What was good about it? Instead of voicing the thought, William replied, “I will be in my study.”
“You have a visitor,” Thorne announced.
That got William’s attention. “Who is this visitor?”
“A Mr. Wilson. He claims that he is the butler at the orphanage.”
William frowned. “Where did you put him?”
“In your study,” Thorne replied. “He was insistent that he speak to you.”
With a tip of his head, William headed towards the study. He stepped into the room and saw Wilson standing near the fireplace.
“How may I help you, Wilson?”
Wilson reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a few sheets of paper. “Miss Lloyd wanted me to deliver these to you personally.”
“What are those?”
“The list of books that Miss Lloyd is requesting for the orphanage,” Wilson said as he walked them over to him.
William accepted the papers and perused the extensive list. “There must be a hundred books on here!”
“One hundred and eight, to be exact, my lord.”
William’s brow shot up. “Miss Lloyd cannot be in earnest. This list would cost a small fortune to obtain.”
Wilson took a step back. “Those are the books that she felt would benefit the girls, but she understands if not all of them are feasible.”
“I think I would like to speak to Miss Lloyd about her list.”
“Miss Lloyd thought you might want to do so,” Wilson said. “She is expecting you to come to call.”
William folded the papers and slipped them into his jacket pocket. “Inform Miss Lloyd that I will arrive at my convenience.”
“Very good, my lord,” Wilson said before he departed from the room.
William couldn’t believe the audacity of Miss Lloyd. He said he would secure books for the orphanage, but he’d never intended to purchase over a hundred.
Once again, his day of endless work had been interrupted by Miss Lloyd. She was starting to make a nuisance of herself.
ChapterSix
Georgie sat in the office as she reviewed the ledgers. She was trying to find ways that she could cut expenses so she could use that money to buy the supplies needed to help the girls to read. She would have gladly parted with her salary, but that was already being used to pay for Alice and Mrs. Peters.
Wilson stepped into the room and announced, “Lord Grenton would like a moment of your time.”
Georgie closed the ledger. “Please send him in.”
Wilson approached the desk and lowered his voice. “I should note that he appears to be in a foul mood.”
“I shall keep that in mind when I meet with him.”
“Would you care for me to stay?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Georgie said.
With a tip of his head, Wilson stepped back. “Yes, miss.”
