The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection (40 page)

Phillip’s attention was focused on the young
hooligans, and he didn’t answer. When he finally turned to her, his
expression was serious, and she expected a lecture about being in
such a neighborhood.

“
Did they harm you in any
way?”

“
No, Your Grace. Your
arrival was quite timely. Please accept my deepest
gratitude.”

“
It was nothing. My valet
and I had just left my solicitor’s office. Allow us to escort you
to… your destination.”

“
My footman is waiting at
the milliner’s shop not two streets away.”

Phillip frowned, but he offered his arm and
they began the walk. “Why didn’t your servant accompany you
here?”

“
I, er, also had business
with my solicitor and did not wish to subject him to such
drudgery.”

“
Nevertheless, he should
have come with you, at least to the solicitor’s
storefront.”

“
I shall certainly take
your advice into consideration, Your Grace,” she
demurred.

How like a man to tell me
what to do
.

Amelia had received several offers for her
hand during her seasons, but she’d refused them all. Never would
she give up her freedom and subject herself to a man’s power.

Although Phillip — or rather, the Duke of
Bartlett — was certainly a handsome man. And it was quite
flattering the way he looked at her so intently as she spoke. It
seemed he genuinely wanted to hear whatever she had to say. His
rebuke hadn’t been harsh either, in light of the risk she had taken
with her safety. Perhaps she should consider heeding his
advice.

Arriving at Madame LeFevre’s Millinery, they
found Giles waiting patiently at the door.

“
Here you are, Lady Amelia.
Safe and sound.” The duke paused before adding, “As much as I
enjoyed our walk, I cringe at the memory of those ruffians
accosting you. Please give me your word that if you should require
the services of your solicitor again, you will not visit him
unaccompanied. If your footman is not available, please call on me.
It will be my pleasure to accompany you, or to see that one of my
staff is available if I am not.”

Amelia blinked and nodded. He bowed and then
walked away, followed by his valet. It was only when she felt the
coldness in her mouth that she realized she’d been gaping at him,
quite at a loss for words.

Amelia wore a
drab brown dress, totally devoid of embellishment.
She donned a pair of hard-soled, sensible shoes she’d scrubbed with
dirt from the garden to remove their shine. Giles accompanied her,
but he wore his own clothing rather than his servant’s livery. The
people she planned to visit tonight loved their children and most
were appreciative of her efforts, but they had a distrust of the
nobility and the wealthy. So she did her best to downplay her
social position and blend in with theirs.

With Giles carrying her heavy satchel,
Amelia slipped out a side door of Sudbury House and hurried to the
street. Before proceeding further, she donned an old, mismatched
scarf to hide her features in case any of her brother’s neighbors
happened along. As a further precaution, she abandoned the
straight-backed posture she’d perfected in finishing school and
hunched forward as she walked.

When they reached Saint Paul’s Cathedral,
Giles stepped ahead of her to open the heavy wooden doors. Amelia
nodded her thanks as she went inside. She continued on to a smaller
chapel reserved for her use.

A dozen eager youngsters greeted her as she
entered. “Evenin’, Miss Partridge,” they chorused. She’d instructed
them to use her family name rather than address her as Lady Amelia
to gain the trust of their families.

“
Good evening, children.
Are you ready to learn more letters tonight?”

An eager affirmative filled the room.

Amelia reached in her bag for her supplies —
a handful of chalk, some slates, and an old wooden paddle with the
letters of the alphabet and a prayer etched on it. Edward had
teased her about keeping her old horn book, but it had proved handy
for teaching the letters.

The children sat quietly as
she prepared for their lesson. They’d learned if they behaved
themselves, they would be rewarded.
Amelia
noticed a few adults sitting quietly on the outside of the room. It
seemed the parents were as eager to learn as much as the children,
maybe even more.

She cleared her throat so that her voice
would project without seeming to shout. “All right, children. Let’s
review the letters we learned last time.”

For the next hour, Amelia
took her students through a drill of learning their letters and
then had them read combinations of those letters. Then she
distributed slates and chalk so the children could practice forming
those letters. Beginning with the eldest, she worked with each
child, patiently guiding their fingers around the chalk so they
could write their first words:
cat
,
bat
, and
hat
.

As she worked with the children, guiding
their hands, encouraging them, reveling in their warmth, she
wondered what her life would be like if she had accepted one of her
offers of marriage and started a family of her own. She might now
be sitting with her own children, guiding them through their
lessons.

When the last child had written the letters
to her satisfaction, Amelia pulled a pile of napkins from her
satchel and then a bulky packet that gave off the delicious aroma
of cinnamon and oranges. Last of all, she removed a well-worn
book.

“
Children, I brought along
a book of my favorite stories to share. Would you like me to read
one of them while you’re eating your treat?”

The children, busy munching their treats,
nodded in assent.

“
Well then, remember what
we learned about eating politely.”

Napkins were distributed
and placed carefully over the children’s laps before
she untied the bundle and handed each child a
scone, waiting for and accepting polite thanks before going to the
next child. She mentally cringed as the scones were immediately
stuffed into their mouths and gobbled but schooled her features to
maintain a pleasant smile. Manners could be taught a little at a
time — right now it was enough that she was staving off the
children’s hunger.

