She called Edward out of the back room and gave him the key before giving his uncle a piece of toffee. The boy seemed oddly sullen, not meeting her eyes, but she would talk to him in private after his uncle left.
Before they went out, she asked, “Mr. Tufts, do you have references?”
The word she had never used before sounded strange and demanding. She’d never hired a maid or an employee, except Edward. But she knew one asked for such to determine a person’s character and ability.
“Oh, yes, miss. Only the best. Edward, here, for one.” He reached out and mussed the boy’s hair, which he didn’t seem to enjoy, for he ducked away.
Charlotte smiled. “I’m sure Edward will vouch for you, but I would like the names of some of your previous employers and the addresses of some residences or businesses where you built something.”
He nodded. “That’s fine, then. I’ll send that along with Edward tomorrow. And I’ll give you a price as soon as I see the upstairs.”
“Thank you.”
Whey they’d left, Charlotte felt as if she were getting somewhere. Maybe she wouldn’t need to pursue any of the other builders from the newspapers, as it would be nice to work with Edward’s family.
However, when the boy returned a few minutes later alone, he didn’t look happy.
“What’s wrong?” she asked him as he handed her the keys.
“Bit of an upset stomach, miss,” he said. “I’d best get the display cases wiped down.”
They were running a little behind, but she wasn’t ready to let the matter drop.
“Do you think your uncle can do the job?”
“I believe so, miss. Why else would he have asked to come?”
Indeed!
“I assume he lives with you and you mentioned the stairs.”
“Yes, miss.”
“And do you want me to give him the work?” Frankly, it appeared to her as if Edward would rather she kept his uncle at bay, but she couldn’t be sure.
The boy sighed and rubbed his stomach. “Yes, miss. It would help my mum.”
Charlotte supposed the uncle was his mother’s brother and would give a little of the money to support the family. From what she could tell, there was no father at home.
“Where is your father?” she asked him, having never pried before.
“Dead,” Edward said and disappeared into the back.
AFTER AN EVENING AT the theatre —withoutthe snapdragon and her husband — Charles was more firmly convinced that Charlotte was the woman he’d been searching for.
Not for all his life!He couldn’t say anything so romantically silly as that. Yet now that he was considering taking a wife, she seemed to suit his needs. He wanted to touch her and kiss her and sniff her hair whenever they were close. That was a good thing. Moreover, he enjoyed conversing with her, and he especially liked her humor. She seemed the perfect mate.
And then, in the midst of enjoying her company, he recalled his father saying how Charles’s mother had seemed the perfect companion, too. Fair of face but also charming, easy to converse with, attentive. Wifely. She’d also been strong-willed, intelligent, and terribly, crushingly fickle.
Watching Charlotte decide between the sparkling champagne and the wine during a ballet intermission, he hoped he didn’t detect a thread of such fickleness in her. If he ever did, it would be the end of their blossoming relationship.
After he dropped Charlotte and Delia on Baker Street, Charles found himself missing her by the time he reached home, wanting her there, drinking a late-night brandy, warming his bed. All of that and more.Did she want the same?He had no way to know whether she was ready for such a responsibility. Nor could he tell if she would be true to him for the rest of their lives.Was any woman capable of such?
“She seemed a nice young lady,” his father said, coming upon him carrying brandy up the stairs to his study.
Hesitating mid-step, Charles turned to where the earl stood at the bottom, in his housecoat as usual. “Who do you mean?”
“Don’t play coy,” his father said, ascending with one hand on the railing, looking older than his years. He needed a good haircut and to have his valet get him into some presentable clothing. “The pretty one who was here the other night,” his father continued. “With the lovely laughter.”
