The Shipmaster's Daughter (12 page)

“All right. With your last governess, after you read the Bible, what did you do?”

Her head was a swirling mass of numbers and facts. Luciana glanced at the old clock on her mantle. Seven-thirty. An hour until supper and still she hadn’t moved from the comfort of her bed. She needed to comb her hair, dress for supper, make sure…

She yawned wide enough to hear her jaw creak.

The doors to her wardrobe stood open, urging her to move. After returning from the excruciating long day of teaching, she’d been relieved to see the dresses she ordered had finally arrived. The gowns were simple: a dark green skirt and white shirtwaist, a simply cut caramel colored dress with elbow-length sleeves, and a rose colored dress with long sleeves. Jack had been kind enough to pay the bill when he found out Luciana had merely one piece of clothing to her name. The sight of them draped across the foot of her bed after the sort of day she’d had was enough to wipe away her worries for a few hours.

Esther had behaved. She had acted the way Luciana expected her to. And as promised, she had offered Luciana assistance when needed and she had done her best to remain focused. It had been slow work at first. She wasn’t used to being cooped up in a schoolroom again and her eyes often wandered toward the window, lingering there a few moments too long.

No, it wasn’t Esther who had caused the problems.

It was Luciana.

She didn’t know how to teach Esther. The books Mrs. Peters provided helped some, but there was only so much words on a page could do. It was Luciana’s job to make sure everything made sense. But when the governess didn’t understand what was being taught, neither did the student. The day concluded with Luciana near tears of frustration and Esther storming out of the classroom. Luciana couldn’t blame her. Esther didn’t want her time wasted, and Luciana didn’t want to waste her time, but there appeared to be no middle ground.

A gentle knock on the door brought her to a sitting position at the foot of her bed.

“Come in.”

Even to her own ears, she sounded weary and defeated. And after only one day, too. Luciana let go of a sigh. There was no use berating herself. She would certainly get an earful once Mr. Hargrave got wind of just how well the day had gone.

The door opened. “Miss Renaldi?”

Luciana stood, leaning to the side. Esther hid behind the door frame. The tips of her shoes could be seen, as well as the hem of her pink dress, but nothing else. “Yes?”

Her pupil opened the door and stepped into the room. She sucked on her lower lip, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. “Are you mad at me?”

“What?” Luciana shook her head. “Why would you ask such a thing?”

Esther’s eyes landed on the floor. “Because I got cross with you earlier.”

“I’m not mad at you, Esther.”
I’m mad at myself.

The silence between them stretched. Esther seemed to wait for Luciana to continue speaking, but she had nothing left to say. She couldn’t tell Esther she didn’t believe in herself. Esther would use such knowledge to her advantage, get the upper hand, and weasel her way out of work. No, for Esther’s sake and for her own, Luciana had to keep her self-confidence issues under wraps.

“Well,” Luciana started, louder than she had originally intended. Esther blinked in surprise, her quaint smile wobbling before cementing back into place. “I should dress.”

Esther’s eyes travelled to the wardrobe. “Wear the pink one. I’m sure you look nice in pink.” She left without another word, the door closing a bit too firmly behind her.

Luciana wore the brown dress instead.

Chapter 13

M
ontgomery’s visit hadn’t proved to be all bad. Reed had been serious when speaking with him on the idea of starting an investment firm. It would bring much needed normalcy to his life. He had waffled about for too long. Drowning himself in gin and sulking did nothing to take away the pain of Katherine’s death. It only heightened it.

So an investment firm he would start. Instead of throwing himself to drink, he would throw himself into work. With Montgomery’s and Jack’s help, of course, because Reed was clueless when it came to investing or financial advising. He didn’t know the first thing about it. Jack, on the other hand, had gone to school on the subject for a time. The way Reed saw it, he had the money and Jack had the brains. Quite an interesting turn of events.

He sat in his office, reading an intensive article, when Jack interrupted his thoughts. “Did you like Miss Renaldi’s dress last evening?” He bit his lip, wiggling his eyebrows.

Reed glanced at Montgomery, who had gone red in the face, and then locked eyes with Jack. He said nothing. He had no comment. No comment that Jack needed to hear, at least. He had liked the dress, though. It suited her figure well.

He cleared his throat, shifting in his chair. “Get back to work, Jack,” he said dryly.

“I bought it for her,” Jack continued, kicking one leg over the other. “That and a few others.”

Reed frowned. “You bought it for her?” he repeated.

Jack nodded. “They were pre-made, but when I heard about her dire wardrobe situation, I stepped in and saved the day.” He grinned. “Sam’s Dresses is a mighty fine establishment. Have you been there?”

“Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure,” Montgomery cut in, his frown deeper than Reed’s.

“Why did you buy them?” Reed asked, leaning forward. “You know full well you don’t simply buy a woman dresses without–”

Laughing, Jack slapped his knee. “Why, Reed Hargrave, I do believe you are jealous!”

Reed sat back. His spine crackled. “You are mistaken, as usual.”

“There is a spark in your eye,” Jack said with a pointed finger. “I know jealousy when I see it.”

Reed shook his head, his fist curling into the papers he held. He was not jealous. Jealousy was a child’s emotion. He was merely…concerned. Jack’s interests when it came to women were fleeting, and it often ended in someone—usually the woman—getting hurt. Reed didn’t fancy the idea of Luciana growing attached to Jack only to have him stomp on her already-wounded heart.

His nose twitched. He almost sounded like a man besotted. He was only concerned, he told himself, because she was an employee. And a lovely one at that. He shook his head and reached for his drink.

“If you must know,” Jack continued, his tone somber, “I am not attempting to pursue Miss Renaldi. Have her, if you like. She’s merely my friend, and friends sometimes buy clothes for other friends.”

