Read Online The Persuasion of Molly O'Flaherty by Sierra Simone - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sierra Simone
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bothering to tell him that Molly and I had earned most of those spots together. “I’m not threatened by not having a virgin bride.”
Mr. Cunningham actually shuddered. “I can’t imagine. I made a physician ensure my wife was a virgin before we were married.”
I was beginning to hate this man—and I hated very few people on this earth. But that kind of ignorance was so goddamn infuriating…
“And so I presume that you were also a virgin on your wedding night?” I said easily, giving him a smile as my eyes conveyed exactly the amount of dislike I had for him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he huffed. “It is a man’s natural inclination to—”
I interrupted him. “Mr. Cunningham, about my offer—please. What will it take? Tell me your price.”
I didn’t have fathomless funds, but between myself, Thomas and Julian—and possibly even the Baron—there wasn’t a number that I was afraid of this man naming. And yes, there was the small issue of Molly hating me more than ever after Mercy’s house, but now that I knew I loved her, how could I stand idly by and watch her corralled into marriage with Hugh?
I had to act.
Mr. Cunningham wasted no time cutting into the steak the waiter set before him, and I could see him savoring both the meat and the words he was about to say.
“There is no price, Mr. Cecil-Coke, no amount of money that you could pay me or the board to change our minds. We are very, very set on the viscount marrying Miss O’Flaherty.”
I nearly choked on the bite I’d just taken, hiding my surprise with a drink of wine. “Really?” I said evenly, after I’d swallowed and regained control of my thoughts. “No price at all? You must like this viscount very much.”
A slyness slipped over his features. “We do, Mr. Cecil-Coke.”
I didn’t answer him, partly because I was still shocked he hadn’t responded to my bribery. But also partly because a new suspicion was igniting, one I couldn’t quite articulate, but one that spoke of a connection between Hugh and this man.
“And why is it that you like him so much?” I pressed. “I must know.”
“He is simply the right fit for the company.”
“And I suppose it doesn’t matter who is the right fit for Miss O’Flaherty?”
Mr. Cunningham scoffed. “This has never been about individual needs, Mr. Cecil-Coke. This has been about the company, and what is necessary to keep it profitable in the long term. And the answer is not to have a woman dictating decisions simply because she owns a majority of the shares. She needs to be bridled.”
I planned on being the only man to put a bit between her teeth, and even then, it would only happen in the bedroom and with her begging for it. “And what decisions is she making that are so detrimental to O’Flaherty Shipping Lines? If you don’t mind me asking.”
He dabbed at his mustache and upper lip with a napkin. “She’s soft-hearted, like a woman. She pays the dockworkers too much and the investors too little. She gives the workers Sundays and holidays off—she even gives them a break for lunch! When I think of the money that could be saved if we merely dropped our wages to what our competitors pay…” He shook his head. “It’s appalling. But when she marries, the shares will legally belong to her husband. And then we will be able to move forward without all the…” he waved a hand around the table “…interference.”
“I see.” And I did see. This man was reprehensible. And the board was equally so, if they all thought like him. I felt a spike of pride for Molly, who had battled Mr. Cunningham and his friends in order to run the company the way she wanted. Who had run her company generously and ethically. All those years we’d spent lolling around Europe, petting and playing with each other, she’d also been contending with this board. She’d been single-handedly wrangling control of her company, and I’d never had any idea.
“And so you believe the Viscount
Mr. Cunningham actually shuddered. “I can’t imagine. I made a physician ensure my wife was a virgin before we were married.”
I was beginning to hate this man—and I hated very few people on this earth. But that kind of ignorance was so goddamn infuriating…
“And so I presume that you were also a virgin on your wedding night?” I said easily, giving him a smile as my eyes conveyed exactly the amount of dislike I had for him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he huffed. “It is a man’s natural inclination to—”
I interrupted him. “Mr. Cunningham, about my offer—please. What will it take? Tell me your price.”
I didn’t have fathomless funds, but between myself, Thomas and Julian—and possibly even the Baron—there wasn’t a number that I was afraid of this man naming. And yes, there was the small issue of Molly hating me more than ever after Mercy’s house, but now that I knew I loved her, how could I stand idly by and watch her corralled into marriage with Hugh?
I had to act.
Mr. Cunningham wasted no time cutting into the steak the waiter set before him, and I could see him savoring both the meat and the words he was about to say.
“There is no price, Mr. Cecil-Coke, no amount of money that you could pay me or the board to change our minds. We are very, very set on the viscount marrying Miss O’Flaherty.”
I nearly choked on the bite I’d just taken, hiding my surprise with a drink of wine. “Really?” I said evenly, after I’d swallowed and regained control of my thoughts. “No price at all? You must like this viscount very much.”
A slyness slipped over his features. “We do, Mr. Cecil-Coke.”
I didn’t answer him, partly because I was still shocked he hadn’t responded to my bribery. But also partly because a new suspicion was igniting, one I couldn’t quite articulate, but one that spoke of a connection between Hugh and this man.
“And why is it that you like him so much?” I pressed. “I must know.”
“He is simply the right fit for the company.”
“And I suppose it doesn’t matter who is the right fit for Miss O’Flaherty?”
Mr. Cunningham scoffed. “This has never been about individual needs, Mr. Cecil-Coke. This has been about the company, and what is necessary to keep it profitable in the long term. And the answer is not to have a woman dictating decisions simply because she owns a majority of the shares. She needs to be bridled.”
I planned on being the only man to put a bit between her teeth, and even then, it would only happen in the bedroom and with her begging for it. “And what decisions is she making that are so detrimental to O’Flaherty Shipping Lines? If you don’t mind me asking.”
He dabbed at his mustache and upper lip with a napkin. “She’s soft-hearted, like a woman. She pays the dockworkers too much and the investors too little. She gives the workers Sundays and holidays off—she even gives them a break for lunch! When I think of the money that could be saved if we merely dropped our wages to what our competitors pay…” He shook his head. “It’s appalling. But when she marries, the shares will legally belong to her husband. And then we will be able to move forward without all the…” he waved a hand around the table “…interference.”
“I see.” And I did see. This man was reprehensible. And the board was equally so, if they all thought like him. I felt a spike of pride for Molly, who had battled Mr. Cunningham and his friends in order to run the company the way she wanted. Who had run her company generously and ethically. All those years we’d spent lolling around Europe, petting and playing with each other, she’d also been contending with this board. She’d been single-handedly wrangling control of her company, and I’d never had any idea.
“And so you believe the Viscount
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