“But why should you be surprised?” Raeni asked, dabbing her mouth with a napkin to remove any traces of cinnamon. “The aroma alone will attract people, and of course they are drawn to the pleasant aspect.”
“I suppose because it took some time for my coffee room in Wapping to turn a profit,” he answered. “But I’m learning that London is not Wapping.”
Having only a passing familiarity with Wapping, as her ship had docked there and she’d passed through it on a coach on the way to London, Raeni could not offer much insight. “It seems to me that London is a city of debutantes. My...” She caught herself before she referenced her father. “I have been told that there is a Season where young women are presented and attend dozens of balls so they might attract the attention of eligible suitors.”
“I’ve heard the same and understand it is one of the busiest times of year for the modistes and tailors in the area.”
An idea had occurred to Raeni, but she was not certain she should share it. Her father had not liked it when she showed too much cleverness. But Mr. Gaines was nothing like her father. “Then forgive me if I am too forward, but perhaps the best way for you to go about introducing your new business is to behave like a debutante and have a big come out.”
Mr. Gaines became very still, and Raeni worried she had said something wrong. “If that is a ridiculous notion, then I apologize—"
He held up a hand. “It is not ridiculous. I wonder I hadn’t thought of it myself.” He stood abruptly and paced across the room to the window and back again. “An opening celebration,” he said, his speech rapid and filled with obvious enthusiasm. “We will offer free food and coffee to encourage people to come to the shop and the coffee room. Once they have been here, they will return again. They will tell their friends.”
“That is the general idea.”
Mr. Gaines grasped her hands and pulled her out of her seat. “Miss Sawyer, you are a genius.” He swung her around, and she laughed as much from surprise as from the contagion of his own joy.
It was the first time she had laughed in months, not since she had learned she’d been sold and decided to run away. After the difficult days and nights in London she had felt as though she might never laugh again. But it seemed a natural thing to do with Mr. Gaines smiling down at her and spinning her around. She was pleased she could be of some help to him after he had been so kind to her yesterday.
She smiled up at him, staggering a little from dizziness when he ceased spinning her. He caught her with a hand on her waist before she could knock over a table, and she caught her breath as he held her just a fraction longer than necessary. His smile faded and his look turned intense.
He wanted to kiss her. She knew that look. And she wanted to kiss him back. She tilted her face up in invitation just as she heard the footsteps. Mr. Gaines must have heard them as well because he released her suddenly and stepped away from her, putting a good foot between them.
“Ah, Alfred,” he said. “Good morning.”
Raeni turned to smile at Alfred, who looked confused to see her there. “Do you want to look at the sales from yesterday, Mr. Gaines? Or if now is not a good time—” His gaze slid to Raeni.
“Now is just fine.” He nodded at Raeni. “Miss Sawyer, please finish your breakfast. You still have three-quarters of an hour before your work day should begin.” He nodded at her, formal now, as though he hadn’t just spun her about the room.
As he started away, she spoke. “Mr. Gaines.”
He stopped and looked back at her.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to your office and begin now. I have some ideas for the event we discussed. I’ll make note of those and then begin the filing.”
His brows rose. “I’d be very interested in hearing your ideas, Miss Sawyer. Perhaps over a light meal this afternoon?”
She could not keep allowing him to feed her. “You needn’t—”
“It’s settled then. I will see you later today.” And he strode away. Raeni watched him go and put a hand to her lips, wondering what it would have felt like to kiss him. It was probably best if she never found out.
THE HOURS BETWEEN BREAKFAST and his midday meal seemed interminable. Thomas approved the accounts, discussed matters big and small with Alfred, took his carriage across Town to sample the tobacco from a new distributor and then finally returned to Bond Street about half past twelve. He was hungry for food and for Miss Sawyer’s company.
He sent Alfred to order a meal for two before walking through the shop and the coffee room. Both were busy, but business could always be better. He started up the stairs to his office, tapping on the door before entering. Ridiculous to tap on his own door before going inside, but when he’d entered yesterday afternoon, after Miss Sawyer had gone home for the day, he’d detected her subtle scent in the air. That light floral scent and the progress she’d made organizing his desk changed the feeling of the room, making it feel not so much like his space but their space.
He entered, and Miss Sawyer rose immediately from his desk. She smoothed the apron over her dress. He’d noted this morning it was the same dress she’d worn yesterday, which was not unusual, but she had not laundered it to remove the stains. She did not strike him as the sort to be slovenly, especially as she had a clean apron over the dress. So why had she not cleaned the dress? Did she not have the means?
“Mr. Gaines, I have placed the documents most needing your attention on the desk. I haven’t gone through all of them, but from what I have seen, these are the most pressing.”
He glanced at his desk, noting his piles of papers seemed smaller. “Thank you. I’ll look at them later. I have a tray of sandwiches on the way. Let’s sit at the table, shall we?”
She smoothed her hands over her apron again. “Sir, you do not have to feed me. I can continue working while you eat or I might assist Mr. Miller downstairs so you might have privacy, if you prefer.”
Thomas could tell it would be no easy task to find out the realities of her current situation. She was obviously averse to his charity. “What I prefer is to have the pleasure of your company and to hear the ideas for the opening celebration.”
“Of course. I have them here.” She lifted a paper from the desk. He took a seat at the table, prepared to listen. The door opened and Mary carried a tray in.
“Put that here, Mrs. Poole.”
“Yes, sir.” She gave Miss Sawyer a surreptitious look. Thomas knew the staff was probably gossiping about his relationship with Miss Sawyer. He was always careful to keep relationships with his employees separate from romantic relationships. The last thing he wanted was his staff gossiping about Miss Sawyer. But then Thomas had never been romantically interested in any woman who had worked for him before. If his choices were to let Miss Sawyer go or skirt the boundaries of his own rules, he would trespass just a little.
While Mary set the tray down and arranged the items on the dining room table, Thomas decided to do what he could to take control of the staff’s gossip. “Miss Sawyer, go ahead and share the ideas you’ve noted for the opening celebration.”
“Yes, sir. I made a list of possibilities. Shall I go through all of them?”