Chapter 13
The last thing Carenza wanted to do on the day after the dinner party was to traipse over to Mrs. Mountjoy’s. Her inclination was to hide in her bed and not see anyone, but Allegra had other ideas. She marched into Carenza’s bedchamber full of determination and unwilling to listen to excuses.
“You can’t stay in bed. I’ve invited Miss Cartwright to visit us this morning.”
“You’re perfectly capable of dealing with her yourself,” Carenza pointed out.
“But I need you to be there.”
“Why?”
“Because your opinion is important to me.”
Carenza groaned and flopped back onto her pillows, but Allegra didn’t go away.
“Come on, Carenza, don’t be such a wet blanket. We’ve faced far worse than that obnoxious Lady Harriet.”
“Don’t forget Lady Isobel.”
“Yes, I got the distinct impression that she had no idea that her son had invited us to dinner.”
“I suspect you’re right.”
Carenza’s maid appeared in the door and smiled at her mistress. “Lady Allegra said you’d be wanting your bath, ma’am. It’s all ready for you.”
“Thank you.” Carenza gave her sister a look of loathing as she got out of bed. “You are far too managing.”
“Someone has to be.” Allegra smiled triumphantly. “I’ll see you in the small parlor at ten. Miss Cartwright can offer us only an hour of her extremely valuable time.”
Carenza deliberately lingered over her breakfast and arrived at the parlor at five minutes past the hour to find Allegra already in conversation with Miss Cartwright. Her sister looked at the clock as Carenza came to shake Miss Cartwright’s hand.
“Now we can get on.” Allegra opened her notebook. “I hope you don’t mind, Miss Cartwright, but I have a few questions about your charity.”
“My brother is more knowledgeable about the financial standing of our endeavor, but I will do my best to answer you.” Miss Cartwright clasped her hands together on her lap and sat up straight.
She wore a plain black gown with no adornment apart from two silver buttons at the throat.
Her bonnet was also black but had weathered in patches to a dull gray where it had no doubt been much exposed to the weather.
Carenza had yet to see her smile, but she had a calmness about her that spoke of a determination Carenza could only admire.
“Can you tell me where the initial funding for your charity came from?” Allegra asked.
“I’m not sure how that is relevant to our current discussion,” Miss Cartwright said.
“How can it not be relevant?” Allegra raised her eyebrows. “A firm financial footing is essential for any foundation.”
Miss Cartwright sighed. “My brother received an inheritance from a relative.”
“And that was sufficient to buy your current premises and begin your work?”
“Not quite. I also received a payment in lieu of a dowry from my father.”
“How on earth did you manage to persuade a man to do that?” Allegra asked.
A small smile flickered on Miss Cartwright’s lips. “Downright disobedience and a refusal to participate in society. My parents have two other daughters to marry off. In the end, I believe they were quite happy to see the back of me and my brother, who is the third of four sons.”
“That is something of an accomplishment,” Allegra agreed. “I don’t think our father would agree to such an arrangement, do you, Carenza?”
“Your father probably cares about you,” Miss Cartwright said. “Mine was not interested in his daughters. He considered us a burden.”
“That’s … sad,” Carenza said.
Miss Cartwright’s expression turned icy. “I consider it a blessing, my lady, as it allowed me to do the work I knew I was destined for.”
“And by all accounts you do it very well,” Carenza hastened to reassure her. “Mr. Laurent thinks very highly of you indeed.”
“Very highly,” Allegra repeated as Miss Cartwright’s color rose. “He sings your praises on every occasion he can.”
“Mr. Laurent has been a generous benefactor to our school and mission,” Miss Cartwright conceded.
“He’s very handsome, too, isn’t he?” Allegra said.
Carenza shot her a look. “That’s hardly relevant to our current discussion, sister. Perhaps you should move on to your next question.”
Precisely at eleven, Miss Cartwright rose to her feet. She’d refused their offer of refreshments but had agreed to take a batch of Cook’s scones back to the school for the boys’ tea.
“I’ll just fetch you the scones,” Carenza said after shaking Miss Cartwright’s hand. “Would you care to accompany me in my carriage? I have business near Grosvenor Square this morning, and I’m more than happy to drop you back to the school.”
“That would be most kind of you.” Miss Cartwright looked out at the sullen gray skies. “I forgot my umbrella, and I fear it is about to rain.”
Five minutes into their journey, Miss Cartwright cleared her throat and looked across at Carenza. “I would appreciate your advice, ma’am.”
“Mine?” Carenza was startled. “Yes, of course. How may I help you?”
“Your sister implied that Mr. Laurent’s interest in me is more than his desire to do good works. I refute that claim entirely. I have never encouraged any familiarity from him or from any other benefactor of our school.”
