Texas Tiger

chapter 5





Heaven help him, but she was the loveliest thing he had ever seen in his life. Light from the vaulted hall windows glinted off hair that was almost white-gold in its beauty. Beneath the streaks of dirt her face blossomed into a beatific smile at his words, and Daniel felt ten miles tall. He wanted to take her round little curves into his arms and squeeze them with sheer happiness. That was when he knew he was in big trouble.

She was engaged to his brother.

That knowledge wedged like a dry bread crust in his throat, and Daniel had difficulty speaking. Instead of the words of delight he wished to offer, he said, "You shouldn't be here, Miss Hanover."

The light immediately fled her eyes. "I didn't spend the morning dragging this equipment over here only to be sent away, Mr. Martin."

He didn't know why she had spent the morning dragging that equipment over here, but his gaze rested longingly on the expensive camera. He was trying to keep to a budget, and a camera wasn't in it. A newssheet like his had no earthly use for photographs. For that, he needed a downtown office and a publishing company. The idea had appeal, but not on his budget.

"You're looking to get me shot, aren't you?" Daniel kept his voice neutral as he picked up the heaviest satchel and carried it in, making room for her to step inside.

She did so without hesitation, and Daniel was suddenly aware of the shabbiness of his surroundings next to her exquisite loveliness. Her blue silk shimmered in the motes of sunlight. The yards of ruching sweeping down her boned bodice and long skirt must have cost the moon and stars. The perky hat perched atop her bedraggled coiffure had a feather that swept the air as she glanced around. He was aware that all she could see was a splintering wooden floor, soiled walls, and a mattress thrown up against a floorboard. He hadn't seen the necessity of finding an apartment as long as he had rented the entire floor. It wasn't as if he needed an office or a newsroom or any other of the accouterments that went with a professional newspaper. Not yet, anyway.

"Very nice." Her tone was too melodic for her sarcasm to have effect. She swung around and faced him. "Were you the journalist Peter threw out of Mulloney's the other day?"

Daniel ran his hand through his hair, realizing it was in dire need of a trimming as he met her gaze. "And if I am?"

"Then I've come to help you. Peter fired that poor woman you were interviewing. He said no one would listen to a woman. Did she have a family? Children?"

Daniel was extremely wary of gods bearing gifts. He knew his mythology quite well. And what applied to gods applied to goddesses, too. Perhaps she wasn't quite a goddess. She was dirty and bedraggled, and her tone was a little too imperious at the moment. She really wasn't even pretty, not in the same way that Evie was. Of course, Evie was beautiful. Georgina was just... interesting. That was the word for it. Interesting. Her lively eyes kept him captivated until he nearly forgot her question.

Her tapping toe reminded Daniel that he was expected to answer. He finished wiping his hands on the rag. "As far as I know, she was just an aging spinster with an axe to grind, but I'm sorry to hear she lost her job. That was uncalled for."

That took the wind out of her flag fast enough. She had come marching out to war for next to nothing. Daniel waited for the next installment of this emotional drama.

Georgina grimaced, but forged ahead. "If you are looking for a story on how women are mistreated by management, then you have only to look to my father's factory. I can help you with that."

That hadn't been what Daniel was looking for at all. He had merely been trying to find out more about his family and their operations, but he wasn't about to admit that to Miss Georgina Hanover. He dusted off the window seat and gallantly offered her a place to sit. He could smell the light fragrance of her soap as she swept by him to accept it. Lilies of the valley. Lord, but it smelled good.

"I was more interested in Mulloney's," he answered imperturbably.

"Then you ought to be interested in Hanover Industries. They produce most of the clothing that Mulloney's sells under their own label."

He really didn't care. The world was rife with injustice. Daniel knew that from firsthand experience. What he really wanted to know about was the callous wealthy family that had thrown him away, but this woman standing in front of him was engaged to the heir apparent. He detected a slight conflict of interest here.

"Mulloney's is a big name in this town. A story about them will generate sales. Everybody shops at Mulloney's. Why would they bother reading a story about Hanover Industries?"

"Because those women work terrible hours under horrible conditions and make barely enough to stay alive. Isn't that story enough?"

"That's your father's factory you're talking about, Miss Hanover. The money he makes from his employees keeps you in those expensive gowns and paid for that equipment." Daniel nodded at the satchels on the floor. As much as he wanted access to that camera, he had a bad feeling in his gut about any partnership with Georgina Hanover. They had no ground in common whatsoever.

She really hadn't thought this through at all, he could tell. She sighed, wiped her face with a handkerchief, and looked miserable. Daniel suspected that what had started out as an act of defiance to make her father or Peter take notice was now snowballing into something quite different. But she didn't look as if she meant to give up.

Putting away her handkerchief, Georgina stiffened her shoulders. "All right, have it your way. It's your paper. But I suspect there is some connection with the factory and the store, and that's the reason my father's workers are so overworked. My father is a nice man; Mr. Mulloney isn't."

