But some of it was very dry reading, indeed. The highlight of her newspaper reading was the Dear Lovelorn piece each day. She could barely believe it when her letter was printed. Her mother would never forgive her if she found out what Caitlyn had done, but she was fairly certain her secret was safe. Mrs. Doherty would never read the newspaper, and Caitlyn’s father would never realize it was she from the letter, even if he didn’t skip that portion of the paper.
Thinking it through logically didn’t make Caitlyn any less uncomfortable when she arrived at work and felt as though everyone were reading the paper or staring at her as she walked through to the small room housing the telephone. Taking deep, steadying breaths helped her ignore her misgivings.
It was a reasonable suggestion. Remain single for a time and then perhaps the object of her interest would return it. Was it possible? Caitlyn shoved the seductive thought from her mind. Not likely. And it was beyond foolish for her to be attracted to Connor, Mr. Dalton, she reminded herself once more, in the first place. Despite the fact that she had continued to work for him, Connor’s mistrust of her had hurt her deeply. Really, she shouldn’t even consider that she was interested in him. She was merely attracted to him. One couldn’t ignore the fact that he was ridiculously handsome. But a pretty face on its own certainly did not make for a good match.
The Lovelorn’s suggestion was sound, but he or she was right, Caitlyn hadn’t provided sufficient information. She wondered for a moment if she ought to write again but then realized it was foolish to ask a total stranger to decide such an important part of her life. She would follow her own instincts and try to stave off her mother’s attempts to marry her off. And she had learned much from her regular reading of the column. In the meantime, having her letter find its way into the paper would have to count as one of her adventures, wouldn’t it? She very much thought so and allowed herself to thrill with the memory of it even as she sat down at the desk and waited for the phone to ring.
“I do apologize, sir, but Mr. Dalton isn’t available to talk with you at this moment. I’d be happy to take a message and have him call you back just as soon as he is able.”
“But I need to know right now.”
“I understand and I am very sorry for this inconvenience. Could perhaps Mr. Dalton’s assistant help you?”
“Can’t you answer my question, Miss?”
“I very much doubt it, I’m sorry to say.”
“Why not? You don’t sound stupid.”
Caitlyn laughed. The caller was frustrated, not intending to be insulting. “I agree with you, I’m not stupid. But I haven’t been instructed in the workings of Dalton Industries, so I most likely wouldn’t be able to answer any questions you might have.”
“I just want to know why the electric wires are cutting right across my windows. My wife is crying about it every day. It’s more than a man can take.”
“I’m certain it must be, sir. I’m sorry that I cannot answer your questions right now. Could I ask for your name and address, and I can have either Mr. Dalton or his assistant look into the matter for you?”
“Thank you, Miss, I suppose that will have to do. It’s Scott McTavish from 250 Mutual Street.”
Caitlyn wrote down all the details of the phone call and did her best to soothe the man’s clearly ruffled feathers. She wasn’t certain if she had accomplished that particular task, but she was finally able to get him off the line with continued reassurances that someone would get back to him with more information.
After hanging up, she stared at the receiver for a moment, wondering for a heartbeat if she had made the right choice to take employment. Some would consider it had put her beyond the pale of the highest level of their social circles. And for what? To listen to a man complaining about her employer’s business practices? It had seemed like such a lark when she had first started working for Dalton Industries but in that moment, she questioned her own soundness of mind.
She realized she was no longer alone only a moment after she had released her despondent sigh.
“That didn’t sound so good, what’s going on? Is the telephone giving you problems?”
“Sorry, Mr. Dalton, I didn’t realize you were there.” Caitlyn’s face heated and she resented her easy blushes.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“There’s no problem. The telephone is working perfectly.” She was relieved when it suddenly rang again but frowned when he shook his head.
“Take a message. I need to talk to you,” he said quickly and quietly just as she was lifting the receiver.
She was highly uncomfortable but did as he had instructed.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Dalton isn’t available at the moment, but I’ll be happy to give him your message.”
Caitlyn had to clench the pencil tightly so as to write steadily under his intense gaze. She wasn’t used to being watched as she performed her duties.
As soon as she finished with the call, Connor waved away the explanation she was going to make about the caller.
“You take excellent notes. You can just give them to me. What I want to know is why you were sighing so dejectedly when I walked in.”
“I apologize. I didn’t realize I wasn’t alone.”
He took a deep breath. Caitlyn was surprised and amused as it appeared that he was trying to hold onto his patience. She knew he regretted the interchange they had the other day. That couldn’t be helped. He ought to regret it. It was barely forgivable.
“I don’t want your apologies, Miss Doherty. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Caitlyn blinked and she momentarily felt a thrill shiver up her spine. It was both delicious and horrifying. She shouldn’t find his domineering attitude so attractive. But a strong, handsome man asking her to reveal her feelings? No sane girl with eyes in her head could resist that. She would pull herself together and push all romantic thoughts from her mind later, but for now, she was going to revel in his attention, just for a little while.
She sighed again, though, when she thought about what he was asking.
