Lady of Providence Read online

  Lady of Providence

  The Unconventional Ladies

  Book 3

  Ellie St. Clair

  Copyright © 2019 by Ellie St. Clair

  Kindle Edition

  Published by Dragonblade Publishing, an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Books from Dragonblade Publishing

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Prologue

  London, 1810

  The scent of fresh parchment and long-forgotten, leather-bound bank ledgers wafted through the office lined with mahogany shelves of endless records. Elizabeth sank into one of the plush leather chairs, which enveloped her as comfortably as an embrace from her grandfather. She returned the smile he bestowed upon her from across his solid wood desk as she picked up the glass of amber liquid that had arrived during the last hour, which they had spent reviewing the bank’s latest profit and loss statements.

  “You learn quickly, Liz
beth,” he said, and Elizabeth’s heart warmed, for her grandfather never provided a compliment that he didn’t feel was deserved.

  “Thank you, Grandpapa,” she said, lifting her glass to him before they each took a sip of the brandy, which he always insisted upon, though Elizabeth could admit she rather enjoyed the taste. “But I must say it is easy to learn when the subject is as interesting as this.”

  He chuckled. “Not all feel the way you do, unfortunately. Why, your cousins…” he sighed and shook his head, and Elizabeth smiled ruefully, knowing his opinions on most of her cousins.

  “They are all either more conceited than one could ever imagine or such fools I could hardly stand the time in their company. Not only that, all but you have turned down the invitation to spend time here with me learning the trade.”

  “It is their loss,” Elizabeth said, arching an eyebrow, “For I can think of no better day than one spent with you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge—despite the fact that it is solely for my own enjoyment and I am taking you from far more important business.”

  “Well,” her grandfather said gruffly without meeting her eyes. She knew that her words had touched him, but he would never, ever admit it, as he maintained his hardened exterior despite the softness she knew lay deep within. “Nothing is more important than my time with you, Lizbeth. I am only pleased that you understand the business as well as you do. It is not unheard of for women to be involved with banks, you know. I can tell you of more than a few who have done an excellent job as a partner, though most are within the countryside. Now tell me, what do you think of what we have just reviewed? Does anything concern you?”

  Elizabeth paused for a moment, contemplating his question as she looked around her at the comfortable room that was the very essence of her grandfather—and rightly so, for he had been the senior partner of the bank for the past fifty years, since his own twentieth birthday. She wasn’t sure whether he had even spent more than a day away from the building in all of those years. The solid brick mortar that was the home of Clarke & Co. was as strong as the business her grandfather had built over the past many decades. The small bank he had inherited in his youth had become one of the most reputable and best known in London.

  Elizabeth loved nothing more than following him through the long corridors, watching him greet each of the many people working in the building by name, whether they be the most junior of clerks, or the most senior of partners next to himself. He always told her that a small gesture such as an inquiry regarding a man’s family meant more than anyone likely realized.

  She returned her thoughts to the subject at hand—the ledgers he had her review.

  “It seems as though there is some strange anomaly—a pattern if you will,” she said. “It’s so small it is hardly noticeable, and yet the ledgers are out ever so slightly by the same amount from the same area far too often.”

  Her grandfather, Thomas Clarke, nodded at her in approval. “Very good,” he said. “And how would you next investigate what is occurring?”

  “I would ask to see the more finely detailed ledgers of those particular accounts, to determine what is common about them. Is it the same staff who are working on them? Are the accounts related?”

  “What if you find that one clerk in particular is at fault?”

  “He should be removed from the bank.”

  “And what if said clerk is working not only for himself but along with one of the partners?”

  “Then the partner should also be released of his responsibility,” she said without hesitation. “Why, is this what has occurred?

  “I believe so,” her grandfather said with a sigh. “You know, Lizbeth, I have always been so careful as to who I named partner, for it is much easier to welcome a new partner than to remove a current one. And yet… it seems I have made a mistake.”

  He looked so disappointed with himself that Elizabeth leaned forward across the desk and placed a hand upon his.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said. “People often hide their true characters. As you well know from your experiences with the people of the ton—no one is who they profess themselves to be.”

  He shook his head, his gray hair still rather full, emphasizing the stately look he had always upheld. The only real acknowledgment to his age and the years spent analyzing books was the spectacles he now wore low near the tip of his nose in order to read the words scrawled amongst the bank ledgers.

  “I shall never understand why your mother was so determined to find a way to make herself one of them,” he said with a sigh. “But, fortunately for her, your father, the Viscount of Shannon, was enamored with her beauty and, with a little help from the significant dowry I provided her, she was able to receive everything she ever wanted in life. Everything that was, apparently, only attainable with a title. Unfortunately, she now thinks herself above the rest of us, but somehow her daughter turned out to be the most magnificent woman—next to your grandmother—that I have ever met.”

