Chapter Four

T he Right Honorable Miss Bernice Namath

I entered the boarding house where I rented a flat and took the stairs to the third level. The clean but serviceable stairwell was clear of refuse, unlike the first flat we rented after moving from our ancestral home. Added to the stench of my previous abode was my obnoxious landlord, a man fond of bringing loose women back to his flat. My current landlady was quiet and hard of hearing, which was a blessing since I had four rambunctious younger sisters. Removing my hat and gloves, I tried to still my shaking hands. The interview went as well as to be expected but the arrival of the Met caught me off guard. My guilt over perpetrating a crime by not disclosing my father’s demise to his heir weighed heavily on my mind.

“Birdie, you’re home.” My sister Eloise peeked into the hallway and smiled at me in expectation. A year younger than I, she had lovely blonde hair and a sunny disposition. Together, we had taken on the challenging task of supporting our siblings. “Well?” she asked.

“I need a sherry.” I walked past her, needing fortification to calm my nerves. The savory scent of soup drifted from the stove in our small kitchen. The main room of the flat was spacious, and there were two bedrooms, one shared by the girls, ages fourteen to seven, and the other shared by Eloise and me.

She shut the door behind me.

“You didn’t get the position?” Eloise frowned, taking my hat and gloves from me. Her once beautiful hands were chapped from physical labor. The hospital never shut down, and she worked erratic shifts, anything to bring home more funds.

“I did, but it isn’t without complications.” I moved to the decanter and poured a sherry for each of us. The ruby liquid in the cheap crystal was very different from the custom glassware I had sold to supplement our income. Every half-penny counted.

“I am on pins and needles.” She settled into her favorite wing-back chair and tucked her shawl around her shoulders. Hand outstretched, she accepted the glass from me.

The room was chilly because we couldn’t afford to use much coal until the children returned from school. It stretched our budget to send them to school, but I didn’t wish to deprive them of an education. “I am sure you are. Well,” I plopped down into the chair across from her, my feet pinched from wearing stiff shoes. “First of all, Mr. Moran is, well, a curmudgeon, if truth be told.” A curmudgeon with eyes that looked right into my soul.

Eloise winced and drank from her glass, smoothing the apron she wore over her serviceable navy skirt. “Ugh. He is old and unpleasant?”

“Quite the contrary.” I shook my head, trying to suppress the surge of excitement that held me enthralled throughout the interview. “Well, he is rather abrupt in his manners, and he does scowl a lot.”

“You said he was a curmudgeon, I assumed he was old.” She laughed and drank more of her wine.

He had been much younger than I anticipated, and the way my body sparked at his simple glance added to my anxiety. “No, he isn’t old, and some might say he is handsome, I suppose.” Those arresting eyes had been direct, and I liked his forthrightness a bit too much.

“A handsome curmudgeon. Very interesting. However, you are upset, so I assume things didn’t go as planned.” Her expression stilled and grew serious. She frowned into her glass, her whitened knuckles giving away her concern. The odd hours she worked at the hospital were physically and mentally demanding. I feared for her health since she was exposed to a myriad of illnesses. One of the reasons I wanted to succeed was to get her out of the hospital so she could work in an office like me. In my mind, the agency would become the foundation of change for my family. As the daughter of a baron, I would use my influence to get my foot in the proverbial door at reputable businesses and fill their open positions accordingly.

“I obtained the position, and he didn’t squabble over my salary, indeed he offered me more.” His demand for secrecy was my greatest concern. In hindsight, I should have asked more questions, except it was hard to remain on point under his intense scrutiny. He had warned me that he was a hard task master, thus the reason for a larger salary. Perhaps it was a weakness on my part, but I wanted to prove to him that I could handle whatever he threw at me.

“He offered you more?” Eloise’s earlier grimace disappeared, and curiosity lit her eyes. “How much more?”

“A third more.” I pressed my lips together, my thumb playing along the stem of my glass. I pulled the piece of paper out of the cloth bag tied to my wrist and handed it to her. “Here, see for yourself. There is a caveat, however.”

“Did he make advances on you?” Eloise stared hard at me, clutching the employment agreement in her hand. She had gone through three positions as a governess before finding work in the hospital as a nurse. During her time in domestic service, it came to light just how many degenerate heads of households preyed on pretty faces.

“No, no, nothing like that. He, well, he kept asking me if I was prone to fainting.” It was a very odd conversation to have until the inspector showed up. Ashton aroused my deepest fears and uncertainties about my plan to cover up my father’s death. Except I had to think about my sisters’ welfare. They were all much younger than Eloise and me. My father remarried after my mother died, but my stepmother passed away giving birth to my youngest sister, a child of seven.

“I would hardly think not, you are rarely rattled, which is why I am concerned that you seem rattled now.” She leaned forward, her gaze locked on mine. While her expression remained serious, eagerness shone in her eyes. “Please, tell all.”

Part of me wanted to confide my attraction to him, yet I hesitated. Mr. Moran wasn’t a romantic interest, he was my employer. “Mr. Moran stressed the importance of privacy for his clients. I understand his reasons. He wishes to protect his authors at all costs. However, when I was getting ready to leave, an inspector from the Met arrived and insisted on speaking with him.”

My heart fluttered for multiple reasons when I recalled my encounter with Inspector Ashton. With his broad frame, leonine blond hair and beard, and piercing blue eyes, he made my knees weak.

“Do you think Mr. Moran is up to something illegal?” The spark of curiosity in Eloise’s eyes brightened even more. She was clearly enthralled by my admission. Lately, her smile had been dulled, and I wanted to see the joy of life return to her. “Although I am not sure what could be illegal about publishing a book.”

