Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Samuel was quick to dress as he prepared to leave before breakfast was served.
He needed to be across town to do a walk through the arcade before it entered the final stages of construction.
What’s more, he needed to survey a few plots for where he decided to build the new offices.
But as he came down the stairs, he was stunned to see his mother and Jane were already there. Jane was dressed in a tan overcoat to protect her clothing from the continuous onslaught of rain. He frowned.
“What’s this?” he asked, coming forward.
“Ah, Samuel, there you are. I’m afraid you’ll need to escort Jane to Kelvingrove Park gardens today. Mr. Tompkins and I are taking Mr. Liddell to the lumber yards with your father.”
“The lumber yards? Whatever for?”
She shrugged.
“He requested it, last night after dinner. He and your father were taking a walk and he mentioned it. And since we know how busy you are today, your father and I thought to distract the man with a tour.”
That made sense enough, though his mother appeared more hopeful than usual. Odd. Then, he glanced at Jane.
“And why do you need to go to Kelvingrove Park?”
“I’ve been tasked with managing Mr. Liddell’s ball, and Mrs. Milton suggested we use the flowers from the hothouse,” Jane said.
Samuel nodded. It had been done before and wasn’t out of the ordinary, but why he was being tasked with escorting her across town was the issue.
After their kiss in his office, Jane had obviously been avoiding him, and he had the mind not to seek out her company either.
It was already a breach of his personal ethics, and he doubted spending the day together riding back and forth all over the city was going to better the situation.
“Ah. Right, well, I suppose—”
“Wonderful!” Mrs. Milton said, practically pushing Jane out of the door. “Come, Samuel, there’s no time to waste. And Jane, if you could stop by the fabric shop for bunting. I’m thinking organza.”
“Of course,” Jane said over her shoulder as Samuel followed her out of the house and immediately into the carriage.
Once they were settled, the driver took off and they were met with a tense silence.
It was obvious why the atmosphere was so heavy.
The last time they had been in each other’s company, they had to drag themselves away from one another.
But that was in his office, in the wee hours of the morning, and he had been sleep deprived. Not that that was an excuse.
And that damned jasmine scent was rolling off her, making part of him hot and hard. It was a most disagreeable scent, he decided in that moment. He shook his head, trying to stop the internal argument and decided to speak instead.
“So. Organza?”
His mind had gone blank and only repeated the last thing his mother had said. Jane blinked at him.
“Er, yes. Your mother wants it for the doorways, but…” She stopped herself.
“But, what?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Isn’t it?” he asked. “Go on. Tell me.”
“It’s just that, while organza is lovely, Mr. Liddell would be more impressed with silk.”
“Silk?” he said, his brow lifting. “An expensive alternative, is it not?”
“Very.”
Jane’s stare conveyed what she would not say. While more expensive, Liddell’s support was priceless, and any money spent would be an investment in the power that he held.
“Silk it is.” Jane’s shoulders relaxed as the smallest of smiles appeared on her lips. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “Is there any place else you’ve been ordered to go to?”
She shook her head.
“No. The fabric store and the gardens are my only stops.” A crack of thunder echoed from overhead and her smile slipped a touch as she glanced out the window. “I don’t think there’s been a dry day since I arrived in Scotland.”
“It is the rainy season.”
She glanced back at him, but something telling must have been on his face, because in the next instant, her cheeks turned a delicious shade of pink and her eyes dropped.
Was she embarrassed or ashamed of what had transpired between them?
Was she worried that he might attempt to kiss her again?
He certainly didn’t wish for her to be worried about that, as he had already sworn to himself that he would never kiss her again.
It wasn’t right, considering his position in the company.
The power balance was decisively uneven, and besides, he wasn’t that type of person.
Never once had he ever kissed any of his other employees.
Granted, the majority of his employees were men, but still.
He wasn’t one of those men who forced himself onto housemaids or women without protectors.
In fact, he was widely known to be one of the most well-respected Glaswegians, a title he had been rather proud of until his dalliance with Jane.
Dear God, was it a dalliance? Because it seemed like so much more.
He cleared his throat, determined to clear the air.
“About the other morning,” he started, but Jane was already shaking her head.
