Miss Huntington smiled, brought two of her fingers to her lips and produced a high-pitched, very loud whistle that threatened to burst Johnathan’s eardrums.
“Whatever are you doing?” he shouted as he covered his ears with his hands. “Behave like a lady, this instance!”
Within only a few seconds, six men his age or younger with arms as big as logs and chests as wide as barrels approached and stood in a circle around the pair with their arms across their chest.
“Everything all right, Mrs. McMalley?” one of the men asked before giving Johnathan a glare. Though Johnathan was not afraid of any man, he was certain he would never have a chance against six men.
“Gentlemen,” Alice said in a loud, firm voice, “I would you like to meet a dear friend of mine, Lord Johnathan Blackmoore, Earl of Lidenburg.”
The men bowed with a quick, “My Lord” added to their movement. Johnathan had never seen men such as these act with such civility in the way these men did.
“I was just explaining to Lord Blackmoore how safe St. Mawes is,” Alice continued, “and how, with a simple whistle, gentlemen would come to save me from any harm.”
Johnathan glanced around the circle of sailors. “Gentlemen?” he asked incredulously.
One of the men stepped forward, his arm muscles flexing as he stared down at Johnathan from a great height. “That’s right. Gentlemen. Mrs. McMalley has deemed us gentlemen, and that we are. Ain’t that right, gentlemen?” He gave Miss Huntington a quick glance and then quickly said, “Isn’t that right?”
Johnathan looked at Miss Huntington, and another emotion was beginning to replace his anger. Respect. This woman was no fool. She had made certain she had strong men at her beck and call, and rather than them fawning over her as most men such as themselves did, they held her in high regard.
“Gentlemen, I believe Lord Blackmoore and I have much to discuss,” Miss Huntington said. “Thank you for your time.” She raised a single eyebrow at Johnathan, and for the first time, he realized she was not wearing her eyeglasses. As a matter of fact, she looked very little like the severe, yet clumsy, spinster he knew back in Exeter. Now, she was a proud and beautiful woman who knew how to get what she needed.
“I suppose we do,” he replied with a vague sensation of admiration.
***
Johnathan glanced over at Miss Huntington, who stood proudly with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. The green gown she wore hung over her body in such a way that he found it difficult to maintain his focus on the task at hand. He had to convince her to marry him, and soon. He had close to a month’s time to return her to her father’s home or the deal he needed so desperately would be gone. An hour had passed and he still had not convinced the woman to return with him. In all regards, he could simply throw her over his shoulder and carry her home as he had told her, but that would most definitely dissuade her from marrying him. Plus, if he attempted to try something so bold, he feared he would end up at the bottom of the sea when the ‘gentlemen’ caught up with him.
“I do have an estate here in Cornwall,” he said. “We can marry and live here during the summer, and then you can attend to your shop. Then we can be in London for the Season, if you enjoy such times. If not, we can winter at my home in Exeter.” Something in her eyes flickered, yet he was unsure what had piqued her interest. Was it the thought of attending a London Season, for he was certain she had little opportunity to attend, as she was not a member of the ton. Or had it been the mention of the shop?
It was then that he realized he had missed the most obvious manner in which he could gain her interest, and it had been in front of him the entire time. He walked over to the table where she had set out some fabrics and ribbons. “These are very nice,” he said as he ran his hand over a bolt of yellow muslin. “How much did you pay for it?” When she told him the price, he shook his head. “Not a bad price, but not a good one either. This particular fabric can be purchased for much cheaper…if you know the right people. If you pay less for your materials, you can make an even better profit for the items you produce.”
“I am quite aware of how profits work,” she snapped.
“Then you will understand that if you had found this same fabric somewhere else, you could have purchased it for ten-percent less.”
She nibbled at her lip. “But I…”
“I assume you will want to hire help,” he continued as he walked around the room as if she had not spoken. “Of course, making them stay on during the winter months when most people of means are in London will be a chore in itself. You have budgeted to make sure you can survive during the winter months, correct?” When she did not reply, he said, “No, of course, you have not. You came here with a sum of money believing it could buy what you need. However, you have no clue the basic rules of running a business. How is it you believe you can be successful as a milliner?”
“And I take it that you know how to be a successful milliner?” she said with a bit of venomousness that somehow Johnathan found attractive.
He hid a smile. “Of course I do,” he replied. “Jane…” He closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. “A woman I knew had a similar business and I helped her secure the best connections to make her business successful. From what I understand so far, you will be out of money before you have been open three months.” He returned to the fabrics on the counter, making certain his back was to her. “Unless you marry me, that is.”
The cloth in his hand was soft and he found himself moving it between his fingers to give his hands something to do as she considered his words. What he had told her was no lie; she would indeed be bankrupt within three months, although she might be able to last to four. She might know a bit about running a business, but she lacked the training and education to run one on her own.
“You have a house here?” she asked in a choked voice.
