“I will accompany you,” Grandmother said. “That way, Caroline can rest now that she is increasing again.”
Caroline’s mouth gaped and her eyes grew round. Obviously, she hadn’t told Grandmother she was with child. “You know?”
Grandmother squared her shoulders. “Dear girl, you’ve been looking nauseated for weeks. I’m sure everyone knows.”
“She looks lovely.” James leaned over and kissed Caroline’s cheek.
“None of that at the table. I’m trying to eat.” Georgie scrunched up his face. “It’s yucky.”
James grinned. “One day, young man, you won’t think so.”
Her youngest brother scrunched up his face further.
Caroline and James could have lain on the table naked for all Nina cared. She was still absorbing the fact Grandmother would be accompanying her, along with the knowledge she might see Elliot.
The butler stepped into the room and cleared his throat.
“What is it, Menders?” James asked.
“A messenger just delivered a note for Lady Huntington.”
“Thank you.” Caroline held out her hand and opened it.
“What is the matter, darling?” James asked.
“Yesterday, at the newspaper, Mr. Finch informed me he will be retiring to the Lake District at the end of next month. I guess he was not sure whether I would be in the office today. This is his official notice stating he intends to resign.”
Grandmother set her fork down and wiped her mouth. “Mr. Finch?”
“He is the illustrator at my newspaper.”
“The one who does those political caricatures?” Grandmother’s mouth twisted in distaste.
“Yes.” Caroline smiled. “Aren’t they fabulous?”
“Pish. Radical, I say. Good riddance to bad rubbish.”
Caroline flicked Grandmother a reproachful look. “I need to hire someone else. Mr. Finch is beyond extraordinary. It will be difficult to find a replacement.”
Nina took a bite of egg. She’d done a few caricatures, but she’d never shown them to anyone in her family. Perhaps she would apply for the position. Working at the newspaper would be her small way of contributing to the suffragist’s movement. And a job would distract her from thoughts of Elliot.
She glanced at James. He still had his hand over Caroline’s as they chatted. What would he say if Caroline hired her? Though he was more open-minded than most, perhaps it was best not to say anything. She would just go to the London Reformer and apply for the job.
Before noon, Nina strode down the stairs. In the entry hall, the sound of Grandmother’s cane thumping against the floor drifted closer.
Blast it. Hoping to avoid one of the old woman’s inquisitions, Nina dashed toward the front door. She’d just wrapped her fingers about the handle when the dowager stepped into the entrance.
“Where are you off to?” the matriarch asked, her tone sharp.
Nina’s shoulders sagged, all hope of avoiding an interrogation gone. Grandmother was like a prized guard dog. “I’m going to see Caroline at her office.”
“You’re going to the London Reformer? What for?”
Think fast, Nina. Think fast. “I’m to meet Caroline, so we can go out for tea and refreshments.”
“Perhaps I should accompany you.”
Goodness. A rare event when Grandmother accompanied them for tea. She probably wished to talk about the Duke of Fernbridge again. Worse, she’d not approve of what Nina wished to ask Caroline. “Then, afterward, we are going to Liberty to look at fabric.”
“Liberty? I hope you aren’t going there to buy some god-awful fabric to make a dress like Lady Westfield did. Those rational gowns she wears are hideous. I cannot understand how her husband allows her to socialize wearing such garments.”
Husband allows? For a woman who’d favored herself her own husband’s backbone, and who wanted to decide what everyone else should do, her grandmother had set ideas when it came to a husband’s rights. “Her husband should not control what she wears. Lady Westfield’s Pre-Raphaelite garments are quite becoming on her.”
“Bah! They are an abomination to good taste. Next, women will be going about without their corsets.”
Nina didn’t have the heart to tell Grandmother some women already were. She might suffer apoplexy if she learned that.
Grandmother continued to stare at Nina as if still undecided about whether she should accompany her.
“After Liberty, we are going to Harrods.”
