Read Online Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James - Free Book Online Page B

resides on the premises along with several university students who are dedicated to helping the poor.”
    Lilly would think he ’d contrived this unexpected visit, but he’d gladly endure her displeasure if she assisted him in locating Fannie. She knew so many society people, he felt sure she had some idea of Fannie ’s real name. And why wouldn’t she help unless she felt duty bound to keep the authoress’s secret? He ’d employ all his powers of persuasion to enlist Lilly’s assistance. Jack sighed. If she refused, he doubted anyone else would help him.
    He lifted the book carton, hurried down two flights of stairs, and hailed a Hansom cab. Tossing the box onto the seat, he climbed inside the carriage and exhaled a long breath. He really wanted to purchase Jones and Jarman, but he needed to know how their most valued writer was reacting to Talk of the Town’s veiled threat. He assumed she’d seen the item. Everyone in society read the colonel’s scandal sheet, whether they admitted to it or not. But if he couldn’t speak to her, did he dare proceed with the purchase? What if Fannie Cole refused any additional contracts?
    Jack groaned as the horse wove through the knot of traffic toward the Settlement House. He needed both Lilly and Fannie to cooperate, but he couldn’t be sure either one would agree.
    WHEN LILLY ARRIVED at the Settlement House mid-afternoon, she hoped to find Miranda alone. But her best friend was busily preparing soup for the evening meal, when dozens of the city’s poorest inhabitants would descend upon them, seeking a hot supper. They’d join with the residents and create quite a crowd.
    Absorbed in cutting vegetables, the tall, slender Miranda didn’t look up when Lilly entered the room. Her abundance of thick black hair was neatly piled on top of her head and covered with a net. A few unruly tendrils escaped on the sides of her pale face splashed with a handful of freckles. Her hair was one of the few things which defied her discipline.
    Several other helpers, college students and society women, worked side by side in the tight confines of the kitchen, chatting as they sliced and diced. They often bumped into each other as they moved about preparing the supper. One saw Lilly and called out a greeting.
    Hearing her name, Miranda grinned and then hurried over to squeeze Lilly in a hug. She handed her an apron. “Thank you so much for coming on such short notice.”
    “Believe me, I was happy to escape Summerhill for a few days.” Lilly leaned closer over the chopping block and whispered, “I’m anxious to know the news we couldn’t discuss on the telephone.”
    Miranda glanced about the crowded space. “I’ll tell you when there aren’t so many ladies around to overhear.”
    Lilly nodded reluctantly. “All right.” A blast of heat from the large black range hit her in the face when a helper removed loaves of bread from the oven. But the delicious aroma made Lilly yearn for just a small piece. With butter and strawberry jam. She wiped beads of perspiration from her brow with a clean linen handkerchief and rolled up the sleeves of her navy blue shirtwaist.
    Miranda grinned ruefully. “This is a far cry from Newport, isn’t it?”
    Laughing, Lilly diced an onion for the vegetable soup. Tears stung her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. Several more of the little domes awaited her. “I haven’t even seen the kitchen at Summerhill, though I imagine it’s much cooler. But at least here I can help and do some good.”
    While several other volunteers washed potatoes and carrots, Miranda chopped the celery. Her normally pink cheeks grew rosier as she bent over the opposite side of the chopping block from Lilly. “Only a thousand more pieces to slice and I’ll be done.”
    Making soup for the large crowd expected for supper in the dining hall required a lot of food and preparation. After an hour’s steady labor, Lilly tried to hide her weariness behind a smile. Unlike Miranda who