Read Online And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke - Free Book Online
Authors: Laura Lee Guhrke
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legal documents to those lines requiring his signature. He signed them, then went back to the outer office. Dropping one copy on Miss Dove’s desk for her to docket it, he handed the other to Marsden. “Give that to Ledbetter’s clerk,” he ordered and returned his attention to the other two men.
Tremayne spoke first. “My lord, I have to get the five evening editions assembled and ready to print by three o’clock. I can’t do it without that schedule.”
Harry rubbed a hand over his face, trying to think of a solution. “It might be in her desk somewhere. Go through the drawers and see if you can find it.”
“What about my book list?” Finch asked. “If any author is going to be late completing a book, which they always are , you know, I need to know about it.”
“Yes, yes, but do you really need to know today? Can’t this wait?”
Finch began a long, involved explanation as to why waiting was not possible. In the midst of it, the door opened again, and in came Diana. “Harry, we have been waiting in the carriage forever. What on earth is taking you so long?”
“It’s not here,” Tremayne said, shutting the bottom drawer of Miss Dove’s desk. “I’ve looked in every drawer and pigeonhole.”
“My lord,” Finch said, “I am supposed to meet with the book publishing staff in a quarter of an hour.”
“Harry,” Diana said, “Edmund’s yacht is to set sail at eleven o’clock. If you don’t hurry, we’re going to miss the party.”
“Sir, I need Miss Dove’s schedule.” Tremayne rose from the desk. “Without it, I can’t—”
“Enough,” he interrupted the flood of voices and turned his attention first to Tremayne. “There was a time when we managed to get our newspapers out in a timely manner without Miss Dove. I’m sure we can do so without her daily schedule. Go back down to the newsrooms and find a way to get those evening editions out on time, and I don’t care how you do it.” He turned his attention to the other man. “Mr. Finch, you don’t have to have the updated bookschedule today, so go back down and postpone your meeting. And one of you find someone to locate Miss Dove.”
As the two men departed, his sister spoke. “Miss Dove is missing?”
“So it would seem.”
“How very odd. It’s so unlike her, isn’t it? I hope nothing untoward has happened. She left no word she would not be working today?”
“No. At least—” Harry broke off, remembering the letter on his desk. “Perhaps she did.”
He returned to his office. Leaning over his desk, he picked up the envelope and broke the wax seal, then scanned the lines of the note Miss Dove had left for him. Its message was clear, concise, and completely unbelievable.
“What on earth?” Harry read the missive again, but there was no misunderstanding the message contained in the five lines typed on the sheet. Her neat signature was penned in ink at the bottom.
“What is it?”
He looked up to find Diana standing in the doorway. “She resigned,” he said, unable to believe it even as he said it. “Miss Dove resigned.”
“She did? Let me see.” Diana crossed the room, took the letter, and read it. Then she looked at him, and to Harry’s irritation, she was smiling. “You seem shocked, dear brother.”
“Of course I’m shocked. Should I not be?”
“Well, Harry, not to be critical, but I wouldn’t want to work for you.”
“Miss Dove never complained.”
“Yet she was unhappy enough to resign.”
“What does her happiness have to do with anything? I don’t pay her to be happy.” He snatched the letter back. “She came here originally to apply for a post as a typist. In giving Miss Dove the position as my secretary, I did her a great favor. I hired a woman, and a woman with no experience in secretarial duties, at that. I pay her a salary far greater than she could ever expect to receive anywhere else. She can be happy on her own time.”
“You only hired her to prove a point in
Tremayne spoke first. “My lord, I have to get the five evening editions assembled and ready to print by three o’clock. I can’t do it without that schedule.”
Harry rubbed a hand over his face, trying to think of a solution. “It might be in her desk somewhere. Go through the drawers and see if you can find it.”
“What about my book list?” Finch asked. “If any author is going to be late completing a book, which they always are , you know, I need to know about it.”
“Yes, yes, but do you really need to know today? Can’t this wait?”
Finch began a long, involved explanation as to why waiting was not possible. In the midst of it, the door opened again, and in came Diana. “Harry, we have been waiting in the carriage forever. What on earth is taking you so long?”
“It’s not here,” Tremayne said, shutting the bottom drawer of Miss Dove’s desk. “I’ve looked in every drawer and pigeonhole.”
“My lord,” Finch said, “I am supposed to meet with the book publishing staff in a quarter of an hour.”
“Harry,” Diana said, “Edmund’s yacht is to set sail at eleven o’clock. If you don’t hurry, we’re going to miss the party.”
“Sir, I need Miss Dove’s schedule.” Tremayne rose from the desk. “Without it, I can’t—”
“Enough,” he interrupted the flood of voices and turned his attention first to Tremayne. “There was a time when we managed to get our newspapers out in a timely manner without Miss Dove. I’m sure we can do so without her daily schedule. Go back down to the newsrooms and find a way to get those evening editions out on time, and I don’t care how you do it.” He turned his attention to the other man. “Mr. Finch, you don’t have to have the updated bookschedule today, so go back down and postpone your meeting. And one of you find someone to locate Miss Dove.”
As the two men departed, his sister spoke. “Miss Dove is missing?”
“So it would seem.”
“How very odd. It’s so unlike her, isn’t it? I hope nothing untoward has happened. She left no word she would not be working today?”
“No. At least—” Harry broke off, remembering the letter on his desk. “Perhaps she did.”
He returned to his office. Leaning over his desk, he picked up the envelope and broke the wax seal, then scanned the lines of the note Miss Dove had left for him. Its message was clear, concise, and completely unbelievable.
“What on earth?” Harry read the missive again, but there was no misunderstanding the message contained in the five lines typed on the sheet. Her neat signature was penned in ink at the bottom.
“What is it?”
He looked up to find Diana standing in the doorway. “She resigned,” he said, unable to believe it even as he said it. “Miss Dove resigned.”
“She did? Let me see.” Diana crossed the room, took the letter, and read it. Then she looked at him, and to Harry’s irritation, she was smiling. “You seem shocked, dear brother.”
“Of course I’m shocked. Should I not be?”
“Well, Harry, not to be critical, but I wouldn’t want to work for you.”
“Miss Dove never complained.”
“Yet she was unhappy enough to resign.”
“What does her happiness have to do with anything? I don’t pay her to be happy.” He snatched the letter back. “She came here originally to apply for a post as a typist. In giving Miss Dove the position as my secretary, I did her a great favor. I hired a woman, and a woman with no experience in secretarial duties, at that. I pay her a salary far greater than she could ever expect to receive anywhere else. She can be happy on her own time.”
“You only hired her to prove a point in
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