Lord Day and Lady Night

05. The True Story

"There it is! Saint Catherine's orphanage. That big, brick building just ahead. We're nearly there!"

"How utterly wonderful," Lord Patrick Day stated, his face as happy as the average Briton on Napoleon's birthday. "I can hardly contain my excitement."

"Oh, tut, tut. Really now." His cousin shook his head in reprimand. "You'll thank me for this one day."

"I shall, shall I?"

"Of course!" His cousin gave him a bright, shiny, far-too-white smile. It flickered somewhat when he redirected his gaze towards the dirty children playing outside the orphanage. "As noblemen, it is our duty to help those, um..." With extreme reluctance, he let his eyes travel over the children again, trying to find sufficiently plebeian words to describe them. "...to help those less fortunate than ourselves. They might be dirty and smell like unwashed stables, but that does not mean they could not be turned into human beings, with effort, guidance and sufficient discipline. Besides, we won't have to actually touch them. That's what the nurses are for."

"Cousin Brandon?"

"Yes?"

"I am truly awed by your desire to help your fellow man."

The Honourable Gilbert Theodore Brandon puffed out his chest. "Yes, I'm rather wonderful, aren't I?"

"I can hardly find words for it."

"So glad you recognize the truth of my words. And I hope I can count on you to donate generously. This place is vital in my plans to get included in the New Year's Honours List. I have built up quite a reputation through throwing money at them, and I would like it to stay that way."

Beside Lord Patrick, his best friend, Titus, coughed, then tugged gently at Patrick's sleeve and pulled him a few steps back.

"I wonder," he whispered, "what would His Holier-than-thouness say if he knew you've been donating to this place for years, providing roughly fifty per cent of their entire funding?"

"Be quiet!" Lord Patrick hissed. "If he finds out about that, he won't stop pestering me, and the number of times he'll try to drag me out to his inane events will quadruple!"

"Oh no, definitely not." Titus assured him. "It'll quintuple, at least."

"I am really glad I have a friend like you, dear Titus."

"Glad to be of service, Your Lordship."

Not long afterwards, they reached the gate of the orphanage. The place seemed to be quite crowded, and not by orphans.

"Is it just my imagination," Titus said innocently, "or are there more warm-hearted female volunteers here today than usual? I wonder what could have attracted them?"

The corner of Lord Patrick's mouth twitched derisively. "Now you know why I did not wish to come."

"And now you know why I wanted to accompany you!" Titus clapped his friend on the back, grinning. "Lucky bastard!"

"An erroneous statement, I assure you." Lord Patrick cast the young women a disparaging gaze—whereupon they giggled and stuck their heads together.

"Is...isn't that Lord Patrick Day?"

"So the rumors were true! He really was coming!"

"Oh, just look at him! He's even more handsome than in the papers!"

"And he's here for the poor little children. That's so sweet!"

"I wonder if he's planning to start a family of his own soon? He's still single, I hear..."