The Dollhouse Society Volume IV: Lucky (Includes Lady Luck, House of Dolls, The Reluctant Bride, A Woman on Top, plus a bonus story!) by Eden Myles Page A
Authors: Eden Myles
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read Bleeker & Brinkerhoff of New York . “I’m Brinkerhoff,” said the nervous young man, removing his hat. “Stuart Brinkerhoff, junior partner, but please call me Stuart. I thought our firm might be of service to you in the near future, Miss. Van der Meer.”
I looked up at him. Stuart was very tall and blond and proper seeming. I thought he was likely my own age, had only been made junior partner a short time ago, and, of course, he was rather fetching with his ruddy, innocent face and large, cornflower blue eyes. He positively vibrated with enthusiasm, and most of the unmarried ladies mulling around us immediately noticed him. I had originally planned on asking Darcy to be our business solicitor full time, but now I wasn’t so sure. “Thank you, Mr. Brinkerhoff…Stuart,” I told him. “I’ll take it under advisement with my partner.”
Grinning, he took my hand, brushed a kiss across my knuckles, and excused himself.
Nellie, who had briefly abandoned me to check out yet another sweets vendor, rejoined me, complaining of a bellyache. “Oh Nellie, you’re going to miss the fireworks!” I told her as she swayed next to me and groaned most disconcertingly.
Tiberius, who had been busy talking to some of the town businessmen, immediately swept over to ask me if everything was all right.
“ Oh, Nanny Nellie is sick from sweets!” I told him with exasperation. “And she wants a coach to take her back home.”
He looked over my nanny with a sympathetic eye. “I can put her in my coach,” he said, propelling us both toward his fine carriage.
“ But we’ll miss the fireworks!” I told him.
“ We can always return later.”
“ But I shall need an escort!”
“ We’ll ask your cousin Rupert to accompany us.”
So Nellie and I climbed into the coach opposite Tiberius and let him usher us home. I led her inside, walked her up to her room, and told her to lie down. When I returned to the foyer, Tiberius was waiting for me near the door, pulling on his evening gloves, but I didn’t see Rupert anywhere.
“ Where’s my cousin?” I inquired. “Oh…he’s not chasing after that young valet of yours, is he?”
My partner looked innocent. “I really couldn’t say.”
“ Mr. Sloan,” I admonished him, “it wouldn’t be proper to be seen with you in town without an escort.” I considered myself quite daring where Tiberius was concerned, but I certainly wasn’t mad!
He looked me over hungrily. “I promise where we’re going, no one will care.”
I stopped and looked up at him. “I don’t understand. Where are we going?”
He took my hand and set it on his arm. “It’s called the Dollhouse, love. And it’s owned by the Society.”
“ The mysterious Society again,” I sighed. “Well, perhaps I have no intention of seeing your Dollhouse, Mr. Sloan, or meeting this Society tonight. Aren’t the lot of you a bit old to be playing with dolls?”
He smiled at me, secretly. “If you will not accompany me willingly, I may need to kidnap you.”
He looked perfectly serious, so I went.
***
The carriage whisked us up Long Island toward East Riding of Yorkshire. I kept asking Tiberius where the house was, exactly, but he kept telling me to be patient. I was a patient person, but I was afraid that if we traveled too far east, and it took too long to get back home, I might be missed, or seen alone in Tiberius’s company. I wouldn’t know how to explain that.
I asked him about the mysterious Society, of course, but he seemed more interested in my conversation with Mr. Brinkerhoff earlier. “I thought we agreed to take Darcy on as solicitor?” he said, his voice clipped and very unlike Tiberius. I was surprised. Up until now, he seemed perfectly happy to allow me to make most of our regional business decisions, but now he was questioning my judgment.
“ I suppose we still could. But we weren’t dedicated to that decision, were we? And Mr. Brinkerhoff does seem enthusiastic about our
I looked up at him. Stuart was very tall and blond and proper seeming. I thought he was likely my own age, had only been made junior partner a short time ago, and, of course, he was rather fetching with his ruddy, innocent face and large, cornflower blue eyes. He positively vibrated with enthusiasm, and most of the unmarried ladies mulling around us immediately noticed him. I had originally planned on asking Darcy to be our business solicitor full time, but now I wasn’t so sure. “Thank you, Mr. Brinkerhoff…Stuart,” I told him. “I’ll take it under advisement with my partner.”
Grinning, he took my hand, brushed a kiss across my knuckles, and excused himself.
Nellie, who had briefly abandoned me to check out yet another sweets vendor, rejoined me, complaining of a bellyache. “Oh Nellie, you’re going to miss the fireworks!” I told her as she swayed next to me and groaned most disconcertingly.
Tiberius, who had been busy talking to some of the town businessmen, immediately swept over to ask me if everything was all right.
“ Oh, Nanny Nellie is sick from sweets!” I told him with exasperation. “And she wants a coach to take her back home.”
He looked over my nanny with a sympathetic eye. “I can put her in my coach,” he said, propelling us both toward his fine carriage.
“ But we’ll miss the fireworks!” I told him.
“ We can always return later.”
“ But I shall need an escort!”
“ We’ll ask your cousin Rupert to accompany us.”
So Nellie and I climbed into the coach opposite Tiberius and let him usher us home. I led her inside, walked her up to her room, and told her to lie down. When I returned to the foyer, Tiberius was waiting for me near the door, pulling on his evening gloves, but I didn’t see Rupert anywhere.
“ Where’s my cousin?” I inquired. “Oh…he’s not chasing after that young valet of yours, is he?”
My partner looked innocent. “I really couldn’t say.”
“ Mr. Sloan,” I admonished him, “it wouldn’t be proper to be seen with you in town without an escort.” I considered myself quite daring where Tiberius was concerned, but I certainly wasn’t mad!
He looked me over hungrily. “I promise where we’re going, no one will care.”
I stopped and looked up at him. “I don’t understand. Where are we going?”
He took my hand and set it on his arm. “It’s called the Dollhouse, love. And it’s owned by the Society.”
“ The mysterious Society again,” I sighed. “Well, perhaps I have no intention of seeing your Dollhouse, Mr. Sloan, or meeting this Society tonight. Aren’t the lot of you a bit old to be playing with dolls?”
He smiled at me, secretly. “If you will not accompany me willingly, I may need to kidnap you.”
He looked perfectly serious, so I went.
***
The carriage whisked us up Long Island toward East Riding of Yorkshire. I kept asking Tiberius where the house was, exactly, but he kept telling me to be patient. I was a patient person, but I was afraid that if we traveled too far east, and it took too long to get back home, I might be missed, or seen alone in Tiberius’s company. I wouldn’t know how to explain that.
I asked him about the mysterious Society, of course, but he seemed more interested in my conversation with Mr. Brinkerhoff earlier. “I thought we agreed to take Darcy on as solicitor?” he said, his voice clipped and very unlike Tiberius. I was surprised. Up until now, he seemed perfectly happy to allow me to make most of our regional business decisions, but now he was questioning my judgment.
“ I suppose we still could. But we weren’t dedicated to that decision, were we? And Mr. Brinkerhoff does seem enthusiastic about our
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