blunt fellow, aren’t you?”
“I’m used to facing and evaluating every situation as I see it.”
“Yes, well…” Stepmoore lifted a pen from his desk and turned it in his fingers. “I’d like to explain what happened between you father and—”
“I’m not interested in hearing your excuses. ” Briggs stood. He didn’t want to hear lies from the man who was responsible for his father’s death. “Your words come too late, my lord. Far too late.”
Briggs turned and took his first step away from Stepmoore.
“Wait,” Stepmoore said.
Briggs spun back and glared at the man who’d ruined his family. “Why? So you can give me one last order to stay away from your daughter? Well, you don’t have to concern yourself on that score. Your daughter and I hardly run in the same circles. I have no intention of seeing her again.”
Briggs strode to the door in long angry strides. He couldn’t wait to be out of Stepmoore’s sight.
He reached the door and grabbed the knob. Then turned it.
“Wait, Murdock.” There was a long pause before Stepmoore’s next words. “Please, I need your help.”
Time stood still. His fingers still gripped the handle of the door. All he had to do was pull the door open and he could be away from here. But Stepmoore’s words refused to leave him. Please. I need your help.
He released his grip on the door and turned. “What could you possibly need my help with?”
“My daughter.”
Stepmoore pick up a folded piece of paper from the desk and held it out.
Briggs walked across the room and took it from Stepmoore’s hand. He unfolded the paper and scanned the words. When he reached the bottom, he read them again.
Stepmoore,
You have a lovely daughter. It would be a shame if anything were to happen to her. Don’t pursue your Railway Act or your daughter will pay the price for your foolishness.
Briggs ’ blood ran cold. Someone was threatening to kill her because of a bill her father wanted to introduce in the House. Briggs’ temper soared.
He walked across the room and faced Stepmoore. “Do you know what this is about? More importantly, do you know who is behind this?”
Stepmoore nodded, then sank into the chair behind his desk. “I have an important bill that I intend to introduce before the House later this month. The intent of the bill is to protect and expand railroad commerce.”
Stepmoore propped his forearms on the desk and turned a glass paper weight in his fingers. “Today we have more than six thousand miles of railroad track that connects our major manufacturing cities. But more tracks need to be laid. We are experiencing a soaring export industry, but only if we can provide the steel to build ships that can get those goods to foreign ports.
“British exports consist almost totally of manufactured goods. Without the expansion of the railroads, many industries will have no way to get their products where they need to be. Steel mills need the railroads to provide steel to the growing shipping industry.”
“What does this have to do with the letter?”
“Not everyone agrees with the need to expand exports. Many in the House have a vested interest in stopping foreign trade.”
“So they want to stop your bill from being introduced.”
“Yes.”
Briggs lowered himself to his chair. “So you want to hire the Bedford Street investigators to protect your daughter,” he said.
“Not exactly. I’m afraid trying to protect Pauline in London would be nearly impossible. She has a very full social agenda. She is quite popular, you know. There’s no way she can be watched both night and day.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want to hire you to take my daughter to one of our smaller, lesser known properties, and keep her there until after my bill has been voted on in the House.”
Briggs thought of the ramifications of being alone with Lady Pauline for that amount of time. He wasn’t sure he wanted to put himself in such a position. Just being in
“I’m used to facing and evaluating every situation as I see it.”
“Yes, well…” Stepmoore lifted a pen from his desk and turned it in his fingers. “I’d like to explain what happened between you father and—”
“I’m not interested in hearing your excuses. ” Briggs stood. He didn’t want to hear lies from the man who was responsible for his father’s death. “Your words come too late, my lord. Far too late.”
Briggs turned and took his first step away from Stepmoore.
“Wait,” Stepmoore said.
Briggs spun back and glared at the man who’d ruined his family. “Why? So you can give me one last order to stay away from your daughter? Well, you don’t have to concern yourself on that score. Your daughter and I hardly run in the same circles. I have no intention of seeing her again.”
Briggs strode to the door in long angry strides. He couldn’t wait to be out of Stepmoore’s sight.
He reached the door and grabbed the knob. Then turned it.
“Wait, Murdock.” There was a long pause before Stepmoore’s next words. “Please, I need your help.”
Time stood still. His fingers still gripped the handle of the door. All he had to do was pull the door open and he could be away from here. But Stepmoore’s words refused to leave him. Please. I need your help.
He released his grip on the door and turned. “What could you possibly need my help with?”
“My daughter.”
Stepmoore pick up a folded piece of paper from the desk and held it out.
Briggs walked across the room and took it from Stepmoore’s hand. He unfolded the paper and scanned the words. When he reached the bottom, he read them again.
Stepmoore,
You have a lovely daughter. It would be a shame if anything were to happen to her. Don’t pursue your Railway Act or your daughter will pay the price for your foolishness.
Briggs ’ blood ran cold. Someone was threatening to kill her because of a bill her father wanted to introduce in the House. Briggs’ temper soared.
He walked across the room and faced Stepmoore. “Do you know what this is about? More importantly, do you know who is behind this?”
Stepmoore nodded, then sank into the chair behind his desk. “I have an important bill that I intend to introduce before the House later this month. The intent of the bill is to protect and expand railroad commerce.”
Stepmoore propped his forearms on the desk and turned a glass paper weight in his fingers. “Today we have more than six thousand miles of railroad track that connects our major manufacturing cities. But more tracks need to be laid. We are experiencing a soaring export industry, but only if we can provide the steel to build ships that can get those goods to foreign ports.
“British exports consist almost totally of manufactured goods. Without the expansion of the railroads, many industries will have no way to get their products where they need to be. Steel mills need the railroads to provide steel to the growing shipping industry.”
“What does this have to do with the letter?”
“Not everyone agrees with the need to expand exports. Many in the House have a vested interest in stopping foreign trade.”
“So they want to stop your bill from being introduced.”
“Yes.”
Briggs lowered himself to his chair. “So you want to hire the Bedford Street investigators to protect your daughter,” he said.
“Not exactly. I’m afraid trying to protect Pauline in London would be nearly impossible. She has a very full social agenda. She is quite popular, you know. There’s no way she can be watched both night and day.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want to hire you to take my daughter to one of our smaller, lesser known properties, and keep her there until after my bill has been voted on in the House.”
Briggs thought of the ramifications of being alone with Lady Pauline for that amount of time. He wasn’t sure he wanted to put himself in such a position. Just being in
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