Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) (6 page)

“A little early in the morning to be gettin
lost?” he taunted her, his accent heavy.

“Excuse me?” she said. “I’m not lost I’m
looking for Mr. Fournet”

He laughed. “Now I understand, darlin’. He’s
gone to the back for a moment, but don’t fret. He’ll soon
return.”

She frowned, feeling uncertain as to the
man’s reaction.

“Tell me darlin’, what do women see in Mr.
Fournet that they don’t see in me? I may not have his fancy looks,
but I know how to treat a lady decent” he said, his eyes raking
over her. “And you in mourning, too. Shame on you.”

Feeling more vulnerable than she cared for
she took a steadying breath. She glanced at the river man in his
rugged waterproof boots, his worn cap, and sleeveless shirt that
revealed his deeply tanned arms. Though normally she would have
ignored him, maybe it would be better to attempt to be polite, but
curt. He could be a customer or even an employee.

“Yes, I am in mourning,” she said, in a short
clipped tone, resisting the urge to run for the door. “Mr. Fournet
and I are business acquaintances.”

“Now don’t be gettin’ yourself all riled up.
I just thought you might have been one of Mr. Fournet’s lady
friends since you’re pretty enough for the gent and all dressed up
to boot,” he said pointing to the material of her dress. “Around
here ladies and gents aren’t usually seen until much later in the
morning.”

Marian wished Louis would appear. She felt so
uncomfortable standing here talking to this sailor, while everyone
in the room looked on. It wasn’t proper, but she couldn’t turn and
walk away.

“Mr. Fournet’s gone back to get me money.” He
rambled on. “So what you be doin’ down at the docks?”

She paused debating whether to be honest with
the man and then decided she would not hide the reason for her
being here from anyone, not even the sailor.

With a lift of her chin she told him, “I’m
starting work here today.”

He frowned. “You? I think you have the wrong
building, lady. This is Cuvier Shipping.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

Just then Louis Fournet came rushing around
the counter slightly out of breath. He saw her and frowned. “Mrs.
Cuvier, I hoped you would take my advice and stay home.”

“I said I would be here and I am,” she said
defiantly. The noise in the outer office suddenly ceased and
everyone including the sailor stared.

Mr. Fournet shook his head. “Just let me pay
Captain Paul and then I’ll be right with you.”

“Certainly,” she said, feeling more and more
uneasy as time went on. The urge to run out the door grew stronger,
yet the carriage was long gone and there was Philip’s future to
consider.

Louis turned to pay the ship’s captain but
his eyes were fixed on Marian and his stare made her hands
sweat.

“So you’re Jean Cuvier’s wife?” the captain
finally said staring at her hard.

She gave him a haughty look. “Yes, I am.”

“Why’s a woman like you comin’ to work in a
man’s business?” he asked with a sneer. “You should be home
mournin’ your husband.”

“I’m here to learn the shipping business,”
she replied pulling her shoulders back and raising her chin. What
did the man know about the loss of a cheating husband, the fear of
your children starving and your son losing his inheritance? Did he
think she’d be here if she had a choice?

The man made a disgusting snort “You’re
wastin’ your time. Women have no head for business.”

Marian glared at the sailor. “Then I guess
you’re in trouble, as I intend to help Mr. Fournet run Cuvier
Shipping.”

The room grew silent enough to hold prayer
service, until Louis broke the stillness.

“Paul, your money,” Louis said, handing the
man an envelope.

The sailor took the envelope and jammed it
into his pants pocket and strolled out the door, giving Marian a
parting glare. Was this how her days at Cuvier Shipping would be?
Unaccepted by everyone, a struggle every day to find her place in a
world dominated by men? She wanted to cry, but refused to show any
weakness.

Louis watched the captain walk out the door.
He ran his hand through his hair and released a long breath.
Marian’s first morning at the office was beginning exactly the way
he’d feared. He resisted the urge to slam his fist down on the
counter, knowing the pain would outlive the pleasure. Just what he
needed, a woman helping him run a business he wanted to sell!