Daniel didn't intend to dive after that one. He would see for himself what kind of man Mulloney was, not dwell on gossip. "And what do you think photographs will accomplish on this little crusade of yours, Miss Hanover?" He jerked the topic back to more pertinent arguments.

She looked surprised. "Why, they'll show the horrible conditions people work under. Photographs are all the rage, you know. People react to pictures much better than words."

Daniel patiently let her toward the obvious. "News photos must be displayed in windows where they'll be seen, Miss Hanover. Where will you display yours? On my boarded-up windows? I think the people in this area already know the conditions they work under."

Georgina bit her lip and glanced around as if just discovering where she was. "It's not exactly like the news offices in London, is it?"

"Not exactly," Daniel agreed. Then taking pity on her, he asked, "Do you know how to use that thing?"

She brightened. "I spent all morning learning, and they said I could come back any time with questions."

"I suppose they showed you the wet process?" Daniel asked with a touch of gloom.

Georgina shook her head. "They have dry plates. They said it would be much easier if I wasn't going to use a studio. So I didn't buy a tent. Do you have a room I could use for developing?"

He could feel just a hint of hope. Ideas swarmed through Daniel's mind as his gaze lingered on the expensive equipment. "There're rooms to spare. Do you think there's enough light inside Mulloney's to get a picture?"

"With that big chandelier overhead? Why not?"

"Do you think you could take pictures inside the store without getting thrown out? There are big clocks behind every counter. It would be interesting to catch one clerk in front of that clock when she came in at eight and again just before she left for home at six. People could see her standing up and know she's been on her feet for nine or ten hours."

Georgina nodded eagerly. "Peter will just think I have a silly new hobby. How about a picture of his office with the fancy carpeting and big desks? Then a picture of where the clerks live? I bet one of their houses would fit inside that office."

Daniel's eyes gleamed with approval, but his words were ones of caution. "We'll have to find a place to display them, a very public place. And you'll have to practice. I've used the dry plates before. They're very sensitive. You'll ruin your first batches until you get the exposure right."

Georgina grinned. She was going to have a career. Even if she didn't know anything about photography other than the basics learned in one morning, she knew she could do it. And even if the man showing her where to set up her darkroom thought she was a tool in his employ, she would show the world that she was more than that. Then let Peter and her father pretend she was a useless piece of fluff.

Although she couldn't begin her photography assignment until the next day, Georgina took her camera with her when she left. Mr. Martin had been preoccupied with his work and not much interested in entertaining her once they had decided on a plan of action. She felt slightly insulted that he didn't feel called upon to entertain her, but she reminded herself that this was a business relationship, not a social one. She would just have to grow accustomed to the manners of the working class.

She was quite certain there was a story to be had at her father's factory if she only knew how to fnd it. But her father had made it clear that she wasn't to be caught in this neighborhood again.

But the lumpy unglamorous old buildings and the wagons and the unfashionably dressed people fascinated her, and she couldn't resist viewing them through the eye of her new toy. It wouldn't hurt to take a picture or two for practice. Anything was better than returning to the house and her mother's wedding preparations.

Daniel found her there when he came down at the end of the day. He watched in amusement as Georgina beguiled a scruffy little boy and his dog into posing for her while a small crowd gathered around them. Her animated chatter kept the onlookers spellbound, and he thought she could make a fortune as a carnival barker should she ever need the money. As it was, he was quite certain these people would spend their last pennies to have their pictures taken by her.

She was smiling and laughing when he walked up, but that disappeared as soon as she saw him. She glanced worriedly at the stream of people leaving the factory as the church tower chimed six, took note of the long shadows indicating dusk was not far off, and hastily began packing her camera into its box.

"I think I had better escort you home, Miss Hanover. It's a little late for you to be wandering the streets." It was more than a little late, and Daniel didn't think she could possibly walk the distance to her home, but he wasn't certain he could find a hired cab in this district either.

"I don't know. My father's carriage will be here soon, but he's told me to stay away. Perhaps I could persuade Blucher to pretend I was just returning from town." Nervously, she dusted off her gown and placed her camera over her shoulder, giving it a worried look.

Daniel knew the meaning of that look. Her father didn't know about the camera. No amount of lies and semitruths would hide it. He took the strap from her shoulder and placed it over his. "I'll bring it to you at Mulloney's in the morning. What direction will the carriage come from? We can stop him before he reaches the plant."

Georgina directed him, but while they waited, she spied the pretty woman from her father's factory, the one she had seen Mr. Martin talking to earlier. She tugged on his sleeve and nodded in her direction. "Can you tell me who she is? She doesn't seem to like me very much, but I'd like to talk to her."

Daniel looked up and saw Janice frowning and about to cross the street to avoid him. He had met her younger brother on his first night in town. Her family was practically the only one he knew. And he knew women well enough to know the source of her frown. He took a step in Janice's direction and made it apparent he wished to talk. Her frown deepened, but she hesitated just long enough for him to speak.

