“I know what it means,” she said with a swipe of her hand. “But what moniker? I have never heard Mr. Kingsley call you that.”
Tucking his hands behind him, Mr. Finch shrugged again. “My father dubbed me the family jack of all trades some years ago, and the Finch clan took to calling me Jack. But it’s fitting, as I have many interests but few skills of any value. What good are they when I cannot use them to earn my bread?”
Standing there in silence, Felicity struggled to know what to say in response. Her thoughts stuttered and strained to grasp the reality standing before her. It was so difficult to believe a man of his years held such a low opinion of himself, but memories of their conversations combined with the insight Mr. Kingsley shared, testifying it was true. Felicity’s heart shuddered and ached like an old tree buffeted by the wind as she considered him.
Yet quick on its heels came warmth. It lit her heart and spread through her, bringing tears to her eyes as she thought about how blessed she was to have had her family. She could not imagine what it would’ve done to her fragile ego if those who were meant to love and support unconditionally chose to lob insults and disparage her worth. Felicity’s own history was littered with those who mocked her scars and denigrated her looks, but it was her family (though few they may be) that buoyed her spirits. Tears had fallen, and they were the ones who dried them. What confidence she had was due in large part to their support.
Speaking of tears, Felicity’s eyes began to water at the thought of Mr. Finch’s aching soul. He spoke matter-of-factly as he enumerated his flaws, giving support to his family’s opinion of him. Felicity wanted to throw her arms around him, as though to shield him from his twisted self-image and his family’s invisible barbs.
“What sort of a man cannot make a go of the many opportunities afforded him?” he said in a casual tone, as though it was of little consequence. Then, with a huffing chuckle, Mr. Finch shook his head with a wry smile. “I ought to have a sign hanging around my neck that reads, ‘Does not suit.’ I have heard that phrase often enough in my life.”
Felicity winced, her lips burning as she recalled how carelessly she had said that very thing this evening. How she longed to turn back the clock and approach that earlier conversation with the knowledge she’d gathered this evening.
“Mr. Finch.” Felicity’s voice faltered, and she swallowed, though her throat was dry as a desert. Clearing it, she tried again. But the comforting words she wanted to speak fled from her thoughts as a flare of anger burned in her heart. “Your family is wrong. They are inexcusably, horridly, and altogether infuriatingly wrong.”
The gentleman’s brows rose. “And my schoolmasters? My employers? My peers? Are they as well?”
“Yes.” She barked the word, her teeth clinking together as her jaw snapped shut. Felicity took a breath through her nose, filling her lungs as she willed herself to calm, but the thought of all those fools judging her Mr. Finch in such a heartless manner made her long to storm about. “They are wrong.”
Mr. Finch gave her a half-smile that held more than a touch of pity, as though her faculties were lacking instead of his. “It is kind of you to think so—”
Felicity drew up a rigid finger, her expression hardening. “No, sir. Do not dare try to convince me of something I know to be false. You are not an ‘ornament.’ You are not useless. You are not worthy of derision.”
His brows rose, but his gaze still shone with disbelief.
“I am awed by you, Mr. Finch. The more time I spend with you, the more capable you seem. If anything, it is those talents and abilities that first caught my eye.” Felicity let out a breath, the fire in her burning out as she thought through all the many moments they’d shared, leaving her with a deliciously light sensation as she stared into the eyes of the man she loved. “Your skills may not fit into your family’s or employers’ mold, but that does not lessen them.”
Mr. Finch’s eyes dropped to the floor, and Felicity stepped closer, drawing his gaze to hers once more.
“I arrived in Bristow exhausted and seeking peace of mind and clarity, and you are the one who gave that