“That monstrosity?” Grandmother frowned. She hated large department stores. “I don’t think I’ll go.” She waved her hand as if Nina were a pesky fly flittering in her face. “Go off then.”
Releasing a relieved sigh, Nina stepped outside as Dawson pulled up to the front of the town house with the family’s carriage.
The coachman jumped down from his perch and opened the door for her.
“Thank you, Dawson.”
As soon as they pulled away from the town house, Nina unbuttoned her blouse and slipped out the sheets of paper she’d hidden with her caricatures. She laid them on the cushion and ran her hand over them, hoping to remove some of the wrinkles.
The clopping of the horses’ hooves slowed as the carriage pulled up to the brick façade of the London Reformer on Bishopsgate.
“Whoa, boys,” the coachman called out.
Nina stared at the building. She nibbled on her lower lip and brushed her damp palms on the skirt of her dress. She wasn’t sure what her sister-in-law would say to her proposition. Without waiting for Dawson to open the door, she stepped out of the carriage and marched inside the building before she could change her mind.
The strong smell of ink from the printing presses tickled her nose. To the left of the entrance, the sound of the machinery churning out the newspaper resonated in the air, along with several men’s loud voices.
Nina stepped into the offices on the right of the wide corridor.
The copy editor, Mr. Day, glanced up. The man’s fingers were always covered with smudges of ink, as was his nose.
Seeing her, he stood. “Lady Nina, how are you?”
“Well, and yourself, Mr. Day?”
“Splendid.” He peered over his shoulder to where Caroline sat in her office, which was visible through a window in the wall. “Is she expecting you?”
“No, but I hope she won’t mind me visiting.” Nina skirted around the man’s desk and knocked on the door.
Without looking up, Caroline said, “Yes, come in.”
“Hello, Caroline.”
Her sister-in-law smiled. “Why, Nina dear, what brings you here?”
“These.” Nina placed the somewhat wrinkled sheets of paper on the desk.
“What is this?” Caroline picked them up.
Nina didn’t respond, just waited for Caroline’s reaction.
Her sister-in-law looked at one sheet of paper, then the next. Her initial unreadable mien shifted to a broad grin.
“Did you do these?” Caroline lifted the drawings in the air.
“I did.”
“My goodness, I knew you possessed an artistic inclination. Your sketches are lovely, but it takes a certain skill to do caricatures.”
“You think they are good?” Nina’s heart beat faster.
“Good? They are impressive.” Caroline stared at the one of Prime Minister Gladstone. “This is excellent.” She then looked at the last one again. Caroline’s green eyes glinted with mirth. “I don’t recall your grandmother possessing a hairy wart on her nose.”
“I added it after she agitated me one day.” Nina bit her lip to stop her laughter.
“Well, they are quite remarkable. Have you shown them to anyone else?”
“Just my friend Victoria.” Nina wiped her damp palms over the folds in her skirt. “Since Mr. Finch is retiring, I wondered . . .”
“Nina, are you applying for the position?”
“Yes, I hoped you would consider me.”
“Co
nsider you? Of course. I can do better than that, I can hire you.”
Had she heard correctly? She fought the urge to stick her finger in her ear and wiggle it. “Did you just say you would hire me?”
Caroline set the sketches down, walked around the desk, and took Nina’s hands in hers. “I would be a fool to pass up such talent.”
“But James? What will he say?”
“He might be startled. Especially if he sees your caricature of Grandmother with a hairy wart on her face, but let me talk to him. You must realize he supports women in the workforce. I am an editor of a newspaper.”
“Yes, but I thought he didn’t have much choice in the matter where you are concerned.”
“No, dearest. Perhaps his love for me had something to do with it, but his open-mindedness and progressive views are the real reason. I will discuss it with him tonight, but no matter his opinion on the subject, I will not withdraw my job offer.”
Feeling almost giddy, Nina kissed Caroline. “Thank you!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Unlike at breakfast, the whole family sat at the table during dinner. Nina glanced at Anthony, who looked rather wretched.
