In the quiet of the consultation room, something like the small sound of a bird drifted in.
Following the sound with my eyes, I found it was the laughter of small children playing in the courtyard, running and chasing one another. Several of them had pressed themselves flat against the window of the consultation room, noses to the glass, watching us with bright, unblinking curiosity. They were sniffling and sneezing and coughing, but not one of them moved away — stubborn little things, all of them. Their small mouths, hanging open in perfect round circles, were impossibly endearing.
‘I want to leave a little more before we go.’
“And I’d like to make a cash donation as well, if that’s possible.”
“A-a cash donation too?”
The nun glanced around at the boxes filling every corner of the room. She looked mildly flustered.
‘It’s all right. None of this is really my money, you see.’
“Yes. I’d like to donate the cheque and cash I have on me.”
Most of the personal allowance had been transferred to an account. And that had come with a rather unnecessary piece of commentary, delivered faithfully by Hugo.
‘”His Grace mentioned that you tend to be somewhat scatter-brained and, shall we say, innocent to the point of occasional impracticality.”‘
‘”…I am not impractical.”‘
‘”Of course not, my lady. But as you yourself know, His Grace is rather… acutely sensitive on the subject of your welfare. He appears to think of you rather like a child left unattended near a body of water. Heh heh.”‘
‘”……”‘
‘”Ahem. In any case, returning to the matter at hand — naturally, the escort knights will be keeping watch, but he mentioned there is some concern that you might, in your generosity, find yourself taken advantage of by a swindler, and that some unfortunate incident could result. He also suggested that you are precisely the sort of person who would share your last bean with a con artist out of sheer good-heartedness.”‘
‘”……”‘
‘”And so, he has asked that only ten percent of the personal allowance be issued in cheque form. The remainder will be deposited in this account. You won’t need His Grace’s authorization to withdraw from it — simply take out what you need, whenever you need it.”‘
What on earth did Kael take me for? Did he really think I could be tricked by some common swindler?
‘Honestly. Fine then — I’ll just donate every last coin of it.’
I opened the small bag hanging from my shoulder and drew out the cheque I had tucked carefully into its envelope.
“It isn’t a great amount, but I hope you’ll put it to good use.”
I held it out to the nun. She startled.
“This is… quite a large sum, my lady.”
‘It’s quite all right. It isn’t really my money.’
‘It’s my (in a manner of speaking) sweetheart’s money.’
‘If I donate this anonymously, no one will know I spent it. But leaving a name is what makes it visible as extravagance.’
“As with the goods, please record the donor as ‘The House of Hardeion,’ if you would.”
“…Yes, of course. I’ll make absolutely certain the donor is listed under His Grace’s name. You have my word.”
“Thank you. I do hope it’ll be put to meaningful use. I hope it isn’t too forward of me to ask—”
“Please, say anything.”
“If there’s money remaining after running costs are seen to, I’d love it if you could replace the children’s bedding. The nights are still cold, so something thick and warm would be wonderful. And if the pillows could be soft and fluffy too — I think that would make me very happy.”
“Of course. We’ll see to it without fail. This year, the children really are receiving such a great deal of blessing.”
‘Oh dear.’ I felt my face go a little warm.
‘I’m sorry, children. Your donor is rather a self-serving sort.’
Next time, I thought, I should come and offer my hands rather than just my money. Donating from my own earnings would be better still — but that was well beyond my current situation.
The nun received the envelope with the cheque inside it carefully and recorded the details in the donation ledger.
‘I’ve spent every coin except for what’s in the account. Perhaps I actually have a gift for extravagance.’
If this had been my own money, my hands would have been trembling as I handed it over. But because it was my (in a manner of speaking) sweetheart’s money, my hands were perfectly steady, and all I felt was a warm, contented glow.
Spending someone else’s money for the sake of one’s mood. Not a bad arrangement at all.
‘Phew. Today’s quota of extravagance — complete.’
While the nun attended to the donation ledger, a small moment of quiet opened up. I leaned toward Emily beside me and murmured under my breath.
“Still, this much extravagance on the very first day — it ought to stand out, don’t you think?”
“It will certainly stand out, in one sense or another.”
“That’s good enough!”
I whispered with such delight that I nearly clapped my hands.
Satisfaction settled in my chest like something warm.
Perhaps I really did have a natural talent for lavish living.
