AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Georgiana smiled and was just about to answer when someone came bustling onto the terrace.
“Georgie! There you are.” Tobias hurried over and stopped short when he noticed she wasn’t alone. “Oh, you’re out here with Henry? That’s a relief. Mother was worried.”
He held out his arm, and Georgiana had no choice but to take it. “I’m sorry. I felt a little lightheaded and came to get some air.”
“That’s all right. I told her I would fetch you. I believe we’ve a dance coming up. Thanks for watching over her, old chap,” he said to the lieutenant. “We’ll catch up later.”
As Tobias led Georgiana away, she turned back. The lieutenant watched them in silence. He had taken a few steps forward and was now fully illuminated by the ballroom’s light. He was rather handsome, with sandy blond hair and a sharp chin with a touch of boyishness to his features, but it was his amber gaze that struck her the most. He stared back with a directness that should have made her uncomfortable, but unlike with the viscount, there was nothing salacious there. It was determined. Noble. And unexpectedly mesmerizing. Georgiana didn’t want to look away. Didn’t want him to ever stop.
It wasn’t until much later, after everything between them had been torn apart and ground to dust, that she realized he had begun to break her heart even then.
***
The carriage came to a sudden stop that wrenched Georgiana back to the present. Overhead she heard Jack the coachman yelling at the offending driver of a milk cart blocking the road. She let out a sigh and stared out the window at the traffic as Captain Harris’s stern gaze flashed through her mind. She had wanted him to look at her the way he had that first night, as if she was the answer to a question he hadn’t even thought to ask. His amber eyes were still distressingly familiar and still alight with the same sharpness, but he had grown thinner in the intervening years, with a rangy build that emphasized his broad shoulders and long limbs, while his sandy hair was now long enough to cover his ears. He had never been the most attractive man of her acquaintance, as his features were too angular to be considered conventionally handsome, but there was a magnetic quality about him that had always drawn her notice. Unfortunately,thatremained intact. And now it was accompanied by a rawboned intensity that was undeniably captivating, bubbling up through the hairline cracks of her battered heart—until he flat out refused to give up the case.
If you want this investigation called off, you will need to take that up with your brother.
Georgiana let out a loud huff in the silent carriage and crossed her arms. Impudent man. Lord knew Reggie had plenty of money to waste on ridiculous things like private investigators. But there was little she could do. Despite her protests last night, Reggie had insisted that Captain Harris’s services were necessary, and he was backed up by Louisa. It was useless to try to convince them.
There is no harm in seeing what he uncovers, Georgie,Louisa had implored.
Georgiana appreciated the love and support of her siblings, but by God they were making the grumblings of a few competitors into some kind of nefarious plot to do her bodily harm. Captain Harris could uncover whatever he wanted. Georgiana would not alter her course. Come hell or high water, she would continue with her plans to expand Fox and Sons Fine Fabrics, which manufactured trimmings for gowns, by the end of the year.
Her father had purchased the factories nearly two decades ago, when he had an excess of disposable income. But despite the eponymous name, neither he nor his sons had ever been involved in the running of either factory. That had been left up to a management company. A majority stake in the two factories along with a board seat had been passed on to the viscount when he married Georgiana. But unlike Mr. Fox, the viscount was a much more involved owner—and solely motivated by increasing profits at any cost.
When Georgiana had learned there was a clause in the original agreement that ensured the factories would pass on to her in the event that she outlived her husband, it was assumed she would sell. But after taking a tour of her new properties, Georgiana had shocked everyone by declaring her intention to remain the owner.
Since then, she had discovered a new sense of purpose that had been missing from her life. Men like Reggie and Captain Harris couldn’t understand the responsibility she felt for the scores of women her factories employed. By retaining ownership, Georgiana was able to ensure they were well compensated and offered childcare services on site for those who needed it. She also demanded that a set of stringent operating standards be followed at all times, so her workers were safe from both the machines and the foremen who oversaw the floor. Any foreman who attempted to deviate from the protocol was immediately dismissed.
Georgiana had heard enough horror stories from her employees about the foremen in other factories who thought it a benefit of their position to demand sexual favors from their subordinates in exchange for keeping their jobs. And if the women weren’t willing, the men forced themselves on them anyway before dismissing them. There was little if any recourse for their victims.
The thought still made her stomach turn. Georgiana would hire every woman she could just to stop that from happening to anyone ever again. Word had quickly spread that Fox and Sons was one of the best places to work at in London, and there was a waiting list nearly a hundred names long. Though some of the company’s board members had initially balked at Georgiana’s changes, production rates had nearly doubled in less than a year. Now was the ideal time to expand operations, while she had the full support of the board, and she would not let this opportunity pass her by.
She glanced out the window. The carriage had already turned onto her street. Though a woman of her social position and means could live in any number of grand London mansions in Mayfair or Belgravia, Georgiana had preferred Pimlico. It was an easy route to her factories near the Thames, and she preferred this quieter corner of London, away from wagging tongues and prying eyes. As her driver pulled up in front of her home, Charles, her energetic young footman, bounded down the steps and opened her carriage door. Georgiana greeted him before ascending the stairs to her small but stately terrace house, where she was met at the door by Mossdown, the butler who had been with her since her marriage.
“Good morning, my lady,” he said with a grand bow before taking her coat and hat. “I hope your visit to Mrs. Fernsby’s was a pleasant one.”
Only Jack the coachman knew where she had really gone, and he was a man of few words and greater loyalty.
“It was. I’d like a pot of tea brought to my study, as I will be working there for the rest of the morning. And I won’t be home to any callers. I plan to return to Fox and Sons this afternoon.”
Mossdown bowed again before disappearing in the direction of the kitchen. Georgiana preferred to keep her staff small, both to ensure her privacy and because as a lone woman she had no need of a dozen servants.
She made her way down the hall toward the room where she spent most of her time when at home. It was her sanctuary, a much-needed escape from the demands of her work and society. The study had been used by the former owner as a respite from his boisterous family, but Georgiana had removed the dark wallpaper and heavy curtains in favor of calming shades of pale green and silver. A writing desk was positioned by the large window, which overlooked the small back garden, and a pair of comfortable chairs upholstered in gray velvet sat before the hearth. Books Georgiana had collected over the years lined the shelves filling one entire wall from top to bottom, while an eclectic mix of both classic and modern art decorated the space. With no one to please now except herself, everything was just the way she wished. There were times she was lonely, especially in the evenings, but it was worth it to remain in control of her own life.
Barnaby, her faithful elderly terrier, dozed on the matching chaise longue in the corner. At the sound of her entrance he cracked open one liquid brown eye before deciding to go back to sleep. Georgiana gave him a couple of strokes before she sat at her desk and leafed through the mail that had arrived while she was gone. It was mostly invitations to events she had little interest in attending. But since she had entered half mourning, the pressure was mounting from her friends and family to move about more in society. Their ultimate goal was to see her married while she was still on the right side of thirty. While there was still time to have a family. But Georgiana had kept her plan to become a sophisticated old spinster to herself.
It would take a man of uncommon character to change her mind, and Georgiana had never been one for fairy tales. Captain Harris’s golden-brown eyes flashed through her mind yet again, and she let out a scoff. A less likely candidate to restore her faith in love, she couldn’t imagine.
Fine. Let him waste Reggie’s money on his investigation. Georgiana had neither the interest nor the time to cooperate.
If you want your life disrupted as little as possible, I suggest you stay at home for the next few days.
Bollocks. Her life had already been disrupted. But for the first time since yesterday evening a smile crossed her face.
If he was so determined to go through with this “investigation,” she would make it as difficult as possible—and enjoy every moment.
Chapter Three
