Lord Preston's Secret Tutor (47 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 22
For some reason, Windsor thought Jacqueline’s smile didn’t seem like a genuine laugh as he accepted the handkerchief she offered. Wiping his hands, he spoke casually.
“I merely checked what Benjamin has been learning lately. Didn’t you tell me to show concern for my nephew?”
At his words, Jacqueline’s expression softened slightly. He still didn’t understand when she would get angry or when she would calm down. Her moods were like sudden storms—arriving without warning and vanishing just as abruptly.
“Why did Viscount James Hammington come to see Lord Preston?”
Windsor, who had been about to pass her by, stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly turning his head, he fixed Jacqueline with an intense stare.
“Do you know him?”
She let out a light sigh as she searched for the right words, her expression uneasy. Resignation seeped through her voice as it slipped between Jacqueline’s lips.
“Did that man happen to mention anything about a mine? He claimed to have inherited land containing a high-grade iron ore mine, and that his wife is ill, so he urgently needs money. He said he’s looking for someone to buy the mine—offering it below market price if paid in cash. Did he tell you he first approached the trustworthy Lord Preston and insisted it must remain a secret from everyone else?”
As she continued speaking, Windsor’s expression shifted subtly. He clasped his hands behind his back, his posture precise and disciplined—more like a naval officer than a nobleman.
“That’s exactly right. Word for word, he said precisely that.”
Jacqueline gave a bitter smile, as if she’d expected this all along.
“He’s a fraud. Ah, please don’t ask me how I know. I didn’t want to find out either.”
Windsor’s brow furrowed faintly. His steel-gray eyes darkened slightly.
Jacqueline touched her bare throat, her expression troubled. The man possessed a curious talent—getting what he wanted through silence alone.
“In truth, my father fell victim to him. Fortunately, Uncle Walter—I mean, Count Greenwood—Lord Greenwood informed my father that the man was a fraud, so we only lost the deposit. We nearly lost a great deal of money. It was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.”
“But if he belongs in prison, how is he freely walking the streets?”
Jacqueline stared down the empty corridor, as if retracing the trail where Hammington had vanished.
“James disappeared for a while, but more importantly, my father didn’t want to report him.”
“Lord Somerset? Why not?”
Windsor asked, clearly bewildered. Jacqueline gazed silently back at him.
Their eyes met and tangled in the air between them. Unconsciously, she tugged at the corner of her lips.
Perhaps Windsor, despite his dazzling appearance, possessed a remarkably strong will. After all, even after taking on the Preston name, he chose to live a life entirely separate from the Marquess’s household.
He must have faced countless hardships unimaginable to Jacqueline. Just the phrase “son raised alone by an opera singer” was enough to guess his past hadn’t been easy.
Yet he had risen through sheer will to become a naval officer—and now, the Marquess of Preston.
With that indifferent face, he must have leapt over obstacle after obstacle.
In comparison, her father was like a hothouse flower—born the eldest son of an earldom and inheriting the title as a matter of course.
He dabbled in various ventures to follow the trends of the time. Everyone else was doing the same, after all. Failing to grow one’s wealth was seen as foolishness.
But none of his ventures succeeded. Where one person gained, another lost—and unfortunately, Baron Somerset belonged to the latter group.
Aside from the title inherited from his father, he was nothing. Realizing this plunged the Earl of Somerset into deep despair.
At the first real obstacle he encountered, he collapsed helplessly. He blamed everything on himself.
Only after launching the New World enterprise did he finally regain some vitality—though even that ended in tragedy.
Silently retracing her father’s past, Jacqueline tightened her lips.
“Father couldn’t bear to admit he’d been swindled by a cunning con man. He feared that if word got out, his honor as an earl would be ruined. That’s why he kept the fact that Hammington scammed him a secret to the end. Perhaps my father wasn’t the only one—and that’s why the man walks the streets so brazenly today.”
Windsor gave a single nod. He couldn’t comprehend the Earl of Somerset’s actions, but he knew well that for some nobles, honor outweighed money.
“So please be careful, Lord Preston. No matter what James Hammington tells you, never take the bait. Even his claim of being a viscount might be a lie.”
“I’m naturally suspicious by nature.”
Jacqueline’s eyes widened at the abrupt remark. Windsor continued calmly.
“Do you know how many people approach me each day, offering partnerships or claiming to have found a great investment opportunity?”
Instead of answering, Jacqueline simply stared at him. Whatever she might imagine, the truth was likely worse—after all, sweet honey always attracts flies.
Just thinking of the carriages that stopped daily at his mansion’s front gate and the bundles of letters delivered by messengers made it all the more clear.
“This very morning, someone promised me not only guaranteed return of principal but also at least ten times that amount in annual profit.”
“….”
“I may not be well-versed in business, but I’m not naive enough to believe such outrageous lies.”
Jacqueline said nothing, only watching him in silence. Windsor raised an eyebrow; a wrinkle briefly appeared on his forehead before fading away. The gesture was intensely sensual.
“James Hammington claimed he’d just arrived in the capital, coming straight to my mansion from the train station without stopping anywhere else. He insisted the matter was urgent and that I wouldn’t have much time to think.”
“So?”
“But his shoes were spotlessly clean—not a speck of mud on them. Far too neat for someone who’d just walked along the muddy roads of Hamsworth.”
