A moment later, Mr. Barker entered the room. In his hand, he held the stem of a single red rose.
“Mr. Barker,” Agnes said, coming from around the desk to meet him in the middle of the room. Mrs. Shepherd left the room, closing the door behind her. “Please, have a seat. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
His face turned an alarming puce, and Agnes wondered if he was on the verge of having some sort of fit. “Th-this is for you, Mrs. Rutley.”
An awkward sensation washed over her. “Oh? Well, thank you. That was kind of you.” Taking the rose, she placed it on the desk.
Mr. Barker fidgeted with the ring on his finger, and Agnes waited for him to explain his sudden call, but all he did was stand and grin at her.
“Was there a reason for your call, Mr. Barker?”
As if coming out of a trance, he nodded. “It’s taken me mustering every ounce of courage to come here today,” he said.
Agnes withheld her groan from what she feared would come. She had no time for a man’s infatuation. Especially from one for whom she had little interest. Although Mr. Barker was unaware, Agnes had known for some time about his infatuation with her. How else would one explain his sudden inability to speak properly when she spoke to him? Or why his hands were clammy whenever he offered them to her?
“I recently learned from Miss Dunston that you’ve mentioned me on several occasions. In fact, she says you spoke very highly of me. That I’m an honorable man, perhaps even more so than a particular knight who recently arrived in Chatsworth.”
Agnes sighed. She had no interest in Mr. Barker. Or any man, for that matter. Her life was the school and its students. She had no time for romantic entanglements. The challenge now was to convey this without hurting the man in the process. She did like him, just not in the way he hoped.
“Miss Dunston speaks the truth. You are a kind man who is much more respectable than most. Yet I’m afraid I’m far too busy to have any other interests outside of instructing my students. I do hope you understand.”
“Oh. Well, yes. I suppose I do.” His voice had a melancholy ring to it.
“Mr. Barker, think of my school as your theater. You must dedicate all your time to seeing that everything goes according to plan. I must do the same.”
He gave her a half-smile. “Well, yes. I suppose you’re right. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
“But you’re never a bother, Mr. Barker,” Agnes said. “Your gift has made my day even better than it was. Therefore, thank you, my friend.”
His posture straightened. “Yes. Yes, we are friends, aren’t we? I like that. Thank you, Mrs. Rutley.”
Agnes walked him to the door and wished him a good evening. When she went to return to her office, however, she found Louisa standing on the fifth step of the stairs.
“Louisa, I would like to speak to you, please.”
Louisa descended the last steps and came to a stop in front of Agnes. “Yes, Mrs. Rutley?”
“Mr. Barker has this strange notion that I have a romantic interest in him. Do you happen to know why?”
With raised brows, Louisa replied, “Everyone knows he does.”
“Everyone? And who is everyone?”
“All the students,” Louisa said. “I hoped to use that knowledge to help save the theater. I didn’t mean any harm.” She sighed well enough to have taken the stage. “Doing so was not fair to him, was it?”
Taking Louisa’s hands in hers, Agnes saw the sorrow in the girl’s eyes. “It’s never fair to manipulate anyone’s feelings for personal gain. Or any gain, for that matter. Mr. Barker has been the subject of embarrassment more often than you realize. Not because of anything he has done but rather because he’s an easy target for gossipmongers. He’s less likely to come to his own defense. But that does not mean he’s not worthy of the respect of others. He provides an important service to the community—a source of entertainment. Don’t allow your goal for the theater to blind you to recognize what you do may hurt someone.”
“Blind me?” Louisa said indignantly. “I can assure you, Mrs. Rutley, it has done no such thing. If anything, Sir Aaron is to blame. But as I said before, I truly believe there is hope for him.”
“I’m sure you set an example for him as we discussed?” Agnes said. “There have been no outlandish games since we last spoke?”
“None.” Louisa dropped her gaze. “I may have crossed a line or two, Mrs. Rutley, but not as much as he did.”
Agnes was unable to help herself. She laughed. “I suggest you think on that statement some more. You’ll be spending a great deal of time with Sir Aaron beginning tomorrow. Oh, and I must write to your father. They should be back home by now.”
Seeing the girl off, Agnes returned to her office. She would write to Mr. Dunston. Before she sat to write, however, she removed a letter from her desk drawer that had arrived the day before.
She had never met the Baron of Lenten, but she knew two things about him. One was the threat Louisa had heard the man make against Agnes, and the other was the fact he was involved somehow with Lord Ezra.