Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“Children, come, come, we must neaten the house ready for the Duke’s visit,” she said.
“I can’t believe we’re going to see a real-life Duke!” Teddy gasped as he carried an abacus back to the toy box.
“I’ve read that every Duke is handsome and brave. They’re the best of us,” Oliver said, and started to list the names of Dukes long dead that he had learned from history books.
“Is this Duke handsome?” Emily asked, looking up at Clara. Clara furrowed her brow and cleared her throat. She bent down and helped pick up a few toys, stuffing them into the box.
“I did not notice,” she said.
“How could you not notice if he’s handsome?” Emily asked.
“I had other things to consider.” Clara strained to get the toybox closed. It was swollen with toys, and she had to put her entire weight upon it. Her cheeks turned rosy, and she pressed her heels against the floor. Teddy came up to help her, although he didn’t really make much difference.
“Would you like some assistance, Miss Sterling?” Clara went rigid, and a shiver passed down her spine at the sudden sound of the voice breaking the silence.
She had been so preoccupied with the toys that she evidently hadn’t heard the Duke arrive.
Clara exhaled quickly and brushed a lock of hair away from her face.
The Duke was standing in the doorway, a smug look on his face.
Clara hadn’t yet decided what kind of man he was.
He had seemed aloof the previous day, and the fact that he hadn’t outright said he would renew the lease made her wary.
In her opinion, it was a simple matter: the children needed the house, and the house needed a new lease. Why was there any cause for delay?
He filled the doorway, his long legs framed by tailored breeches, his broad torso filling a matching jacket.
A cravat was tied neatly around his neck.
His jaw was clean-shaven and strong, his hair brown and thick.
His eyes were the kind of blue that appeared deep into summer, the arresting kind that made it seem as though the brightness would last forever.
And he was undeniably handsome, although Clara was not about to admit this to Emily. It was a secret she would keep to herself, and take to her grave, if necessary.
“Your Grace,” Emily said, curtseying deeply. Sophie followed her lead, although she did not say anything. Oliver and Teddy then bowed. Teddy wasn’t paying attention and almost toppled into Oliver, but managed to right himself at the last moment.
“Have you ever been in a duel?” Teddy asked. Oliver looked expectantly at Gerald.
“Teddy, the Duke has other matters to concern him,” Clara chastised, giving him a stern look.
“But Oliver told me that Dukes are always having duels because they’re protecting their honor.”
“Is that so, and where did you learn that, Oliver?” the Duke said, turning towards Oliver, who went bright red.
“Just books,” he mumbled.
“Oliver reads lots of books,” Teddy said proudly.
“I see. Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to be in a duel, although it may happen one day. There are some people who take a dislike to me, after all,” the duke glanced at Clara.
“You shouldn’t pay attention to mean people. That’s what Clara tells us. Miss Sterling, I mean,” Emily added hastily.
“A wise lesson,” Gerald replied.
“Children, go and find Aunt Agatha. I must show the Duke around. It is his first time visiting,” Clara said. The children sighed, but obeyed Clara’s command. However, before they left, Teddy looked up at the Duke.
“Have you come to take our home away?” he asked.
“I am here to evaluate a property in which my family has an interest, ,” the duke replied. The children bowed their heads and Clara grit her teeth. She waited for the children to be out of earshot.
“You could have humored him.”
“I don’t believe in lying, especially not to children.”
“Even so, they don’t need the worry of being cast out of their home. They have already been through so much.”
“Yet it would be worse if I made a promise I couldn’t keep.
Now, shall we begin the tour?” he asked this in a way that sounded demanding.
Clara thrust out a hand and led him through the house, annoyed that this was even necessary.
Why couldn’t he just renew the lease and let her worry about the house?
It wasn’t as though he had paid attention to it at all over the past few years.
They peered into the classroom, the sitting room, the library.
The floorboards creaked. The duke clasped his hands behind his back and peered at everything intently.
He clearly hadn’t been lying when he said he needed all the information before he made a decision.
