Chapter Five #2
“Lady Belle drives a harder bargain than I. But I would be indebted to you if you came to Glasgow with me. We’re expecting a member of Parliament to visit in a few weeks, a Mr. Liddell, and I’ve fallen a bit behind in planning a ball that we’re holding in his honor.
Usually, I’ve had more time to plan, but with the arcade entering its final stages of being built, and Samuel not sleeping at the house these days, from being so overwhelmed, I fear—”
“Yes. I accept.”
Both women stared at her.
“You will?” Mrs. Milton asked. “Oh! How wonderful. I’m so relieved.”
“But I should like to bring my sister with me, if I may.”
“Of course.”
“You may have your work cut out for you,” Lady Belle said, nodding toward Cora and Arabella. “She seems content here.”
It all seemed to be too much, too fast. To accept a secretarial position and leave her sister in the care of a man who obviously wasn’t pleased to have met them seemed ill advised.
Though Faith and Arabella had been more than welcoming and kind, Sir Logan still hadn’t spoken more than a few words to her or Cora since their arrival.
She had to convince Cora to come with her. Not only because she didn’t want to leave her sister, but because she didn’t want to go to Glasgow alone.
“I’ll talk to Cora.”
“You do that, my dear. In the meantime, I’ll just let Andrews know about your imminent departure.
We’ll have your things sent over from Harris House at once and you’ll be able to leave with the Miltons tomorrow.
” She scanned the room. “Perhaps I could get Hope and Faith to donate a few of their old dresses to you as well. You can’t work for Milton Enterprises while dressed in mourning clothes. ”
“Tomorrow?” Jane nearly choked, ignoring the humbling feeling that shot through her at the mention of donated dresses. “So soon?”
“My dear, as I said before, time is not on our side.”
“Right. Of course. Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”
Jane did not wait for either woman to reply. She needed to speak with Cora immediately, and thankfully she found her on the seat, sitting next to Arabella.
“Cora, may I speak with you? In private for a moment?”
Cora turned, a smile on her face that dwindled upon hearing Jane’s tone.
“Of course. Excuse me.”
“Is everything all right?” Arabella asked, standing up as did Cora.
“Yes, of course, I just need to discuss something with my…” Jane’s voice trailed off. Technically, Arabella was her sister too, but she shook her head. “I just need to speak with Cora.”
“Of course,” Arabella said with an overly bright smile as she sat back down.
Cora hooked her arm around Jane’s, and they left the room, ignoring the dozen or so stares that followed them into the hallway. Once they were safely out of earshot, Cora spoke.
“What’s happened?”
“Mrs. Milton has offered me a secretary position.”
Cora’s eyes widened.
“Did she? Why?”
“Apparently, she’s been looking for someone for some time now and Lady Belle seems to think I’d be perfect. I’ll have to go to Glasgow.”
“But you’re going to work? For money?”
“Well, what else would I work for?” Jane asked sarcastically. “It’s a fine offer, although I wish I had some more time to properly weigh my options.”
“But you can’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a lady.”
“We were ladies, Cora. Now, we are homeless, without any prospects, marriage or otherwise, and will forever be at the mercy of others unless at least one of us can manage something.” She paused, her mind reeling. “Mama always said that it might come to this.”
“But she didn’t mean it.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, I don’t know, but she couldn’t have wanted us to become employed.” Cora frowned. “Oh, why was she so dismissive of your gentleman callers? Surely marrying one of those fellows would have been a sight better than leaving us to ruin.”
“Who knows why. But she’d want us to survive, and that’s just what I intend to do. And I would like for you to come with me.”
“Me? Why do I have to go to Glasgow?”
“What will you do if you don’t?”
“Stay at Harris House.”
“Cora, these people, as friendly as they are, are not our family,” Jane whispered, so that she wouldn’t be overheard. “They have absolutely no obligation to support us. It’s poor manners to expect them to do so indefinitely.”
