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“I’d like nothing better.” Molly found great pleasure in turning an otherwise predictable hat into a new creation, with an added touch of flare all her own.
Staring off in the distance, Mrs. Singletary made a small movement of her head. “I wonder why Mr. Mitchell left so quickly after his gallant rescue.”
Molly masked the falter in her step. Garrett had been especially chivalrous this afternoon. But that was Garrett simply being Garrett. He would have done the same for any woman. She was nothing special to him, not anymore. The surge of sorrow was so strong it threatened to consume her. And...and...
And Mrs. Singletary had just asked her a question. Releasing a tempered breath, Molly lifted a shoulder. “He was clearly in a hurry.”
She sounded so calm, so in control. It was quite an act, when her heart was as bleak as a cold, rainy day.
“You are friends with his sisters, are you not?”
“I am.”
“Hmm, very strange he didn’t stick around and, I must say, quite inconvenient.” Mrs. Singletary planted her fists on her hips, her gaze turning shrewd. “I have a business proposition of some urgency I had wanted to discuss with him.”
Molly cast her employer a quick, baffled look. Garrett worked at Bennett, Bennett and Brand, yes, but Mrs. Singletary’s personal attorney was Reese Bennett, Jr. Therefore, it seemed rather odd that the older woman would approach Garrett in lieu of her own lawyer.
“Why wait any longer?” The widow spun around and set out toward the law firm. “I shall speak with him now.”
Molly trotted after Mrs. Singletary. Fingers curled into fists, she affected a placid tone. “But...” Think, Molly, think. “You don’t have an appointment.”
“I don’t need one.”
True. Mrs. Singletary was the law firm’s wealthiest and most influential client. Appointment or not, none of the attorneys would turn her away. “Are you certain this business you have with Mr. Mitchell can’t wait until later?”
“Quite certain.” She quickened her pace.
Molly did the same, her stomach tied in knots, her arms growing tired under the weight of the packages she carried.
Dodging the bulk of the traffic with practiced ease, Mrs. Singletary hastened along the narrow sidewalk. A block shy of the firm, she leveled her gaze on Molly and made a most unusual request. “I would like you present when I speak with Mr. Mitchell.”
“Me? I don’t understand.” Mrs. Singletary had never asked her to attend her business meetings before.
“It’s very simple, my dear. I want to see how Mr. Mitchell behaves in your company. And you in his.”
Oh, this was bad. So very, very bad. “Mrs. Singletary, you aren’t playing matchmaker, are you?”
“Matchmaker, me?”
The cryptic response made Molly all the more skeptical of her employer’s motives. “Why do you wish to see how Garrett and I interact with one another?”
“It’s important my personal companion gets along with my business associates.”
Since when? “That’s never mattered before.”
“An oversight on my part.”
So Mrs. Singletary was playing matchmaker. What a disastrous turn of events! Molly must dissuade her employer from this course of action, but how? If she protested too much she would only encourage the woman. “It’s useless,” she muttered.
“Now, my dear, one never knows. A few false starts are no indication that we won’t find our one true love eventually.” She patted her hand. “The Lord has brought you into my care. I shall see you happily settled no matter how long it takes.”
Molly chose not to argue. Mrs. Singletary would discover soon enough that Garrett was not the man for her. Their time had come and gone, never to be regained. Tragic, really.
She suddenly felt exhausted, and oh so lonely. Even though others had claimed to love her since Garrett, none had been any more sincere than he. Molly had given two of them a chance, going so far as agreeing to marry them.
Her greatest shame—the dark, awful secret she shared only with the Lord—was that she hadn’t been the one to call off her engagements. Her fiancés had walked away from her, just as Garrett had. Nearly eight months since her last broken engagement and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was destined to be alone. When all she wanted was a family of her own.
This melancholy wasn’t like her. She’d always been a child of joy, of hope, her favorite Bible verse also her life motto. He fill thy mouth with laughing, thy lips with rejoicing.
Where was her joy now? Her laughter?
She fought off a wave of panic, and readjusted the packages in her hands. She could not give up hope, because without hope all was lost.
* * *
Secluded in his office, Garrett felt his mood take on a hard edge. He couldn’t get Molly Taylor Scott out of his head.