After Nina returned from the London Reformer, she’d passed James’s office, and overheard him railing at Anthony for spending his nights cavorting with members of the demimonde and gambling. The dissipation etched on Anthony’s face was troublesome to everyone.
Caroline, sitting across from her, nudged her foot under the table, drawing Nina from her thoughts. Her sister-in-law tipped her head toward James and mouthed the words, I’m going to tell him about your job.
Anxious to get this over with, Nina nodded.
“James, darling.” Caroline set her hand on his arm. “As you are aware, Mr. Finch is retiring, and I need to hire someone to fill his position.”
Nodding, James smiled and placed a piece of asparagus in his mouth.
“I do know an artist who is perfect for the position,” Caroline said.
“That’s wonderful, dear. You should hire him.”
“Oh, I’m so pleased we are in accord because I have.”
“Wonderful. What’s his name?” James forked another piece of asparagus.
“It’s not a man. As you know, I prefer to hire women when I find one suitable for the job. My newest reporter, Ginger Templeton, is exceptional.”
Grandmother, sitting across the long expanse of the table across from James, grumbled. “That is all your radical newspaper needs. Another suffragist with farfetched ideas.”
Nina peered at the older woman. “I’ve never understood why a woman such as yourself has not joined the suffragists.”
Grandmother turned her steely gray eyes on Nina. “Such as myself?”
“Yes. You’ve always believed women intellectually equal, yet you continue to disparage the movement.”
“I cannot understand this effort because it will never happen. The House of Lords and Parliament will always be a place for men. I have always preferred to influence men of power in private conversation.”
“Well, I believe change will not happen unless women demand that it does.” Nina’s own vehemence shocked her. She’d never thought much about politics and the suffragist movement, but she was starting to understand Caroline’s passion, especially after the fiasco down at Hyde Park. “Why shouldn’t women have license over their own lives? They should be equals in the workforce and in the eyes of the law. They should be able to help make the laws they must live under.”
Grandmother snapped her gaping mouth closed and offered Nina a hard stare. “What do you think? That one day a woman will be prime minister?”
“Yes,” both Nina and Caroline said in unison.
“Pish, what a fanciful thought. You do not understand. The way for women to change the world is by marrying powerful men and influencing them.” Grandmother placed a piece of seasoned potato in her mouth.
Nina set her fork down and held Grandmother’s regard. “Why should that be our only option?”
“Because it is the only one we presently have.”
Caroline shook her head. “James believes it is only a matter of time until that changes, right, darling?”
“I do.”
For a minute, Nina marveled at how Caroline had gotten James to say exactly what she wanted him to say. Words that would make it nearly impossible for him to say anything negative about Nina’s new position.
“Even though I’m not quite sure what you are talking about,” Georgie said, “if James believes it, so do I.”
Caroline’s regard shifted to Anthony, who seemed unaware that a heated discussion raged on at the table. “Anthony, I’m curious about your views on this.”
“If you believe it will happen, Caroline, I’m sure it will.” As usual, Anthony proved that even though he appeared to not be paying attention, he had heard everything they’d discussed.
Grandmother flashed a look that revealed she thought them fools.
James was more open-minded than most, but one never knew how he would react to the idea that not only his wife, but his sister would be working for the London Reformer. However, the gleam in Caroline’s eyes clearly stated she thought she had set this discussion up so perfectly that only Grandmother could balk at her decision to hire Nina.
Her sister-in-law turned to James. “So, as I was saying, darling. I’ve hired someone.”
“Wonderful, dear.” He sunk the tines of his fork into a glazed carrot.
“Yes, I’ve hired Nina to replace Mr. Finch when he retires.” Caroline put a piece of carrot in her mouth and smiled as she chewed.
Everyone’s gaze shifted from Caroline to Nina.
James’s fork stilled in midair. He looked too stunned to respond.
Grandmother slammed her palm down on the table, rattling several dishes. “No. Absolutely not. Bad enough one of you works there.”