“But it won’t be indefinitely now. You’ll work in Glasgow, and once you’ve earned enough to rent a place, I’ll come immediately.”
Jane sighed.
“I cannot leave you here, Cora.”
“And I cannot be persuaded to leave, Jane. I’ve only just met Arabella and she is our sister—”
“She is a stranger, Cora. As is Sir Logan. Despite our blood, we know nothing about these people.”
“And we won’t ever know about them if we leave.” Cora looked down. “I know you took everything Mama said to heart, and I did too. But she lied to us, Jane.”
“She did not.”
“She did. She kept this part of her life locked away and I cannot understand it. The Harrises are good people, warm and loving. They laugh and smile and jest with one another. Arabella isn’t even afraid of Sir Logan.
She pokes at him, teases him, and he never lashes out or becomes embroiled in temper.
Can you imagine if I said anything like what she says to Jeremy? ”
No, Jane couldn’t. Their brother had a notoriously short temper, and Jane had never once dared to attempt any sort of sibling affection after being told repeatedly since birth how much he despised her.
It had been striking to witness Arabella joke with Sir Logan during meals and in the evening, only for him to tease her back.
It was what a sibling relationship should look like between a sister and a brother, but the entire visual was foreign to Jane.
“I’m sure Mama had her reasons. And I’m positive she had an explanation for keeping us away from them. But regardless of all that, I still think you should accompany me to Glasgow.”
But Cora’s mouth set in a firm line.
“Jane, I love you and I understand why you want to stay together, but I’ve my own mind too. I wish to stay at Harris House for as long as they’ll have me. I want to know who these people are, who they were to Mama, why she left, and what I might do to mend what she broke.”
“It’s not our business.”
“Oh, Jane, for once could you be more concerned with people than practicality?” Cora asked exasperatedly. “I’m glad you’ve been offered a position, if that’s what you want, but I’m not going with you.”
And, without another word, Cora disappeared back into the parlor.
Jane stared after her for a moment, when the heavy footfall of a man approaching sounded behind her.
She turned to see a modest-looking Mr. Milton.
Squaring her shoulders, Jane adopted her usual frost exterior, vaguely remembering a warning she had once heard that attractive men are the most dangerous to be alone with.
“I assume you heard all that?” she asked as he approached.
He stopped a few feet away from her.
“I wouldn’t insult you by lying,” he answered. “But for what it’s worth, I’ve always rather enjoyed seeing siblings argue.”
She frowned.
“Why ever for?”
“Well, I was an only child. Not for lack of trying, on my parents’ part, I assure you. I had two older sisters and three younger brothers, though I was the only one to make it past my twelfth birthday.”
A sorrowful pang hit Jane square in the heart.
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” she said, but he was already shaking his head.
“It is what it is, I’m afraid. But that’s why I’m always so interested when siblings argue.
There’s such a sense of familiarity. More so than when a child argues with their parent.
I’ve heard that no one can irritate a person quite like a sister or a brother, but also that there’s no one more devoted.
” A sad little smile crossed his face. “I envy you. And the Harrises. And the Sharpes, for that matter. Hell, I’d be jealous of the McTavishes too if I didn’t know any better. ”
Jane didn’t know what to say. She only watched him, oddly transfixed by the man’s wide shoulders and his neatly trimmed mustache.
He certainly seemed to be the man he presented to the world.
Elegantly dressed in black evening wear, his accent was as polished as a Scotsman’s tongue could be to English ears, but there was something earthy about it.
Not that she even knew what that meant, but that’s the only word she could sum up to describe him. Earthy.
When she didn’t speak, he continued.
“I assume you’ve spoken with my mother about the secretarial position. Since you were talking about moving to Glasgow.”
Jane frowned.
“Did you eavesdrop on the entire conversation?”
He grinned.
“Well, it would have been rude to interrupt.”
“It was rude to listen.”
He took another step toward her and she wanted to retreat, but she steeled her spine. Do not cower, she told herself.