Extra scones were offered to — and eagerly
accepted by — the adults present. If word spread that she
distributed food along with the lessons, there was certain to be
more hungry people attending next time. Amelia made a note to tell
Cook she needed twice as many scones for her next lesson.

~~~~

Phillip watched
from
a spot just outside the archway into
the chapel. He’d been on his way home after visiting his sister
when he’d seen two dark figures leaving Sudbury House. Despite her
disguise, he’d recognized Amelia when she’d paused to don her
scarf. He’d wondered where she was going dressed in such a manner
and couldn’t stop himself from following.

His curiosity had increased when she’d
slipped into a side door of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Why ever would
she dress so plainly for a visit to the church? Was she meeting
someone?

Amelia had indeed been meeting someone.
Nearly a dozen little someones. Now he watched, entranced, as
Amelia led the students through their lesson.

He started when someone tapped him on the
shoulder. Turning, he saw Robert had brought him a chair. He nodded
gratefully and sat in the dim hallway where he could continue his
observation. Lady Amelia was a wonderful teacher. She kept her
students engaged, encouraging them with a gentle smile or a pat on
the shoulder. So unlike the stern taskmasters who had come to
Bartlett Manor to teach him. His knuckles still smarted from the
many raps he’d received when his letters hadn’t been formed
properly.

She ended her lesson by
reading aloud to the students while they ate treats she provided.
There had been extras, enough for the hungry adults who observed
from the back of the room.
She’s made
friends for life
.
Feeding their bodies as well as their
minds
.

What a remarkable
woman.
While other women of the
ton
were primarily
concerned with their looks, wardrobe, or the latest gossip, Lady
Amelia had a cause, a purpose. She was as unique as she was lovely.
How proud he would be to have such a delightful creature standing
by his side. But his disfigurement would preclude that from
happening. Even a kind-hearted woman like her would be repelled at
the thought of him as a mate.

Phillip stood and beckoned for his valet. He
waited while Robert returned the chair to where he had gotten it
then stepped toward the door. Robert stopped him with a light touch
on his sleeve, nodding to a point behind him. Turning, he saw
Amelia walking toward them.

“
Good evening, Your Grace.
I trust our lesson didn’t interfere with your evening prayers?” she
asked as students and parents made their way past them.

“
On the contrary, Lady
Amelia. Observing your lesson was the highlight of my evening. You
have some eager young pupils. How did you come to teach
them?”

“
I happened to be here when
one of the priests was conducting a lesson. He was using ancient
materials, text children didn’t understand. And he was horrid to
them — smacking their little hands when they didn’t form their
letters correctly. I was appalled and was ready to go to the
Cathedral Council but decided to speak to the instructor himself.
The poor man was in over his head. He was a Latin scholar and had
no idea what to do with small children who couldn’t even name their
letters. I volunteered to help and started teaching them the next
day.”

“
How fortunate for
them.”

“
Thank you. I do what I
can,” she responded, a becoming blush staining her cheeks. “It’s
not much, and we need more books and materials. And it would be
wonderful if we had a place to meet that wasn’t quite so dark. But
for now, the children are at least learning to read. I believe a
little education will give them an opportunity for better
jobs.”

“
I would be happy to assist
you.”

Her eyes opened wide. To be honest, his
offer had surprised him as much as it had her, but the smile
lighting her face made him glad he’d voiced it.

“
That would be wonderful,
Your Grace. I’m sure the boys would welcome a man such as you. So
many of them don’t have a father figure in their lives, you
know.”

“
Er — I meant I’d be happy
to sponsor your teaching. I have a great many books in my personal
library, and it would be a privilege to supply the writing
supplies.”

“
Oh! Thank you for that,
Your Grace.” She bowed her head and turned to gather her
materials.

As she packed her bag, Phillip couldn’t stop
the feeling that he would soon be helping her with more than just
the supplies.

It was a
brisk December afternoon, and a light snow during
the night had put a freshness in the air. Now it was sunny, and
Amelia decided it was too nice to stay indoors. Despite the cold,
she donned her cloak and took one of her new books, settling on a
bench in the private garden behind her brother’s home.

She had just begun to read when a tiny fur
ball dashed across her line of vision and scampered up into the
wild pear tree growing next to her bench. It was Colette’s newest
kitten, Sophie. Of course, once the little thing got up in the
tree, she didn’t know what to do. Frightened, she howled for
help.

“
Oh, you poor dear,” Amelia
crooned, setting down her book. “Let me help you.” She climbed onto
the bench and reached up toward the branch. But the kitten backed
away from her and climbed higher.

“
Come here, sweetheart. I
won’t hurt you,” Amelia cajoled.

Standing on tiptoe, she stretched her arm
farther, but she still couldn’t reach the kitten. Exasperated, she
stepped up onto the lowest branch, but the kitten was still out of
reach. Worse yet, the little creature kept backing farther away.
Amelia took a tentative step along the branch, and then
another…

And then found she couldn’t move.

The lace of her petticoat had tangled in the
gnarled branches of the tree, effectively pinning her in place. How
would she get down?

“
Lady Amelia? How ever did
you get caught in that pear tree? Are you hurt?”

“
What happened, Lady
Amelia?”

Startled, she turned her gaze downward. The
Duke of Bartlett and his niece, Laurel, stood next to her bench,
looking up at her. Amelia was torn between relief at being rescued
and chagrin at being caught in such a predicament.

“
Good day, Your Grace.
Please excuse my lack of manners, but I seem unable to curtsey at
this moment. Mademoiselle Colette’s kitten climbed the tree and was
too frightened to get down, so I came up here to rescue her. And
yes, Laurel, I’m fine. I’m just… stuck, as well.”

Laurel tugged at the duke’s arm until he
looked down at her. “Uncle Phillip, you must help her.”

Phillip nodded and stepped up onto the
bench. His height allowed him to easily reach the branch that had
caught her skirts. Leaning against the trunk for balance, he
reached out and carefully detached her skirts from the tree’s
grasp. As soon as she was free, she moved her foot to take a step
down, but a pair of strong hands grasped her waist. Before she
could utter a word, she found herself lifted off the branch and
settled safely on the ground.