He’d watched the exchange between Marian and
Paul, hoping that the sailor would frighten the widow and send her
running. But Marian held her ground like an embattled army,
refusing to surrender. While Paul had stuck to his guns to the end,
he’d been as effective as a popgun. Quiet and gentle were not words
used to describe Marian Cuvier. She could take care of herself and
he’d do well to remember this interesting facet of this woman.

Several days of sitting in an office, not
being accepted would surely break down her resistance. He just
needed to bide his time and Mrs. Cuvier would soon want nothing to
do with the shipping business and would hurry home to her rightful
place in life.

Marian turned and glanced at Louis, her face
looking strained. “Well, I must say I’m starting off on a positive
note. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the day unfolds.”

He tried to hold it back, but the chuckle
that bubbled up from his chest refused to cooperate and he laughed
out loud at her wry acceptance of how her day had begun. “Welcome
to Cuvier Shipping, Mrs. Cuvier. Come around the gate and I’ll
introduce you to the rest of the staff.”

“I’m glad I’ve made your day entertaining,”
she said walking through the open gate and into the back office
area.

“Indeed you have, though I had hoped you
would come to your senses and stay home.”

She looked beautiful, with flushed cheeks
against the paleness of her complexion. Her dark hair piled high on
her head showing off her long and graceful neck. He frowned at the
observation. Just what he needed to be noticing on her first day in
the office. All the desirable places on her neck to place his
lips.

With a shrug she strolled past him, her black
skirt brushing against his legs. “Staying home was not possible. I
knew I had to be here.” She glanced around the office. “Where is my
husband’s desk?”

Louis frowned at her. “Jean had his own
office, which someone else has since taken over.”

“Then I suggest you have him removed, so that
I may occupy that space,” she said, in such a way that he knew it
would be useless to argue with her.

“You’re definitely going to be popular with
the employees,” he remarked, shaking his head reminding himself to
let her sink her own boat “Follow me and I’ll show you around and
then take you to Jean’s office.”

She followed Louis through the office area,
while he pointed out where different people who worked for the
business sat. It was still early enough that most employees had yet
to arrive. When they stopped in front of her new office, a man sat
at a desk scribbling in a leather- bound ledger.

“Henry,” Louis called. The man glanced up.
“Mrs. Cuvier, this is Henry Chatham, our accountant. Henry, I’d
like to introduce you to Mrs. Cuvier, Jean’s wife.” The man jumped
up and hurried around the desk. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cuvier. My
condolences regarding your husband.”

“Thank you,” Marian replied, glancing at
Louis expectantly.

“Henry, Mrs. Cuvier is going to be taking
Jean’s place.” The man’s jaw dropped and Louis couldn’t help but
smile. “We’re going to need Jean’s office for her.”

“But...” he glanced up at Marian, his face
reflecting the surprise Louis’s announcement had brought.

“If you’d be so kind as to vacate his office,
then I can move in,” Marian said with a smile.

The man frowned. “Mrs. Cuvier what...what are
you going to do for us?”

Marian shrugged. “I’m not certain yet. Mr.
Fournet is going to teach me the business.”

There were a lot of things Louis would
like to teach her,
he thought,
none of which had to do with
shipping, but rather a different kind of exploration.
Marian
Cuvier’s curves were definitely an interesting attraction that his
eyes were naturally drawn to. The thought caught Louis off guard
before he could put a halt to the wayward idea. She hadn’t been
here an hour and already he was thinking about things he had no
business considering.

Jean had been his partner and Marian was the
dead man’s wife. It wouldn’t do to become involved with the pretty
widow, especially considering the brief time she would be here.

“Henry, if you’d move your work out, then
I’ll get Mrs. Cuvier settled in here,” Louis said.

The man sighed, clearly not happy with this
turn of events. “I’ll start packing.”

Before lunchtime, Louis had Marian ensconced
in her own office and given her a tome to read called
The Merits
of Trade in the New World.
The book was large enough to occupy
her for quite some time and keep her busy and out of his way, at
least until he took care of some pressing issues.

