by Rye Hart
"Thank you Devon," she nodded toward her boss.
"I especially like how you were able to get the Mayor to admit his own opinion on the new building policy," Devon added as he continued to peruse the article in his hand. "Excellent, just excellent."
Georgina knew now was her chance. "Devon, look, I'm glad you like the piece, but let's not pretend that this story isn't fluff," she stated firmly.
"On the contrary," Devon argued, "what you have here is a fundamental, investigative take-down of —"
"Devon," Georgina interrupted, "please."
Devon sighed. "The guys would be in an uproar if I made you first writer and gave you the pick of the stories," he explained.
"Devon," Georgina interjected more force into her voice. "I have put three years into this paper. I deserve that spot, and you know it."
"Georgie," Devon said softly. He set the paper down and reached up to rub the bridge of his nose as if he was distressed. "I acknowledge your part in the success of this company, but you also must know that my hands are tied on the matter." He continued, "It was hard enough convincing the boss to hire a woman, but to give her first writer's status is impossible."
"I see," Georgina said stiffly, she'd been prepared for this. "I would like to thank you for the opportunity you have given me at the paper, but please accept this as my formal resignation." She quickly turned on her heels and headed toward the door.
"Georgie, don't be like this," Devon groaned.
"Goodbye Devon," she said with cool formality.
Georgina felt flushed with the excitement of her bold move, but there was no turning back now. If they aren't going to treat me with respect, they don't deserve my work, she resolved to herself.
"Georgina, wait!" Devon called to her as the sound of him following echoed off the thin walls. "Look, I have a story for you."
"Don't even try to pacify me," Georgina cut him off.
"Please Georgie, you are the one that is qualified to take this assignment. It requires your unique investigative abilities!" he said.
"Don't try to flatter me Devon." Georgina had had enough of his games.
"No, really, just let me explain," he tried again.
Georgina paused; Devon had a way of wearing her down. She figured it couldn't hurt to at least listen to his proposal. "Go on," she nodded.
"Well this assignment requires a female journalist to investigate a case regarding a girl that has recently gone missing," Devon said in a rush.
"Why a female journalist?" Georgina questioned.
"Because she went missing en-route to California as a mail order bride," he explained. "Part of the investigation requires a woman to go undercover as a potential bride, in order to investigate the matchmaking company the girl had signed on with."
"So let me get this straight. You are asking me to pose as a mail order bride in order to retrace the steps of a missing girl as a way of discovering what happened to her?"
"Err, in a way. You will pose as a bride, interview the people responsible for her trip, and hopefully discover what happened to her before reaching her destination," Devon explained.
"I don't know Devon, this seems like a job for the authorities," Georgina expressed.
"That's just the thing. The girl's father, a Mr. Barrington, is a prominent businessman here in town. He had hired a private investigator to try and track her down, but so far all he knows is that she made it to San Francisco before she vanished."
"And how will a journalist help?" Georgina pressed.
"He thinks writing a story about his daughter Mia's situation, will help expose the individuals responsible for her disappearance and hopefully bring his daughter back."
"Well it definitely sounds interesting," Georgina said, "but why should I take it on?"
"Because a story like that will attract more national attention, and if your story was picked up by a larger newspapers, like Boston or New York, not only will the Gazette get the attention we deserve, but you will finally gain the recognition deserving of your talent," Devon said with a glint in his eye.
"I don't know Devon, this whole thing just doesn't feel right."
"Possibly saving a girl's life? How could anything not be more right?" Devon argued.
Georgina paused before she gave her final reply on the subject. While her mind responded positively to the prospect of writing the type of story that would gain her the recognition she needed to push her journalistic career forward, her gut told her something was not quite right about the whole thing.
"How about I help you decide," Devon's voice broke through her thoughts. "If you take the story, I will make you first writer."
Georgina wondered why Devon was so invested in the story that he would change his tune about promoting her so quickly. But regardless of motive — and the nagging feeling that something was a bit off — Georgina decided to take a chance on the opportunity.
"I'll do it," she relented.
Chapter Two
Georgina's doubts about agreeing to pose as a mail order bride only escalated the closer she got to San Francisco. She never felt more out of place in her life, and she had worked at an all male newspaper company for the past three years.
Nothing could have prepared her for the experience of being one of the brides for Distant Heart Matchmaking, the recruiting company that Mia Barrington had signed on to before her disappearance.
However, Georgina was here on a mission, and that was to find out what happened to Mia Barrington, write the best investigative exposé on the subject, and hopefully receive national acclaim deserving of the work. As she stepped off the train platform and moved toward the little group of potential brides she was pretending to belong to, she felt euphoric with the prospects that were opening up for her.
"Now ladies, we have arrangements at Levinston's Hotel where you will be introduced to your predetermined matches," Mabel Blighton, the chaperone for the recruits, clapped excitedly.
Georgina froze. Devon said nothing about her actually meeting a husband. He had told her that she would be undercover when she traveled and he would make all necessary arrangements for her when she arrived. Obviously, this was a mistake.
