Page 24 of All is Fair in Love
Poppy’s footsteps remained at their fast pace. She walked straight past her own warehouse and all the way to the end of the North Quay. Only then did she dare to stop and turn around. Her gaze searched the waterfront, seeking him, but Francis Saunders was nowhere to be seen.
She let out a huge sigh of relief, then quietly swore. If she wanted eggs to make her cinnamon biscuits, she was going to have to take the long way back around to Pennington Street.
But if it meant avoiding Francis Saunders, and the wicked things that he made her feel, it would be well worth the effort.
Chapter Thirteen
“I’m pleased to see you have shifted our ropes and barrels from out the front of number fourteen. Are you going to move them upstairs?” asked Charles.
Francis stirred from his musings of buxom delivery maids and glanced at his father.
“Pardon?”
“I said I am glad you moved our barrels and things from out the front of next door,” replied Charles.
Oh, that. Damn.
Francis gritted his teeth, annoyed with himself. After his meeting with the superintendent of the London Docks, and then the strange encounter with the girl who had dropped the eggs and butter on the roadway, he had made his way back to the Saunders Shipping offices. Passing the barrels, he had made a mental note to move them back in front of the other warehouse, but several other matters had arisen during the morning that required his attention, and he hadn’t got around to it.
Now I will have to wait until Papa has gone to move them again.
He was being petulant, but he wasn’t ready to give up on making the new warehouse occupants feel thoroughly unwelcome.
By the time Charles had arrived, Francis was up to his elbows in paperwork. All thoughts of petty games had been set temporarily to one side.
His cousin James Radley had worked for the Saunders Shipping Company for a time, handling many clerical tasks, and it wasn’t until after he had left to go and live in Cornwall with his new wife that Francis finally realized just how much work James had been able to get done in a day. He had lost his most efficient employee and now had to take up the slack himself.
I must get another clerk as soon as possible. This bookwork is not my destiny.
He was quickly learning that it was nigh on impossible to create new business strategies when your head was stuck in the books of account.
A cup of steaming coffee was placed in front of him on the desk as an all too chirpy Charles pulled up a chair and took a seat. His father wanted to have a little chat.
I do not have the time nor patience for this.
The last thing he needed was yet another session of fatherly advice. He couldn’t wait until his parents left for Scotland. He was counting down the days.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help carry those bits and pieces out of the way? It was good of you to move them, but now they are making the front of our warehouse look untidy,” said Charles.
They won’t be there for much longer.
He would have to wait until after Charles had left for the day before once more resuming his mean game of dumping barrels and ropes. Not that Francis viewed it as being cruel. This was serious business. They could keep the barrels and rope if they wished. Who was he to quibble if the soft folk at number fourteen didn’t view it as a kindness?
“I shall attend to them later,” replied Francis.
And by that, he meant he’d drag some extra barrels from the second floor and add them to the collection he intended to dump in front of next door.
Charles leaned back in his chair and sipped at his own coffee. “Are you looking forward to tomorrow? It’s been such an age since the Radley family gathered together. I think your mama still feels somewhat cheated over the fact that both your sisters didn’t have proper London society weddings. You know how important these things are to the mother of the bride.”
Francis frowned. Tomorrow. Something was happening tomorrow. He racked his brain, trying to remember what it was. And why was his father going on about weddings?
“Did you have a chance to select a wedding gift?” added Charles.
Oh.
It was his cousin Maggie Radley’s wedding tomorrow. How could he have forgotten?
He’d been so busy dealing with shipping business that it had completely slipped his mind. And no, of course he hadn’t bought a gift. His mind had been on business and business alone.
