She wanted to give Mr. Prentice a hug for what he had gone through as a child but that wouldn’t be appropriate. Instead, she remained silent and listened to what he had to say.
“I know what it’s like for people to judge you for something that wasn’t your fault. I have been extremely lucky, but my wealth wasn’t always accumulated by doing the right thing. I took advantage of situations that came my way but never, in my knowledge, did I prey on anyone. But one thing I promise you, I have never preyed on women.”
Lily believed him. Her instincts told her he was an honest man.
“But recently, it has come to my attention that a certain man has been taking advantage of my name. He has a number of girls in his employment and I believe they are being mistreated. However, none of them will speak to us. I can’t get proof of what he is doing and this man is a dangerous enemy. I am not afraid of anyone but his connections could ruin everything I have worked for. I am an older man so I am not worried for myself. But I use my money in various ways to look after those less privileged. This man could hurt that work.”
“These girls are too scared to talk?” Lily asked, in a low voice.
“Yes, they are. One minute please.” Mr. Prentice stood up and let Robbie back into the room.
“As you may or may not be aware, Robbie is my right-hand man. He is the one who came to me with his suspicions. Robbie has also tried to speak to the girls but they must be terrified. He couldn’t make them talk either, and he usually has the charm with women.”
Robbie smiled self-consciously.
“You want my help? You want me to talk to the girls?” Lily asked, her stomach roiling. She didn’t want to have anything to do with the life she had left.
They greeted her question with silence.
Lily stood and swayed, the fear coming over her in waves. “You want me to become a w…” She couldn’t get the word out.
“Absolutely not. That is the last thing I would ask you to do. But do you think you could talk them into trusting us? We want to close down Ned Duffy for good.”
Lily looked at Mr. Prentice closely. She realized she trusted him completely, which was rare for her.
“I will do it.”
“Thank you, Lily.” Mr. Prentice’s face was a mixture of sadness and relief.
“I want to do it for me. If someone had tried to help me earlier, my life would have been very different.” A tear ran down her cheek. Mr. Prentice offered her a handkerchief.
“Robbie will escort you everywhere. It is too dangerous to send you alone.”
“No, he can’t. I appreciate your offer but they know him. The girls won’t trust him. I have to do this alone.”
“Out of the question,” Mr. Prentice spoke sharply.
“Then do you know someone else who would help me? Someone the girls wouldn’t know was working for you.”
Prentice looked to Robbie. He nodded. “Charlie Doherty.”
“Nora’s brother…but why him?” Lily asked.
“Duffy wants Nora to come work for him. He has put the word out she is his.”
Lily’s stomach roiled at the thought of her new friend being subjected to the horrors associated with her past life. “We have to stop him. Will Charlie help?”
“I reckon so. I don’t know him but word on the street is that he’s cut out of the same cloth as his gran.”
Lily had heard all about Carmel Doherty. She had yet to meet her but if her grandson was like her, she would be glad to have him on her side.
“When will this all take place?” she asked.
“The next day or so. We need to move quickly. Once word is out about Floyd, Duffy will be on his guard,” Robbie said.
Lily nodded.
“Please don’t tell my Alicia anything. She will worry,” Mr. Prentice asked.
“I won’t, Mr. Prentice. You can trust me,” Lily responded. She wasn’t about to add that if she told Alicia of her plans, her friend would stop her. There was no way Alicia Higgins would agree to letting Lily go back to the world she’d escaped.
“I know that already. I wouldn’t put my hotel in your hands if I didn’t.”
Lily looked at Robbie’s face as Mr. Prentice spoke. Robbie didn’t look surprised, making Lily suspect he’d had a hand in guiding Mr. Prentice to choose her. Nora was a lucky girl to have a man like that to care for her.
“Lily, why don’t you go back to your friends? I will go find Charlie Doherty and ask him to come here. We can then meet again and decide what we will do.”
“No, that won’t work, Robbie. If people see you with Charlie Doherty they will assume you work together. I’ll ask Nora to take me to meet her brother. I can explain to him what has happened. Does he know about Duffy?”
