At that point, she’d have earned enough money to move into her own lodgings—if necessary.
“Lord Elmer will be in town this spring,” Elle’s mother said. “If the marquess’s son doesn’t come through with an offer, perhaps Lord Elmer will renew his.”
Elle’s father frowned at her mother’s suggestion.
As did Elle.
This time it was Elle’s mother who would comfort her father. “It would simplify matters for all of us.”
“Would you want to marry him if you were Elle?” her father returned.
“I would do whatever was best for my family.”
And more guilt.
Unfortunately, discussing the man who was her father’s heir put an end to what was left of Elle’s appetite. She would not be encouraging Lord Elmer.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to retire early.” She shifted her gaze from her mother to her father. “The hospital is short staffed so they’ll be needing my help daily.”
The first of many, many lies to come.
Her mother stared at her with curious eyes and her father grunted.
Not giving either the chance to protest, Elle allowed a footman to pull out her chair and then fled as gracefully as possible.
Because tomorrow would be her first full day.
And like a child on Christmas Eve, she could hardly wait.
The Job
As it turned out, Elle’s first full week as a professional playwright was everything she expected. Mr. Dodd kept her busy enough and although he could at times be ridiculously demanding, she had no complaints. Because she was finally a part of the theater!
Her duties involved organizing Mr. Dodd’s daily business, which usually amounted to a list a mile long, but also working with Mrs. Grey to verify and pay invoices, and even helping mend old costumes when one of the seamstresses fell ill. Additionally, she met with former and prospective cast members, managed schedules, acted as liaison between the set designer and various contractors, and offered her opinion regarding the current theater renovations.
She never imagined the level of details involved despite the current break in productions.
In between her work at the theater, she managed to make a few early morning visits to the foundling hospital and also the modiste. And she only missed dinner with her parents once.
All of it exhausted her in the best way possible.
And as the first week passed, a pattern developed between Elle and her boss.
“You’re late,” he’d say as she slipped into his office, regardless of the time she arrived. Since he had never specified an exact time that he expected her, she refused to apologize and instead responded, “I’m right on time, Mr. Dodd.”
With which he never argued.
After a few days, she learned that she only seemed late to Mr. Dodd because he’d usually already been working in his office for hours. He kept a small apartment right off his office and sometimes slept there.
And yet never began the day looking unkempt.
True, he occasionally appeared untidy, such as the afternoon he assisted the stage crew dismantling an old set, or one morning when rain caused the roof to leak and he fashioned a patch.
But Mr. Dodd never arrived at the theater looking sloppy.
With his cravat perfectly tied, face smoothly shaven, and a masculine scent that had begun to drive Elle mad, the man could easily be accused of employing a valet. Furthermore, his clothing was made up of quality materials, and to Elle’s dismay, seemed tailor-made to his physique.
But it was that subtle cologne hovering in his midst that truly got under her skin. The combination of leather and clove, along with a hint of theater paint, lingered in the office even when he was absent. It conjured a false intimacy Elle couldn’t shake.