“It was,” he conceded. He put his hand over his chest, right where his heart was. “I hope you’ll accept my sincere apologies and find it in your heart to forgive me.”
She glared at him.
“I don’t think you are sorry in the least.”
He shrugged as his hand dropped.
“It’s hard to be apologetic when you learn something new.”
“Oh? And what have you learned?”
“That you might make my mother a particularly good secretary. But,” he added, the moment she felt a thread of pride go through her at his previous statement, “you might make my life more difficult.”
“How so?”
“My mother and I tend to disagree on a number of things, particularly the social aspect of Milton Enterprises. I fear with you in her corner, she’ll become unthwartable.”
Jane lifted her chin.
“Then perhaps you’ll have to hire a secretary.”
“I have one. Mr. Tompkins, but he’ll be useless to me as well.”
“Why is that?”
“He’s a weakness for fair-haired, pretty ladies.”
Jane blinked. And then, her cheeks warmed. To admit that her stomach tightened at his words would be inconceivable. So instead, she glared.
“I’ll not be subjected to sweet talk while under your mother’s employment, Mr. Milton. None whatsoever.”
He held up his hands.
“Understood.”
“I hope you do, because Lady Belle intends to pay me a year’s salary in twelve months should I find the job unsuitable.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. And while I do not think it would bother him a great deal, I don’t think Sir Logan would allow a member of his family, regardless of how estranged, to suffer from unwanted attention.”
That removed the smirk off his face.
“Miss Atherton, I promise you that if you were to take a job at Milton Enterprises, it would be a strictly professional setting in every sense. I do not believe in any sort of dalliances between employers and employees, and it’s strictly forbidden within my company.”
“Is it?”
“Indeed. And while you may think Sir Logan doesn’t care, I assure you, if any harm came to anyone related to that man, it would be a dangerous day for all involved.”
“Oh,” Jane said, unsure that his statement was accurate.
Sir Logan obviously cared for his sister and his wife, but Jane and Cora were strangers to him.
She only said that to add a bit of weight to her words, as women often needed to do when men decided to be forward.
But this Mr. Milton didn’t seem to be deterred.
And she was pleased to hear that he maintained professionalism between himself and his employees.
Loud laughter came from the parlor and Jane glanced over her shoulder. She sighed before looking back at Mr. Milton.
“I don’t want to leave Cora here.” He nodded but did not speak. Instead, he waited for her to continue. “It’s just that, I don’t really know the Harrises, and while they’ve been perfectly pleasant these past few weeks, I just don’t believe I can truly know their intentions.”
Mr. Milton appeared to consider her words before speaking.
“I understand that you’re in an unusual position, Miss Atherton, and the reassurance from a stranger can seem less than comforting, but of all the men I’ve met in my life, Sir Logan is without a doubt the most honorable of them.
I would not hesitate to leave my own sister with him, imaginary though she is, in better, more capable hands.
Not to mention that Lady Harris and Miss Harris are the very definition of good, strong women.
I hope you will not worry too much. And, if it would ease your mind, I can schedule a monthly visit to Harris House. ”
Jane’s shoulders rolled back unintentionally.
“You would permit that?”
“I would.”
It was a generous offer. More so than most, she knew, and being the only offer she had at the moment, she nodded.
“Thank you, Mr. Milton. Then I should be incredibly pleased to come work for your mother.”
She held out her hand to him, trying to imitate the working class gesture to show him how professional she could be. He seemed to hesitate a moment before lifting his own hand and encasing hers. His fingers were oddly heavy, and warm, and Jane was startled by the sensation.
Glancing up, she saw his serious expression as his throat worked up and down before he released her hand. He blinked.
“If you’ll excuse me, Miss Atherton,” he said with a nod.
Before she could answer, he brushed past her and reentered the parlor, leaving Jane somewhat confused.
“Please, don’t let this be a mistake,” she murmured to herself as she exhaled loudly before following him back into the parlor.