward to meeting the Cartwrights.”
The door opened, and Martin Cartwright beckoned them forward. He was a jovial man who had all the warmth his sister outwardly lacked.
“Come in! You are most welcome.” He shook all their hands with great vigor and led them through to the office. “I’d offer you refreshments, but I’m not sure we have any.”
“There’s no need.” Carenza smiled at Mr. Cartwright, who immediately looked smitten. “We’re far more interested in seeing your facility than sitting around drinking tea.”
Julian was once again struck by Carenza’s immense kindness and her ability to always think of the right thing to say. Allegra was her complete opposite.
“We currently have twenty boys here, which means we’re at full capacity,” Mr. Cartwright said.
“You don’t take girls?” Allegra asked.
“Not at the moment. If we do encounter young females, we take them to our friend Mrs. Mountjoy, who takes care of them in her establishment.”
The door opened, and Miss Cartwright came in. She wore her usual gray dress and apron, and her hair was braided tightly to her head.
“Good morning,” she said. “I apologize for my lateness, but the needs of my charges must always come first.”
“Absolutely.” Allegra nodded. “We quite understand and can only commend your dedication to your duty.”
Miss Cartwright almost smiled.
“We won’t take up too much of your time, Miss Cartwright,” Julian reassured her. “We know you are busy preparing for the committee meeting. In fact, if you wish, I could conduct the tour myself.”
“That’s very kind of you to offer, sir, but my brother and I know the place best.” Miss Cartwright turned to the ladies. “Would you like to follow me? We’ll start upstairs in the dormitory and work our way down from there.”
Later that afternoon, after Allegra and Carenza had returned home and had their lunch, Allegra took out her notebook and looked expectantly at her sister. “Shall we discuss the Cartwrights?”
Carenza, who had just got to an interesting part of her novel, groaned and set the book aside. “You took notes?”
“I always do.” Allegra glanced down at her neat handwriting. “If I intend to devote my time and money to a charity, I like to do my research.”
“I thought it was very well run and that the Cartwrights were realistic about their chances of success, but brave enough to try to help anyway.”
Allegra frowned. “That was my initial conclusion, too. But I did have some reservations.”
“Such as?”
“The size of their current premises. There is very little room for expansion.”
“I suspect with just the two of them managing twenty boys, they have no desire to expand.”
“But what about girls?”
“Mr. Cartwright did mention an organization they worked with who helped with that,” Carenza said.
Allegra consulted her notes. “Oh yes, Mrs. Mountjoy. What do we know about her?”
Carenza aimed for a neutral tone. “Julian told me that despite family opposition, she married a friend of his who was a physician. Unfortunately, he died, but since his death, she has continued his good works.”
“Who would’ve thought Julian knew such peculiar people?” Allegra marveled. “It seems very unlike him.”
“I’m pleased to see him devoting his attention to worthy causes,” Carenza said.
“Well, it’s obvious why he picked that particular worthy cause, isn’t it?” Allegra closed her notebook.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Miss Cartwright.” Allegra raised her eyebrows. “Didn’t you see the way he looked at her?”
Carenza considered their morning visit anew. Julian had shown a marked partiality for Miss Cartwright. However, Miss Cartwright had offered him only cool politeness.
“I thought she was far more interested in the welfare of the children in her care than in courting potential benefactors or flirting with Julian,” Carenza said. “In truth, she was almost rude at times.”
“She certainly grew impatient with my questions,” Allegra said. “Which leads me nicely to my other concern. If we did agree to financially support the institution, how much say would we get in how the money would be used?”
“Probably none, if Miss Cartwright has her way. She bristled at the slightest hint that her standards weren’t perfect.”
“Julian didn’t seem to mind,” Allegra said slyly. “In fact, he rushed to agree with every word that came out of her mouth.”
“She’s not interested in him in the slightest,” Carenza said.
“Are you jealous, sister?”
Carenza snorted. “Hardly. I have no claim on him, but they would not suit. She has no sense of humor at all.”
“Mayhap he’s tired of women who laugh at his jokes and seeks someone with a more serious frame of mind?” Allegra suggested. “I must admit, I cannot fault him for such a choice.”
The butler came in and bowed to Carenza. “Mrs. Sheraton is inquiring whether you are receiving callers, my lady.”
“Please ask her to come up and ask Cook to provide some refreshments,” Carenza said. “Thank you, Jones.”
Olivia came in looking very glamorous in a dark green walking dress and a bonnet with peacock feathers to match. She barely waited until the butler left the room before turning to Carenza. “I have some bad news.”
“What has happened?”
“Mr. Cox has proved to be an unreliable keeper of secrets.” Olivia shook her head. “He’s now trying to blackmail me.” She sat down heavily in the nearest chair. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“Mr. Cox also approached Julian,” Carenza said. “Julian came here the other day to warn me.”
“And what does he intend to do about it?” Olivia asked.
“He said he had the matter in hand and that there was nothing for either of us to worry about.”
“Obviously he was wrong,” Olivia said.
“May I suggest you speak to Julian directly about the letter you received?” Carenza said. “I’m sure he’ll be willing to help you.”
“For a gentleman who claims to be only dallying with you, Carenza, Julian Laurent is being extremely protective of your reputation, but I doubt he gives a jot about mine.”
“We grew up on neighboring estates,” Carenza said. “We’ve been friends for far longer than we’ve been lovers.”
“That’s all well and good, but there must be more to it.” Olivia snapped her fingers. “Of course! Mr. Laurent is annoyed because Percival is attempting to link him with the scandal and gossiping in the clubs.”
“Julian didn’t mention that.” Carenza frowned. “But one has to wonder whether Mr. Calloway has shared his suspicions with Percival and made things worse.”
“Calloway?” Allegra asked. “What does that rascal have to do with it?”
Carenza shared a grimace with Olivia. “He was one of the very few gentlemen who turned up at the inn to be interviewed. We sent him on his way when he refused to say whether he’d ever had the pox.”
Allegra shuddered. “I’m fairly sure he has.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Olivia agreed. “I wonder when he encountered Julian?”
“I believe they met outside the inn,” Carenza said cautiously. “But you’d have to ask Julian to be certain.”
“Where is he?” Olivia looked around the room.
“Not here,” Carenza said. “Unless he’s hiding somewhere.”
“Then we need to summon him to a conference,” Olivia said. “I’ll have a note sent to his house.”
“He might be busy,” Allegra said. “He is very involved in good works these days.”
“Julian is?” Olivia looked surprised. “I suppose it’s a better use for his money than gambling or drinking it away. Did he tell you he’s invited me to a house party?”
Slightly unnerved by the rapid change of subject, Carenza blinked. “House party?”
“Yes, at his place in Epping Forest.” Olivia went over to the desk and began writing a note to Julian. “He did invite you, didn’t he?”
“Of course, I’d forgotten all about it,” Carenza confessed.
“How romantic,” Olivia said as she rose to her feet and headed for the door. “I’ll take this down to the kitchen and get someone to deliver it immediately. By the time we sit down to dinner we should have heard from him.”
She left the room, and Allegra stared at her sister. “Olivia’s invited herself to dinner again.”
“So she has,” Carenza sighed. “I’d better have a word with Cook.”