Page 9 of The Heiress Masquerade (Dollar Princess #2)

The reverberation of loud banging gradually penetrated through Aimee’s sleep-riddled brain. Along with a female, very English voice echoing in her head.

“Wake up, Evie,” the voice kept repeating.

“Go away, Evie,” Aimee mumbled into her pillow, wanting to go back to the dream of a golden-haired angel with jade-green eyes, murmuring sweet nothings in her ear as his lips trailed kisses everywhere on her feverish skin.

“Evie! Mrs. Holbrook will get cranky with you if you’re late for your first day, not to mention it won’t impress Mr. Stone.”

Hearing the man’s name was akin to having a bucket of ice water thrown on her head. She bolted upright in bed and blinked as the early morning sunlight began to creep in through the now-open curtains. She didn’t recognize anything as she gazed around the tiny room and felt completely disoriented. “Where am I?”

“Mrs. Holbrook’s, remember?” It was her new roommate, Molly Mitchell, who answered. “Soon to be your ex-house if you don’t get up and get ready in the next fifteen minutes.”

“What time is it?” she groaned and collapsed down onto the bed. “The sun barely looks up.”

“It’s a quarter past-six.” Molly shook her shoulder. “And you need to get up because we leave at six thirty on the dot.”

The gravity of the situation penetrated her sleep-addled brain and she was awake in an instant. “Oh no. How will I get ready in fifteen minutes?” She felt the first vestiges of panic claw up her throat, but she tamped down on the feeling.

Swinging her legs to the side, Aimee jumped out of bed and hurried over to the tallboy. “How do you all wake up so early without a maid to wake you or help you dress?” She quickly rummaged through some of the outfits inside and settled on a jade-green skirt and matching jacket, the color of which instantly brought images of Harrison Stone to mind. She couldn’t escape the man from haunting her dreams and now it seemed he was haunting her waking hours, too. Darn man.

“You just get used to it, I suppose.” Molly shrugged as she placed her black boots on and began to lace them up. “And Mrs. Holbrook bangs on the door, just like she was doing a moment ago in case one of us has slept in.”

Aimee shrugged out of her nightgown and hastily began to dress. Now she knew why Evie favored such simple outfits; they didn’t require the help of a lady’s maid, and, oddly, shrugging on her jacket over her blouse and doing up the buttons at the front without needing assistance felt strangely liberating.

“You know, you have quite an American twang this morning,” Molly said, doing up her last lace.

“I do?” Aimee cleared her throat, focusing on remembering to use her English accent. “I suppose that’s because I’ve spent the last six years surrounded by American twangs.”

“I suppose so.” Molly stood up and tidied some loose hair strands using the small looking glass on the desk. “What’s it like living with the Thornton-Joneses in their Fifth Avenue mansion? It must be so different from what you were used to growing up.”

“Overwhelming, initially,” Aimee replied, remembering how Evie had described it.

“I imagine it would be. To go from struggling to living a life of luxury, and all because your uncle found out you were his lost niece. What an incredible story.”

Aimee didn’t reply and pulled on some stockings, then started to lace up her boots.

“If only we were all so lucky.” Molly smiled. “Well, I’m ready. I’ll leave you to finish up and meet you downstairs. Don’t be late, though, as Mrs. Holbrook won’t be impressed.”

“She doesn’t strike me as the sort of lady easily impressed by anything.”

Molly laughed. “She does expect a lot, but she gives a lot back, too, helping us girls try to better ourselves with a profession.”

“How long have you been training with her as a secretary?”

“Over two years. I work as an undersecretary along with Deidre, assisting her with Mr. Stone.”

“Deidre didn’t seem happy to meet me.” Aimee had tried to make some conversation with the woman last night at dinner, but Deidre Cantor hadn’t wanted a bar of it.

“Oh, Deidre doesn’t like anyone prettier than her,” Molly replied. “Or anyone smarter. So she doesn’t like me, either, for the second part, not the first. In any event, she’s far too distracted wanting to run off with one of the accountants she’s having an affair with to pay either of us much mind.”

“An affair? Wouldn’t such a thing ruin her?”