“Perhaps he is publishing political pamphlets?” I drank deeply from my cup, barely tasting the sweet wine. If I discovered that was indeed the case, would I quit or turn a blind eye? It was a question I had been asking myself since I left his office. “On the surface, his shop is legitimate. He has a sterling reputation amongst the publishing world. All of that might be a front for illicit purposes. One never knows what hides inside a person’s mind.”

I had done my due diligence as much as possible. Nobody I spoke to had hinted at any impropriety, although some had mentioned he could be difficult. He confirmed that himself. I hated to think of him being anything but above board. Of course, I wouldn’t admit it to my sister, but Moran, the man, played a part in my desire to ignore the obvious and take on the position. Not to mention the money he offered.

“If he is being investigated by the Met, I am not sure it is wise to take the position.” Eloise’s mouth turned down, and she looked ready to cry. We had both counted on my getting this job so she could quit hers and run the agency. My heart went out to her, and I shook my head.

“I would agree with you. However, I don’t wish to make assumptions. Just because Inspector Ashton wanted to speak with him doesn’t mean it has to be illicit on Mr. Moran’s part. I might be overreacting because of guilt.” It was a viable explanation, but not the entire truth. If Mr. Moran was under investigation, chances are my life would be scrutinized as well because I worked for him. And if that were the case, another lie I had told would come to the surface. Over the years, I debated whether to share everything with Eloise, but I wanted her to enjoy her youth. Now, it was stripped away by long nights working at the hospital and picking up whatever extra nursing shifts she could get.

Understanding was reflected in her soft smile. “You have nothing to feel guilty about. The house isn’t entailed, and even if it were, Papa had no male heirs. Our beloved father is buried in the family plot. It isn’t as if we have him buried in the back garden or sold him to the resurrection men for profit. We pay the taxes yearly on the house, and our family home brings in some much-needed income.” Bitterness laced her tone, revealing her ongoing frustration over the entire situation.

The task would be an uphill battle, but I was willing to do what I could to wage the war.

“That is true, but I have not been completely forthcoming.” The time was at hand to share the secret I had kept for three years. Part of the reason for my ruse was to keep the house. I had a fair head for business, and real estate was always a stable investment. My hands began to shake, and I willed my heart to stop its mad beating. “Papa does have an heir. An earl who is very wealthy by all accounts therefore he doesn’t need the property.”

Mouth agape, she shook her head, her fingers moving to her chest. Her shirtwaist was frayed at the sleeves, and the apron she wore to protect it was spotted with tomato sauce. Eloise was a very good cook, often making hearty soups and shepherd’s pie for the children. “You never told me this.”

I exhaled a long breath, the weight finally off my chest. Looking at her shocked visage, I regretted telling her the next second. “No, I didn’t, and I am sorry I just did.”

“We are in this together, sister.” She laid her hand on mine, her fingers cool. “If not for some silly law about inheritance succession, we would be the rightful heirs. We are Papa’s children as much as a boy would have been.”

“How very true.” When Eloise and I decided not to post Father’s death in the paper, it was a temporary fix. Now that it had been three years, I couldn’t go back.

A flash of a white gown caught my eye, and I looked up to see Violet standing right inside the doorway in the room she shared with our younger siblings. My stomach sank. How much had she heard? “Violet, why are you lurking about? You know it isn’t polite to eavesdrop.”

“I know.” She left her hiding place on slippered feet. At fourteen, she had taken on much responsibility since Eloise and I were often out of the house. She was close to being an adult but not quite, and I wanted her to stay innocent as long as possible.

“If you know it’s wrong, why are you doing it?” Eloise frowned, her brow thunderous. Like me, she was afraid that the more people who knew about Father, the greater the chance of being found out.

“Because I am not stupid, nor am I a child. I was awake when they took Papa’s body away.” Tears welled in her eyes. Violet had never been one to follow the rules, and I had no doubt she snuck out of the nursery right under the governess’s nose. “Then you told us we were playing a game. Well I knew it wasn’t a game.”

“Sit down.” I wanted to be mad at her but there was no putting the milk back in the cow.

Violet did as directed, her slender frame clothed in a nightgown that was becoming too small for her. She tugged at one of her rag curls, her gaze shifting from me to Eloise. “Before you punish me, I promise I have said nothing to no one.”

“I will need your solemn vow that this will go no further than us.” I had to make her understand the repercussions if she told another soul. “If the authorities find out, I could be imprisoned.”

She gasped, her hand moving to her neck. “I vow on my mother’s grave, I will not say a word.”

Eloise took Violet’s hand. She was as practical as I was, and I depended on Eloise’s strength to bolster my own. “Once we make a success of our agency, then we disclose his death and allow the house to revert to the earl. Until then, we must stick together to protect our family,” Eloise told her.

Nodding, Violet crossed her arms over her chest to combat the pervasive chill in the room. Worry rested in her eyes. “Did you really meet a real inspector at your work today?”

“He came to see Mr. Moran. He has no idea who I am.” I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t let Violet think otherwise. It was bad enough she was privy to my secrets.

“Mr. Moran or Inspector Ashton?” Violet asked.

“Both,” I said on a sigh. “The position will be challenging, but I think it will be worth it.”

Eloise nodded. “At this juncture, I don’t see any options but to accept the position. If you hate it, you can quit.”

The thought of going to the publishing house—especially seeing Moran again—sent delicious heat along my nerves. He was my employer and a crotchety one at that. But I had a sense it was a facade. First thing tomorrow morning, I would find out for sure. Until then, I had to have faith that things would work out.