"I'll walk you home as soon as I see Miss Hanover into her carriage. Janice, do you know Georgina Hanover? Miss Hanover, may I introduce Janice Harrison? Her famly has been gracious enough to welcome a stranger like me."

Janice stood stiffly at his side, a glare of defiance in her eyes. Georgina smiled and offered her hand.

"I'm so glad I finally have a chance to be properly introduced. I'm not very good with pen and pencil, but I thought sometime you might let me take your photograph. Your looks are very striking, and I'm certain they would turn out well on paper."

Georgina's open flattery left no room for insult. Janice's defiance wavered, but she remained stubbornly aloof. "I don't have time for such things. I've got to go home and fix supper. You needn't see me home, Daniel."

Georgina gave him an inquisitive glance at this use of a name she hadn't known, but Daniel smoothly intervened. "Janice has a younger sister who has just started working at Mulloney's. We might begin our interviews there."

The carriage rattled around the corner then, and Daniel flagged it down, helping a frustrated Georgina into its interior before she could ask too many questions. Janice was already hurrying down the street before he had time to get back to her.

Women. Daniel gave Janice's back a look of disgust as he loped after her. There wasn't any pleasing them. It was easy enough to make friends with a man. You had a few beers, told a few jokes, and they didn't get huffy if you talked to someone else. It would be much simpler if he could confine his acquaintance to men. Unfortunately, he rather enjoyed the company of women when they were being pleasant.

Maybe if he made them understand that marriage was the farthest thing from his mind, they would relax and learn to be friends instead of competitors. He'd have to write Evie and ask about that one.

* * *

"Georgina! What is all this nonsense? I've been told you've been here all day with this paraphernalia." Peter strode down the aisle between women's hosiery and the jewelry counter, his gaze fixed disapprovingly on Georgina as she perched on a stepladder and balanced the camera on a higher rung.

Georgina glanced up and beamed. "Not all day. I came this morning and left again. I just got back a little while ago. The light is different at this hour. See how it comes through that window and lights up the rubies? Besides, I thought you would be happy to see me."

"I might if I thought I was the reason you were here. Climb down before you kill yourself." Peter held the ladder with one hand to steady it and caught her waist with the other, supporting her as she descended.

Georgina tried to feel properly delighted with his concern and protection, but mostly she felt irritated. She decided against stepping on his foot, however. Peter brought out the absolute worst in her, but she wouldn't give into childish whims. She climbed down and stood toe to toe with him, favoring him with a brilliant smile.

"I'm honored that you are so concerned. Would you like to escort me home or shall I wait for Blucher?"

She decided that although Mr. Martin appeared taller than Peter, he probably wasn't. It was just that Peter's shoulders were so broad they negated the effect of height. She was rather frightened of the strength she sensed in Peter's grasp. She didn't like knowing that he could overcome her physically. But when he released her and ran his fingers through his thick curls, he looked more like the boy she used to know, and she relaxed.

"My father is holding a meeting over at the mill, and I'm already late. Let me see if Blucher has arrived yet, and I'll see you to the carriage."

She'd already learned today that Mr. Mulloney owned the steel mill and the gaslight company and that his other sons held positions in those places. Gossiping with store clerks could be very enlightening. She took pity on Peter and patted his arm reassuringly.

"You go on. I'll just take a few more pictures before Blucher arrives. The nice man at the door will tell me when he's here."

Peter looked relieved, and after a hasty farewell left her with the admonishment not to touch another stepladder. Georgina hummed softly to herself as she set up her next shot. The poor man had no clue, after all. It was his own fault, though. He should never underestimate the power of a woman.

Georgina found Mr. Martin leaning against a lamppost and reading a newspaper when she came out. She gave him a big grin and took his elbow, leading him toward the waiting carriage, much to the disapproval of Blucher, who looked on.

"I could go in there every day and do whatever I like and no one would think twice about it. I've already talked to half the clerks for you, but I couldn't take notes or it would raise too many suspicions. So you'll have to rely on my memory. I'll write it all down tonight."

Mr. Martin handed her into the carriage. "Give me your plates and I'll develop them. If we're taking shots of the women at home, we will have to do it on Sunday. I can't take you to those neighborhoods in the evening."

"It seems to me if you can go there, I can go there," she pointed out, knowing the impracticality of the protest. She couldn't go anywhere without a proper escort in the evening. And she had the feeling that her father wouldn't consider this man a proper escort.

Daniel gave her a grin that was impossible to argue with. "I want to issue my first edition on Wednesday. Hurry up with those notes. I can have the piece written before we go visiting on Sunday. Then all I'll have to do is lay it out and set the type. Be nice to that boyfriend of yours."

Georgina stuck her tongue out at him and signaled BIucher to pull away.

Be nice to Peter, indeed. After next Wednesday she doubted if he would ever speak to her again.

Unless Mr. Martin had some devious plan for protecting her from his wrath. And the more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that he had. He looked entirely too sure of himself.