Page 11 of A Gentleman's Reckoning
She went over to speak to the girl of the blue ribbon, who was currently wearing a black band like the other girls. John could only assume they’d all been given a colored one for special events.
Grace had called the earl’s daughter “Lady Geny,” which suited her. It was somehow more approachable.Geny.He thought about what it would be like to be on such intimate terms as to use her Christian name—a nickname, at that. The only thing intimidating about her was her title and, at first glance, an unapproachable air. He was coming to suspect that this was the furthest from the truth. He had never met anyone like her.
Lady Eugenia praised Grace for her work and stopped to examine each one of the girls’ stitches. The oldest was pulling apiece of blue thread through a delicate piece of muslin, and Lady Eugenia went over to suggest she not pull the thread so tightly, before setting her hand briefly on the girl’s shoulder with a small word of praise. Then she turned to him.
“Shall we visit the nursery?”
John nodded and followed her back into the corridor, eyeing her slim set of shoulders and regal neck. His urge to inquire about her nickname was too strong to resist, and he decided to throw his reserve aside.
“Lady Geny?” he asked, smiling at her.
She turned a startled gaze to him, then blinked before an answering smile reached her lips. “Some of the younger ones have difficulty saying my name, so I told them they could call me Lady Geny.”
“Do others call you that?” The words were out before he realized that he was being too familiar. “I beg your pardon. That was impertinent of me. It is none of my concern.”
There was a slight pause before she answered in a soft voice. “My mother called me Geny. She was the only one, except for my brother and closest friend.”
Not your father?he thought. But now he had a better guard on his tongue and did not speak the words. “Geny is a very pretty name. As is Eugenia,” he said, then hastened to add a belated, “my lady.”
Good heavens. It was unlike him to be so uncouth. In fact, it had never happened in front of a lady before. Women never overset him. It was not that she did, particularly. True, she was a well-looking woman, and titled, too. But those things had never brought any change over him. If he had been prone to losing his head over status and a pretty face, he would have been married long ago.
Lady Eugenia was too polite to comment on his lapse in urbanity. “Here is the nursery.”
The room had once been painted yellow and was muchsmaller than the dormitories, having only six cots in it. Three of the bassinets held an infant, and two babies sat on the floor, one of them waving something in his hand. It looked like a wooden ring. There was an older orphan sitting between them, apparently training to care for babies.
“There is Benjamin,” Lady Eugenia announced, going over to one of the nurses who held a baby on her lap. “May I?”
The nurse handed him over. “He is faring better than he was yesterday.”
John stepped closer to look over Lady Eugenia’s shoulder at the baby, taking care not to stand too near and give her more reason to think him overly familiar. It was just close enough to see the baby’s face.
Little Benjamin was an unfortunate-looking fellow and had, what seemed to be, a natural scowl on his face. The dark line that made up his hairline was close enough to his eyebrows to make it appear as though he had no forehead. His eyes were mere slits, while his nose and lips looked swollen. Although John had little experience with babies, this one had to be the poorest specimen of one he had ever seen.
Lady Eugenia tucked the blanket under Benjamin’s chin, rocking him slightly in her arms.
“Aren’t you a handsome fellow?” she asked him, stroking him on the cheek until he lifted a somber gaze to hers. “Yes, you are. But do you see what a fighter you are as well? You ought to be proud of yourself because you have resisted a very chilly night wrapped in nothing more than blankets, and now you have fought off a wicked cold.”
She smiled at the baby, and John—who had come around her and now stood facing her—felt like he had been struck a blow in his chest. He could barely breathe, and there was a buzzing in his ears. What had come over him? He stood, frozen, watching her rock the baby back and forth, when suddenly Benjaminbegan to dribble a startling quantity of milk all over his chin and her gown.
“Oh dear,” she said, laughing, as one of the servants hurried to bring her a cloth. The nurse took the baby from Lady Eugenia, and she began to wipe the milk that stained the bosom of her dress. John dragged his eyes away.
She brought a clean blanket over and tucked it around Benjamin. “You feel much better now, don’t you?”
The baby’s expression appeared to change as he stared at her. He was still somber, but he looked as though he would smile at her. As if the foundling were not sure whether he could, but thought he might just take the chance. John could relate to the feeling. His heart was still hammering in his chest from the disturbing shift that had just occurred.
She glanced at John, her smile slowly fading until only a twinkle in her eyes remained. She looked down and pressed her lips together at the darkened stain on her bosom. He suspected she would appreciate going to cover the stain, and it was this that prompted him to cut their tour short, much as he was reluctant to end their time together.
“I beg you will excuse me, Lady Eugenia. Might we continue our tour at another time? I have forgotten that I have an urgent correspondence I must have sent out.”
“Of course,” she hastened to assure him, although a crease appeared in her brow.
He bowed. “I am most obliged for the generous gift of your time. I am coming to appreciate the asylum in a way I had not before.” He smiled at her, swallowing to cover the unsteadiness that went with it, a sensation he was desperate to hide. “I bid you good day.” She returned the farewell, her good humor still apparent. He could almost be jealous of Benjamin for having coaxed such a smile from her. But perhaps he could inspire her to keep it.
She dipped her head in a gesture of grace. “Good day then, Mr. Rowles.”
He left her, and as he walked down the stairs to reenter the other wing of the asylum, he allowed his smile to truly break free. He would enjoy coming to know Lady Eugenia. It was an excellent thing she came nearly every day.
On Friday,John headed in the direction of Mayfair with Lord Blackstone’s card in his pocket. His prevailing emotion was curiosity. That Lord Blackstone would seek an audience with him was nothing short of extraordinary. In most polite circles, you had to prove yourself and run after other, more distinguished members. No one ever came to you with offers of friendship. He would suspect the invitation was shady beyond anything were it not for the fact that it came from a peer.
