AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We can do that.But, if you come with me, you must obey everything I say. Do you agree?”
She grinned.
“Fine,my Lord.”
I kicked her leg under the table, and we both surrendered to laughter.
Wetookmycarriageto the docks, the curtains drawn closed to avoid any gossip. I knew that our secrecy was largely in vain – if someone wanted to find us, they would. But Amelia was resolute in her desire to skirt the rules of London society. It would have been uncharacteristic of me to stop her – though ruining her reputation any further gave me a slight pause.
When we arrived at the noisy docks of the Thames, she stared out of the carriage window in awe.
“I imagined it to be loud… but this is something else altogether.”
I laughed, watching the bustle as hundreds of sailors and merchants scurried between ships, calling out orders and unloading shipments.
“Indeed, it’s an interesting place. Shall we?” I opened the carriage door, and the noise grew louder.
I stepped out of the carriage, extending my gloved hand to Amelia. She took it, emerging into the sunny August day.
And to think, my bare hand had touched much more intimate parts of her body only the night before…
“Where do we go?” She asked, staring up at me with wide eyes, breaking my imagination.
“Follow me. And stay close. That’s an order.”
I saw her make a face out of the corner of my eye.
Moments later, we strode into the front office of the East India Company, a young porter jumping out of our way. The lobby was empty except for a young man at the front desk wearing spectacles. He looked deeply engrossed in whatever newspaper lay on the table before him.
I walked up to the desk, Amelia right behind me, and cleared my throat. The man looked up, his expression startled as he took in my attire.
“Oh, uh, my Lord… how can I help you?”
“I am here about some business. The name is Thorne.”
The man stared up at me, and then began to rifle some papers around on his desk, muttering my name under his breath. He finally froze, apparently finding my information.
“Thorne… oh, Viscount Marsden. Lord Marsden.” He stammered. “Are you sure you’ve come to the right office? You might prefer to do your business at the office in Mayfair…”
I glared at the man.
“Are you implying that I have made a mistake?”
His face blanched white.
“No, no, my Lord… I merely…”
A gruff voice interrupted him from behind.
“Newton, what have you messed up this time?”
An older man appeared, his face lined with wrinkles.
“Lord Marsden.” He said, bowing slightly in my direction.
I gave him a nod in return.
“I’m sorry about Newton, here, the bumbling idiot. An Oxford education apparently doesn’t count for much.”