All morning a steady stream of employees
casually strolled by the office, gazing upon the Widow Cuvier.
Business would be slack today, because of the constant foot traffic
in front of her office. Not to mention the employees that flowed
continuously into his office asking questions regarding the
widow.

At first he’d been polite and explained that
Mrs. Cuvier would be in the office for a few days. Or at least he
hoped that’s all it would take before she’d become discouraged and
give up this foolish notion of working in her dead husband’s
place.

“Excuse me, sir. I have some papers that need
your signature,” his clerk said, stepping into his office and
disrupting his thoughts.

Louis glanced up and frowned. “Leave them on
the comer of the desk and I’ll sign them.”

Jon peered out the doorway, across the way to
where Marian sat reading the book. “What’s she doing here?”

The frustration that had been building for
most of the day engulfed him. “Hasn’t everyone filled you in yet?
She’s taking Jean’s place.”

His voice came out louder than he expected
and he saw Marian glance up at him, a quizzical look on her face.
Not only did he get to show her around, but their offices were
located directly across the hall from one another. Unless their
office doors were closed, they could see each other at any
time.

Just what he needed, to look up and see
Marian’s smile. The woman could be pure vinegar one moment and then
suddenly with just one look, have your nerve endings standing up
and taking notice. And he’d already taken more notice of the widow
than he considered wise. After all, he still intended to sell the
business.

“Sorry, sir. I’ve been out of the office most
of the day.”

Louis shook his head. Now he was taking out
his frustrations on his employees. “No, I’m the one who should
apologize. It’s not your fault.”

“No need, sir.” The young man all but ran
from his office.

Louis bent his head and tried to work once
again. If he continued to disregard her, would she take the hint
and leave? Yet to overlook a beautiful woman in his direct line of
sight was difficult at best. Several days of avoidance should do
the trick and Mrs. Cuvier would never darken his door again. Until
the sale he hoped for would bring them together one last time to
sign the final papers.

A shadow fell across his desk and the smell
of lilacs alerted him that she had walked into his office. He
glanced up and felt as if his insides were being squeezed. For a
moment he wanted to reach out and touch her skin to see if it were
as smooth to the stroke as it appeared. Annoyed for taking notice
of her complexion, he gave himself a mental slap. It would be
better to avoid sensuous ideas involving the widow.

She smiled. “I’m finished for the day.”

He shook his head, the frustration of the day
once again rearing like an ugly sea serpent’s head. “Mrs. Cuvier
... may I call you Marian?”

“Since we’re going to be working together
every day, I think that would be a good idea,” she responded, with
a smile that left him stunned, but only irritated him more because
she was both cheerful and beautiful.

“Marian, do yourself a favor, stay home
tomorrow. There’s no need for you to come in here every day like
this. I give you my word that your part of the business will be
fine,” he said, his voice sounding sharper than he intended.

She tilted her head. “But Louis ... I can
call you Louis?”

“Yes.”

She smiled. “Louis, it’s very necessary that
I come in here and work each day. Maybe it’s not my share of the
business I’m concerned about, but yours? After all I will be here
looking out for mine.”

“Damn it, woman!” he shouted, jumping up from
his desk, staring at her. At the sound of his voice, some women
would have run for the door or at least broken down in tears at his
outburst. But not Marian, who just took one step back.

“I have tried to keep my patience with you,
but I don’t know how to help you to understand,” said Louis.
“You’ve disrupted the office, upset the employees, and totally
confounded this whole place. Have some consideration and stay home
so that at least a small measure of work will be done! You are not
needed here.”

Her eyes grew wide and dark and furious. And
then she turned on him. “Don’t you curse at me! Get accustomed to
seeing me at the office, Mr. Fournet. I own part of this business.
I’m going to protect my interest. Get used to seeing me every
day.”

She whirled around and walked out of the
office, her black skirt swishing angrily as she left, her head held
high.

Louis glanced out and saw everyone watching
her as she proceeded toward the door. One steely look sent the
employees quickly back to work.