Read Online And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke - Free Book Online Page A

the House,” Diana reminded him. “Remember? You were suggesting how society might solve the problem of surplus women by promoting that radical idea of yours that my sex be allowed to earn our way in the world so men don’t have to marry us and take care of us. So absurd.”
    “It is not absurd. It’s a sound idea, with—”
    “And why?” she went on, ignoring him. “All because you are cynical about the institution of marriage.”
    “I am not cynical!” he shot back before remembering there was just no arguing with Diana about this topic. He returned to the matter at hand. “The point is that I gave Miss Dove an opportunity no one else would have given her. I picked her at random out of a host of applicants. And after five satisfactory years, she up and resigns. With no reason, no warning, no notice.” Harry began to feel quite nettled. “How could she do this to me after all I’ve done for her? Where is her loyalty?”
    “I don’t see why this is such a problem for you. Get another secretary. You should easily be able to find one. Ring up an agency or something.”
    “I have no intention of finding another secretary. I am quite satisfied with the one I have.”
    “Had,” his sister corrected. “She resigned.”
    “I refuse to accept her resignation, and when I find her, I’m going to tell her so. She’s not allowed to leave me.”
    “Bullying her? Oh, yes, that’s sure to bring her back straightaway.”
    Harry glared at his sister’s smiling face. “Do you have a better suggestion?”
    “Since I can’t imagine any woman with sense working for you in the first place, I’ve little advice to offer. But you might start by determining why she resigned. There must be a reason to make her do so without giving notice.”
    “A reason?” That took Harry aback. He paused, considering the matter. “I did reject her new manuscript.”
    “You’ve done that before, haven’t you?”
    “Yes, but this time she seemed to take it particularly hard. I’ll wait a day or two, then I’ll go see her. That should give her enough time to get over her hurt feelings.”
    “If that’s her reason for resigning.”
    Harry paid no attention. He was following out his own train of thought. “She’s a sensible sort of person,” he reasoned, tapping the letter against his palm as he spoke. “Not at all prone to irrational, spur-of-the-moment decisions suchas this. Two days should give her enough time to realize she made a mistake. She’ll probably be relieved I’ve come to offer her back her post. She’ll be grateful for the chance to rectify her mistake.”
    “Grateful?”
    “I’ll tell her there’s no hard feelings, offer her a raise, and that should settle things.”
    Diana burst into merry laughter. Turning away, she started for the door.
    “What is so amusing?” he demanded.
    “Let me know how well your plan succeeds, will you?” She reached for the door handle. “I take it you’re not coming to Edmund’s water party?” Without waiting for an answer, Diana departed, closing the door behind her.
     
    Emma told herself not to be nervous. She kept her hands folded firmly on top of the stack of Mrs. Bartleby manuscripts in her lap, tried not to fidget in her chair, and refused to think about the fact that her entire future could hang on what happened today.
    This was not the safe thing to do. It was not the sensible thing to do. But she was over being safe and sensible.
    Two days ago in that little shop on Regent Street, she had fallen apart. After spending the night of her thirtieth birthday hugging her pillow and crying on Mr. Pigeon’s furry shoulder, she had put herself back together. By Sunday morning, she’d known just what she had to do. After church ser vices and some seriousprayers for divine assistance, she had gone to the publishing house, typed her letter of resignation, and put it on Marlowe’s desk.
    It was wrong, she knew, not to have given the proper fortnight’s notice, but