Georgina made her way toward the chaperone. "Excuse me," she interrupted Mabel as the woman gave another flourish of excitement about the prospects of marriage. "I think there might have been a mistake."
Mabel cut her off with a sharp look. "Distant Heart Matchmaking does not make any mistakes," she spoke without allowing Georgina to finish. "You will be given enough time to freshen up at the hotel before your new husband arrives to take you to your new home," she stated curtly before turning away.
Georgina was taken aback by her abruptness. When she had agreed to the terms, she had been under the impression that she would be provided with private accommodations and the whole 'husband' part would be optional if she so chose.
Well, Georgina thought to herself, perhaps once we arrive at the hotel it will be sorted out there. Yet despite her attempts to resolve her worries, she still had a sinking feeling that something was not quite right.
Chapter Three
"Are you sure there are no reservations under Wellington?" she asked the front desk attendant as her nervousness began to rise.
"No ma'am. There are no reservations under that name," the young man replied.
"Check again!" Georgina's voice broke. "Or perhaps under Devon Evans?"
The man checked the books again. "I'm sorry, there are no reservations under that name either." His eyes expressed genuine sympathy.
Georgina felt frantic. She would have pressed the attendant to check again, had a manager not sent a curious look her way. With a heavy reluctance, she moved away from the desk.
The company had reserved several rooms for the afternoon, but not for the night, and especially not for the several weeks Georgina was hoping to stay for. A panic rose in her, as she had not brought a lot of funds for her trip. She had enough to pay for a few expenses, but she had been
under the impression that a charge account would have been set up at the hotel. She had a return ticket booked, but her pride did not allow her to give up just because she was unable to procure lodgings. Especially when she didn't have anything resembling the headline grabbing story she was hoping to bring back.
Georgina, you are smarter than this, she silently tried to comfort herself. She knew she needed to come up with a plan, she just didn't know what that would be yet.
As she started to walk back toward the small group of women, something caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tall, handsome man with sandy blonde hair talking to the front desk attendant. The man was dressed in a faded suit, but still appeared dashing in it nonetheless. However, it wasn't his incredible looks that drew her attention, but what he said to the attendant.
"I wish to drop off a letter for Mia Barrington," he requested.
"I am sorry sir, but Ms. Barrington no longer resides here," the young attendant informed the mysterious man.
"Did she leave an address that I might forward the letter to her?" he pressed.
Georgina strained to hear the attendant's answer. This could be it, she thought excitedly.
"Ms. Wellington," Mabel's shrill voice bombarded her and momentarily distracted her from the conversation on which she was eavesdropping. "Are you going to present yourself to your new husband in the same clothes you wore to travel here?" she asked aghast.
Georgina had been too busy interrogating the front desk clerk to worry about how she looked. "He will just have to take me as is," she laughed. She wasn't here for a husband, and she would only keep up the farce as long as she needed to get the information she wanted. Besides, it appeared that the hotel records might have the information she needed to bring this mystery to a close. She just needed to find a way to get ahold of them.
Mabel gasped, but Georgina paid no attention. She had missed the attendant's answer and now she strained to catch whatever was left of the conversation.
"Thank you for your time," the mysterious man thanked the clerk and turned around to leave.
"Drats," Georgina muttered to herself.
"What was that?" Mabel asked quizzically.
"Nothing," Georgina threw over her shoulder and she made a quick move back toward the desk.
The poor desk attendant saw her coming, his face turned ashen. "No ma'am, I told you —"
"Not about that," Georgina waved him off. "I need to know Ms. Barrington's forwarding address —"
The manager broke her off before she could finish. "I am sorry, but I will need to ask you to return to your party or leave this establishment," he said firmly.
Georgina wasn't one to let a hard-nosed manager and timid attendant get in her way. But she also didn't want to get kicked out of one of the few hotels in town on her first night , especially since she didn't have a whole lot of options at the moment.
"Alright," she raised her hands in a sign of surrender. She backed away, but she knew that she was going to get the information one way or another.
The group she was with had started to depart. She quickly caught up to them and asked the closest girl, Lilly, where they were all heading.
"There is a small conference room at the side of the hotel. It seems that is where we are to meet the men that we have been matched with and sign our marriage certificates," she said excitedly.
Georgina couldn't control the groan that emitted from her lips.
"You don't sound excited," Lilly said curiously.
Georgina plastered on her best 'potential housewife' smile. "On the contrary," she said through her glimmering teeth.
"Oh good!" the bubbly Lilly said without registering Georgina's level of sarcasm. "I sure hope he is handsome," she paused for a moment, "or at least kind." She giggled a bit, "But handsome would be nice, don't you think?" She turned her wide-eyed gaze back on Georgina.
"Sure," she said hesitantly. Georgina wondered what level of purgatory she had just entered.
Before Lilly could continue to ramble on about why she couldn't wait to be a bride, they had entered the room reserved for the "nuptials."
The men were already waiting, sitting patiently in chairs along the wall while the women were brought in. The whole parade made Georgina feel oddly uncomfortable, but she tried to ignore it.