“A Mr. McTavish phoned looking for you. He was most upset about the electric wires being hung on Mutual Street. He said they are going across his windows, and his wife is displeased. I didn’t know what to tell him.”
“Why did you want to tell him anything?” His question wasn’t mean, he sounded like he actually wanted to know. Caitlyn felt like a child receiving attention from the older children. It was the same thrill down to her toes.
“He wanted answers and neither you nor Mr. Curtis were available to provide them. He didn’t want to allow me to hang up the telephone without explaining to him why the workmen would do such a thing.”
“So, you agree with Mr. McTavish of Mutual Street?” Again, Caitlyn was relieved to see he didn’t seem upset, merely prying into the workings of her mind.
She shrugged a little and nodded slightly, feeling shamefaced to be somewhat disloyal. “I wouldn’t want wires across my windows, so I cannot say I blame them for their feelings. I’m almost certain there has to be an explanation of some sort. Surely our practice isn’t to make things awkward for people.”
“The thing is, Miss Doherty, there is a broad selection of the citizenry who do not wish for us to be running wires at all. They would rather revel in their candle wax and lamp oil.”
Caitlyn laughed at his wording and had to agree with him. “I am fully aware. My mother is one of them. She is quite horrified that I am in any way connected with the atrocity that is taking place in our fair city.”
Connor’s chuckle made Caitlyn feel warm. “Do you agree with her?”
“Not in the least,” Caitlyn replied promptly. “Well, that is to say,” she stammered as she realized how very disrespectful that sounded, prompting another low chuckle from her employer.
Caitlyn cleared her throat and tried to continue. “What I mean is, I fully support the modernization of our city. I think electricity will move us forward like nothing else before it. But I can
see some people’s point that the wires are less than pleasing to the eye.”
She paused, trying to gage his reaction. He still didn’t look upset, so she continued. “The thing is, I can see that it’s necessary to put them somewhere. I know some think they’re ugly and I can’t disagree. But surely there’s a compromise. Putting the wires over someone’s windows? That doesn’t seem to be necessary or unavoidable. I think someone just got sloppy. And I couldn’t very well tell that to poor Mr. McTavish.”
“No, you’re quite right. You handled it correctly, except that you could have assured him that we would correct the matter.”
Caitlyn felt her eyebrows nearly hitting her hairline. “I would never be so presumptuous.”
Connor grinned. “No, I can see that, but it isn’t presumptuous if I tell you it’s all right, is it?”
“No, I suppose not. So, what will we do to correct the matter?”
“I will have the lazy lout tracked down who did it and make him fix it.”
Caitlyn wrinkled her nose. “Will he be rude to them, do you suppose?”
“Not if he has any desire to remain employed with Dalton Industries.”
Caitlyn nodded in approval. “Very well then.” She handed him the slip of paper upon which she had written all the details.
“Why don’t you call him back?”
“Me? But I’m just the answering lady,” she protested despite the thrill that shivered through her at his offer of greater responsibility.
“There’s no just about it, Miss Doherty, your role is very important to this company. But if you’d like to try your hand at something a little more extensive, feel free to telephone Mr. McTavish and tell him we will straighten this out.”
Caitlyn wrinkled her nose again. “I would be happy to call him back since he seemed so upset about it, but what if he still wants to talk to you?”
“That could very well happen, but from what you told me, he was perfectly happy talking to you about the matter. And I think your calm voice might be better for him than me trying to bluster my way out of the situation.”
Caitlyn laughed. “You don’t bluster. You were very calm and collected when I was explaining the situation.”
Connor shrugged. “It was easy to stay calm with you. There was a degree of separation between me and the problem. And while I knew you were upset about it, it wasn’t the same kind of upset that the beleaguered husband would have been.”
Caitlyn returned his smile but wondered if he even realized how lethal it was. She would happily field any number of irate callers if it meant she would be on the receiving end of that expression. With a blink, Caitlyn did her best to put a halt to thoughts like that. He was not for her, and it was absolutely the depths of foolishness to do something for someone just because they were beyond handsome.
Clearing her throat, Caitlyn quickly squared her shoulders and turned her attention back to the telephone as it began to ring once more.
“Thank you, Mr. Dalton, I will telephone Mr. McTavish as soon as I’ve concluded with this caller.”
~~~
Connor smiled with chagrin as he allowed the young woman to dismiss him. He wasn’t being unacceptably arrogant when he acknowledged to himself that he enjoyed seeing that she was attracted to him. It had been evident in the widening of her eyes and the quickening of her breath. But then, with a blink, she had dispelled it and turned into the respectable business woman before him, almost as though it had never been.
But he had seen it. It had been. And there had been an answering quickening of his own pulse. There was no question about that. The only question that remained was, what was he going to do about it?
Knowing that his presence made her uncomfortable, Connor stepped from the room. But he didn’t go to the other end of his office and seat himself behind his large desk. Instead, he stood by the door and listened to her handle first the incoming phone call that had just rung and then she returned Mr. McTavish’s irate call.
He admired her immensely. She was calm and sounded like a professional. She handled the situation better than his assistant would have. Perhaps even better than he, himself, would have. He was willing to admit others’ strengths. Connor always wanted to employ the best. He was delighted to find that he had unwittingly found such an asset.
