Gabriel made it home just in time to see his sister arrive as well. She appeared rather exhausted after selling flowers as she volunteered to do once a week. Gabriel and his mother wouldn’t allow her to do it more often than that. She was too young to be working all the time. It was simply unfair.
“Lydia, you should not be out this late,” he scolded. “You are too young for that. It is unsafe.”
“I am fine, Gabriel. I wanted to sell to the men coming home from work who may wish to give something to their wives. It worked. I sold every last flower,” she said.
Gabriel slowly exhaled, letting her see that he didn’t approve. Although they had a nice enough home with a little flower garden in the front, he would rather it all go to waste than risk something happening to Lydia.
“Regardless, I want you to be home earlier than this whenever you are able, Lydia. You shouldn’t be outside,” he said, opening the gate to their home and ushering her inside.
As they entered, Gabriel’s mother rushed from the kitchen to meet them.
“Lydia! I was getting worried about you. And Gabriel? How was your first day working at the home of that grand family?” his mother asked, excitement spread across her face.
Lydia sulked off into the corner and found a book to read while Gabriel dove in, telling his mother all about the day.
“Lord Courtshire is a very fine, respectable man. I have heard many things about his late father and how important he was in society, but their home is remarkable and there were even awards in his father’s name decorating one wall. The family portraits show a family that has always been fashionable. Father would have enjoyed looking at the art throughout the estate as it is truly quite impressive. I think it is likely that they hired some of the grandest masters,” he said.
“How exciting!” his mother exclaimed. “And is the boy decent? Do you think he will be willing to learn and listen?”
“I think so,” he said, still uncertain. “It is clear that he has no great interest in his studies, but I do believe that he will work hard to appease his brother. I don’t believe he is the sort of young man who would disregard learning entirely and that is a relief.”
“I see. Well, a willingness to learn is better than nothing. It is a shame he is not more eager, but I have confidence that you will be able to convince him to give it his best effort,” his mother said encouragingly.
“Thank you, Mother. I hope so,” he said, although his thoughts drifted once more to Lady Montague.
Gabriel didn’t want to say anything about her, worrying that he might not be able to hide his foolish interest in a woman far outside his class. It would be unwise for him to confess that he noticed her. His mother knew him well enough that she would absolutely read through his feelings.
“I forgot to mention that we received a card this afternoon. It would seem that Adam is planning to stop by,” his mother said.
Thrilled, Gabriel sat upright. He always enjoyed visits from his father’s dearest friend. Adam had become a close friend of Gabriel’s as well since his father’s passing. Now, Gabriel worked very hard to look after the family and ensure that they were all very well taken care of.
A small part of Gabriel had hoped his mother and Adam might find comfort in one another, but they did not seem to be interested in marrying, much to his dismay. He would have loved to see them both happy and knew how well they got along.
Still, when Adam arrived and the family enjoyed a nice dinner together, Gabriel was confident that he would always be close to them, even if he never did step into the role of father and husband as Gabriel had hoped.
But Adam had acted in the role anyway. Even if he was not married to Gabriel’s mother, he had been a friend and mentor, as well as a figure similar to a father. He was always there when Gabriel needed him, and he had been the one to insist that Gabriel look for positions where he might be able to tutor young gentlemen.
Thus far, it had been a clever idea and Gabriel was thankful for it. He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and to make Adam proud by making the most of it. So long as he did not get too distracted by Lady Montague and he followed all of the rules laid out for him by Lord Courtshire, he was confident that he would manage his new position well. He would make Adam proud. He would provide for his mother and sister. And he would be the man he had always wanted to be.
“Gabriel, how wonderful to see you. I have been eager to hear about your first day working for the Earl of Courtshire. You must tell me all about it,” Adam said.
“Yes, of course. It went very well,” he said.
Adam led Gabriel away from his mother and sister so they could share their confidences in private. They sat in the small parlour together and Adam waited for him to share more of what had taken place.
“It was very good, I must say. I admit that the young man I’m meant to be tutoring, Henry, has very little interest in learning, but I do believe that he will come to enjoy it in time. I need to figure out what are the best methods to use when teaching him, but we did have some basic conversation in what little Latin he knows,” he explained.
“That is good at least. It is far more difficult with a student who cares nothing at all, a student who does not wish to learn,” Adam said.
“Precisely. This was a far better option and I do trust that, in time, Henry will enjoy the things I teach him,” he said.
“And the elder brother? Lord Courtshire? How was he? I have heard that he is very strict and that was my only concern. While I know that you are not one to disobey rules, I worried that he might be a bit overbearing,” Adam said, worry tinting his voice.
“Thus far, we have had no such issues. He has been an absolute gentleman. Indeed, I was concerned that he may be disappointed by my lack of university training, but he was very understanding. I think he is willing to give me this chance because of my reputation and that is enough for me to be satisfied,” he said.
“Yes, of course. I am sure that he will come to understand that you are more than equipped. It will simply take time and I am sure he will need to learn to trust you,” Adam said.
“I imagine so. Anyway, it was very interesting to meet the family. Lord Courtshire is very stern, as you said. Lady Montague is…well, she appears to be a great deal more interested in learning than her younger brother,” Gabriel said with a laugh. He was unable to stop himself. Although he knew that it was a mistake, he simply had to mention her. There was something about her that just stuck in his mind since he had departed their estate earlier.
How could he forget about her when she was so striking?
But when Gabriel looked back at Adam, he could see the sudden hardness in Adam’s eye. Gabriel knew that he had made a mistake in mentioning her and he immediately wished he could take it back.
“You understand that you have been hired only to teach the boy, correct?” Adam asked.
“Of course, of course,” Gabriel said, nonchalantly waving the idea away.
“You must take that very seriously, Gabriel. Men like Lord Courtshire are not to be tested and if he has not come out and asked you—or paid you—to teach his sister, you must be very careful not to do it. If you take a step like that, you will find yourself in a great deal of trouble,” Adam warned.
“I never claimed that I was going to teach her anything. I only mentioned that she is more interested than Henry Montague is. But I know my duties and I shall be very careful not to stray from them,” he promised.
“Very well. I am glad to hear that. Now, if you will be very cautious, I should like to think that you and your mother and sister will be able to take good care of yourselves. This is important work you are doing, and you will be paid very handsomely for it—but only if you are diligent to do it well. If Lord Courtshire is displeased with your work, the circumstances would be very dire. Not only for you, but also for men such as myself who recommended you,” Adam said.
Gabriel nodded, his expression suddenly grim. He didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardise Adam’s reputation or any of the men he had worked for in the past, or those who had spoken well of him for his initial positions. There were far too many risks involved in making a mistake.
Moreover, he didn’t wish to do anything that might make it more difficult to provide for his mother and sister. He needed this work. He needed a position with a decent income so that he could ensure they were not left destitute. If anything should happen to them and he discovered that they were without means because of his mistakes, Gabriel would never forgive himself.
No matter what, he knew that he had to do his best to be the man his father had raised. Whatever else came in the future, he was ready for it.