He turned and was surprised to see tears streaming down her face. His intent had not been to upset her to the point of tears, and he regretted causing her pain. However, it was also imperative she hear the truth. If he gained what he needed in the process, better for them both.
“I do,” he replied. “As I said, we can summer here. You can keep run your shop yourself with the help of one or two assistants while I conduct business here. Then you can have someone take over for you in the winter when we are in London or Exeter.” He walked over to her, reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. “I may not be what you wanted in a husband, and I may not be this Thomas who seems to have your heart, but I will honor my word. I will help you barter for your products to get the best prices possible. I can also help you find seamstresses who are trustworthy and willing to work only part of the year, or if needed, work fewer hours in the winter while you are here. Plus, I can help you ready the shop to open for business before we return to Exeter.”
She dabbed at her reddened eyes and ran the handkerchief under her nose. “I want to believe what you say is true, but I find it difficult. Your womanizing ways…I worry you will marry me, bed me and then go back on your word once I produce an heir.”
He sighed. “Your concerns are valid, if you believe all the rumors you have heard.” He chuckled. “Although, many of them are true. However, there are some things in one’s life which should stay…let’s say, concealed.” He marveled at how her eyes lit up when he said these words. What secrets was she hiding? “What can I do to convince you? How can I earn your trust?”
“How long do you believe it would take to get this shop operational?” she asked, her face now showing deep consideration.
He made a few calculations in his head as his eyes scanned what she had so far. “Assuming we can purchase most of the materials you will need here in the immediate area for you to produce several samples before you open and we are able to ready at least the front of the shop for customers to enter, I imagine we could be ready in approximately a month’s time. Why do you ask?”
“Help me ready the shop, and when I
have opened the doors for business and have enlisted the aid of at least one woman to help, I give you my word—I will marry you. No running away, no arguments, I will be your wife.”
Tears were once again running down the woman’s face, and Johnathan felt his stomach tighten. Before him stood a different woman than the one he had come to know in Exeter. This woman was bright, beautiful, and driven, and for reasons he did not understand, and going against everything in which he believed, he found himself nodding in agreement.
“I agree with those terms,” he replied. Somehow, the elation he had expected did not come, at least not in the way he had expected. For beneath the pleasure of finally being able to close the deal he had made with her father lay something else. Something he had not felt in a very long time. And it almost made him run away in terror.
Chapter Fourteen
Alice sat at the small kitchen table in the tiny flat at the back of the shop holding a cup of tea in her hands. It was early morning and the sun was just breaking over the horizon. She had not slept well the previous night, as the conversation she had with Lord Blackmoore replayed over and over in her head. She had finally submitted, agreeing to marry him as long as he held up his end of the bargain. There was no doubt she would hold up hers, though it pained her terribly.
During their talk, she came to realize a few things. Though she was confident and independent, she knew little of business, a strong point Johnathan had pointed out. What she had garnered during her late-night trips to her father’s study were simply not enough. It was one thing to live her life as a spinster under the care and protection of her father, yet it was another living that life on her own. The fact was, as much as it hurt her, she would not survive without accepting Lord Blackmoore’s arrangement.
However, there were more reasons for agreeing to marry him that went beyond her business, for deep down, beyond all her bragging and talks of foolishness about women who chose marriage, she longed for it. It had always been something she wanted with Thomas, but life was cruel and she knew deep down, though she did not wish to admit it, he was not coming back for her.
When Lord Blackmoore had handed her his handkerchief, she recognized something in his eyes that she had found even more disconcerting. Kindness. It was the same kindness Thomas had, a gentle soul that did not enjoy seeing anyone hurting and certainly not something she had expected to see in one Lord Johnathan Blackmoore. However, it was often said that a person’s soul could be seen through their eyes, and Alice could not mistake what she had seen nor what he had portrayed by offering her the cloth. Though he was a rogue to the outside world, deep down the man had a heart. Not only had she seen it, even though for a brief moment, she felt it, and the idea both excited and bothered her.
Sighing, she took the last sip of her tea and then stood, taking the cup and setting it in the tiny sink. Lord Blackmoore had agreed to meet her in front of the shop just after sunrise, promising to show her the ways of running a business, so she headed to the storefront and smiled, just as she did every day, at what was to be her own millinery. Though it was a mess at the moment, one day it would be full of customers, and when that day came, she would truly be happy.
A tap came to the door, and she turned and smiled. Lord Blackmoore stood staring through the window and when he saw her, he waved and she went to open the door for him. He looked dapper in a crisp brown coat, tan trousers and blue ruffled shirt.
“How did you manage to get new clothes?” she asked, as he stepped through the doorway. She closed the door and turned, surprised at the dark circles under his eyes and the deepened lines on his face.
“I have a house near here. Did you forget?”
She laughed and nodded. “I did. You look tired. Would you like a cup of tea?”
He took out his pocket watch. “Are you going to make me a cup?” he asked, his eyes narrowed and his voice suspicious.
