Janet Barton - The Mistletoe Kiss

“I think so. I’m excited about showing them. You can look at them at the same time since you’re escorting me over.”

“That will be fine, as long as I get to see them.” He grinned. “I’m sure you got some great shots. It was interesting to watch you at work.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

He seemed almost as surprised at his answer as Millicent was at his comments. She shrugged. “Well, I do love what I do and I hope it shows in each photograph I take.”

“I understand. That’s how I feel about what I do, too.”

“Millicent!” Julia called. “Are you down here? I’m ready to go when you are.”

“Yes, I’m right here.” Millicent hurried into the foyer, with Matt right behind her. “I’ll go get my hat and reticule.”

Julia looked surprised to find Matt with her. “Oh good. We don’t want to be late.”

She turned back to Matt. “Have a good day.”

“You, too.”

Millicent started up the stairs as she heard Matt ask Julia, “How can you be late for shopping? The stores are barely open.”

Her steps slowed as she waited for Julia’s answer. “We don’t want to be late for any sales. Things fly off the shelves if it’s a good one, and they usually are on Saturdays.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

Millicent took a deep breath and hurried up the rest of the stairs. At least he didn’t ask if they were going to another one of those meetings.

He’d been so agreeable this morning, she didn’t want to start anything up about the suffrage movement. If she thought he’d listen, she’d gladly have a conversation with him, but Matt and the other men’s minds seemed to be made up about it. And their stubbornness about it all was a reminder of why she needed to guard her heart from any man—and she must keep it in mind at all times. Particularly on those days Matt was so nice to her!

Millicent pinned on her favorite autumn hat, a brown straw trimmed with green-and-blue ribbon and peacock feathers, grabbed her reticule and hurried back downstairs. She breathed a sigh of relief to find only Julia in the parlor waiting for her. “Did the men leave already?” she asked.

“Yes. Although I don’t know where they were all going, only that Stephen went to work and Joe and Matt were going to meet at the Polo Grounds for the ball game later,” Julia said.

“Why is it they don’t seem to think they need to tell us where they are going, but they want to know every little thing we’re doing?” Millicent asked.

“Good question. I’d like to know the same thing.”

“My dears, it could be my fault,” Mrs. Heaton said, entering the foyer.

“Your fault? How could that be, Mrs. Heaton?” Millicent asked.

“Well, you know I opened this boardinghouse in order to give young women a safe place that felt like home away from home, but I wanted you safe when out and about after dark, too. That’s the reason I opened it up to men, too. Julia can probably remember when there were almost no men living here except for my son Michael.”

“Yes, I do. But it didn’t last long, once I told you I was walking to the soda shop that first summer.” Julia chuckled and shook her head.

“That’s when I made the rule that women must be in a group or ask a man to escort them to and from wherever it was they wanted to go at night. Michael was called into service that night.”

“And he was quite gallant about it.” Julia chuckled. “But he was only one man and there were around six ladies living here at the time. Soon thereafter—the next day, I think—you put an ad in the newspapers and that’s when Ben and John and Luke arrived.”

“Quite true, Julia. And I inform the men who live here of my rules when they move in and perhaps they think of themselves as your protectors.”

“Maybe so,” Millicent said, her heart sinking just a bit. If she were going to have a protector, she’d much rather it be because the man cared about her and not because he’d been asked to. But Mrs. Heaton’s explanation made sense. “But we don’t want them to know about the meetings, Mrs. Heaton. They get all riled up when they’re mentioned.”

“I understand, and I support you not telling them about the meetings you’ve been going to, as they are all in the daytime. But should you ever decide to go to one at night...” Mrs. Heaton’s brow wrinkled as she paused. “I think it might be time I spoke to the men about all of this.”

“Oh, Mrs. Heaton,” Millicent said. “The last thing we want is for you to feel you must defend us or—”

Their landlady chuckled. “Dear ones, I think each one of you is capable of taking up for yourselves, but I don’t think the men residing here quite understand your interest in the suffrage movement. Perhaps it’s time for them to learn that even though they do not have to like it, they must learn to accept your interest in aspects of the movement.”

“Would you like to come with us?” Millicent asked.

“Not today, I’m going to visit little Marcus. But I’d like to go soon. Let me know when the next one is.”

“I believe there is another in a few weeks, but we should find out more today. We’ll see you this evening.”

* * *

Stephen took off in one direction and Matt and Joe took off in the opposite one. Then they split up at the next corner. Joe worked for Michael Heaton’s investigative-protection agency and needed to finish up some paperwork. They’d all meet up later at the Polo Field for the last game of the season. For now Matt was off to explore the city. He loved looking at the architecture of the downtown buildings, the mansions on Fifth Avenue and the neighborhoods not far from Gramercy Park.

Much as Matt loved working on the high-rises, lately he’d been wondering what it would be like to work on remodeling the inside of an old structure or building new ones from his own design. He didn’t want to work for someone else for the rest of his life, but he’d wanted to get all the experience he could before striking out on his own.

But with all Millicent’s talk of opening her own business, he’d begun to realize he’d like to do the same thing—to be his own boss and be able to work on his own designs instead of someone else’s. He’d put the dream off, but he’d been giving it more and more thought lately.

He was eager to get a look at the photographs she’d taken from the Park Row Building. The views were spectacular, the building was one of a kind and he wanted to see if she’d done it all justice. He knew Millicent was talented but wished she weren’t so independent—way too much so for him to be thinking about her as much as he’d been doing. He didn’t want to have feelings for such a strong-willed woman.

And yet, his chest tightened as he thought of her. In spite of his resolve not to care about her other than as a friend, her smile seemed to shoot straight through to his heart and just touching her hand to help her out of the elevator sent sparks up his arm.

Something about her made him want to be her protector—when she’d declare that was the last thing she needed. Still, as long as he was responsible for her at his workplace, she’d have to accept that he would be looking out for her. She had no choice. And neither did he.

Chapter Five

Millicent and Julia left the suffrage meeting more excited and hopeful than ever that one day they might get the vote.

They were in high spirits as they stopped at one of the small cafés, which catered mostly to women who were out shopping. They were given a menu and decided on the lobster salad with rolls and English tea.

Millicent looked around the room and smiled. “We don’t have anything like this back home in Virginia. Most women don’t go out for lunch at all. I think there’s a tearoom, but that’s all. After living in a small town where everyone knows what everyone else is doing, it’s very refreshing to go shopping, even if it’s mostly window-shopping, in so many stores in one trip. To be able take lunch out instead of rushing home.”