CHAPTER
Twenty-Six
May I help you find something, Mr. Shaw?”
Douglas looked up from the filing cabinet he’d just pulled open to see Miss Waller standing in the doorway to the filing room. He had come into the office very early in order to peruse the files before anyone else arrived. In fact, he’d done this for the past several mornings. Today the time must have gotten past him. He’d been through half a dozen drawers already. The saying about a needle and a haystack came readily to mind.
He paused before answering Miss Waller’s question. She’d been friendly with Alice and was devastated to see her go. But could Douglas trust her to keep what he was doing confidential?
At this point, he supposed he had no choice. “I was searching for Miss McNeil’s personal information. Her address and so on. I assume we have such a file?”
“Oh yes, sir!” Miss Waller said. “Is she going to be reinstated?”
She spoke with such hopefulness that it pained Douglas to give the answer. “I’m sorry to say there are no plans to do so at this time. However, I am doing my best to help her. I would like to speak to her, if possible. There were some questions raised about her last few days here that I’m trying to clear up.”
“You don’t know where she lives?” Miss Waller asked, surprised. Perhaps she had assumed a certain closeness between him and Alice, just as the others had.
“No. That’s why I’m here.” He pointed toward the cabinets. “Can you help me?”
“Certainly.” She went immediately to one of the cabinets and opened the bottom drawer. “That kind of information is kept here.”
It was one of the drawers Douglas hadn’t gotten to yet. He waited with mounting anticipation as she thumbed through the folders to locate what he needed. He’d spent three mornings searching this room, plus he’d gone every evening to the bookshop, just in case Alice should stop by. He’d even ridden the omnibus from work to The Angel on the off chance she might be aboard. That had been the most unlikely way to run into her, given that she no longer had the same work schedule, but he’d done it anyway. Now, at last, he might finally be getting somewhere.
Miss Waller worked her way to the back of the drawer, opening every folder along the way, before shaking her head. “I don’t understand. It’s not in here.”
“Are you sure?”
She closed the drawer and stood up. “I checked thoroughly. It should be there, but it’s gone. Someone must have taken it out.”
“Why would they do that?” But as soon as he asked the question, he thought he knew the answer. Someone wanted to keep that information concealed. “Do you by any chance remember any of the details that were in there? I assume you typed it up?”
She took a moment, thinking. “I believe we sent her offer letter to an address in Bloomsbury.”
Douglas shook his head. That couldn’t be right. If she lived in that part of London, she wouldn’t have been taking the omnibus all the way to Islington to get home. “Are you sure you’re not thinking of Islington?”
She snapped her fingers. “That’s right. After starting here, she moved to Islington. What was the name of that street? Something to do with water . . .”
She paused, clearly racking her brain, while Douglas waited on pins and needles.
“Ah! It was Waterford Terrace. Near the canal. Does that help?”
“It’s close enough.” Douglas prayed the street wasn’t too long. He’d have to spend time loitering there, hoping to see her, but it gave him a better chance than constantly visiting the bookshop had done. “And I’d appreciate it if you kept this conversation confidential, just between us.”
He searched his mind for some plausible reason for this, but it quickly became clear he didn’t need to.
She beamed at him. “If this is to help Alice, you can count on me.”
Alice had finally told Lucy about her situation. It had been more difficult to share this news with her than with her other friends, but she knew she couldn’t put it off any longer. She didn’t want Lucy to show up unannounced one day at Henley and Company to be told Alice no longer worked there.
Lucy had taken the news with surprising serenity, commiserating with Alice over the unfairness of how she’d been treated. She had insisted Alice come to tea the following day. “We can sort it out together,” Lucy had told her. Alice had agreed even though she thought there was little Lucy could do to help besides offering moral support.
When Alice arrived at Lucy’s home, the butler led her into the formal parlor instead of the more comfortable sitting room where she and Lucy usually spent their time. This room was much larger, and yet somehow it felt smaller, more stuffy. The heavy mahogany and horsehair furniture produced a stultifying effect. It admirably met its goal of being a magnificent display of affluence.
Lucy was seated on the horsehair sofa. To Alice’s surprise, Fred stood nearby, waiting to greet her.
The sight of him brought a sinking feeling to Alice’s stomach. “Fred! I thought you were still at sea.”
It was a terrible greeting, bordering on rude, but he didn’t seem to notice. He gave her a bow—something she’d never seen him do before—and approached her. “Our ship made port several days ago. I was not at liberty until we had entirely unloaded, but now, here I am. I could hardly wait to see you, but I asked Lucy to keep my arrival a surprise.”
He and Lucy smiled at each other. Alice knew she was in trouble. “Usually you can’t wait to see me leave,” she joked.
Lucy stood up. “I’ll see about getting us some tea.”
She left the room so quickly that Alice didn’t have time to point out that the butler’s call button was within easy reach. Lucy closed the door behind her, leaving Alice alone with Fred.
He motioned toward the couch. “Would you like to take a seat? Make yourself comfortable?”
“Thank you.” But she slipped into a nearby chair instead of the sofa. It seemed safer.
