Caroline smirked. “Likewise,” she replied, gathering her papers up and stepping away from his desk. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She waved.
He did not wave back.
Caroline didn’t return home—to the townhouse that had belonged to her father—but stopped at her brother’s house first—Rutherford Place.
“What did Mr. Black say?” Goldie leapt off the loveseat when Caroline stepped into the drawing room.
“Is Reed here?” Caroline glanced around them. She would keep her news from him for as long as she could, but she wasn’t fool enough to believe he wouldn’t find out eventually. That being said, she’d prefer he find out after her trial period at the Gazette had passed—after she’d proven herself.
“He’s in bed still. We didn’t sleep much.” Goldie didn’t meet Caroline’s eyes while imparting this information, and Caroline was happy for that. The very last thing she wanted to hear about was her brother’s prowess in the bedchamber.
In fact, just the thought was enough to make her wince.
Besides that, she had a bone to pick with her sister-in-law.
“Were you aware that Mr. Black and Lord Helton are one and the same?” Caroline asked.
“Of course. I’ve been able to recite the contents of Debrettes since I turned twelve. Ask me anything.” The delicate blonde woman lifted her chin in mock seriousness. “It’s a rare talent, I know.”
Caroline rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and then did her best to look disapproving.
“I wish you would have shared that tidbit with me before I asked him for a job.” Caroline didn’t think it necessary to tell Goldie how she’d disparaged the Gazette when she’d met up with him in the park.
“If you’d bother to read it yourself, you wouldn’t be caught off guard. Was that a problem for you?” Goldie drew Caroline to sit on the loveseat beside her. “What are you wearing? That’s an atrocious color!”
Caroline glanced down and gritted her teeth. “I wanted to fit in.”
“Ah…” Goldie met Caroline’s gaze, not bothering to hide her amusement. Because, of course, Mr. Black knew who Caroline was. “Did he hire you, though?”
“He did.” Caroline had accomplished what she’d set out to do. “You are looking at the new Society Reporter for the London Gazette.”
“Society? You?” Goldie’s expression looked so taken aback that Caroline couldn’t help laughing.
“I tried convincing him I was better suited to any other position, but it was all he was willing to offer me.” Goldie quirked an eyebrow. She didn’t look any less incredulous. “What? Don’t look so surprised. Am I not a proper lady?” The moment Caroline spoke the question, the catastrophe that had occurred the evening she’d come out flashed in her mind—and how she was mostly ignored at ton events—except by Goldie and her mother, of course. And a few other young women so long as their mothers weren’t about.
Lady Helton had been kind enough…
She hurried to add, “Actually, I think this might be ideal for our purpose. But I’m going to need your help.”
“I’ll say.” Goldie smirked and shook her head.
“I’ll be writing under an assumed name: Lady Philomena. The other reporters are going to know me as Miss Smith.” The hush-hush nature of the position suited her just fine. “But I’m going to need help with story ideas.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Just last evening, I heard the Earl of Northwood was courting Lady Amelia. But her father is looking higher. He has his eye on the Marquess of Winterhope. That’s not even the juiciest part, though. Lady Pembrook swears that the earl is actually in love with Lady Amelia’s cousin—Miss Buckingham, an impoverished relation who acts as her chaperone.”
Caroline blinked, not quite comprehending all that Goldie just said. Even so… “Can you verify the facts?” she asked.
“He was seen at Tattersalls with Lady Amelia, and of course, Miss Buckingham was present, but—”
“I cannot print anything unless I’m one hundred percent sure that it’s accurate.”
“In the gossip section?” Goldie looked as though Caroline had sprouted a second head.
“Allow me to clarify—I refuse to write anything unless I can verify that it is accurate. I’ve been thinking about this all the way back from Fleet Street. If the society page is a source of news people can trust, Mr. Black may well be moved to adopt this practice in the other sections as well.”
Goldie was nodding and looking quite approving. “And if people trust the society page, they will trust articles you write when you have proof of Reed’s innocence.”
“Exactly. And if I cannot convince Mr. Black to stop printing bad things about Reed in the other sections, I’ll write good things about him in mine.” Goldie nodded slowly and Caroline folded her hands in her lap.
