Page 35 of Fortune’s Final Folly

His stare locked once more with the elderly woman before him.

“Don’t go,” he said to Kate. “This concerns you. It is I who should take my leave.”

This time, it wasn’t only Joshua who froze in place, the woman before him did, as well. Kate’s mother. He could not believe the sight before him.

The questions that’d plagued them for the last few weeks were to be answered here and now.

Nearly as an afterthought, Joshua wondered how many questions Kate had kept to herself during all of this.

Chapter 12

Kate glanced over the woman’s shoulder at Joshua, attempting to get his attention for a hint of what she’d interrupted and how it could possibly include her. However, his stare was locked on the woman whose back was to Kate. She didn’t recognize the voice, nor was she familiar with the woman’s chosen style of dress. Her skirts were a rainbow of colors that Kate suspected were difficult to obtain, even with an extensive collection of the best dyes available at the local market. She did not recognize her as a woman from the neighborhood nor a shop owner in Cheapside.

“No, my lord, there is no need for you to leave.” The woman’s icy tone was more than a warning. It was a threat. But what threat could this stranger pose to Kate? “This matter is as much about you as anyone else.”

The bank would not have sent a woman to convey official business, and she was far too advanced in age to be a courier. The hour was growing late, and the day was fast approaching night. The businesses in Cheapside—and Kate assumed all over London—had closed for the evening hours.

“Miss Kate.” Joshua cleared his throat, finally glancing past the woman to Kate. “May I introduce the Countess of Holderness, Lady A’laya De Vere.”

“But Henry was told…” Kate fell silent as the woman turned to face her. Everything about her was familiar in a way the vicar and his wife had never been. Kate’s jawline, her rich skin tone, and her almond-shaped eyes were mirrored in the woman’s countenance. Not to mention she was precisely the same height as Kate, and their hair held a similar curl. “…the duchess had passed away, and there was only mention of the earl. Never a wife.”

Her last words were spoken barely above a whisper as Kate’s stare held the woman’s face—so similar to Kate’s own.

The haphazard lady looked nothing like any countess Kate had ever imagined. Her hair was long and knotted as if it hadn’t seen a proper washing in weeks. Her blouse was yellowed and wrinkled, dusty from travel. Even her shoulders were slouched.

But her eyes were sharp—and a very familiar hue.

“My lady.” Kate dipped into a clumsy curtsey. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Behind her, she heard the jingle of reins as Joshua’s carriage pulled to the curb outside the office, ready to take them back to Cavendish Square. Neither Kate nor the countess moved.

Something within her felt complete, while another part of her, debatably a more significant piece, splintered and shattered into a million bits.

The chime echoed in the quiet room as Joshua’s driver pushed open the door. “Ready, my lord?”

“Can you give us a few moments?” Joshua asked the driver before gesturing toward the back room Kate had used for nearly two weeks. “I think we should retire to my office to speak privately. We shan’t be interrupted there.”

When neither woman moved, Joshua nodded to Kate, who slipped by the countess and him and walked quickly toward the rear of the building. Her steps were stilted, the confusion in her mind making her body work extra hard to move.

She didn’t give a whit about privacy. She needed to know why her likeness was reflected in the countess’s face. How it was possible? And…and…and…

Kate was uncertain where to begin to try and understand what was transpiring around her. To her. She’d never heard of Shrewbury before the fire. Or the De Vere family name. Her parents had never spoken of living in Oxfordshire. And while Kate had held her doubts about who had given birth to her, she’d never imagined she was related to a countess.

Behind her, the elderly woman’s footfalls were slow and light, while Joshua’s were as they always were, assured and steady. It gave Kate confidence despite how jumbled her thoughts were. Joshua was here, by her side, and together, they would sort it all out.

“May I ask what is going on?” Kate pivoted to face the pair who’d entered the office after her, with Joshua hurrying to light the candles in the room. Even in the darkness, the truth of the situation could not be hidden. “My lady, I cannot deny that I see an uncanny resemblance between you and I. Am I correct to assume we are related?”

“More than that, Kate,” Joshua breathed.

“Far more,” the woman concurred.

“Can we please start from the beginning?” Kate asked.

Joshua gestured to the row of seats she’d set up for her pupils. “Let us sit, please.”

The countess glanced sideways at Joshua but did as requested, selecting a tall-backed, wooden chair. Kate sank into the open seat next to her, while Joshua moved behind his desk. Despite being overwhelmed, Kate was drawn to sit near the woman, to feel her presence as if the nearness would be enough to sort out everything in her mind and return the clarity Kate had felt before entering Joshua’s office.

“You have been receiving funds?” It was the countess who broke the silence first. “All these years…”