At one point he stopped and touched a door frame.
The heights of various children had been carved into it.
Clara watched as he ran his fingers along it.
“You misspoke, incidentally,” he said quietly. The words took Clara by surprise. “This isn’t my first visit. I came here as a child. My great-grandmother was keen to show off her work. I even had friends here, although I lost touch with them. I wonder what happened to them.”
“I’m sure a man of your resources would be able to find them.”
A wry smile crossed his face.
“I have many resources, but not the one that matters most. Time.”
“Then you must know of our plight. One month is no time at all,” Clara said. He looked at her strangely, and while she tried her best, she could not discern the mystery that lay beyond his eyes. Having seen the interior of the house, she took him outside.
“This is where the children plant vegetables, and the old greenhouse. I’m afraid it is in a state of disrepair,” Clara said. They walked inside, the temperature of the air rising to the point where it prickled upon their skin. The duke stood in the middle of the greenhouse, gazing up.
“We used to chase each other all around the gardens. This used to be the castle,” he said, then turned to her. “Why are they here?”
“Because they have nowhere else to go.”
“What happened?”
Clara rolled her shoulders. “They each have similar stories. Parents who turned them away because they couldn’t afford to keep them, parents who died because they lived in squalor.
Sophie was left with a drunken father. Someone found her sitting outside her house.
He had turned her out and slumped against the door.
She couldn’t get back in. They’ve all been abandoned, and I have no intention of doing the same thing to them,” she said, hoping that this might give her some idea of his intentions, but he remained silent.
“And what is their routine like?”
“Why is it important?”
“I would like to know if they are benefiting from being here.”
Clara wasn’t used to having her aptitude called into question, but she recalled the words Agatha had whispered to her the previous day, when Clara had snapped at His Grace.
‘You don’t want him to make a rash decision based on his opinion of you. Don’t give him a reason to say no.’
Clara swallowed the words that formed on her tongue and forced herself to appear calm.
“I like to give the children as much freedom as possible. I believe they thrive when they are given independence. Even when we play, I incorporate lessons, although I do, of course, bring them into the house to teach them at regular intervals. However, I do not chain them to the desk. I don’t believe they will learn much if they feel forced. ”
He looked concerned.
“That is highly irregular. Do you mean to say you let them do what they want?”
“Not at all. I give them choices so they have some sensation of freedom, but I try to guide them. Even when they come into the garden, I still make a lesson out of it. I teach them about the various plants and herbs we have here, and how things change during the season. They are curious children, and they enjoy learning; I am pleased to say.”
“Perhaps some firmer rules would be prudent in the future. We wouldn’t want to give them too much liberty. It will not serve them well when they enter the world.”
“Why not? Do you not believe the world has a place for independent spirits?”
“I believe that people must learn about limitations, about duty, and responsibility. These are the cornerstones of a society, lessons that their parents clearly lacked. We would not want them to fall into the same trap.”
“Actually, I believe that if we just cultivate the same attitudes, then there can be no progress in society. We should prepare them to be individuals with their own ambitions. I want them to feel that they can be anything they want.”
“And what happens when the world rails against them? Surely they will become dispirited?”
“They will have the strength to persevere. My aunt was told that she could never publish a book under her own name, but she did so. My other aunt is an acclaimed actress, although she has now retired. If we put too many limitations on ourselves, then we can never grow properly. Like these flowers.” She reached down and cupped a petunia within her fingers.
“If they are closed away, they would die.”
“And if they are not pruned, they would spread across this entire garden,” the duke said. Clara withdrew her hand and pressed her fingers against her dress, gently wiping away the residue from the petals.
“These children have been abandoned by their parents. Their very foundation has crumbled away. What they need to learn first is that someone is going to be beside them no matter what, that they can rely upon someone to teach them, guide them, but also let them live. What good could be done from stripping away their joy?”
Gerald seemed to consider the words, and in the end he inclined his head.
“That is not an unwise point,” he said. Clara wasn’t sure if she should feel patronized or not. “What led you to manage this home?”