The document beneath his hand blurred, the words a haze of black swimming atop white. He drummed his fingers on the parchment in a rapid two-finger rhythm. The sight of Molly this afternoon had been like a swift, cold wind through Garret’s soul, alerting all his senses, making him agonizingly aware that they’d once been very much in love.
The bold color of her crimson gown had been a stunning complement to her raven hair, soft, creamy skin and blue, blue eyes. For that brief moment when he’d gripped her shoulders, the years had melted away and Garrett had felt the strong pull of her all over again. He’d been transfixed.
The four men surrounding her had been equally transfixed.
Hostility surged through his veins at the memory.
Rearranging the Phipps contract on his desk, he proceeded to review the legal language. A detail man by nature, he searched for loopholes others had missed, areas that might present problems in the future. Even a misplaced comma could change the meaning of a sentence and cost his client a fortune.
He was deep into the work when a knock came at the door. Concentration blown, he looked up. “Enter.”
His law clerk, Julian Summers, a thin young man with ordinary features and an eager smile, stuck his head in the room. “Mrs. Beatrix Singletary has requested a moment of your time.”
“She wishes to see me?” Not Reese? “Are you certain?”
“She requested you. And she’s not alone—her companion is with her.” Adam’s apple bobbing, Summers sighed. “She’s really quite beautiful. Miss Scott, I mean. Charming, too.”
The man sounded awestruck. He looked awestruck, with his fidgeting hands and dazed expression. Right. Another poor, unsuspecting sap had succumbed to Molly’s undeniable charm.
“Send in Mrs. Singletary. And—” Garrett’s jaw tightened “—her companion.”
“Very good.” Summers hurried out, leaving the door ajar.
By the time Garrett crossed the room, he found the women already standing at the threshold. While Molly transferred an assortment of packages into his law clerk’s care, Garrett schooled his features into a blank expression. His well-honed composure evaporated the moment Molly turned and looked at him.
His heart slammed against his ribs, his breath hitched in his lungs. Now who’s the sap?
He cleared his throat. “Ladies, please, come in.”
Eyebrows raised, Mrs. Singletary brushed past him and began a slow perusal of his office. Molly followed a step behind. Her floral scent hit him like a rough blow to the heart.
When he finally ventured to look into her face again, and she didn’t quite meet his gaze, he felt a sense of validation. Though she hid her reaction behind a benign smile, Molly was nervous in his company. At least he wasn’t alone in his struggle to remain indifferent.
Affecting a bland expression of his own, he edged around her and concentrated on the task of directing Mrs. Singletary to a chair facing his desk.
While he waited for her to settle, he watched Molly wander to the lone window in his office and look out. Her shoulders were unnaturally stiff. Garrett suspected he was the cause of her tension and that wrecked him. He wanted to go to her, to tease a laugh out of her like he had when they were children.
He no longer had that right.
Adopting a relaxed demeanor for this odd meeting, he sat on the edge of his desk in front of Mrs. Singletary. “To what do I owe this unexpected honor?”
The widow set her reticule carefully on her lap and got straight to the point. “I have a mind to expand my business holdings into new areas and I want you to assist me.”
He blinked at the unprecedented request. He’d met the widow only a few times, the most recent when she’d been about to invest in a lumber operation and Reese had asked Garrett to review the final contract with her.
“I see I have shocked you.” She looked rather pleased at the prospect, proving her reputation as an unconventional woman with a penchant toward the outrageous.
“Why not make this request of your own attorney?”
“Reese will continue overseeing my legal matters, but I have decided that you, Mr. Mitchell, will assist me with the expansion of my fortune.”
By the satisfied expression on her face, she knew she’d piqued his interest. This was just the sort of opportunity perfectly suited to his skills. “Again, why me?”
“I should think that obvious. You were invaluable during my purchase of the lumberyard.”
“I merely did my job.”
“No, Mr. Mitchell, you went far beyond the minimum. You have a remarkable mind for business, much like my Reginald.” At the mention of her late husband, she gave a wistful sigh. “I find myself growing bored of late. I want to take more risks.”
