Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean

Author:Sarah MacLean
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“Now, that’s a winning smile.”

Hattie finished checking a crate of silks that had come in on the ship from France—destined for Bond Street just as soon as the Sedley warehouse marked them arrived and unharmed. With a nod to the workman, she turned to find Nora coming up the gangway, the sun bright on her grass green walking dress.

Hattie’s smile widened. “What are you doing here?”

Nora stepped onto the deck. “A woman cannot see the new head of Sedley Shipping in her element?”

Hattie laughed, the description making her even lighter on her feet than she’d been earlier in the day. And the day before. And the day before that, the morning after she’d left Whit in the dark Warnick gardens with his promise of both body and business. She waved a young man holding a half-open crate of something forward. “Not head yet.”

Nora scoffed at the word. “If I’ve learned anything about that man, it’s that when he vows something, he does it.”

Hattie peeked inside the open box, considering the packets of sweets within. She met the gaze of the man holding it. “There should be a dozen of these.”

He nodded. “Thirteen.”

She ticked the item off her list and nodded. “To the warehouse.” She reached in and extracted a pack of raspberry sweets. “You’ve girls at home, Miles?”

The boy—no more than three and twenty—smiled. “Aye. Twins. Isla and Clare.”

She pulled out two more packs and tucked them into the loose pocket in his coat. “They’ll be proper happy to see their papa tonight.”

The smile widened. “Thank you, Lady Henrietta.”

When he passed Nora with a little nod, her friend turned to her. “Well, that was darling. And a winning strategy for the new head of the business.”

“Stop calling me that. You’ll curse it.”

Nora waved away the caution. Of course. This was Nora, after all. “How many times do you think Augie distributed sweets on the deck?”

“I don’t think Augie has ever even realized that the boats have to be unloaded,” Hattie said, dryly, turning away from Nora’s bark of laughter to consider a cask of Belgian ale coming up from the hold. “That can be delivered straight to the Jack and Jill,” she told the man who had hooked the load. She pointed down the dock to the pub in question, past four empty ships, huge haulers that had been emptied over the last few days, their contents delivered to the Sedley warehouses.

The quiet ships were odd—owners tended not to allow boats to sit empty in harbor—especially something as in demand as a hauler—able to go long distances and with massive holds waiting to be filled. Hattie made a note to speak to the owners about the disuse. Perhaps it was time for Sedley Shipping to increase its export business.

“If I may?” Nora summoned Hattie’s attention again. “I’ve never seen you looking so sorted.” She lowered her voice. “Mr. Whittington certainly knows the way to a lady’s heart.”

Hattie couldn’t stop the smile that came at the words, embarrassed and gleeful and full of anticipation.

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