That is, until she saw him.
It was the very man that had questioned the attendant about Mia Barrington; the man that had asked of her whereabouts was now sitting in one of the prospective grooms' chairs. Georgina's mind whirled with the complexity of the moment. Why would a man want to know Mia's address, and then be waiting for a bride? The whole thing was incredibly odd, yet intriguing.
"Now Ladies, as part of the process here at Distant Heart Matchmaking, the groom have already chosen your name from a list," Mabel prattled on. "When your name is called, your groom will join you. You will then be guided toward the licensing table, where you may sign the marriage agreement if you so choose."
At this point in Mabel's speech, Georgina stopped listening. She didn't know how things had gone so off plan that she now stood in a room about to get married. She had started to suspect that Devon hadn't been entirely honest with her when relaying the plans for the trip. Most likely, he figured he would send her along and allow her to figure it out as she went. At the very least, he probably hoped she would come back to the office, with her tail between her legs, and apologize for questioning him and asking for an assignment that was too much for her to handle. Well Devon, if that's the way you are going to play it, you've gravely underestimated me. Even if this whole article was an elaborate joke, she wasn't going to return until she could personally hand Devon the article he thought she wouldn't be able to deliver. Just watch, she smiled at the thought of seeing his shocked face.
"Ms. Georgina Wellington," Mabel primly called.
Georgina snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Mabel's shrill voice speak her name. "Yes?" she said.
Mabel threw her a hard look. "Mr. Carter Heath," she gestured toward the man who had asked about Mia.
Georgina and her would-be suitor's eyes locked. She thought she saw something swimming beneath his brown-eyed gaze, but just as she tried to decipher it, it was gone.
So, she thought to herself, the very man that has the information I need to get to Mia, just so happens to be my groom? She couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of the moment. It couldn't all be coincidence, unless Devon was trying to set her up with Mia's kidnapper. The last thought sent a shiver down her spine as she contemplated the possibility that she might meet a similar fate to Mia. Well, only one way to find out.
With a boldness characteristic of her stubborn nature, she stepped forward. "Pleased to meet you," she said in her best lady-like voice. She extended her hand.
Carter took it. "Charmed," he drawled as he brought her hand up to his lips to kiss it.
The feel of his bare lips touching her skin sent another shiver down her spine; a reaction Georgina was decisively not prepared for.
"I," she began, but stopped short of forming a coherent sentence. At the moment, she was debating whether or not she should blow her cover and walk away from the absurd situation, or stay and follow through with the unthinkable.
"Unfortunately, this situation is not the ideal way to first meet your bride," Carter smiled.
He presented himself with an air of self-assured confidence, which was a striking difference from the other nervous, fidgety males in the room. This man didn't look like the type that needed a matchmaking service to bring him a bride, but rather the kind of man that could easily have his pick of any woman in town.
Georgina assessed him curiously. She wanted to know why he was asking the desk clerk about the missing girl.
"I beg to differ, how else is one supposed to meet a husband these days?" She was stalling, choosing to play the game until she knew what her next move was. "I know why I am here, but what made you decide you needed a wife?" She gave him a cool look
, choosing not to reveal too much about herself just yet.
Carter Heath laughed in response to Georgina's question.
Georgina prickled at his amused response. Nothing in her statement was meant to be amusing. She was a hard-earned journalist, not some ninny to be laughed at. "What do you find so funny?" she questioned as his laughter subsided.
"You are fascinating," he said without quite replying to her question. He rubbed his chiseled, clean-shaven jaw and surveyed Georgina with unabashed interest.
Georgina felt her cheeks redden. "And you sir, are quite bold," she tossed her comment back at him.
He smiled and cocked his head to the side. "How about we go ahead and get the marriage license business out of way then?" he teased.
Georgina stopped short. This was the moment that she had been dreading all day. There was no way she was signing a marriage license, especially to a complete stranger, just for an article.
"Look," she figured it was best to just lay it out there. "You seem like a sensible gentleman, I think we might be able to come to a more reasonable compromise."
A single eyebrow shot up in surprise. "A compromise?" he asked with curiosity. "Continue," he encouraged.
Georgina took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She usually wasn't the type to get performance anxiety, but at the moment, her ability to finish this investigation and write that article hinged on the information that the man before her might have. "Well, I think it is a bit premature to get married on the same day we met. You even said yourself, that this is not the most ideal situation."
Carter Heath was silent for a moment, and he rubbed his jaw in thought. "You are completely right, but how do you propose we solve this as the marriage license is waiting for us to sign?" he added.
"Well," Georgina elaborated, "I was thinking we could just take the contract with us to sign when the time is ready." She didn't bother to say that there would never be a time to sign it, for as soon as she had her story, she would be on the first train home. A part of her felt bad for deceiving Carter, but all it took was one look at his dark eyes and brilliant smile and she knew that he wouldn't be struggling to find a bride for long. However, at the moment, she needed lodging and information from him first.
