Fifteen excruciating minutes passed, and just as Lucien was considering getting up to stretch, the office door swung open and two men he recognized from the stairs walked out looking defeated.
“There now, Perkins. Good show,” one said, clapping a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Better luck next time.”
But Perkins could only manage a weak nod as he stared off into the middle distance with a vacant expression.
As the men passed down the hall, Lucien craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Alex just as Mr. Potts entered the office and blocked his view. He shot Lucien a glance as he closed the door behind him.
All right.Nowhe would see her. Lucien straightened his jacket and adjusted his cuffs in preparation. Another few minutes passed before the door finally opened. Lucien rose, but just as Mr. Potts exited the office, another man came rushing down the hall. They nodded at each other and he slipped into the room, closing the door soundly behind him.
Lucien cast a bewildered look at Mr. Potts. This time he smiled and shrugged before taking his seat behind the desk.
“Should I come back later?”
Mr. Potts arched a brow. “Do you have somewhere you need to be?”
“Well, not right at the moment,” Lucien said, trying to look at least alittleimportant.
“Miss Atkinson should be able to see you after her meeting with Mr. Farnsworth.”
“Oh. If that doesn’t take too long, I should be able to manage,” Lucien replied airily, but Mr. Potts did not look the least bit convinced that he had any other pressing engagements.
Another quarter hour passed before the door opened again. Somehow this Mr. Farnsworth looked even more devastated than the other two. He trudged down the hall staring at the floor and muttering to himself. What on earthhappenedin there?
Just as Lucien began to rise, Mr. Potts nipped in yet again and shut the door behind him. This was getting ridiculous.
When Mr. Potts finally exited the office, Lucien stood and put his hands on his hips. “Now listen here. I can’t be kept waiting all—”
But the rest of his little rant was lost as Alex herself appeared in the doorway.
“My apologies, Mr. Taylor,” she said smoothly. “I didn’t mean to keep you from your business. Do you still have time to meet?”
She held his gaze, one dark brow arched, and Lucien could feel the blush staining his cheeks.
“Ah, yes. For a little while,” he added.
Alex looked amused. She very well knew that was a lie, but instead of calling him out, she simply gestured for him to enter. “Then please do come in.”
As Lucien passed Mr. Potts, they exchanged glares. The nosy secretary then hovered in the doorway.
“Would you like me to take notes, Miss Atkinson?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Lucien smiled at the man and then promptly closed the door in his face.
Eleven
Charming fellow,” Lucien said as he stepped farther into the office, then came to a halt as he took in the space. It was, in a word, stark—especially when compared to the rest of the building. The walls were plain white, the wood floors clean but bare, and the only furniture was a large desk with two grossly mismatched chairs.
Alex had already taken her seat behind the desk and was shuffling some papers around. She glanced up, distracted. “Who, Potts? I hired him specifically because heisn’tcharming. That way people only come to see me if it is absolutely necessary. He also has excellent penmanship,” she added and returned her gaze to her desktop.
“A vital quality in a secretary,” Lucien quipped as he sat down on a hideous wooden chair that would not have been out of place in a Tudor torture chamber. Somehow it managed to be even more uncomfortable than it looked, but he gathered that was the point. Between the odious Mr. Potts, the sterile room, and the spasm-inducing furniture, Alex clearly didn’t want anybody hanging about. Fair enough.
She hummed in response and continued her reading while Lucien took the opportunity to openly look at her. She wore a sober navy-blue gown with a high neckline trimmed in white lace at her throat and her hair was pulled back in a tight bun. Back in Bunbury Lucien had thought she dressed rather plainly, especiallycompared to the other women of her class, but apparently that had been her partywear. Leave it to Alex to dress for a ball like she was organizing a church rummage sale.
She let out a sharp tsk and for one brief, terrifying moment Lucien worried that somehow she had heard the unkind thought. But then she opened a small black case and put on a pair of dark-rimmed spectacles.
“I hate wearing these,” she grumbled.
