Chapter Seven
“This is going to take months to fix,” Graham McKinnon said as he took a large step over a continuous stream of running water that was cutting through the street in front of Milton Enterprises.
It had been nearly ten days since the clerks had to abandon the building to set up at Milton House, and the waters that had flooded this portion of the city had finally receded, although not completely.
“Unless you plan on knocking the thing over and starting from scratch. Bad luck, mate.”
“It’s not good, is it?” Samuel said, peering up at the building that had been his headquarters for nearly ten years.
He and Graham were standing on the other side of the street, since the building was still under about two feet of water.
The slant of the road had been eroding away for years, and the heavy rain they had been experiencing lately had only exacerbated that.
He exhaled and answered his own question under his breath. “No, it is not.”
“I’m surprised to see one of your buildings in this sort of condition.”
“It’s not one of ours. We didn’t build it.”
“Well, that’s another thing,” Graham said as they continued to walk along the streets of Glasgow. “Why haven’t you moved into one of your own buildings by now? You own a lumber company, after all.”
That was simple enough to answer. Samuel had been using this building as the headquarters for his operations for the past decade and ever since he had moved into these offices, business had been smooth.
Though not a superstitious man, he was still a son of Scotland, and even he had the good sense to know that there was no reason to rock the boat when blessings abounded.
But it seemed as if his luck had finally run out.
He privately wondered if this latest development was some sort of sign that he should take a warning from. But he pushed that idea from his head.
“It was bound to happen. The Clyde’s been swelling for days now. This endless rain will strip the city, you watch.”
“God forbid,” Graham said. “What about the arcade?”
“Oh, she’s sturdy and dry. Our opening shouldn’t be too far off now. We’re hoping for a spring grand opening.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. Oh, that reminds me, Hope mentioned an invitation we received from your mother. Something about attending the theater with a Mr. Little? Anyway, she wanted me to tell you that we can make it.”
“That’s good. I’ll need as many friends as I can to entertain this one. And the name’s Liddell. He’s a Member of Parliament. I’m hoping to convince him to support the reform bill.”
Graham glanced at him sideways.
“Is that the voting bill? To expand the electoral for working men?”
“It is.”
“Hm. And I suppose your support of that bill has to do with your hospital?”
It had always been a dream of Sam’s to open a hospital in Glasgow the likes of which the city had never seen before.
He wanted it to be big and modern, with indoor plumbing in every room, wide open corridors, and dozens of doctors and nurses, all ready and prepared to help the sick.
With the ever-growing population of Glasgow, the city was seeing crises in all markets, from housing to work conditions to health.
Samuel was already trying to tear down a few buildings in Gallowgate due to their poor structure and rotting conditions, but everything was always tied up with bureaucrats, which is why he wanted Liddell’s support for the reform bill.
If more men were allowed to vote in Glasgow, the more support he would have to help the city prosper.
“Always,” Samuel said. “Which is why I need Liddell’s support.”
Graham gave him a look.
“I thought he was a conservative?”
“So’s the prime minister, and he supports the reform.”
“But why Liddell? Why not someone else?”
Samuel shrugged.
“I made a list of members of Parliament who I thought would vote against the bill. Though Liddell often votes with the prime minister, I learned through my sources that he actually votes primarily with a certain block of gentlemen and they are often in opposition of the Prime Minister. There are only a few of them, nine at the most, and they sway opinions fairly easily, and so I thought of tapping the leader of their little group. Thus, Mr. Liddell.”
“You’re too clever for business, Milton. You should go into politics.”
He laughed heartily at that.
“If I ever work for the government, know that I am unwell.”
“Don’t you think that you could get more done with passing bills and arguing your points in Parliament than spending all your money to reform this city all by yourself?”
Samuel shrugged as they walked.
“Possibly. If I were a poorer man, I might attempt politics. But Milton Enterprises is a fast, smooth ship and I cannot abandon it in the hopes of maybe making a difference someplace else. This is the hand I’ve been dealt, you see, and I intend to play it.”
“I do not envy your drive, Milton. But,” Graham said as they stopped before the edge of the dike of the River Clyde. The water was rushing and violent. “I suppose it will do you good to have something to put all that energy into. Tell me, how goes it with Miss Atherton?”
Samuel hadn’t expected to discuss Jane, and yet it made sense that Graham would inquire.
He could almost smell the scent of jasmine merely at the mention of her name.
It was really quite astounding how aware Samuel had become of Jane since her arrival at Milton House.
At first, he believed that it was just his attraction to her.
She was beautiful after all, and it was a pleasure to simply see her moving about the house.
But as the days passed, he had taken note of how easily she blended in with the rest of the house. And it had been jarring.
Admittedly, Samuel hadn’t expected her to integrate so quickly.
She had, after all, grown up with a certain position in society and he had believed that she would struggle to harmonize with everyone.
But he had been mistaken. Jane was overtly patient and understanding to everyone she interacted with, from the maids to Samuel himself.
She was polite and respectful, if a little reserved.
He had assumed that her initial standoffishness was due to an inflated ego, but it seemed she was far more comfortable observing people.
And when she spoke, it was always kind and helpful.
It had cracked Samuel’s heart open, which was an unwelcome occurrence. It was one thing to understand that he was physically attracted to her. He had been attracted to women before, of course he had, but he had always been able to use his principles as an excuse.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want a wife. In truth, a wife would make his life exceedingly easier. But he knew the commitment and dedication and work a bride of his would have to endure and it had never felt feasible.
“Milton?”
“Hm?” he murmured, lost in his thoughts. “Oh yes, she’s doing very well. My mother is rather fond of her.”
Graham was close friends with Sir Logan, and he undoubtedly wanted to know how his half-sister was faring, even if he wasn’t particularly close to her.
Still, Jane had blended into the company with ease.
She had only been at Harris House for nearly two weeks, yet the difference in his mother’s attitude had been notable.
She was more at ease with Jane constantly by her side.
“That’s good. Might you tell her that her sister Cora sends her love? She and Arabella are always visiting Lismore to visit with Hope, and when they found out I was coming into Glasgow today, they wanted me to send their regards.”
“Of course. I’ll tell her when I return.”
“Good. Now, let’s get something to eat.”
Samuel bobbed his head in agreement and followed Graham down the street, but thoughts of Jane continued to crowd his mind.
He had once thought that Grace Sharpe would make a decent wife, but he had only been halfheartedly interested.
She had a brilliant mind and would undoubtedly be a force should he open a hospital one day, but that was only a fraction of what he needed in a partner.
What he needed… He even hated the way that sounded in his mind.
What did a man who had everything really need?
He was already a successful businessman, rich beyond the wildest dreams of the boy who had grown up outside of Gallowgate.
In truth, he felt as if he were unworthy to want or need anything else in life.
Still, he might be able to ignore Jane like he had so many others, if it weren’t for her eyes.
God, how her gray eyes undid him. Every time she looked at him, he felt consumed and he wanted nothing more than to keep her attention. But then she would look away and the spell would be broken and he would remember himself.
The rain began to come down harder and Samuel reached up to roll his collar up.
He needed to push all ideas of Jane out of his mind, because if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that he would never compromise the future of Milton Enterprises or his dreams of building a hospital. Not for anyone, including Jane Atheron.