Page 94 of All is Fair in Love
Whichever of us wins, we are both victorious. And for that, I am glad.
“The man from the superintendent’s office didn’t mention you would also be attending, but then again, I don’t expect that they know of our connection. I was on my way to see you now— before the meeting,” said Francis.
Poppy silently accepted his gentle rebuke. The fact that Francis wasn’t raising his voice or outright accusing her of lying to him was hopefully a sign of his emotional growth. Of acknowledging his role in keeping the peace in their relationship.
“Why don’t we go together? If they have granted the tender to another bidder, then at least we can drown our sorrows as comrades in arms,” replied Poppy.
He firmed his grip on her hand. “Let’s do that. I will be surprised if they have given it to someone else. From what I understood, the other shipping agents were pricing their bids much higher.”
Poppy knew these things were never set in stone. Until both parties had inked and sealed a contract, there was always room for change.
They began to walk the short distance from building number two toward the front entrance of London Docks and the main office. As they reached the front door, Poppy let go of Francis’s hand and turned to him. “Whatever happens in the next few minutes, can we agree that we won’t let it come between us? If one of us has been awarded the contract, the other has to accept the decision with good grace.”
He paused for a time, nervously biting his bottom lip. She could imagine that for a man like Francis, failure wasn’t something he was used to accepting or even experiencing. In his world, men took what they wanted and were treated like gods.
Discovering that he was in fact a mortal could be a painful lesson.
“Agreed. But we are going to have to have a frank and honest conversation about how to handle the spice deal going forward,” he replied.
“Yes, we will. Neither of us wants to feel that they are sleeping with the enemy.”
He stole a kiss. “Our love is more important.”
Francis held the door open for Poppy, then followed her inside. His breathing was shallow and his head a little light by the time they were shown into the superintendent’s office.
Memories of his previous humiliating visit to this place still burned in the back of his mind.
The superintendent rose from his chair, and looked from Francis, to Poppy, then back again.
“Ah, Captain Basden. Mister Saunders. How good of you to come. I wasn’t expecting the two of you at the same time. I apologize if my office made a mistake with your appointment times. I can see you both separately,” he said.
Francis and Poppy glanced at one another. Poppy gave him a gentle smile. “Mister Saunders and I are more than happy to have this meeting together. The outcome effects both of us.”
The superintendent’s brows knitted together, his lips forming into a small O as a look of realization appeared on his face. “Right, well, then shall we begin?”
Poppy took the seat to the right of Francis, and they waited patiently while the superintendent shuffled a few papers around on his desk. It was tempting to reach out to her once more, to hold her hand as they received the news of the tender, but when he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, her gaze was fixed forward.
Captain Poppy Basden was sitting up straight in her chair, her business mask firmly in place. Francis’s heart did a little dance at the sight. This was the woman who had rounded both the tips of Africa and South America in the teeth of a howling gale.
More importantly, she was the woman who had torn his indulgent self to pieces and remade him as a better man last night. As she lay naked beneath him on the table, all he could think was how bloody magnificent she was, and that she was his forever.
I am so proud of you.
The superintendent ceased his fidgeting and rested his hands on the desk.
“Now, this is not the usual way these things are done. The winner of the tender is normally notified before all the other bidders. But in this case, the other three bidders priced themselves out of the running from the outset, which left only two financially viable bids—the one from Saunders Shipping and the other from the Basden Line.”
Francis resisted the temptation to shift in his seat. This was good news. So far, only he and Poppy were in the running.
The superintendent opened his desk drawer and took out a hip flask. He unscrewed the lid and helped himself to a generous swig. He is steadying his nerves. This does not augur well.
“So, to continue, I have spoken to the contracting party, and they reviewed both submissions with the result that neither of your companies have been awarded the contract.”
“But . . .”
The superintendent held up a finger at Francis’s protest. “The problem isn’t with the bids, per se, but rather with the two of you.”
What?
