“They did, but it was of little consequence.”
That was the wrong thing to say.
“It was of little consequence?” Lord Grenton growled. “Are you mad?”
“I assure you that I am not.”
Lord Grenton took a step closer to her. “Do you have any idea of what would have happened to you if you had been abducted?”
“I have a fairly good idea,” she replied.
“You cannot fathom the depravity of men,” he said. “You could have been made to do unspeakable things.”
Georgie tilted her chin. “You need not concern yourself with me.”
“Pray tell, what would have happened to the orphanage if you had been abducted?” Lord Grenton asked. “Who would run it?”
“Nothing will happen to me.”
Lord Grenton huffed. “Why? Because you carry a muff pistol on your person?”
“That is one reason.”
“You are a fool, Miss Lloyd, and I don’t employ fools.”
Georgie stared back at him, unsure of his meaning. “What are you saying?”
“You are dismissed.”
“Because I went to the market?”
Lord Grenton’s expression was stern. “You deliberately disobeyed me.”
“You hired me only to run your orphanage,” Georgie said. “You do not get to dictate my every action.”
“Those go hand in hand, I’m afraid.”
“You are wrong.”
“Whether I am right or wrong doesn’t matter now,” Lord Grenton remarked. “I have made my decision, and we both must live with it.”
Georgie shook her head. “You are a stubborn jackanapes.”
“There is no need for name calling.”
“Your mother wanted a lady to run the orphanage for a specific reason,” she said. “Why do you suppose that was?”
A frown of displeasure crossed his features. “You will leave my mother out of this.”
“Your mother wanted to give the orphans a chance to succeed in this life, and I was helping them to do so.”
“Lady Hawthorne will carry on with your work.”
Georgie took a step closer to him, and she had to tilt her head to look up at him. “You were looking for a reason to dismiss me from the moment you met me,” she said. “Do not insult me by pretending otherwise.”
“It is true,” Lord Grenton responded. “You are not the type of headmistress that I imagined for my mother’s orphanage.”
“What did you envision?”