Undeterred, Fred pulled a second chair forward so that it was inches from hers. “I thought about you ever so much while I was at sea.”
Alice’s throat went dry. “Did you?”
“We’ve known each other for such a long time, haven’t we?”
“I see you are familiar with the use of calendars.” Why was she being so rude? It had to be some kind of horrible defense mechanism.
Today, Fred seemed inclined to overlook her remarks. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slender black box about three inches square. “Because we’re such good friends, I brought you something from India.” He extended the box. “Go on,” he encouraged, when she didn’t reach for it.
Alice dreaded to think what might be in it. What if he gave her something expensive? That would signify they had an understanding that went beyond friendship. “You’re very kind, Fred, but I don’t think I could accept—”
He pressed the box into her hand. “You’ll like it, I’m sure. I got one for Lucy, too.”
That sounded encouraging. Maybe it was simply a gift between friends, as he’d said. Hesitantly, she lifted the lid. Lying on a bed of cotton wool was a silver brooch shaped like an elephant.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Fred said proudly.
“Yes,” said Alice. “It’s very pretty.” She lifted it out of the box to inspect it and was relieved to see it was not actually made of silver but some cheaper metal. Fred had probably bought it in a bazaar where they were sold by the dozens. She was impressed he’d come up with such an interesting and thoughtful gift. She was still concerned about accepting it, but there seemed no valid reason to refuse. “Thank you.”
He looked pleased. “I’m glad you like it. Isn’t it good that we made up from that silly grudge we held against each other all those years?”
Alice had never held the grudge, but she would be the worst sort of ingrate to point that out right now.
“It occurred to me that you are quite a reasonable and self-sufficient lady,” Fred went on. “And so
mewhat good-looking to boot.”
Just when Alice was beginning to think she’d misjudged him, he came up with a comment that proved she’d been correct all along. Placing the brooch back in the box, she gave a little smirk. “Thank you. I think.”
“You have quite the sense of humor, too!” He nodded, smiling. “You know my sister has been going on about me getting married for some time now.”
Alice gulped. He was going there after all. “I didn’t realize.”
“Well, she has.” He nodded solemnly. “I’m five years older than she is, although I don’t look it.” His hand went to that dimple in his cheek. Alice couldn’t decide if the movement was intended to recall their conversation about it or if it had been done unconsciously. “There I was on that ship, standing at the railing and staring out over the wide blue sea. And it hit me, just like that, out of the blue. You would be the perfect wife for me!”
“Is that because of my sense of humor, or because I am somewhat good-looking?”
“All of it!” he answered with a laugh, not catching the sarcasm. “I’m away at sea a lot, you know. Gone for months at a time. But I make good money. My portion of the ship’s take is very good. But I explained all that in my letter to you, didn’t I? You didn’t take offense at my writing?”
“Yes—I mean, no.” It was hard to keep up with his questions when her mind was scrambling for a way out of this with everyone’s sensibilities intact.
He beamed. “I’ve loads of money in the bank, mostly because I live simply, staying in a boardinghouse or here with my sister.”
“And you are looking for someone to help you spend all that money?”
“I wouldn’t mind having a home of my own. But I need someone who can steward it wisely and take care of herself while I am away. It can’t be a clingy, dependent sort of person.”
He was looking at her expectantly, as though he’d asked her a question. She had no doubt that one was coming, but she wasn’t going to hurry it along.
“Don’t you see, Alice?” He reached out and took her hands. His were big, beefy, and calloused. “I don’t have much experience when it comes to courting ladies. But I’ll tell you this—I am nothing if not honest. And isn’t that better than them silver-tongued fellows? They can lie to you as easy as slipping on an icy pond.”
“Don’t I know it,” Alice murmured. The words slipped out before she could stop them. She took a sharp intake of breath and closed her mouth firmly, worried that Fred might ask for more details. His sister certainly would have asked.
Fred, however, didn’t seem to notice. He merely said, “Dear Alice, won’t you marry me and make me the happiest of men?”
Alice suspected those last words were recited from a book. Or perhaps Lucy had coached him on what to say. And yet she felt that Fred was sincere. His hands were clammy around hers. She tried to find some way to let him down gently.
“This seems rather sudden,” she said as she carefully extracted her fingers from his. “Although it’s true that we’ve known each other a long time, we haven’t spent a lot of time together. Not in that way—that is to say, not courting. There really is a lot we don’t know about each other.”
“Pshaw. Plenty of people get married knowing each other less than we do.”
“I suppose you’ve discussed this with Lucy—your idea about marrying me, I mean?” But Alice knew the answer already. That was why Lucy had left the room so quickly and why she was gone far longer than it took to call for tea. She had set the stage for the proposal and was giving them time to make the most of it.
“Lucy and I had a long chat about it,” Fred confirmed. “She’s concerned about you, you see. What with you being out of work and all, and how you might never find decent employment again.”
“Lucy is greatly exaggerating the situation. I’m not—”
“Oh, I know you did nothing wrong,” Fred interrupted. “You were unjustly treated. The world can be a cruel place sometimes. Lord knows I’ve had it happen to me. For years I’ve had overseers who underestimated my abilities. That just meant I had to work extra hard for promotion. But I’m not bitter about it.”