If only he weren’t so attracted to her. It was the least professional behavior possible on his behalf, besides violating every instinctive responsibility toward his friend’s little sister. Dylan would beat him senseless if he ever found out Connor was having less than wholesome thoughts about Caitlyn. He couldn’t even blame him. Connor wanted to beat himself senseless over the direction his mind was taking where Caitlyn was concerned.
He had even thought of her as he was reading his paper that morning. That ridiculous Loverlorn piece that ran nearly every day had brought her to mind. Connor couldn’t for the life of him understand why the newspaper continued to publish such rubbish, but then he found himself reading each day so, he supposed he must not be the only one. He shook his head. Perhaps he had taken an injury to his head at some point without realizing it. But the person writing in had mentioned her mother’s attempts to set her up. Connor suspected that was a common occurrence so, there was really no reason for it to remind him of Caitlyn but then again, nearly everything reminded him of Caitlyn these days so, he shouldn’t have been surprised.
He had tried to ignore the Lovelorn article. He had read every other word in the entire paper, but his eyes had continued to stray back to that ridiculous column. So, he had finally read it. And thought of Caitlyn. But surely, she wouldn’t have written to the newspaper. How Mrs. Doherty would react actually brought a cringe to Connor’s face. But Caitlyn was becoming increasingly determined to have her adventures. And he knew she read the paper. But, no. She had been insisting just the other day that she didn’t have any desire to be married. And today’s Lovelorn letter writer had mentioned being torn between two marital options and her own desire to stay single. The desire to remain single might fit with Caitlyn, but Connor had been surprised to learn of Westridge, there didn’t seem to be any other suitors in sight. Unless it were he, his subconscious whispered seductively. He had noticed her attraction to him.
Connor shook his head and coughed, trying to dislodge the ridiculous notions. He was projecting his own thoughts and desires onto some unknown letter writer. For all he knew, this Lovelorn character made it all up each and every day. There was no way his Caitlyn would have written that letter. He was fairly certain it was syndicated in newspapers all over the place. He had even read it while in New York for some meetings he had a couple months ago. The chances were too slim that it was Caitlyn. And even if it were, the fact that she needed to ask for advice from the newspaper told him she was not the quiet, demure young woman he would like to keep house for him when he was finally ready to settle down. No, it was time to put Caitlyn Doherty firmly from his mind and return to the task at hand. Literally at hand. He was still holding his telephone messages.
Glancing through the slips of paper Caitlyn had handed him, he was happy to see that his investigator had finally called. That meant he had information for him. Connor was glad for the man’s discretion. A grin had split his face at the thought of Caitlyn’s reaction if she had been forced to take notes on Connor’s investigation into her friend Mr. Westridge. While Connor had accepted her word on the matter of her afternoon in the man’s company, he didn’t trust Westridge after what Curtis had told him and had reason to suspect it was more than coincidence that had found him in Miss Doherty’s company.
Not that he should be in the least surprised that a well-to-do gentleman was showing an interest in Caitlyn. That he could fully understand. It was just that there were plenty of other eligible young women for the Englishman to pursue. It was too much of a stretch of credulity to accept that he had decided to pursue the one young woman in the entire city who was employed as Dalton Industries telephone responder.
Connor realized
he had crumpled the paper in a tight fist as he thought on the subject. He didn’t want Caitlyn hurt. By him or any other bounder. Connor knew he was in the same class as the Englishman. Not that he would take advantage of a young woman to further his business goals, but nearly anything else was within bounds, he acknowledged. So, he couldn’t fault the other man. But he needed to remain on the alert.
As he picked up the handset of his telephone to return the investigator’s call, Connor wondered with a guilty lurch if Caitlyn would be able to hear any of the call. He knew it was a possibility, but he trusted that she wouldn’t snoop.
He was struck anew at how churlish his distrust of her the other day had been. He was trying to make it up to her, but he knew he had hurt her feelings with his questions about her relationship with Westridge. He had been sharper than he ought to have been. Honesty made him realize that it was actually a level of jealousy that had prompted the strength of his wrath over what he had thought of as her defection.
If he hadn’t been blinded by the thought of her directing her affections toward such a lout as Westridge, he would have had the sense to realize she wouldn’t be so disloyal as to commit the fraud of sharing his business’ secrets. Not that she knew any, he reminded himself as he listened to her soothing the customer. Now that he had ceased eavesdropping on her conversation, he could only hear the tone and timber of her conversation, not the actual words, but he was soothed just listening to her so he was sure Mr. McTavish, whoever he was, would be as well.
Forcing himself to quit dithering, he finally dialed his investigator’s number when he realized what was causing him to hesitate. He was afraid he would find proof that the man was using his connection with Caitlyn for nefarious reasons. Connor would be forced to tell her. It would hurt her and damage what was left of his relationship with her. But this was business, Connor reminded himself as he listened to the rattle of the connection being made.
Torn in Toronto: Sweet Victorian Romance (Yours Truly: The Lovelorn Book 6) Page 5
