From this Moment by Elizabeth Camden

Author:Elizabeth Camden [Camden, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-04-12T07:00:00+00:00

11

Romulus didn’t know who was behind the campaign to destroy Scientific World, but he suspected the battle was far from over, and he refused to supply his opponent with ammunition. The contract governing the distribution of subscription magazines required the publisher to notify subscribers of an interruption in their service within five days of learning of the delay. Typically it would be ridiculous to believe anyone would bring a lawsuit for such a minor violation, but these weren’t normal times.

That meant he needed to get these letters in tomorrow’s mail if he was to stay within the letter of the law. His staff had been addressing envelopes for the past three days. Overflowing bins of bundled envelopes crowded the office, ready to be stuffed as soon as the letters were printed. Roy Tanner had spent the entire morning reconfiguring the linotype machine to print a single-sided letter. Now stacks of letters were being carried up in batches of five thousand.

He couldn’t ask his staff to stay late and stuff envelopes. He and Evelyn would do that on their own. It was going to be a long night, and Evelyn had gone downstairs to get them something for dinner. They might be here until the sun rose, but these letters would be ready for tomorrow’s post.

He still needed to refute the charges against the magazine, and Clyde had been invaluable on that front. For the past three evenings, Clyde had come up to the office, tired and grubby after a long day of work on the subway. He took a seat at a vacated desk and wrote a point-by-point defense for each article they had published on electricity.

Evelyn had not complained. She didn’t like Clyde’s presence, but they needed him, so she swallowed back whatever remnants of bitterness still lingered in her mind. Evelyn’s memory was a mixed blessing. It kept their office running like a well-oiled clock, but she was a master at storing and cataloging every slight Clyde had dealt her over the past ten years.

The door opened, and Evelyn shouldered her way in, followed by Stella, whose arms were weighed down with baskets of food.

“We have brought sustenance,” Stella said gaily.

“What have you got?” he asked.

“Deep-fried clams, spiced lobster patties, corn bread, and of course, a nice big box of Belgian chocolates.”

“She can stay,” Clyde said, reaching out for the basket brimming with golden, crispy fried clams. Evelyn set out a plate with sliced corn bread and plenty of butter.

Romulus couldn’t tear his eyes off Stella as she sashayed around the office, bearing her baskets of goodies like Lady Bountiful. It wasn’t until she set everything down that he got a good look at her ensemble. Even for Stella, it was a bold choice.

“A Japanese kimono?” he asked in amazement.

Stella grinned. “It’s going to be a late night, and it’s the most comfortable thing I own. I overspent shamelessly on the chocolate, but I think we can all use a little something special tonight.”

He resented the niggling sense of attraction that never left him in peace.

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