Molly grinned, a glint of humor in her gaze. “You’ve been spending too much time with those in a loftier social class than us, haven’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s common practice that as long as a young couple is discreet about a love affair, making sure there’s no pregnancies outside of marriage, everyone looks the other way.”

Aimee felt her mouth drop open. “They copulate outside of marriage?”

“That’s a fancy way of putting it, but yes.”

“How interesting…” In Aimee’s social sphere, simply being caught kissing a man would be cause for a hasty engagement. She was beginning to realize how very different things were in her cousin’s old world to her own.

“It’s just how it is,” Molly replied. “Most end up getting married, though some don’t, and as long as they don’t get pregnant it’s considered acceptable. I wish my mother had remembered that rule before having me.”

“She didn’t get married?”

Molly shook her head. “No, and by the time she found out she was pregnant, my father had already fallen in love with another woman. So I grew up with that stigma, much the same as you.”

“Yes, I suppose so.” Evie’s parents hadn’t married, which still colored most people’s perceptions about her. Ridiculously so.

“In any event,” Molly continued, “I’m making my own way in the world, without a dollar spoon in my mouth, just like you will be, too, after completing your traineeship. Though I’ll be avoiding men, unlike Deidre. I suggest you do the same.”

“Yes, I most definitely will. To be honest, it’s not done in the circles I frequent in America.”

“Interesting,” Molly said, grabbing her coat from the back hook on the door. “Anyhow, I hope Deidre runs off and marries her beau, because then I won’t have to put up with her snide and catty remarks every day.”

“Why wouldn’t she work if she got married?”

“That part of Society is the same regardless of social class. Once a woman is married, she’s expected to run the household and have children, so there’d be no time to work as a secretary.”

“It doesn’t seem right that a man can marry and give up nothing, while a woman has to give up nearly everything.”

“It’s just how it is.” Molly shrugged before pulling open the bedroom door. “Now, do hurry up. You’ve got five minutes before we leave, and Mrs. Holbrook will leave you here if you’re not on time.”

Exactly what Aimee didn’t want to happen on her first day. “I will, and thank you for waking me.”

“We’re alike, you and me. So we have to stick together.” Molly smiled before leaving Aimee alone in the small room.

Five minutes later, Aimee found herself downstairs and swiftly bundled inside the company carriage with Molly and Deidre, along with the other secretary, Claire, who worked in accounts, and Mrs. Holbrook, too.

“Now, Miss Jenkins,” Mrs. Holbrook said as the carriage began its journey to the office. “You will be shadowing myself today and I expect you to listen, learn, and do what’s asked of you without fuss. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Mrs. Holbrook.” The woman really was like her old headmistress. Still, Aimee was determined to get back onto the right foot with the woman, which might prove challenging, given she didn’t know what she’d done to annoy the lady. Perhaps she’d accidentally offended her with the comment about her servants?

Her agreement seemed to satisfy Mrs. Holbrook, who turned to her right and began speaking with Deidre, leaving Aimee to return her attention to the window, as the carriage turned down Fenchurch Street, meaning they were nearly at the office.

And it wouldn’t be long before she’d see Harrison Stone again. Why that thought made her both nervous and thrilled she wasn’t sure. She hated the man, even if her skin felt flushed just thinking of him. Which was what she had to stop doing; thinking about him was a distraction she didn’t need.

The carriage came to a halt and a minute later she stepped out of the vehicle and looked up at the facade of the building, her gaze glancing to the upper levels. She gasped when she saw Harrison staring down at her from his office window, and even from this distance he seemed annoyed, which seemed to be the expression he usually wore, at least when looking at her.

“Is everything all right?” Mrs. Holbrook asked, missing nothing.

Aimee swung her gaze back to the woman. “It’s fine,” she assured her, unable to stop her eyes from flicking briefly back up to where she’d seen him, but there was now an empty window in his place. Had she imagined him there? Given her dreams had been filled with the man, it wouldn’t surprise her if she had.

“I think it prudent to warn you Mr. Stone does not appreciate any of the secretaries forming any sort of romantic attachment toward him.”

