Page 24 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
“Oh, Lily…” Nora pulled the girl into her embrace “not every romance has to have a miserable ending. I know a few married couples who adore each other still.”
I’d have to think hard, but I’m sure there must be—
“Are you writing something with a happy ending?” Lily asked hopefully.
Nora nodded. “I am, Chickadee.”
It was a white lie she did not mind telling, if it would make her little sister feel better. Plus, it was not entirely a lie, for she hoped it would secure the future of her family for decades to come. With a small fortune, gained from her former clients in return for silence, they could live comfortably for the rest of their days and so, with any luck, could the children at the orphanage. For Nora, that was a far finer happy ending than any romantic endeavor could produce.
“When do you think it’ll be finished? Will you read it to me?” Lily rested her head on Nora’s lap, as her elder sister returned her attention to the large stack of papers on her bureau.
Nora smiled. “Why, I just finished it when you came in. But I think you will have to wait a few years before I can read it to you. You are much too young for such wild fancies.”
“Spoilsport,” Lily muttered, but Nora could feel her smile against her thigh.
Removing the plain white sheets from the manuscript and smoothing her palms across the first page, Nora exhaled a breath of deep satisfaction. These memoirs would be her legacy, and though she had promised not to include the gentlemen who had offered payment, their stories were still in there. Only their names and identifying details would be redacted, and she would redact more names and details as the payments came in. But she would not entirely remove their part in her memoir. After all, it was her tale, and she had a right to tell it all.
Instead, I’ll let London speculate, and perhaps there’ll be more fidelity in this city for a while—
Now, all she had to do was take this manuscript to a willing publisher. A monumental task, and no mistake, but she had a feeling she knew just the person who could help her out. A woman with many connections throughout this fair island.
* * *
That same afternoon, with her manuscript safely locked inside the top drawer of her bureau, Nora set out for the Roberts Orphanage. With no spare loaves to take for the children, she had decided to bring a small purse of coins, so Mrs. Roberts would be able to buy some meat, or vegetables, or something hearty for the children to eat at a later date.
“Good afternoon, My Sweets!” she called as she stepped down from the hackney and headed for the entrance to the orphanage.
The children looked up from their playful exploits on the barren wasteland that served as their sparse, private park. Jumping up, they ran to Nora, swarming her with hugs and outstretched hands. Her full stomach clenched with guilt that she did not have anything to give them, to satisfy their own hunger, but she hoped the money in her purse would remedy that for a time.
“I promise I’ll bring bread and dripping the next time I visit, but I don’t have anything today,” she said sadly. “Have you all had enough porridge? Are your tummies full?”
The children nodded eagerly, and she noticed that they did not look quite as haggard as they had a fortnight ago, before she had arranged for more oats and barley to be delivered. That offered her a small sliver of comfort, for at least they were not suffering through hunger pangs as they once did.
Leaving them to their play, Nora headed into the orphanage. There, she found Emily by the large cooking stove, yanking on an enormous ladle to drag it through the latest batch of porridge. Sweat trickled down the side of the young woman’s face, and her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink.
The gentlemen would adore you, but don’t you ever tread upon that path. Very few find their way back.
“Good afternoon, Emily,” Nora said cheerfully.
Emily paused in her stirring. “Ah, good afternoon to you, Miss Black! What brings you here? Are you wanting to see Mrs. Roberts?”
“Is she here?”
Emily gestured to the office at the back of the building. “You know where to find her. One of these days, you’ll just visit to stop and have a chat with me.” She smiled to let Nora know she was joking and returned to her culinary efforts.
Nora hurried to the office and knocked on the door, awaiting Mrs. Roberts’ reply. It came a moment later.
“Come in!”
Turning the handle, Nora entered the familiar room and flashed a hopeful smile at the older woman behind the desk. It seemed everyone had a mountain of work to clamber through, for Mrs. Roberts was rifling through a large pile of documents and looking thoroughly frustrated by them.
“Miss Black, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Mrs. Roberts beckoned for Nora to sit. “Would you like some tea?”
Nora nodded. “That would be wonderful.”
“Emily!” Mrs. Roberts yelled so loud Nora almost had to cover her ears.
A short while later, the young woman appeared at the door. “Yes, Mrs. Roberts?”
