Love on Assignment
PRAISE FOR CARA LYNN JAMES
“Cara Lynn James brings the early 1900s alive with this tender inspirational love story. Her cast of delightful characters will warm your heart and stay with you long after you've turned the last page.”
âM
ARGARET
B
ROWNLEY
, author of
A Lady Like Sarah
,
regarding
Love on a Dime
“A charming peek inside life during the Gilded era. Highly recommended.”
âC
OLLEEN
C
OBLE
, best-selling author of
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
,
regarding
Love on a Dime
“James' debut novel is filled with romance, laughter and secrets, which will delight fans of historical romance. The characters are well defined and try to be true to themselves with unexpected results. Readers will look forward to the next Ladies of Summerhill installment. Four stars.”
â
R
OMANTIC
T
IMES
review of
Love on a Dime
“Love on a Dime
is a touching, well-written novel whispering the theme that all things are possible with God.”
â
CBA R
ETAILERS AND
R
ESOURCES
L
OVE
ON
A
SSIGNMENT
ALSO BY CARA LYNN JAMES
Love on a Dime
L
OVE
ON
A
SSIGNMENT
CARA LYNN JAMES
© 2010 by Cara Lynn James
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected]
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the K
ING
J
AMES
V
ERSION
.
Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
James, Cara Lynn, 1949â
Love on assignment / Cara Lynn James.
p. cm. â (Ladies of Summerhill novel ; 2)
ISBN 978-1-59554-680-7 (pbk.)
1. SecretariesâFiction. 2. Newspaper editorsâFiction. 3.GovernessesâFiction.
4. College teachersâFiction. 5. Newport (R.I.)âFiction. I. Title.
PS3610.A4284L683 2011
813'.6âdc22
2010039680
Printed in the United States of America
10 11 12 13 14 15 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
TO MY TWO ADULT CHILDREN, JUSTIN AND ALICIA
SLAUGHTER, WITH ALL MY LOVE
CONTENTS
N
EWPORT
, R
HODE
I
SLAND
July 1900
C
harlotte Hale's legs, hidden beneath her long serge skirt, wobbled like a newborn colt's. But she pinned on a confident smile and gazed directly into her boss's dark granite eyes.
“Please be seated, Miss Hale. We have something important to discuss.” He gave her a curt nod as he loomed behind his polished mahogany desk, an engraved nameplate resting on the edge.
Arnold Phifer, Editor
.
Dressed in his well-tailored navy suit and silk vest, he stared at her as if assessing her value. A cherrywood pipe protruded beneath a white handlebar mustache, waxed to stiff perfection.
She slid into the chair across from the middle-aged editor of the
Rhode Island Reporter
, stenography pad in hand. In the three years she'd worked at the newspaper, Mr. Phifer had never once summoned her to his private office which overlooked the bustling Thames Street, except for dictation.
He pulled the pipe from his mouth and placed it in an ashtray beside a ceramic jar of tobacco. “Miss Hale”âhis bushy brows drew together across his pink foreheadâ“I'm impressed with your work.”
She raised her eyebrows. Impressed with her typing or shorthand skills? What exactly singled her out? Accurate spelling, perfect grammar? Surely not. He'd always taken her for granted, never once praising her.
“Thank you, sir.” The man seldom handed out compliments to anyone, especially unmerited ones.
“I have a choice assignment for you, Miss Hale.” He spoke with a soft slur, easy on the ears. “You still want to be a reporter, don't you?”
Every nerve in her body tingled. “Yes, I most definitely do. I've always wanted to become a journalist.” To date, Mr. Phifer had never allowed any woman at his newspaper rise to a position higher than secretary.
“I figured you hadn't changed your mind. You've certainly pestered me enough about giving you a chance. And now I have just the opportunity you've been waiting for.”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Phifer.”
He smoothed a few errant strands of hair that were combed over his balding pate. “I presume you've heard of Daniel Wilmont.”
Charlotte nodded. “Of course. He's the Bible professor at Aquidneck College who writes a religion column for the
Newport Gazette
. I understand he's quite controversial.”
Mr. Phifer glared at the competition's newspaper lying open on his desk. If his eyes could burn holes, the
Newport Gazette
would burst into flames.
He pointed to Professor Wilmont's column and then slammed his index finger against the newsprint. “Do you read his propaganda?”
“Sometimes, sir. I like to keep up with all the news.”
His eyes narrowed. Was he considering her with a tinge more respect? “Then you know the man's a menace to every hardworking entrepreneur in New England. He misuses Scripture to condemn tried-and-true business practices that benefit everyone, employer and employee alike. He's a fire-breathing rabble-rouser.”
Charlotte suppressed a nervous giggle at Mr. Phifer's hyperbole. She knew little about the Bible, or standard business practices, so she accepted Mr. Phifer's words as basically true, even if inflamed.
“I want to stop him from spreading his lies across this great state. He's an agitator bent on destroying democracy and free enterprise.”
Charlotte squirmed on the wooden chair as her boss built up a head of steam. Perhaps she should read the professor's column more carefully to better understand the basis for Mr. Phifer's fury. The articles she'd read sounded more like sermons than diatribes, but Mr. Phifer, as a seasoned newspaperman, was certainly the expert.
“I want you, Miss Hale, to help cut the professor down to size. Show the world he's not the savior people think he is.”
“Me?” she murmured. She shifted forward, every muscle taut.
“Yes, Miss Hale. I have a plan and you're a vital part of it.” He leaned his palms against the desk and thrust his head toward her. His suit coat flared at the lapels, revealing suspenders that hoisted up perfectly pressed trousers. “One of my professor friends at the college mentioned that Wilmont needs a temporary governess for his two children. His mother has taken ill.”
Charlotte felt her eyes widen as she listened, not understanding where this was leading.
He paused, probably for dramatic effect. “I want you to fill the position and then investigate Wilmont, from the inside, for improprieties. You have an interview set for this afternoon. Are you up to the task?”
Charlotte's throat went dry. The man had hinted for some time that he might give a girl a chance.
“But she'd have to show exceptional talent and industry
,” he'd said.
“Yes ma'am, exceptional talent and industry. You hear me?
”
She shook her head, forcing herself back to the present. The time was now. He was giving her a chance! “Yes, of course, sir. I'm ready, willing, and able.” And humbled that her boss considered her experienced enough for such a plum assignment. Of course she held the dubious title of senior secretary, so she was the likely pick. She imagined the new hire, Edith Ann Wengle, would give her eye teeth, and possibly every other tooth, too, for this assignment. Most of the other typists were content to work at their machines all day, but not Edith Ann, Charlotte's only serious competitor for advancement to the ranks of the reporters.
He nodded. “Good. I'm glad to hear you will consider it.”
But even as he said it, Charlotte wondered if she really wanted a clandestine mission. She'd never attempted anything on the cloak-and-dagger front. Was she suited for such high adventure? She'd always assumed she'd be a levelheaded, straight shooter of a reporter. And to be less than honest with the professor didn't seem quite right.
Yet if his ideas were as harmful as Mr. Phifer claimed, then her efforts would serve the community.