“I’d rather we not discuss that.”
“If I offended you in any way, I must apologize.”
“I was not offended,” she said rather earnestly. “If anything, I should apologize. I instigated it. To be honest, I’ve been afraid of what you must think of me. I don’t usually go around kissing gentlemen who are kind to me.”
“Is that why you kissed me? Because I was kind to you?”
“No. Well, yes, partly, but…” She shook her head. “It wasn’t right of me, and I’m sorry for taking advantage of the situation.”
“You?” He chuckled softly. “Don’t you think that I was at fault? Considering my position?”
She tilted her head, appearing almost confused by his words.
“Is everything always your fault?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t hesitate.” She shook her head. “How can you say that?”
“Because. The person who holds power, holds responsibility. It is an undeniable truth and one I will not ignore.”
Jane nodded, though she appeared conflicted.
“You know, just because you’re everyone’s boss doesn’t mean that you’re always to blame. Usually, it takes two people to make a mistake.”
He glanced at her, curious by her meaning of the word mistake.
“And have you made many mistakes in your life, Miss Atherton?”
She looked him straight in the eye and it seemed they both knew that mistake was in reference to romantic partners.
“No,” she answered. “Have you?”
“Rarely.”
She exhaled slowly.
“Then perhaps both of us are being too harsh on ourselves,” she said softly. “I do not think you behaved in any way that would call into question your character, Mr. Milton.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up.
“That’s kind of you to say, but I’m your boss, Miss. Atherton. I shouldn’t have…”
Jane’s hand lifted and her fingers pressed against his lips.
“Please. I’m afraid any further attempt to prove yourself a villain will only add to my thinking the exact opposite.” He remained still as she dropped her hand to her lap. “Your mother told me about your sister. Martha.”
Samuel hadn’t expected that. He let out a puff of breath and leaned back in his seat.
“Did she?” Jane nodded. “What did my mother have to say about her?”
“That you were remarkably close to her when you were growing up. That you… You didn’t think she’d pass away once she became ill.”
No, he hadn’t. Even to this day, Samuel felt somehow cheated by Martha’s death, but by all his siblings’ deaths.
He wasn’t meant to be an only child. His parents were too good of people to only have one child to influence, and he had tried to make up for that loss.
The world should have known his brothers and sisters, and if they couldn’t be known individually, then the world would at least know their family name.
“I was very close to Martha, yes. To all my siblings, in fact.”
Jane tilted her head.
“I’m sorry that you had to lose them at so young an age. It must have been terrible.”
Samuel shook his head, trying to appear nonchalant about it.
“It was ages ago.”
“Still. I’m sorry you had to lose them.”
“Everyone has to lose someone. It’s the harsh truth of life.
But just because someone’s gone, doesn’t mean that they can’t still influence the world.
” He stared across the carriage, his gaze unfocused.
“Martha was special though. And not just because she was my older sister. Everyone who ever met her loved her. I swear, she was the only person the squatters and thieves never bothered with when we were growing up outside of Gallowgate. She had this aura about her that everyone just sort of respected and accepted. I always thought that she might have become a saint if she hadn’t passed away so young.
But she died before she ever had the opportunity to show the world what she was capable of.
” He glanced at Jane. “I’d hate to go through the world having never tried at anything.
Perhaps that’s why Milton Enterprises has grown so fast. I can’t help but try to expand it, to try and help all the people Martha would have helped if she had been given a chance. ”
He glanced at her and saw the unmistakable shimmer of unshed tears in her gray eyes. It undid him.
“I think you might be a better man than I first believed, Mr. Milton.”
As he didn’t quite know how to respond to that, he didn’t, and the rest of the ride into town was done in silence.
Although Samuel had been earnest in his apology, it hadn’t alleviated the tension between them, and by the time they reached Milton’s Arcade, he was eager to be out of the confines of the carriage. But it seemed Jane had other plans.
“I’ll only be a moment,” he said, as the carriage came to a stop. The driver opened the door moments later. “You can stay here.”
“Can I come in and see it? The arcade, I mean. I’ve heard so much about it.”
An arrow of pride shot through him.
“You’d like to see it?” She nodded. “Of course,” he said, offering her his arm.