All About Seduction(33)

“I have already calculated the savings. It won’t be enough.” Mr. Broadhurst stood and handed her a piece of paper with long columns of numbers.

“Enough?” She looked at the chicken scratches.

Mr. Broadhurst rubbed his forehead. “To make a profit if the price of cotton jumps as high as I think it might. The Americas . . .” He waved a hand toward the newspaper spread across his desk.

The news was a concern of hers too. What was happening in the United States was likely to affect the price of cotton. Swallowing against the dry spot in the back of her throat, she asked, “You read the disturbing news about several of the states threatening to secede if Lincoln is elected?”

She feared she was already late in acting, since the news would have been disseminated in London two days ago.

“Fools, the lot of them. It will be war.”

That was the same conclusion she had arrived at. Sucking in a deep breath, she plunged in hoping Mr. Broadhurst would support her bold move. “I have sent contracts to buy cotton from both Egypt and our regular suppliers in the Americas at market price.”

Mr. Broadhurst lowered his brow. “You cannot make promises you don’t intend to keep.”

She refused to address that he might be referring to her private bargain with him. “We will fulfill our commitments. The worst that can happen is we have too much cotton next year at a good price.”

“There is no guarantee the price will be good.”

“If there is a lot of cotton, the price will be good. If there isn’t enough or not enough can make it to market, the price will be higher, but we won’t pay for what we don’t receive.”

Mr. Broadhurst scratched his head. “So you would gamble on shortages.”

“I already have.” Caroline sucked in a deep breath, wondering if she had made a huge miscalculation. “If we have too much, we can store it or increase production. It shall not go to waste.”

He shook his head. “Is this to show me you are capable of running the mill without me?”

Caroline’s heart squeezed, not knowing what he would think of her plan. If she had guessed wrong, he might have even less faith in her ability to run the mill. “A decision had to be made and I made it. I too would wish for more certainty, but I thought long and hard about the consequences of every possible action. Not acting would be worse than if I miscalculated. I would rather have too much cotton than not enough.”

He stared at her and then grudgingly nodded.

For a second she thought she might sink to the floor. It was not so much that she curried his approval, but his disapproval could be far worse.

She’d never seriously considered the ramifications of running the business without Mr. Broadhurst at the helm. She could handle the day-to-day things, but deciding where and how much cotton to buy in the future was not a task she’d handled before. But a decision had to be made and she’d made it. Even if Mr. Broadhurst disagreed, she was certain the choice was a good one.

“Your brother says you made progress last night.”

Was Robert acting as a spy? Her face grew hot. “I have not decided which one will suit,” she blurted.

To call what happened progress was laughable, but she wouldn’t let Mr. Broadhurst know that. But Robert’s betrayal sat like a hot poker under her breastbone. She couldn’t ask him for guidance in how to seduce one of the men, for fear he would report directly back to Mr. Broadhurst.

“Decide quickly because I haven’t patience for your games,” said Mr. Broadhurst.

“My games? Would you have acceded to my demands to remove the children if you were not looking to cut costs? I think I sold my honor too cheaply.”

Mr. Broadhurst folded his arms and breathed deeply. “What else do you want, Mrs. Broadhurst? Perhaps next time your brother can bring the bloody lot of Parliament.”

Caroline hesitated only a second. She had nothing to lose, after all. “I want your assurance that you will continue to employ Mr. Applegate until he is fully healed.”

“I’m not running a charity hospital. He won’t be fit for his old job for months.”

“He could work as a clerk. Writing won’t require him to stand or walk about much.”

“All the clerks have attended university. You know I don’t hire villagers for those positions.”

“I should think you could make an exception in this one case. He doesn’t want to end up a beggar. Surely you can understand that. And if I am in the family way, I may not be able to do as much as in the past.”