“Here you are — the receipt for your donation. Please take a moment to verify it.”
There were too many zeroes to count all the way through. The nun was a woman of the cloth; I trusted she had written it honestly.
What I did check carefully was the donor name: ‘House of Hardeion’, rendered in neat, precise characters.
“It’s perfect. Thank you so much. Well then — we’ll be on our way.”
Emily and I bade the nun farewell and rose to leave.
“It was a fulfilling day, all the same.”
“For me as well. There’s something warmly satisfying about indirect charity.”
“Ha ha. The duke is going to be in for a surprise, isn’t he? He might even come to regret giving me such a large allowance. He’s gone and taken on the worst possible fiancée.”
“…If so, then all the better.”
Just then—
“Excuse me — if I might just—!”
“Yes?!”
We were just stepping out of the almshouse entrance when the nun’s voice rang out suddenly. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
My first panicked thought was that she had overheard what Emily and I had been whispering to each other. My intentions had been impure, after all — however the outcome had turned out, I had come with the goal of conspicuous spending, and being found out was a different matter entirely.
‘It could hurt the people who live here.’
The nun had come to see us off, it seemed — but her expression was a little hard to read. Her lips parted as though she had something she wanted to say, then pressed together again.
“Oh — no, not at all. I only came to see you out.”
The nun smiled warmly as she said it.
I smiled back and returned the farewell.
“Thank you. I hope it was even a small help. If the opportunity arises, we’ll come again.”
“Yes, indeed. May the blessings of the divine accompany you both on your way.”
We bowed together, Emily and I, with proper courtesy.
The nun made the sign of her faith in return, sending us off with a blessing.
* * *
We passed through the almshouse gate and walked toward where the carriage was waiting.
Something caught my eye.
“A cat!”
About a hundred and fifty meters from the almshouse, there was a small tangle of young growth — low, scrubby trees that barely reached the knee or thigh, still half-grown by the look of them.
And picking its slow, meandering way among them was a kitten.
Emily, who had a particular love of cats, swung her gaze in that direction at the speed of light.
“It’s so cute.”
“Mrrrow!”
We set off toward it as if by a shared instinct — and stopped again, just as simultaneously. We couldn’t startle it.
“Carefully. Quietly. Let’s go slowly.”
Shh. Emily and I crept toward the underbrush with all the stealth we could manage.
But then—
“It’s hurt one of its legs.”
“So it is. That must be painful.”
The kitten was limping. That was why it had been moving so slowly — one of its legs was troubling it.
Even as we approached, the cat made no move to flee. It lay sprawled against a tree trunk, breathing in shallow, uneven little sighs.
I reached out my hand with care. The cat sniffed at my fingers and let out a faint, tentative purr.
“Something’s the matter with it. I think it’s sprained its leg.”
But then — I was chosen.
The cat that had been backing away from us warily, a moment ago, crept forward bit by bit and then launched itself straight into my arms.
“It chose me!”
I mouthed the words to Emily in the smallest possible voice.
“Honestly. How unfair, little one.”
Emily was genuinely put out. She gazed at the cat nestled against my chest with an expression that belonged entirely on a child being denied a treat — then reached out, very gingerly, to stroke its belly.
‘Mrow.’
I stroked the cat’s head with equal care. The texture was quite impossible to resist. We were both careful to leave the injured leg untouched, gentling it softly until it seemed to settle into a sense of ease.
‘I’m only doing this for my own satisfaction, of course.’
“Ah, it’s warm. Soft and pillowy.”
“My lady’s expression. I’m — trying very hard not to laugh. You look rather alarming.”
Even as she said it, Emily let out a quiet, helpless burst of laughter. Emily rarely laughed. Watching her do so, even briefly, felt like something to hold onto.
“But doesn’t it look like it might have an owner?”
“It does. The fur is very well-groomed, and there’s a bracelet on its leg — it doesn’t look like a stray to me.”
I looked more closely at the bracelet.
It was gold.
“It must belong to quite a wealthy household! Made of gold—”
Just then—
“Poppy!”
All at once, the cat that had been melting bonelessly in my arms went rigid and sprang upright.
“Darling, where are you? Hello?”
The voice that rang out was aristocratic to its core — elegant, refined, and carrying a keen, bright edge beneath the surface. It was precisely the sort of voice you would expect to belong to the grandest lady in the entire empire.
* * *