“I’m glad you took the high road.” At this point, Alice was saying anything to stall for time.
“When I told Lucy I’d been thinking about marrying you, we agreed the timing is perfect. It’s as though it were meant to be.”
Fred was talking as though Alice had already accepted him and they had only to set a date for the happy event. “Wait—stop!” she exclaimed. “I don’t want to marry anyone. I’m happy as I am.”
He looked confused for a moment, but then he rallied. “Lucy says you’re worried because you see other husbands telling their wives all the things they can and cannot do. But I assure you, I’m not like that. As I said, I will be away a lot, and you’ll be in charge of the house and the day-to-day details of running it. I suppose we might go over the household books whenever I’m home, just to be sure we are in agreement. But I have every confidence in you.” He was like a bulldog, never giving up once he’d set his mind to something.
“That’s very kind, and I appreciate your high appraisal of me. But I must tell you honestly that I cannot give you an answer just yet. I will have to think it over.”
Rose had warned her to be prepared for Fred’s proposal. This was the only plan Alice could come up with—to stall for time until she could find a way to change his mind. Given the way Fred had proven he could hold grudges, Alice was worried that a flat refusal might send him back to hating her. In addition, memories of what had happened when she’d pushed Archie the wrong way plagued her. What if something similar happened with Fred?
It wasn’t such an outlandish idea. Even now he was staring at her, his brows drawn together, mouth turned down into something between a frown and a scowl, unable to believe she hadn’t immediately accepted him.
Oh, what a mess her life had become because of that book!
Alice jumped when the door to the parlor opened suddenly and Lucy came breezing in. “How are you two getting along? Is everything settled?”
Douglas walked up the hill toward the area of the park where he knew he’d find Miss Rolland. He would have preferred to be anywhere but here—especially now that he had a way to locate Alice. He was desperate to see her again. But he had an appointment with Miss Rolland today, and he knew he had to keep it.
This meeting was not going to turn out as the lady was probably expecting. Douglas knew with clarity what he had to do. Throwing away a prime opportunity to advance himself financially and socially was not something he’d ever thought he’d allow to happen, yet here he was. This decision was the culmination of many things—not the least of which had been Alice’s challenge to his honor.
Miss Rolland stood near the butterfly bushes, but she did not seem to be actively stalking the creatures. She was listlessly chatting with her chaperone. Her entire demeanor changed when she caught sight of Douglas. She set aside her net and ran toward him, her face alight with pleasure.
Worried she’d try to throw her arms around him or something equally ill-advised, Douglas took a step backward. She took her cue from his movement, stopping short about a foot away from him. But she was still smiling as she said breathlessly, “I’m so glad you’ve come.”
“Yes, well, I said I would.”
She poked him playfully in the chest. “And do you always keep your promises, Mr. Shaw?”
Douglas felt a stab of panic. Had he promised her anything—whether overtly or implied—about the future of their relationship? If so, he’d be honor bound to keep that promise. He quickly raked through his memories but thought he was in the clear.
“Come now, that shouldn’t be such a difficult question to answer,” Miss Rolland said, crossing her arms as she pretended to chide him.
He’d better get it out quickly. “Miss Rolland, I’ve something important to discuss with you.” Before she got the wrong idea, he added hurriedly, “I fear this may be a difficult co
nversation. Perhaps we might sit down?” He pointed toward a nearby bench.
“All right,” she murmured, displeasure creeping into her voice. Maybe her women’s intuition gave her some sense of what was coming.
Douglas was aware that they were still under the watchful eye of her chaperone thirty yards off. He hoped Miss Rolland wasn’t the sort to make a fuss if things didn’t go her way, for he had no doubt she’d been expecting a proposal of marriage. Some part of him still couldn’t believe he was throwing away this opportunity. But the rest of him could think only of Alice. She had ruined him for anyone else.
“What’s on your mind, Mr. Shaw?”
“Miss Rolland, I’d like you to know how much I’ve enjoyed spending time with you.”
She turned eagerly toward him. “Those feelings are returned, I assure you.”
“However, the thing is, I think it would be best if we stopped seeing each other. In this sort of setting, I mean.” He gestured to the park around them, including their private meeting—the distant chaperone notwithstanding.
“It’s kind of you to worry about my reputation, but I’m sure you’re being overly concerned.” She leaned in closer and laid a hand on his arm. “Perhaps you might discuss the matter with my father?”
He tried to move away without being too obvious about it. “Miss Rolland, you are a charming young lady. Any man would be lucky to be the recipient of your affection.”
Catching the way he was distancing himself with the phrasing of this compliment, Miss Rolland frowned. “Is there someone else? Is that what this is about?”
“No!” His reply was vehement, but he knew it wasn’t true.
The look in her eyes said Miss Rolland knew it, too. She stiffened and pulled back of her own accord. “You may think me a foolish girl, but I know what’s at stake here. I know your employer and my father are working on an important business deal. Is that still true?”
Line by Line Page 27