She had his attention. Although Garrett usually steered his clients into conservative investments when they solicited his advice, he’d taken considerable chances with his own finances, to very lucrative ends.
But to guide the firm’s wealthiest client down a similar path was another matter entirely. “Have you discussed this with Mr. Bennett directly?”
“I have.” She smoothed a steady, elegant hand over her skirt. “Once I explained the particulars of my plan, he thought my seeking your assistance a splendid idea.”
Reese had said nothing to Garrett, not yet anyway. If he agreed to this, how much contact would he have with Molly? He glanced at her now and found her staring at him.
A muscle knotted in his chest.
Shifting his position, he addressed Mrs. Singletary and her very tempting offer. “What you are suggesting comes with certain dangers. You could lose a large amount of money.”
“I could also make a great deal more.”
A valid point. But why would a woman as wealthy as Beatrix Singletary need more money? When was enough, enough?
She answered his unspoken query with a relaxed smile. “With the additional resources I will be able to expand my charitable giving. A few of my pet projects are in great need.”
Now she really had his attention. Garrett believed in doing good and being generous. To whom much is given, much is expected.
“Do we have a deal, Mr. Mitchell?”
He cleared his throat. “I need to discuss this with Mr. Bennett first.”
“If you feel you must.”
“I must.” On this point, he would not relent. “Assuming all is in order, when would you like to begin?”
“Immediately.” Her eyes sparkled with a shrewd light. “I will expect you to be available to me on a regular basis.”
“I have other clients who require my time and attention...”
She brushed this aside with a flick of her wrist. “I’m confident you will find a way to satisfy their needs and mine.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. “I intend for our partnership to be a success, Mr. Mitchell. As such, we must first get to know one another better. Agreed?”
He nodded. What she was suggesting would require a high level of trust between them, and that could only come with time.
“You know my companion.” She indicated Molly with a hitch of her chin.
He glanced at Molly out of the corner of his eye. She’d retired to a seat by the window. She appeared serene, calm. Garrett knew better. He could feel the storm of emotion brewing beneath the surface. “Miss Scott and I are acquainted, yes.”
Molly stiffened at his dry tone, but said nothing.
“Well, then.” Mrs. Singletary rose and Garrett did the same. She moved through the room, idly touching random books on the shelving to her left, the stack of ledgers on her right. “Since you and Molly are...acquainted, I trust you have no objection to attending the opera with us this evening.”
Molly made a soft sound of protest in her throat, barely audible but Garrett had caught it. And so, it appeared, had her employer. “You have a concern, my dear?”
“No, Mrs. Singletary. In fact...” She blessed Garrett with a sweet, sweet smile, all politeness and easygoing manner. “I look forward to Mr. Mitchell’s company this evening.”
They both knew that wasn’t true. But he adopted her same casual attitude and said, “If Mr. Bennett has no objections, it will be my pleasure to attend the opera with you both.”
Molly’s smile faltered. Garrett’s expanded.
“Then it’s settled,” the widow drawled, staring at him with that same shrewd expression as before. “I expect you to arrive at my home seven o’clock this evening.”
Finished issuing her command, she headed toward the door, but not before Garrett caught sight of her satisfied expression.
His eyes narrowed. Mrs. Singletary clearly had some secret scheme she was keeping to herself. Patient, wily in his own right, Garrett would discover what she was up to, eventually.
For now, he joined her in the middle of the room. “Is there anything else I can do for you this afternoon?”
“That will be all.” Head high, she swept into the hallway.
Garrett followed at a more sedate pace. Working with the widow might be just the break he needed to prove he was more than that “other Mitchell boy” or Fanny’s older brother. Ever since his sister’s engagement to his boss, Garrett had worked twice as hard to prove he’d been hired for his legal mind alone.
Apparently, he’d done just that, as evidenced by Mrs. Singletary’s stunning offer.
Back in their younger days, Molly had understood Garrett’s desire to make his own way in the world. She’d actually been the one to encourage him to pursue a career in the law. He remembered that now, and found himself softening toward her as he strolled back into his office.
When he drew alongside her and she climbed gracefully to her feet, he took her hand without hesitation. “Until tonight,” he murmured.