Caroline squared her shoulders. “Grandmother, might I remind you that I own the London Reformer and can hire whomever I wish.”
Anthony grinned. “I say, jolly good job, Nina.”
The dowager narrowed her eyes at Anthony, then James. “This is all your fault, James. What man gives his wife a radical newspaper as a gift?”
“Might I remind you, Grandmother, this is not your decision,” James said.
“You’re going to allow it?” Her gray eyes turned to catlike slits.
“As my wife just said, it is her business. If Nina has applied for the position and Caroline has hired her, then the decision is between them.”
Grandmother stood up and pounded her cane against the floor. “What will the Duke of Fernbridge think of this?”
Nina blinked. Odd she’d not thought about the duke or his reaction. The only one she’d thought about was Elliot, and it hadn’t been about how he’d react, but how this position would distract her from the foolish longing she felt for him.
“Grandmother, the duke has made no commitment to me nor I to him, so his opinion on this is irrelevant. And it is something I wish to do!”
Grandmother shook her head and stormed out of the room, her cane thumping loudly against the wooden floor with each step she took.
“Thank you, James,” Nina said.
“No need to thank me. If you have taken the initiative, I commend you.”
“Nina, you will replace Mr. Finch when he retires. I am beyond thrilled to have you working for the London Reformer,” Caroline said.
Nervousness and excitement intertwined in her stomach. “I look forward to it.”
“You know Grandmother will be almost impossible to live with now,” Anthony grumbled as he cut a piece of fish.
Nina laughed. “Do you really believe she could get much worse?”
Georgie set his elbows on the table and cradled his jaw in his hands. “I hope not.”
* * *
Five enormous crystal chandeliers glistened above the wooden parquet flooring in Lord and Lady Fitzwilliam’s ballroom. Women in colorful g
owns and gentlemen in black evening attire conversed, sending laughter and the buzz of conversation into the massive space. Footmen wearing white gloves carried silver trays with sparkling glasses of champagne.
Nina glanced around as she descended the grand staircase with Caroline and James.
Thankfully, Grandmother, still irate over Nina’s upcoming position at the newspaper, had declined to accompany her.
Nina would have been content to stay home and avoid both Elliot and Fernbridge, but Caroline had insisted she felt well enough to attend.
As much as she fought against it, Nina couldn’t stop herself from searching for Elliot. His height made him easy to track down. He stood with several of his friends, including Lord Talbot. As usual, he looked his urbane self in his dark evening wear that clung to his broad shoulders.
The orchestra tuned up their instruments, and Elliot strode over to Lady Montgomery. The auburn-haired widow was only a few years older than him and quite lovely in both manner and beauty. They crossed the room to the dance floor.
Nina wanted to stride over to him and say yes to his marriage proposal, but her fear of making the biggest mistake of her life kept her away. She glanced at her brother. James would call her mad if she became betrothed to another cad. Her gaze followed Lady Montgomery and Elliot until she forced it away.
She noticed Fernbridge striding toward her.
He greeted her brother and Caroline before turning to her. “Lady Nina, how are you?”
“I’m well, Your Grace.” There was no fluttering of her heart. No tingling of her skin. She wished there was—but feared there never would be.
“I am pleased to see you are up and about.”
“Thank you for the roses.”
“You are most welcome.” He smiled. “I went to Tattersalls this week. I purchased a gray Lipizzaner horse.”
Was he implying he’d purchased it for her? The thought made her stomach squeeze as if bands of steel clamped around it. She forced a smile. “They are lovely animals.”
The Duke of Fernbridge began talking with James about the breed, and while the man conversed with her brother, Nina could not halt her gaze from scouring the dance floor for Elliot and Lady Montgomery.
The woman was smiling at Elliot as he spoke to her. Nina knew they were friends. She’d seen them dancing together last season. Odd that she would remember that. Or was it? She probably could name every woman he’d danced with.
Never Conspire with a Sinful Baron Page 17