“I imagine he has heard some things, but he may not know the full extent of what is going on,” Robbie replied. “Nora doesn’t know everything and I would prefer it to remain that way.”
“Of course. We will leave Nora out of this. I will tell Charlie Doherty what he needs to know and, yes, I will be discrete,” she said prompting Mr. Prentice to chuckle.
“I am glad you are on our side, Lily. I sort of feel sorry for Duffy.”
Lily grinned, feeling confident and alive for the first time in a long time. This was her chance to get payback for everything that had happened to her. She may be able to help a girl whose life was about to be ruined just like hers was. That was the best thing of all.
But first, she had to find Charlie Doherty and hope he was the right man for the job.
Chapter 17
“Tommy, can I ask you a favor please?” Lily said quietly.
“Anything for you, Lily. You helped save my Sadie.” Tommy Carpenter glanced in Sadie’s direction with a tender and protective look. Doc Erin had told Lily, she still wasn’t sure if they had saved Sadie’s foot but it was looking better than it had been.
“You know Charlie Doherty, don’t you?” Lily asked.
Tommy nodded.
“Could you ask him to come and meet me here, please, but don’t tell anyone else?”
“Are you in trouble, Lily? I can help if you are,” Tommy asked, straightening up and looking at her intently.
“Thank you, Tommy, but no. I need Mr. Doherty for this one. Something to do with his da.” Lily crossed her fingers. She didn’t like lying but sometimes it was necessary. “Don’t tell Nora; I think it’s a surprise.”
“I think he’s back home. I heard he had a difficult time on the trains. He called in here a while ago but I didn’t get to speak to him. Doc Erin sent him home with a package for his gran. I’ll go see. Keep an eye on Sadie for me?”
“Course I will. Does she know about her brother yet?”
Tommy nodded but remained silent. Lily guessed he didn’t want to be disrespectful to the dead. She’d heard how Stan O’Riordan had abandoned his sister. Ironically, she was the one who lived and he the one who died.
“Thanks, Tommy.” Lily prompted him to leave. The sooner he spoke to Charlie Doherty the better.
Lily was on tenterhooks all day. More than once, Doc Erin asked her what was wrong, but Lily just said she was tired. Doc Erin tried to make her go for a nap again but she didn’t want to be upstairs when Tommy came back. Eventually, she went and hid in Mr. Prentice’s office. Delighted with the company, he started discussing with her how the hotel should work. She suggested they import their beef from Aaron’s connections from now on. She also suggested giving Mrs. Murphy responsibility for the kitchen budget. Mr. Prentice was reluctant, not because he didn’t trust his cook, but because it was obvious Floyd had been skimming the profits of the hotel for a while.
“Mrs. Murphy will make her budget as tight as possible if she has control of it. In fact, if you linked her achievements on budget to her wages, she would have you eating the finest food for the lowest cost ever.”
Mr. Prentice chortled until his face grew red. Alarmed, Lily poured him a glass of water but he waved it away.
“I am
not sick dear, just amused. You really do know how to manage people. Mrs. Murphy is as trustworthy as they come but even the most trustworthy can penny pinch better if their own pockets benefit.”
“Yes, your guests will enjoy exceptional food but your costs will be lower. If you link the success of your business to an individual benefit within your staff, the hotel should flourish.”
Mr. Prentice sat staring at her for so long in silence it became uncomfortable.
“Are you annoyed with me?”
“On the contrary, Lily Green. I was just thinking had you been born a man, you would have an exceptional business mind.”
Lily stared back. “My mind doesn’t depend on my sex, does it Mr. Prentice?”
“I guess Susan B Anthony and Mr. Douglass would say it didn’t.”
Lily grinned as Mr. Prentice winked at her.
“Lily, I don’t mean to be patronizing and you must remember I am getting on in years. It is difficult to teach this old dog new tricks. But I do believe you are right. Your mind is excellent and you will become a formidable business person if you so desire.”