  Elizabeth’s cheeks reddened. She was aware of how lucky she was to have her grandfather in her life, particularly because her own father hardly noticed that she existed. He was far too busy at his clubs and with games of chance, which she never understood. She preferred what was a sure thing.

  “She must, deep down, appreciate all you have done for her. And I am forever grateful to what you have provided me throughout my life.”

  Thomas snorted.

  “I am well aware you are, Lizbeth, but as to your mother—it is kind of you to attempt to placate an old man, but I am well aware of the truth. Now, as to this matter at hand. I currently have the power to choose which partners remain and which we hire on,” he explained. “It is both a privilege and a curse.”

  “I can understand why you would feel such a way,” Elizabeth said. “What will you do?”

  “I will discuss with the partner what I believe has occurred, and remove him if I must. If I do so, once I have proof of his actions, I will be sure to provide a full explanation to the other partners, of course,” her grandfather said, leaning back in his chair. “It’s important, Elizabeth, to be able to trust all of the partners of the company. This bank has been founded on integrity, loyalty, respectability, and honor, and if that were ever to change I fear what repercussions there might be.”

  “Well, then, we are fortunate that you are at the helm to guide the ship,” Elizabeth said with a smile, but her grandfather wore a serious expression.

  “I will not always be here, Lizbeth, so I must ensure that my legacy remains intact.”

  “Oh, do not say such a thing,” Elizabeth said, her eyelids fluttering down to conceal just how much his words affected her. While she knew both her grandparents were getting older, of course, she hardly wanted to think of what life would be like without them, for they had always provided her with the warmth and understanding she had never felt from her parents.

  “It’s the truth,” he said with a shrug. “I wish I could hire someone like you on as a clerk to work your way up through the company, but of course, that would never do. As my own son died far too young, and his son is an incompetent disaster… I must, therefore, impart all of my knowledge to someone who will listen. Your brother is affable enough, but I couldn’t hold his attention for an hour if I tried. I need someone I can trust.” He paused before continuing, and she wondered of whom he was referring. She wished it could be her, but alas, she was a woman, and therefore, it could never be. “My apologies for the morbidity of such discussion. Now, when it comes to the staff and their salaries, one must pay them highly enough to retain loyalty and to ensure they are well looked after and able to care for their families. It’s important to seek out talent and to reward those who go above and beyond. Does this make sense?”

  “It does,” Elizabeth said with a nod. “Though I must ask—why is it so important to oversee all of this yourself? Do you ever think that you might like to spend more time at home with Grandmother, to begin to leave this work to someone else? Mo
ther says that there are perfectly capable people working within the company, and while I am very aware that none of them could come close to providing the same scrutiny and care that you do within this bank, could some of them not provide more help to you?”

  Elizabeth’s grandfather steepled his fingers under his chin and rested his elbows on the desk before him, careful not to smudge the fresh ink within a ledger.

  “You have already touched upon the answer,” he said. “No one else cares for a business as truly as the person who is most invested. I do not take the responsibility of senior partner lightly, for no one else built this business, or can trace it back generations to the time when our family forged gold. My very blood is within this bank. If I want to ensure it is running at the best of its ability, I must do so myself, and make certain all is as it should be.”

  Elizabeth listened carefully to his words, nodding as she agreed with him, then finished the glass of brandy on the table in front of her.

  “I should likely be going now, Grandpapa,” she said “Mother would not be pleased if I were to be at home a minute past the allotted time for gathering in the parlor. Heaven only knows who she has invited to dine with us today.”

  Elizabeth began to rise, but her grandfather held up a hand to stop her. It seemed he had one last question of her.

  “I have heard that you have become particularly friendly with a certain Lord Gabriel Lockridge, son of the Duke of Clarence,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “But as this information comes to me via your mother, I thought that I best ask you myself as there is no guarantee that anything she tells me is accurate.”

  Elizabeth was sure that her cheeks were now a flaming red, but she kept holding her head high. This was her grandfather, a man who knew her nearly better than anyone, save perhaps his wife, her grandmother.

  “Lord Lockridge and I have become rather close, it is true,” she said, unable to meet his stare despite her attempts to appear unaffected. “I know it seems a rather unlikely match—myself and a man who will one day be one of the most powerful in England. His family and my father’s, however, have been friends for many years, and we have come to know one another well.”

  “I am assuming it is not the fact that he will be a duke that draws you to him?” her grandfather asked with an eyebrow raised.

  “Not at all!” exclaimed Elizabeth. “In fact, I find that to be more of a detriment. Can you imagine the pressures society must place on a duchess? But he is rather charming, and most importantly, he is quite intelligent, and I find that he most often sees the good in people, though he has a roundabout way of showing it. But I do believe, were we to find ourselves in a serious courtship, that life with him would be most… interesting.”