Caught completely off guard, Jacqueline gaped as if struck at her weakest point.
“A—um…”
After a moment’s silence, she opened her mouth as if to argue.
“Couldn’t he have polished his shoes before arriving at your mansion? After all, he was coming to meet Lord Preston. Or perhaps he took a carriage straight to the station—then he wouldn’t have walked on any muddy roads.”
“Of course, that’s possible. But the train running from Hamsworth—where the quarry is—to the capital operates only three times a week. And today isn’t one of those days.”
“Oh.”
Jacqueline looked at Windsor with fresh astonishment. Having only recently entered noble society, she’d assumed he’d be as inexperienced in business as her father.
She’d worried that, like her father, he might fall prey to the many cunning fraudsters who preyed on the naive.
But that had been Jacqueline’s misjudgment. He wasn’t the kind of man easily deceived by others. Her gaze softened.
“That’s a relief. Looks like I won’t be jobless tomorrow because the Preston family goes bankrupt overnight.”
With a light jest, Jacqueline took a step forward—then suddenly turned back toward Windsor, as if remembering something.
“You said you’re suspicious by nature—so I must ask: did you also investigate me?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Watching her, Windsor reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. After opening the lid to check the time, he replied in a flat tone.
“It’s time I attended to my duties. I’ve already wasted nine minutes in this corridor. I have documents requiring replies by today, so I’ll excuse myself now.”
With that, Windsor ascended the stairs. His manner—almost as if fleeing—made Jacqueline’s eyes grow increasingly suspicious.
“Hmm.”
“There you are, Miss Jacqueline.”
Just as Jacqueline let out a meaningful hum, Madam Ritz appeared from across the corridor and called out to her.
Jacqueline quickly averted her gaze from Windsor’s retreating back and assumed a pleasant, gentle smile as if nothing had happened.
“What is it, Madam Ritz?”
She appeared the perfect young lady. Madam Ritz responded not with words but with a quiet, deep breath. She hesitated for a long time, as if struggling to say something difficult.
The Preston household had no mistress. Thus, as head housekeeper, Madam Ritz had to take on all the duties of a lady of the house.
Especially during parties, her anxiety reached its peak—since even minor details could affect the Preston family’s reputation.
Moreover, this was the first party they’d host in the capital—and it was none other than Benjamin’s birthday celebration. There could be no mistakes.
Her pride versus the Preston family’s reputation.
She had wrestled with this dilemma for a long time. As the party drew nearer, she lost her appetite, couldn’t sleep at night, and finally, this morning, her stomach had twisted so painfully she could barely stand it.
At last, she made her decision: she would swallow her pride. After all, wasn’t it a housekeeper’s duty to prioritize her master’s reputation over her own interests?
Madam Ritz finally opened her tightly closed lips. A solemn voice emerged.
“You do realize the party is in two days, correct?”
“Has it really come to that already? Time flies.”
Jacqueline still couldn’t guess her purpose and gave her a questioning look. Madam Ritz took another deep breath, then spoke again, her words heavy with weight.
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble… could you help me check the preparations, Miss Jacqueline?”
“!”
In an instant, Jacqueline’s eyes widened in surprise—as if she never expected Madam Ritz to make such a request.
At the same time, she realized just how much inner turmoil the housekeeper must have endured before finally speaking those words. She knew how difficult it had been for her to ask.
“If I can be of help, I’d be glad to.”
Thus, Jacqueline nodded readily. She wasn’t the kind of person who hoarded assistance, nor was she so cold-hearted as to ignore someone else’s distress.
Color slowly returned to Madam Ritz’s previously pale face. Jacqueline smiled gently and took a step forward.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Miss Jacqueline, the ballroom is this way.”
Madam Ritz called out to her as Jacqueline walked in the opposite direction. Jacqueline halted after a few steps and turned back to look at the housekeeper.
“I know. I just wanted to walk through from the front entrance, as if I were a guest invited to the ballroom.”
Only then did Madam Ritz nod in understanding and quietly follow behind her, touched by this unexpected thoughtfulness.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
MANGA DISCUSSION
2 Comments
Chapter Comments (105)
That James Bstrd should be in prison🤬 … I feel heartbroken for our FL😭 and him Windsor doing justice for her family’s downfall
That James Bstrd should be in prison🤬 … I feel heartbroken for our FL😭 and him Windsor doing justice for her family’s downfall
i know romance in this novel is going to burn slowly, but i hope it happens soon
Inline Comments (1320)
“Whether or not to press charges against James Hammington for fraud is entirely
Took matters into his own hands – and voilà. Classy. (◕ᴗ◕✿)
Suddenly, she felt glad that she had asked Jacqueline for help. Trust now filled
Yes, yes. You must trust your soon-to-be madam of the house 🙂↕️
“Whether or not to press charges against James Hammington for fraud is entirely
i am so happy she’s finally getting her justice after so long
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Asnia Macaombang
Obviously, he dodged and run away to her question😌.. Maybe he didnt want to admit that he really done investigation on her..(๑•﹏•)
Ashiel_26
Obviously, he dodged and run away to her question😌.. Maybe he didnt want to admit that he really done investigation on her..(๑•﹏•)