The Conundrum of a Clerk: 3 (Widowers of the Aristocracy)

Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many. -- PhaedrusWhen widower and bank clerk Theodore Streater discovers his late mother was not only the headmistress of Warwicks Grammar and Finishing School but also its owner hes in need of someone to run the rather lucrative enterprise. He turns to the woman who helped him regain his position at the bank after he lost an arm fighting in Belgium. His best friends wife Elizabeth Bennett-Jones Viscountess Bostwick still runs her charity Finding Work for the Wounded. She is sure theres an applicant who would be perfect as headmistress of her old school.Having lost her position as an operative with the Home Office--her slight limp from a gunshot wound is hard to hide--Daisy Albright is at a loss as to what to do next. She could return to her fathers home. The Duke of Ariley would like nothing more than to have his oldest illegitimate daughter under his protection until a suitable marriage can be arranged. But after several years of handling her own affairs away from the aristocracy Daisy is determined to retain her independence.So when Viscountess Bostwick informs her she has a position in mind Daisy immediately pays a call on the new owner of Warwicks to apply. Poor Teddy Streater has no idea what hes in for when he hires the ex-spy to run the finishing school. He would prefer to court the comely lady who seems prim and proper but what woman wants to marry a man with only one arm? Perhaps he should be in search of a mistress. Trouble is he can only imagine Miss Albright in the role in The Conundrum of a Clerk.