Moving to the shelves stacked with woolens, she began her count. One hundred bolts. Annie moved on to the kelp next. The slight scent of dried seaweed made her think of Niall and his ships. He hadn’t ever mentioned whether he’d worked on one or if he even enjoyed sailing. Maybe she would ask this evening. The topic should be a neutral one, leaving little room for argument to occur. And, hopefully, it would keep Niall from bringing up Sunday’s protest. Shewasgoing to attend.
Seventy bales. Annie mentally checked off the number and went over to the barrels that held the tobacco. Nineteen. She double-checked the ledger. Kingsley had entered twenty. She counted again. Nineteen. Annie did a quick walk through the warehouse, looking for the missing barrel, but found nothing. She closed the ledger and carried it back to the office. She would ask Kingsley about the count this afternoon when he returned.
Annie was just finishing the lunch she’d brought from home when Mr. Haines came in. Pushing aside the remnants of herfood, she stood quickly. “I am so glad to see ye. Mr. Kingsley brought me up to date this morning, so everything is on schedule.”
“Good, good. Glad to hear it. Is Kingsley here?”
Annie shook her head. “I think he left for lunch.”
Mr. Haines frowned. “That is unlike him. He rarely leaves the warehouse during the day.”
“Maybe he forgot to bring something to eat,” Annie replied. “Or he may have had something to take care of. He will probably be back soon.”
“Well, I really do not have time to wait. I have an appointment with a new merchant, Carl Cabot, who’s manufacturing linen winding sheets but doesn’t have enough space to store them.”
Annie widened her eyes. “I hope he is nae anticipating another breakout of typhus that will require an abundance of burial sheets to have on hand?”
“Let us hope not, but people die every day, and English law requires burial in linen,’ Mr. Haines replied. “I was hoping to take Kingsley to the meeting to provide reassurance that our storage facility is one of the cleanest in the city.”
“Why nae take me? I can attest to that.” Annie really wanted to be of assistance to make up for her missing work. “Truly.”
“I am not sure…” Mr. Haines paused, considering. “I suppose I could take you. Mr. Cabot was not one of the men present at that disastrous meeting Monday night, so he should not have any animosity towards you.”
Annie tried to keep herself from wincing. There was no cause for men to dislike her simply because she felt women should be able to earn fair wages.
“Just let me do the talking.”
She swallowed hard. Unfair as it was, men didn’t like women who spoke their minds either. If she wanted to keep her job—andshe did—she needed to refrain from offering opinions at work. She’d have her chance to vent on Sunday.
“Of course, Mr. Haines. Ye are the owner.” She turned away so he wouldn’t detect her anger. “I will get my coat.”
“I have the carriage outside,” he said and walked to the door. “I will wait there.”
Annie managed to compose herself in the few minutes it took to retrieve her coat, scribble a note to Kingsley, and lock the office, then proceed down the steps. She even managed to converse neutrally about the weather on the short ride to Mr. Cabot’s shop, but by the time the meeting was over an hour later and she’d only been allowed two short sentences, she was ready to screech like a banshee. It was a good thing Mr. Haines had sent her back in the carriage alone or she might have unleashed a tirade of words.
Unfortunately—for Niall, at least—he was the first person she saw when she entered the office a short time later. He was leaning against the counter, one leg crossed over the other at the ankle. He looked over her shoulder through the open door just as the carriage pulled away.
Annie slammed the door shut. “Do nae even begin to lecture me on where I have been!”
One brow lifted. “I ken where ye have been.”
“Oh? Did ye follow me?” Annie stormed past him, pulled off her coat and hung it on the rack. Then she turned back. “Did ye follow me?”
“Nae.”
Annie frowned. “Then how did ye ken where I was?”
Niall pointed to the note she’d left.
Her frown deepened. “Ye went through the things on my desk?”
Niall straightened. “I didnae snoop.”
“Then how—”
“Kingsley showed me the note,” Niall replied levelly.
“Oh.”
