Nothing But Time by Angeline Fortin

diseases.”
    “Such as?” he recovered enough to ask.
    “ Well , our main project is in looking for a cure for Cryptococcal Meningitis ,” she told him.  “Have you heard of it? ”  Harrowby managed a slight shake of his head.   “ No?  Well, let’s just say it’s a really bad fungal disease that k ills a lot of people every year. ”
    “Oh.”  Harrowby didn’t even know what to make of her explanation , her tone had changed to that of an adult simplifying the matter for a child .  Perhaps, in that moment, he was a simpleton .  While she had clearly sounded confident and well-informed on her topic, she had spoken of things he had never heard of before.  But if she were fabricating it all, she was proving herself to be an excellent actress.  There was nothing for it, he supposed, but to take her word for it. 
    Clearly , it was a field that one would be hard put to find active employment in.  There was truth in that if in nothing else.
    “Sorry,” she offered at length.  “I didn’t mean to blow your mind or anything.  I t’s just that I felt really good about what I was doing , you know?  I was actively helping people a nd I miss it already.  Haven’t you ever done something you were really passionate about?”
    He did, but the earl didn’t answer with such an admission .  His passions were his own.  To the world, he was noble.  That was his duty now.  His responsibility.  The business of running the earldom was new to him and he was still taki ng instruction from the steward s of his many properties .  He studied the account books and ledgers to catch up on all that it entailed, but before that , to the world at large, he’d been a gentleman of leisure .  W hile ten minutes ago he would have admitted as much without embarrassment – for truly, it was what most young men of his station did – he realized that he didn’t want to confess as much to this woman who, it seemed, worked passionately for an admirable cause.  “I studied land and business management at Oxford once it was determined that I would inherit the earldom.  It is a huge responsibility.”
    “I’m sure it is,” she readily agreed without condescension.  “I would imagine just lo oking at everyone you employ in this one house that a great many people rely on you for their livelihood and I’ve heard that this is only one of many houses that you own.”
    Feeling bolstered by her sincere appreciation for his responsibility, Harrowby nodded.  “The earldom owns a lmost a dozen estates across Great Britain , many with farms or herds or production facilities attached to them.  There is the coal mine in Liverpool, a shi pyard near Portsmouth and an arms manufacturing plant as well as investments in the railroads and banking.”
    Kate nodded with sincere appreciation.  “ Wow.  I mpressive.  It must keep you very busy.”
    “It does,” he agreed , then from nowhere felt compelled for the first time in his life to add, “Sometimes I hate it.”  It was an admission that he’d barely acknowledged to himself and he was s hock ed to hear the words aloud , especially given the company he was in, b ut it was th e truth.  This new responsibility had taken from him the time to indulge in the one thing he did truly care about.  At times, he resented it.
    Harrowby stole a glance at Kate expecting her disdain for his confession but to his further s urprise found her nodding along sympathetically.
    “I bet you do.  Who wouldn’t?” she said matter-of-factly.  “It’s a pretty major inheritance you got there . It would b e like Warren Buffet finding a long-lost son a nd handing it all over to him saying , ‘ H ere you go, deal with it’.  You take it serio usly though and that’s good.  Good for you and g ood for everyone who’s out there working for you and praying you don’t fuck it up.  Oops, sorry for the potty mouth,” she added when his jaw dropped in astonishment. “Didn’t mean that…how