AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mary glanced worriedly towards the main door of the townhouse. “I will most likely be dismissed for telling you this.”
“Excellent,” Emmeline declared, “because I want you to come work for me at Hawthorne House.”
Mary smiled. “I was hoping you hadn’t changed your mind about that,” she said, clearly relieved.
“Then it is settled.”
Her lady’s maid bobbed her head. “But first, I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?” she asked, growing a bit nervous.
Lowering her voice, Mary shared, “I was walking through the entry hall yesterday and I heard Lord Taylor discussing your dowry with Mr. Clarke.”
“He was meeting with my father’s solicitor?”
Mary nodded. “He was.”
“But surely you were mistaken, since I don’t have a dowry.”
Mary gave a half-shrug. “That is what I thought as well, but I know what I heard.” She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the servant’s entrance open. “I’d better go. I will see you later.”
Emmeline watched as Mary hurried towards the servant’s entrance, her mind whirling with what she had just been told. Could it be possible that she did have a dowry after all? And if so, why was her uncle keeping it a secret?
One thing she knew for certain, a visit to her father’s solicitor was in her near future.
Oliver brought hishand up to cover his yawn as he walked down the pavement towards Hawthorne House. He hadn’t intended to stay out all night, but he had gotten caught up at the gambling hells with his friends.
“You look terrible,” Corbyn said as he appeared by his side, matching his stride. “What establishment did you frequent last night?”
“The Queen’s Gambling Hall,” he replied.
“Anything to report?”
“Nothing more than Whig propaganda.”
Corbyn frowned. “I hate Whigs.”
“As do I,” Oliver remarked. “Their heads are filled with fantastical nonsense of what a monarchy is supposed to be like.”
Corbyn looked at him curiously. “I am surprised you stayed out all night, with you having a new wife and all.”
“You do not need to fret. I have no intention of becoming lackadaisical now that I have a wife.”
“I never implied you would, but it is all right to take some time off.”
Oliver huffed. “Like you do?”
“That is entirely different,” Corbyn contended. “My job is to run the agency, which I cannot do if I take any time off.”
“An agency that doesn’t truly exist under the Alien Office.”
Corbyn smirked. “Precisely.”
Oliver glanced over at him. “What has you up so early?” he asked.
“Early?” Corbyn repeated. “It is nearly midday.”
“I hadn’t realized,” Oliver replied as he approached the entrance to Hawthorne House. “I’m afraid I lost track of time.”
