“That is unusual.”
William nodded. “I thought so as well.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“I informed my solicitor that I will not be funding her lavish lifestyle,” William said. “If she wishes to employ them, she will need to pay for them out of her own income.”
“That is fair.”
William rose and walked over to the drink cart and picked up the decanter. “I do hope that Miss Lloyd will be reasonable. If not, I will have no choice but to dismiss her.”
“You would dismiss her so easily?” Hawthorne asked. “After all, it took months to find a lady to fill the position.”
“I am well aware, but I do not accept incompetence of any kind.” William poured two glasses of brandy and placed the decanter down. “What brings you by this morning?”
“I was hoping to convince you to go boxing with me.”
William extended Hawthorne a glass and replied, “I’m afraid I am unable to go today, but I would be happy to join you at Gentleman Jack’s tomorrow.”
Hawthorne tossed his drink back and placed the empty glass onto the desk. “Do not worry,” he said. “I will go easy on you.”
With a smile, William remarked, “I must admit that I look forward to hitting you.”
“Only if you are lucky,” Hawthorne joked as he rose. “If you will excuse me, I need to see to a few things before our session at the House of Lords. My father asked for me to attend in place of him since he is busy with meetings today.”
“Do I even want to know what occupies your time these days?”
Hawthorne smirked. “No, you don’t.”
“You are a man of many secrets.”
“Everyone has secrets. I’m just better at keeping them.”
William took a sip of his drink. As he lowered his glass, he said, “I wish you luck, at whatever it is that you are doing.”
“I don’t rely on luck.”
“What do you rely on?”
“Instinct,” Hawthorne replied before he walked over to the door. “I shall see you at the House of Lords.”
After his friend departed, William couldn’t help but wonder how Hawthorne occupied his time. His actions were clouded in secrecy, but it hadn’t always been that way. William may be curious, but it was none of his business. Besides, he had more important things to do, starting with putting Miss Lloyd in her place.
William was in a foul mood as his coach came to a stop in front of the orphanage. He didn’t have enough hours in the day to accomplish all his tasks as it was, especially as he had to run his estate from afar in order to be in Town for the Season, and now he was forced to set everything aside to visit Miss Lloyd.
He still couldn’t believe the sheer audacity of her to bring her own cook and a lady’s maid. It was evident that she hadn’t come to terms with her reduced circumstances yet, and he would need to remind her that she now worked for her income. More importantly, she worked forhim.
The door opened and William stepped out of the coach. He approached the orphanage door and pounded on it.
To his surprise, the door promptly opened, and he was greeted by a tall, finely dressed older man. “May I help you, sir?” the man asked.
William stared at the man. “Who are you?”
“I am Wilson, the butler.”
“The butler?” William asked, stumbling over his words. What in the blazes was Miss Lloyd thinking?
Wilson opened the door wide, ushering him in. “Would you care to have this conversation inside?” he asked. “The streets can be a dangerous place.”