“Yes,” she replied haughtily. “I decided that, if I poison you now, it will save me from having to do it later.” She gave him a smile as she walked past him toward her living quarters. The kettle was still hot, so she prepared the tea and as he took a seat at the table.
“I would like to go over a few rules for the day,” the Earl said in a firm voice, which seemed more like the old Lord Blackmoore she knew.
Alice set a cup and saucer in front of him and debated whether she should pour the tea into the cup or onto his head. However, she finally settled on simply pouring them both a cup and reserving such actions to another time. She had to pick her battles.
“Very well. What are these ‘rules’?”
“For however long it takes, I will be discussing matters of business and showing you what you need to know to make this,” —he said, his hand waving behind him— “successful. In order for this to be accomplished, you will need to remain quiet while I am discussing whatever agreements with others. Once we return to the shop, or out of earshot of anyone who is significant to the business, then you may ask any questions you might have about what had transpired during that interaction.”
Alice bit at her lip. How dare he treat her as if she had not a single wit about her? A typical man was Lord Blackmoore, that much was certain. However, he had said the previous day that she must follow his rules or he would withdraw his offer. If he did that, the chances of her ending up on the street or returning to Glassberry Estate in shame were great.
“I will remain quiet.”
“Good. You will find that listening to what others say around you will help you in life.”
Alice was taken aback. “And how is it you know that I do not listen to others around me?” she asked. He glared at her and she added, “Fine, I will be quiet.”
“Thank you. Now, first, we need to discuss what you will need to open the shop. Just the basics to begin with, as I doubt very highly we will be able to find much here in Cornwall. Later we will be able to travel to Exeter and London to get better fabrics and such, but, as for now, we will focus on what we can purchase here.”
As Alice listened to the man’s ramblings, at first she felt his voice sounded harsh, and she wondered where the kindness of which she had glimpsed had gone. She had to trust that what he was teaching her was indeed helping her and not a way to control her. For that was one of the reasons she had asked him to wait to marry. Time with him working together would be a great indicator of what life would be married to him.
***
Alice followed Lord Blackmoore across the road and to the beach. The sun shone high in the sky, and a few billows of clouds kept it from becoming uncomfortably hot. Having finished their tea, she had listened to the man ramble on for what seemed hours until she finally asked if they might take a break.
The Earl gave a heavy sigh but conceded when she explained that she needed a chance to consider what he had already told her.
Once they reached the sandy part of the beach, Alice had expected the man to stop. However, he continued his trek through the sand without as much as even a glance back at her. She looked down at her slippers. Surely, he did not expect her to follow.
“Lord Blackmoore, what are we doing here?” she asked as she walked awkwardly over the sandy mounds. Then one of them got the best of her and she let out a small cry. She would have fallen had the man not grabbed her arm to steady her. Although the misstep had embarrassed her, she knew the heat in her face came more from the fact that he had a firm hold on her elbow and his other arm around her waist. “Thank you,” she said breathlessly.
When they had walked for a few more minutes, Alice’s frustration grew. Her slippers were now filled with sand, and she was finding it difficult to keep up with his long strides.
“My Lord?” she said finally when she had had enough of their traipsing.
The Earl stopped and turned. “If we are to be married, let us use our Christian names,” he said. “If you…that is, if we decide to not complete this agreement, then we can return to a more formal style of address.”
“Very well
,” Alice replied. “I will address you as Johnathan.” The name tumbled from her lips as a jagged rock on an equally rocky slope, but it did seem better than ‘My Lord’ or ‘Lord Blackmoore’.
“And you are Alice,” he said with a smile. “So, Alice, we have not far to go. Just indulge me for a few more moments, if you will.”
Alice sighed as she attempted to shake the sand from her shoes but followed him nonetheless.
Just when Alice wondered if he was leading them into the ocean itself, he stopped and held up a single hand, signaling her to stop.
How dare he treat her like an animal. “I am not a dog,” she snapped. “You can speak to me.”
“Listen and watch,” he said in a low voice.
She held back the sigh that attempted to escape her lips and nodded her head. If he wished her to listen to the waves, she would. And she did. The water rose and ebbed, crested and fell until they rolled across the beach where they thinned and then disappeared back to the ocean once again. Water crashing against the rocks at the end of the beach mesmerized her, and she soon closed her eyes and reveled in the sounds and smells around her. It was almost rhythmic, the melody the ocean created, and the scent was salty.
“Life is like business,” he said as he stared off in the distance, breaking her from the captivity the experience had caused her.
“Is it?” she asked.
He nodded. “These waves carry your customers.”
Alice let out a small laugh. What nonsense this man spoke. “I am sorry,” she said when he turned to look at her. “I am trying to understand, but I’m finding your analogy difficult.”
“Look,” he said, pointing out to the water.
Alice did as he bade. A seagull swooped down just as a wave crested, dipped its bill in the water and flew away with a fish in its beak. “Those who wish to purchase your hats will come to your shop, much like the fish in those waves.”
The Spinsters Secret Page 11