Page 25 of Fortune’s Final Folly

Joshua had other means if the Duke of Shrewbury denied them. He could seek out his father for the funds. He’d asked for nothing from his father or the estate since he turned eighteen and attended Oxford with the assistance of his grandmother. The old man, as disagreeable as he was, could not turn his nose up at such a simple request. It was a paltry amount. Certainly, his father would relish the moment when his independent second son came begging for funds.

“Come now, Kate, you must eat.” Joshua scooped another portion of dessert onto his plate, determined not to allow the prospect of possibly seeing his father dim the enjoyment of his meal with Kate. There was no guarantee how long he’d have her in his home, and Joshua planned to make the most of it. “We cannot have Dolly thinking we did not find utter delight in her raspberry tart. She will mourn for days on end.”

“My apologies.” Her eyes focused on her plate as she took a bite of the tart. “I think I am simply exhausted from it all.”

Being left without a home and few possessions was a fate Joshua would never wish on his worst enemy. He’d been grateful to inherit his grandmother’s townhouse. What would he have done had he finished school and been made to throw himself on his father’s mercy until he established enough coin to find his own lodging? With or without her schoolroom, Kate had nearly no income outside of the small quarterly stipend.

Try as Joshua might, he was never able to be entirely rid of what came with being the son of a duke. He’d never be cast out onto the streets. He’d never need worry about where his next meal would be found. And he’d never be in a position where he was incapable of earning a living.

Title. Wealth. Inheritance. Privilege.

Everything he despised about the aristocracy, yet things he could not cut ties with no matter how much distance he attempted to put between himself and his upbringing.

The trappings of noble birth were much akin to a noose around his neck.

People such as Kate deserved such a life yet were excluded due to their social standing. It was unjust. Those born to wealthy, titled parents had the means to make their way in life, while those who weren’t had to fight for necessities like housing, food, and education.

He wanted Kate to feel welcome and safe in his home; however, as their day progressed, especially after finding his uncle’s file, she’d only withdrawn more into her shell. He’d thought maybe she worried over residing in his home and had instructed Dolly to act as a chaperone. It had done nothing in the way of putting Kate at ease.

It was as if she’d found something that scared her in those pages, and he’d been too dull to notice.

“It is reassuring to know we hold the property deed to your building.” Joshua pushed his plate away, and a footman hurried forward to remove it. Hopefully, a change in topic would pull Kate out of her silence. “I’d meant to ask after it a few days ago, but it slipped my mind.”

That was true enough. After he’d gone to see Cuttlebottom and demanded he leave Kate be and stop his quest, he’d all but forgotten about the paper. In truth, Joshua had been doing everything in his power to assist Kate, not only because she was a friend, but also for the fact that he worried the fire was a direct result of his embroiling himself in the situation between the neighbors. If he hadn’t gone to the shoemaker, especially after Kate had asked him to leave the situation alone, perhaps Cuttlebottom wouldn’t have been sparked into retaliation. If, indeed, the cobbler had anything to do with the blaze.

Joshua should have confessed his possible hand in the fire from the beginning, even knowing very well it could push her away.

No. Once her building was repaired and she had a place to go, he would tell her.

Joshua had made a mess of everything.

“I was worried that my father had made an agreement with Mr. Cuttlebottom, and he possessed the deed.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Joshua asked. “I would have helped you search for it—”

“Where?” she questioned, leaning back in her chair. “Until today, we didn’t know a file for my parents existed, nor who was financing my mother’s schoolroom. They kept much from me. Why should it surprise me that my father might have given my home away?”

Joshua was struck by her question simply because it was something his father would have done to him if he’d had the upper hand. “You cannot think that way.”

“I most certainly can—and do.” A new tension brought her upright in her seat, and Joshua noted her anger. “They never thought to speak to me of the money. They never valued me enough to tell me who the mysterious Duke and Duchess of Shrewbury are, or why they decided to move to Cheapside after I was born.”

Joshua remained quiet. Sometimes, it was necessary for people to talk, to say all they’d been keeping bottled up inside, and when it was all out, a new peace and rationale would come. He’d spent many years angry at his father, desperate for a meaningful relationship with the man, only to discover time and again that it would never be possible for them.

“Joshua, they left me. Both of them left me to fend for myself, but they did not give me the information I needed to do that. The funds in the account will be depleted soon, and then what shall I do? What if the duke doesn’t send what we need? I am without a room to teach the children. Where will they go? Their parents cannot afford proper tutors or a fancy London school.” She took in a deep breath before continuing. “What will happen to Sally Ann and the others? I can only pray that their parents see to their future, but what if they do not? What if one of my students is left like me, without the benefit of a home to call their own? Will the girls be forced to wed or sent to a workhouse? The boys…will they turn to pickpocketing and beggary to make their way in the world? If I cannot repair the building, their options will decrease even further. I cannot live with that.”

Finally, she slumped back, the intensity and fire leaving her eyes.

Joshua wanted to tell her that everything would work out—he would make sure of it, no matter what he needed to do to accomplish it. It wasn’t what Kate needed to hear in that moment. Neither was it something she would accept.

He also suspected that she didn’t need someone to fix everything for her, though she hadn’t told him what she sought from him. Things had shifted after she read the file. No longer was it all about gaining the funds from the duke. It was something more. Joshua didn’t understand it, and perhaps he never would. If Kate were anything like her father, she’d want to forge ahead on her own, see the work completed to her specifications, and not accept his help.

One thing was very clear: Joshua would not stop until everything was set to rights for Kate. Whether that included simply repairing her building and making sure the children resumed their education, or discovering everything that was behind her parents’ connection to Shrewbury, Joshua would see it to the end.

If Kate allowed him to be part of it.

They only need wait until Henry returned from Oxfordshire.

After that, they would either have the funds or…