Montgomery snorted. “Men don’t buy clothes for men.”

Jack frowned. “What do you know?” He rolled his eyes. “I’ve bought Reed several nice waistcoats, which he refuses to wear. And they were expensive, too.”

“All right, gentlemen,” Reed said gruffly, holding up his hand. “There is no need for a duel in my office. We have work to do.”

“Precisely.” Montgomery snapped his papers in half. “Mr. Lipold has said he knows some about the workings of an investment firm, but, Mr. Hargrave, you know nothing?”

Reed sat straighter, looking Montgomery in the eye. “I’m willing to learn. For the sake of my daughter.”

“Very noble indeed, sir. Investment firms are either there or not. It’s not an easy trade.”

“I
am
aware of that.”

“Good.” Montgomery leaned back in his chair and stroked his shaven chin. “Essentially, it would be your duty to advise clients on different financial routes and such.”

Jack smirked. “Clients give you their money so they can get more money. There’s a lot of money involved.”

Montgomery huffed. “But it is a wonderful way to possibly alter the course of some poor chap’s life. Many a time I have seen men come to a firm downtrodden and leave as rich as a king.”

Reed ran his hand over his jaw, pursing his lips in thought. “My only concern is that it would do little to benefit me. I know that must sound selfish, but I do this for Esther’s well-being. You both know I have sufficient funds to last me for several more years, but if I continue to sulk about, the money will be gone soon and we’ll be left with nothing.”

A deep sigh left Montgomery’s mouth. He shrugged. “Who can tell? Sometimes firms strike gold—not literally, of course.”

“Though that would be nice,” Jack added.

Montgomery ignored him. “You get the right outside benefactors, the right people involved, and all goes well. Other times, people go it alone or make the wrong choices early on and it comes back to haunt them.”

“What are you saying, Montgomery?” Reed asked, a frown pulling down his brow.

“I’m saying,” Montgomery said slowly, “that only time will tell whether this will benefit you and your house. You won’t know unless you try, though, and I would say you have good odds.”

Reed leaned back, lowering his eyes to the desk. If what Montgomery said was true, he could stand to lose a great deal if the firm went sour. Yellow Brook would have to be sold, staff let go. He had many people looking to him for shelter. Was it worth the risk? Did he dare to continue as he was simply because it was safe and familiar?

He cleared his throat and stood, adjusting his askew waistcoat. “How about we break for lunch?” he said. “We can talk about this more later. There’s a great deal for us all to think about.”

Jack and Montgomery murmured their agreement and followed him out of the room. Upon entering the dining room, Reed expected to see Miss Renaldi and Esther at their places, but the room was empty save for the staff. The startling pang of disappointment in Reed’s belly almost made him scream. It shouldn’t matter that she wasn’t there.

He didn’t care. He didn’t.

He ate quickly, barely tasting his food, and left the room. He headed for the schoolroom, though what nudged him there he couldn’t say. What he really wanted was an afternoon nap. His feet took him in the direction of Esther and Miss Renaldi anyway, ignoring his fatigue.

As it was on the opposite side of the house, away from the bedrooms and his office, the schoolroom rarely received any traffic. Reed couldn’t remember the last time he’d stepped foot inside. He rounded the corner and saw that the door stood ajar, and if he remained still, he could hear the voices from within. If he was lucky, he could see how Luciana faired as Esther’s governess. He doubted he would get a chance like this again. Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned against the wall and listened, his interest piqued.

Luciana’s disembodied voice came first. “I don’t understand what this means.”

Esther sighed. “Show it to me.” There was a pause. “Giving someone the cold shoulder is when you ignore someone on purpose. Or you’re rude just because.”

“Oh.” Another pregnant pause. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“I’ve finished with the lesson now. Ask me the questions as the bottom of the page.”

Something, presumably a book, slid across the table. Luciana cleared her throat. “All right. Who was the first Queen of England?”

“Catherine of—No! Mary the First. Is that right?”

“I’m—I’m really not sure.” Luciana’s voice was barely above a whisper. Reed pushed away from the wall and leaned forward to hear better.

“Are there answers?”

“No.”

“Don’t
you
know?”

“No.”

“Well, you’re supposed to know. It’s your job to know.”

“
Si
, but–”

“I can’t very well learn if you don’t know anything.”

Reed winced and ran his hand down his face. This had been a very bad idea indeed.

When Luciana spoke again, her voice was flat. “Esther, I would appreciate it if you don’t speak to me that way again. Sit down and continue working on your numbers, please.” A chair scraped against the floor. “Excuse me for a moment.”

He heard her footsteps near the door. Cursing under his breath, he turned and hurried around the corner. Getting caught eavesdropping on his daughter’s lesson was not something he was going to risk. Both women would abhor him if they knew.

Her footsteps grew louder and quicker. If she turned the corner, Reed wouldn’t have time to dash down the hallway. She would see him fleeing and know what he heard. He could only hope that if she did come around the corner, he could come up with an plausible excuse for being in this part of the house. His breath stilled in his chest when she appeared, her back facing him.

With her back toward him, he still had another chance to make a get away. He could walk quietly, tip-toe down the hall, and be gone before she realized he’d ever been there. Nevertheless, something kept him standing there, watching her. She sighed deeply and pressed a hand against her cheek, placing the opposite hand on her hip. He had never seen her look so defeated. The sight made his heart clench unwillingly. From the day she arrived, she had always put on a good show in the face of disaster. He had only once seen her falter and that was when she’d received the letter about her aunts’ deaths.

When he spoke, he willed his voice to be gentle, as to not startle her. “Miss Renaldi?”

She jumped anyway. Whirling around, she clutched her hands against her chest, her cheeks flushed. “Oh,
Signore
Hargrave, I didn’t see you there.”

“I was just on my way to the library. What are you doing out here?”