“Excuse me?” Mortification flooded her. Could Mrs. Holbrook tell she’d dreamt of kissing him? That she couldn’t stop thinking about him? “That would be the last thing I’d ever do with someone like him.” And it was true. She might be thinking about his lips, but the very idea of them being involved in something romantic was ludicrous given they couldn’t stand each other.

Mrs. Holbrook didn’t look convinced. “You wouldn’t be the first young lady to start here and be bowled over by the man’s good looks.”

“I’m not bowled over by anything about him, except perhaps how rude he is.” Aimee followed the ladies as they walked up the steps and through the entrance, before climbing the marble stairs. “How long have you been working for Mr. Stone?”

“Close to five years. I was the first person he hired when he came to London to start the company here. Your Uncle Thomas recommended me, while also praising Mr. Stone as being an excellent boss. As always, your uncle was correct.”

Aimee still had her reservations about that. “You’re loyal to Mr. Stone.”

“I am,” Mrs. Holbrook agreed with a shrug, marching up the stairs to the top floor. “He’s a man who expects a great deal of others but expects more from himself. That sort of work ethic inspires loyalty and hard work from all around him, which he recognizes and rewards. It’s a trait your uncle shares.”

“Yes, I suppose my f—uncle”—darn, she’d nearly slipped up again—“does that, too.” If only he could recognize that his own daughter would be an asset, instead of relegating her to the ballroom. “How do you know my uncle?”

“I’ve worked as a temporary secretary for him many times over the years when he had business here in England. I also worked for your father when he was alive. Thankfully, though, your Uncle Thomas is far more responsible than your father ever was.”

“You worked for my…father?” Uncle Peter, Evie’s father, had been the black sheep of the family after he refused to marry an heiress that would have amalgamated their families’ fortunes and companies. Not speaking to him after doing so was her father’s biggest regret.

“Briefly,” Mrs. Holbrook confirmed. “He was a charming man, who didn’t have the same drive when it came to business as your Uncle Thomas, and though he’d been tasked with starting the London arm of the company, his personal life got in the way.”

“He ran off with my mother, don’t you mean?” Or rather, Evie’s mother as the case was.

“Indeed,” Mrs. Holbrook replied, looking unimpressed. “In any event, Mr. Stone has proven a far better replacement, even though it was some fifteen years after the fact. Under his leadership the London arm has far surpassed expectations. Mr. Stone truly is brilliant.”

“Yes, you’re not the only one who likes to praise him.” Her father did so, constantly.

“Mr. Stone is fair, honest, and will listen to suggestions,” Mrs. Holbrook replied. “He’s also a tactical genius in negotiations and a decent boss everyone respects.”

Where was this version of Harrison Stone that everyone except her had seemed to have met so far? With her the man was a brute…well, that wasn’t being entirely fair to him, but he did vex her beyond belief.

A few minutes later, they entered the outer room of Mr. Stone’s office, and Molly and Deidre went straight to their desks while Aimee followed Mrs. Holbrook over to her desk. As she walked across the room she glanced to the door of Harrison’s office and was grateful that though the door was open, it didn’t have a direct line of sight into the outer office area, and she couldn’t see him at all.

“Miss Mitchell and Miss Cantor both assist me to ensure the smooth and efficient running of Mr. Stone’s office,” Mrs. Holbrook said. “And that, Miss Jenkins, will be your job, too, while you’re here.”

“How …wonderful .” Aimee really tried to sound enthusiastic about it but evidently wasn’t all that successful given Mrs. Holbrook’s narrowed eyes.

“Once you’ve settled, I’ll introduce you to him.”

“We met yesterday.”

“Let me rephrase,” the lady replied. “I will officially introduce you to him after you are settled in. Now, this will be your desk.” Mrs. Holbrook waved over toward the small desk adjacent to her own. “For today, I want you to observe, take notes, and ask any questions you need. On Monday, you’ll do some actual work and implement what you’ve learned today. Is that understood?”

“Yes, and I’m looking forward to it.” She had no trouble this time with being entirely genuine in her enthusiasm.

She was here and making her dream a reality. She’d prove to her father she had a mind for business and wouldn’t let anyone stand in her way, not even a man whose lips had captivated her dreams.