The stone dove, the rustling leaves, and the distant cooing of the birds created a peaceful scene.
With a silent vow to unravel the mysteries surrounding the orphanage, Kenneth finally joined Leonard, the carriage carrying them away from the echoes of the past, yet they were bound by a shared determination to forge a better future, for Edward.
CHAPTER 24
In the sun-drenched garden, Joanna, Sally, and Rosy threw a stick back and forth for Rudy, while Judith, who had come for tea with Sally again, sat nearby under a tree.
“Get it, Ruby!” Joanna called and threw the stick, but this time, instead of returning it, the little dog snatched it up and sat on the blanket beside Judith.
“I suppose the game is over.” Rosy snorted and made her way back to the blanket.
Joanna and Sally joined them, out of breath but happy.
“I do not know how you can stand such exercise,” Judith said, shaking her head. “He has so much energy.”
“I suppose puppies are a lot of work,” Joanna conceded. “But they have so much to give.”
“If you think a dog is much work, wait until you have a child,” Sally countered with a chuckle.
“I have a younger brother,” Judith said. “But he has a governess, of course.”
Joanna glanced at Judith. She had been with them for several hours, and Joanna had to wonder what had led to her sudden desire to keep them company. It was clear that Judith was fond of Sally, but she had been spending a lot of time with them as of late. Not that Joanna minded—as long as the matter of her broken arrangement with the Marquess of Worcester was not brought up.
“Faith,” Judith continued, “I was exhausted just by spending the evening at the orphanage with the little ones. Pray, how are they?”
Joanna shifted. It had been two days since they’d found the orphanage in a terrible state. “Better. I was there today. A delivery of dried goods arrived, and the physician came to see the children. One of the caregivers returned also.”
“Did you see Kenneth there?” Rosy asked.
Joanna shook her head. She’d hoped she might see him, but she had not. In fact, it appeared that Kenneth had been exceedingly busy, calling on various patrons to get their donations—at least according to Mrs. Hardy.
“No, he was busy. But he will be at your cousin’s ball tomorrow, Judith,” she said quickly.
“Well, that is good news. Perhaps we will receive news as to what exactly happened at the orphanage. I spoke to my father, and he was most surprised to hear it because your father has been so diligent about getting the donations,” Judith said with a raised eyebrow. “Has he said anything about it?”
Joanna looked away. “No, nothing. I asked him, but…” she trailed off.
She didn’t want to tell Judith or her sisters about the conversation she’d had with her father. She’d questioned him about the conditions at the orphanage, but he’d all but told her to mind her own business. Then, he’d shut the door in her face.
She chewed on her bottom lip. Her father was hiding something, she was sure of it. But what?
Lord Carlisle was not the sort of man who kept secrets successfully. He had a way of looking guilty whenever he did something improper. The trouble was, one could never tell what it was until the misdeed revealed itself.
In hindsight, Joanna had noticed this dubious behavior before she had ever discovered his affair. Likewise, he’d acted peculiar before announcing her arranged marriage to Lord Worcester. He was acting the same way now, shutting himself away in his study, giving short answers, and taking his meals on his own.
She wanted to talk to Kenneth about the matter, even if it would be awkward. She had to. When it came to the orphanage, their hearts and minds were one, and if her father was doing something to endanger the children, he had to be stopped. Her stomach clenched as she thought of the possibility. She’d long thought badly of her father for his betrayal of her mother, but even she had never considered him to be capable of harming the orphanage.
He’d always seemed to care… but had that been an act? Or was he entirely innocent?
“… truly heroic the way he jumps to action,” Rosy was saying, drawing Joanna out of her thoughts. “You must think you are the luckiest lady alive.”
Joanna blinked.
Sensing that her sister hadn’t heard a word Rosy said, Sally chimed in, “It is true. His Grace saved you at Almack’s, and now he is saving the orphanage. You are truly lucky.”
“I am. In a way, the orphanage is what brought us together,” Joanna mused, having thought of that first strange encounter she’d had with Kenneth when he’d come to talk about the orphanage with her father.
“What do you mean?” Judith asked, her eyebrows raised.