“I’m sure you haven’t, Miss Cartwright.”
“Then should I say something to him? He is doing an admirable job as our treasurer.” For the first time she looked remarkably unsure of herself.
“Mr. Laurent would never use his position to pressure or persuade you to do anything against your inclinations, Miss Cartwright,” Carenza said gently. “He does admire you, but he also respects your work. I am certain he won’t make demands you are unwilling to meet.”
Miss Cartwright nodded. “Thank you. I will resist the temptation to mention his behavior to him.” She looked out the window, indicating the conversation was at an end.
The traffic was busy, and the carriage moved slowly between the brewery carts, hackney cabs, street hawkers, and pedestrians.
Miss Cartwright turned to Carenza. “Would it be convenient for you to let me off at Grosvenor Square rather than the school itself?”
“Yes, of course,” Carenza said.
When they finally turned into the square, Carenza rapped on the roof with her umbrella, and the carriage drew to a stop.
Moments later, her coachman appeared at the door. “Are you alighting here, my lady?”
“Miss Cartwright is leaving us, Owens,” Carenza explained. “You can continue on to the usual street once she’s gone.”
“Thank you, Lady Carenza,” Miss Cartwright said before Owens helped her from the carriage.
Carenza leaned out of the window. “Here, take my umbrella.”
Miss Cartwright paused. “If you and Lady Allegra do decide to invest in our school, we would be honored to accept your help.”
Carenza smiled. “Good morning, Miss Cartwright.”
She closed the door and sat back. Julian might not appreciate Miss Cartwright confiding in her, but she couldn’t have picked a better person to reveal her concerns to.
Julian’s interest in Miss Cartwright didn’t surprise Carenza.
He had always appreciated an intelligent woman.
She had no intention of mentioning the conversation to him and simply hoped she had alleviated Miss Cartwright’s concerns.
As the carriage drew to a stop at the back of Mrs. Mountjoy’s house, Carenza gathered her skirts, made sure she had her reticule, and descended the step with Owens’s assistance.
“I’ll only be an hour,” she said. “You can wait for me in the nearest inn.”
“Yes, my lady.”
She made sure to keep out of the way of the turning carriage and went into Mrs. Mountjoy’s garden. Just as she reached the back door, someone else came through the gate. She looked over her shoulder and went still as Miss Cartwright stared at her with equal surprise.
“What … are you doing here?” Miss Cartwright asked.
As Carenza tried to think of a response, Mrs. Mountjoy appeared at the back door.
Carenza felt somewhat relieved when Mrs. Mountjoy greeted them both and said, “She’s here for the same reason you are, Miss Cartwright. To help my girls. Won’t you both come into my parlor and have a cup of tea?”
Five minutes later, they were sitting opposite each other in the cozy parlor. “I should’ve realized you knew of Mrs. Mountjoy’s good works,” Miss Cartwright said after sipping her tea. “Did Mr. Laurent tell you?”
“Yes, he did,” Carenza said. “If I’d known you were coming here …”
“You wouldn’t have dropped me off in Grosvenor Square.
” Miss Cartwright put down her cup. “It’s quite all right, Lady Carenza.
I just thought it would be easier for your coachman if he didn’t have to navigate these smaller streets.
” She paused. “It wasn’t an attempt to disguise my intended purpose.
I have no shame in supporting and visiting Mrs. Mountjoy. ”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Mrs. Mountjoy said. “Mr. Laurent did mention that he’d taken you to visit the Cartwrights, Lady Carenza. So I’m not surprised you both turned up on the same day.” She looked over at Miss Cartwright. “Lady Carenza is thinking of taking one of my girls into her household.”
“That’s correct.” Carenza nodded. “We were supposed to be considering who would be the best candidate today.”
“I’d highly recommend Bridget,” Miss Cartwright said. “She’s as bright as a button and very keen to learn.”
“I’d agree,” Mrs. Mountjoy said.
The door opened again, and Julian came in. His startled gaze flew from Miss Cartwright to Carenza and back again.
“Ladies.” He bowed. “What an unexpected pleasure.”
“Mr. Laurent.” Mrs. Mountjoy rose to greet him, her expression far calmer than Carenza’s would’ve been if she’d had to deal with such a scenario. “I am blessed to have so many visitors in one morning. How may I assist you?”
“I was just passing by, ma’am,” Julian replied with remarkable aplomb. “I will not stay if you are busy.”
“Oh, please join us,” Carenza said, and patted the seat beside her. “We were just discussing whether Bridget would be a good choice for my new kitchen maid.”
“I think she would be an admirable choice,” Julian said. “What do you think, Miss Cartwright?”