Lily couldn’t reply. She was stunned, embarrassed and more than a little bit happy.
She happily gave her new employer more suggestions for improvement. Some he agreed with, some he argued with and a couple, including replacing the elevator with a proper staircase, he laughed at. Not once did he make fun of her or make her feel small or invisible. The time passed very quickly.
Chapter 18
A knock on the door admitted a confused looking Charlie Doherty. Lily gasped as their eyes met. He was taller than Tommy and had broader shoulders. He would find it hard to blend into his surroundings. He smiled uncertainly as he looked from her to Mr. Prentice and back again.
“Charlie Doherty, miss. You asked to see me. Something about my da?”
“Thanks for coming, Mr. Doherty. Please take a seat. I will be right back once I’ve found Robbie. Ring for refreshments please, Lily.” Mr. Prentice had to call Lily’s name a second time, as she stood glued to the floor.
“Sorry, Mr. Prentice, I was thinking about the beef orders…”
Charlie Doherty’s lips twitched, as Lily turned pink. She pushed the papers around the desk for something to do with her hands. A man had never had this effect on her before, and she found it totally unsettling.
“Miss? Is there something going on that I don’t know about?” he asked, his accent making his voice sound soft rather than gruff as she expected from a man his size.
“Mr. Prentice will explain properly when he comes back,” she said trying to sound unaffected by his presence.
“Please tell me. Is my da ill? In trouble? What?”
“You might as well sit down. Someone is in trouble but you have to promise to listen to us and not go storming out of here.”
“You don’t have a very high opinion of men do you, miss? Not all of us are fighters,” Charlie said.
Lily colored again. Why did he have such an effect on her?
“Sorry, Mr. Doherty, I didn’t mean to insult you. Only most men would react badly to discovering one of their own was in trouble. I wanted to make sure you would listen first, before you use your fists.” She stared at his hands, making him flush.
Charlie had balled his fists at her words.
“Okay, you win. Who’s in trouble?”
“Nora.” At his hiss of breath, she moved closer to him. “Please listen before you act. It’s important not just for Nora but for other girls.”
“Miss, you best tell me more. I can’t sit here waiting for yer man to come back.”
Lily filled him in on what Robbie had told her about Nora and Duffy. She then told him of their suspicions as to what was happening to the girls in Duffy’s employment.
“I swear I’ll kill him, the dirty rotten bas…Excuse my French.”
“I love the way you would stand up for your sister, but we have to be cleverer than that. People like Ned Duffy have long tentacles. We need to make sure he never gets the chance to do what he’s done again.”
“Killing him takes care of that,” Charlie spat out.
“And puts you in prison or gets you hanged. Your ma’s been through enough not to mention what it would do to your gran. I won’t let you hurt Doc Erin either.”
“You won’t let me?” His eyes glittered as they looked into hers. She swayed, as they seemed to draw her closer. She saw him glance at her lips before his gaze traveled back to her eyes.
“No, Mr. Doherty, I won’t. You don’t know anything about me. Don’t let my fragile appearance fool you.”
The door opened on the charged atmosphere. Lily jumped back as if caught doing something she shouldn’t. Mr. Prentice appeared not to notice but Robbie did. He sent her a look full of speculation but didn’t say anything.
“What’s all this about Duffy threatening Nora?” Charlie asked. “Does she know?”
“I think she has her suspicions. But nobody will hurt Nora, you have my word,” Robbie said firmly. “We haven’t met. My name is—”
“I know who you are, Robbie Fenton. My gran obviously hasn’t heard about your reputation, or she wouldn’t let you near our Nora.”
“I think your gran knows me better than you do,” Robbie snarled back.
Lily stood up. “Put away your egos the pair of you. We have better things to do than watch you two behave like roosters. There are girls being mistreated right at this moment.” Lily’s eyes danced with temper. Mr. Prentice coughed, making her swing her gaze to him but he wisely remained quiet.
“Sorry, Lily,” Robbie said.
“Sorry,” Charlie growled but he didn’t sound in the least bit apologetic.
“I’ve decided I am going to bump into some of the girls and ask them about a job,” Lily said.
“You can’t work there,” Charlie interrupted but Lily ignored him.
“If I can get them to trust me, they might start to talk.”
“You don’t have much time, Lily. My friends at the station are keeping Floyd in solitary so he can’t squeal, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t get to Duffy. He has a number of cops on his payroll.”
“I won’t need much time.”
“So what do I do? Put on a dress and try to get a job too?” Charlie Doherty asked, his manner telling them all he was out of patience.
Lily eyed him up and down before telling him a dress wouldn’t do anything for him. The other men laughed but Charlie gave her a dirty look.
“Robbie and Mr. Prentice refuse to let me go in alone. They insisted I take someone with me for protection. That someone is you. But I expected you to have more brains and less brawn. I was told you were the image of your gran. She wouldn’t be sitting here complaining. She would be out there making a difference.”
Charlie had the grace to look ashamed.
“Robbie, Mr. Prentice, you have to stay here. Nobody can see you or they will know you are behind everything.”
“Okay, Lily, but you have to be careful. I don’t think my Nora would like me much if I let anything happen to you.”
Lily glanced at Charlie but he didn’t react to what Robbie had said about Nora. Maybe he was learning.
“I’m going up to get changed into something more suitable. Nobody would take me seriously asking for a job wearing this.” She pointed at the beautiful dress Alicia had bought for her. “I will meet you at the servants’ entrance and we can go from there.”
“Go to Redspirits. Some of the girls go there.”
“Thanks, Robbie.” Lily smiled at him and hid her feelings of delight at the frown that appeared on Charlie’s face. He wasn’t immune to her…not that it mattered. After they got Duffy, she wouldn’t see him again. Getting romantically involved was not for the likes of her.
Chapter 19
Charlie Doherty sat waiting for Lily to come back. To say he was bemused was an understatement. He could see why his uncle had been impressed by Lily’s physical appearance but, while Charl
ie wasn’t immune to her beauty, he was even more drawn in by her fire and spirit.
He balled and clenched his fists again and again as Mr. Prentice and Fenton looked at him but didn’t speak.
“Charlie, do you mind if I call you that seeing that I hope we will soon be in in-laws,” Fenton started.
Charlie’s head shot up. Nora was marrying Fenton? Over his dead body. He jumped to his feet but, to his surprise, Fenton remained seated. Charlie couldn’t read his face.
“You and my sister? Never. Gran would never agree to that and Nora won’t go against our gran.”
“I think you might find your gran’s opinion of me is much better than the one you appear to hold. What’s your problem Doherty?” Fenton asked.
“You. You’re the problem. Not only are you not a good catholic…”
“Like our friend Duffy?”
“You leave that scumbag out of this. You aren’t much better than he is. I’ve heard about you.”
Robbie jumped to his feet and had his hand at Charlie's throat before he could react.
“You take that back. I have never done anything like Ned Duffy.”
“Gentlemen, please. Robbie let Mr. Doherty go. Charlie, please take your seat.”
Charlie rubbed his neck where Robbie had held him, even though it didn’t hurt. His grip had been strong, but restrained. As if the man had wanted him to know what he was capable of without actually inflicting any damage. This time. He didn’t want to think about what it would have been like if Prentice hadn’t been there.
“Charlie, Robbie is as close to me as a son. He has a reputation—one we have cultivated for good reason. We want people to believe he is tough and will not tolerate any nonsense.”
“He didn’t have to murder anyone?” Charlie spat, eyeing Robbie.
“Good lord man, is that what they have been saying?” Mr. Prentice said, looking surprised. “Robbie wouldn’t harm anyone. Well, apart from Duffy and we all know that’s coming to him. Robbie has been behind some things that could be termed assault, but he has never injured an innocent. The men spreading these rumors are the type to associate with Duffy. There isn’t a man standing I would trust more than I would Robbie. Your sister has picked a good man,” Mr. Prentice concluded.
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