A Rose for Laura by Callie Hutton

7

Keniel leaned his shoulder against the wall as he studied the gaming floor. It was three nights since his brother's dinner and he felt a restlessness uncommon to him. He'd been unsuccessful so far in convincing himself it was not because he wanted to see Laura again.

The residence he visited turned out to be unacceptable. It was far too small to house ten orphans along with the caretakers. He was beginning to feel guilty about purchasing his house. It really would have made a wonderful place for the orphans, but he had no idea it would be this difficult to find a replacement.

"Romanticizing over your lady friend?" Dante stood in front of him, previously unnoticed since Keniel was indeed thinking of Laura.

"Leave off. I'm not thinking about anything in particular."

"Ah, I disagree. I think I know precisely what's on your mind. Remember, I've been in your situation before and spent a great deal of time denying it. Even to myself." He slapped Keniel on the shoulder. "Advice from your brother. It doesn't work. Eventually you'll give in and wonder why you fought it for so long."

"This is different. Miss Benson and I are worlds apart. I just admire her for her dedication to the orphans. Anyway, don’t you have work to do?" Keniel asked. Being a private person and having no one take an interest in his life before, except for his mother, he was uncomfortable with the way Dante and Driscoll had watched him since the dinner.

"Ah, the Club Manager speaks." Dante laughed and sauntered away.

Actually he had work to do himself. He'd promised to relieve the vingt et un dealer who requested to leave early since he had fallen earlier in the day and hurt his leg, which was being made worse by standing for so long.

He approached the table and waited behind Robert until he finished the current game. Once the payout was made, the dealer raised his hands, palms out to the players, and stepped back. Keniel moved into his place behind the table and picked up a fresh deck of cards. "Good evening, gentlemen."

About two hours passed, numbing Keniel's mind. He dealt, paid out, raked in the money, dealt some more, paid out some more, raked in the money again. He looked around the club and was pleased to see the place full. He was now part owner, voted on by his brothers. He'd refused to accept it, and this time stayed firm. He insisted on buying into the club, rather than being handing his share.

He glanced up at Driscoll, weaving his way from the door leading upstairs to the offices, directly to him. It was odd for Driscoll to be on the floor. He much preferred his desk upstairs and his numerous ledgers where he kept track of money, members’ debts, and bills to be paid.

Driscoll stepped behind him. "You have a visitor upstairs who is quite distraught."

"Laura?" Now why the devil did he say that? The last thing he needed was another brother grinning at him as this fool was currently doing.

He smirked. "Yes. I put her in the dining room upstairs with a cup of tea. I will step into your place as soon as you finish this hand."

Keniel nodded and continued the play. Laura must have been truly distraught for Driscoll to offer to step in. Although quite adept at dealing, the floor of the gaming club was not his forte.

The hand seemed to go on forever, but eventually the house won against two players and paid out to three others. Stepping back and repeating the procedure Robert had done before him, Keniel strode from the table to the door on the other side of the gaming floor.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he arrived at the dining room out of breath.

Laura sat with her back to him, stirring a cup of tea.

"Laura?"

She looked over her shoulder. "Oh, thank goodness you're here."

He pulled up a chair alongside her. She did look distraught, but not as bad as he'd feared when he heard Driscoll's words. "What is wrong?"

"I fear everything is wrong." She sniffed and fumbled with a handkerchief in her hands. Taking a deep breath she said, "I arrived home a little while ago from dinner at a friend's home to find a note from Miss Fenwick, one of the orphan's committee members. The note said the owner of the property where our little ones currently reside informed her we must vacate the premises by the week's end."

"What? I thought you had until the end of the month? That's another two and a half weeks."

"I know. But I immediately went to Miss Fenwick's home and she informed me that the contractor who is demolishing the building has to do it now or he won't be able to for another few months."

"I don't suppose your current landlord would consider letting you stay for another few months?"

Laura shook her head. "No. The reason the building needed to be torn down was for safety reasons. The landlord had to fix a number of problems and he decided instead to sell it to a contractor who will tear it down and build something else on that property."

Keniel stood and ran his palm over his short hair. He poured a cup of tea and took a sip while Laura studied him. "I'm sorry to tell you the building I had hoped might work for your needs was unacceptable."

Laura slumped in her chair. "When I hadn't heard from you, I was afraid of that. What will I do now? I was so hoping the place was satisfactory."

Keniel paced, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He was partially responsible for this mess by buying the house Laura had deemed suitable for her orphans. With ideas coming and going in his head, he made the only decision he could. "They will have to be moved. There is nothing else to be done."

"Moved? Where?"

He took a deep breath, wondering if he had truly lost his mind. "Where else? My house."

* * *

Laura couldn't have been moresurprised than if Keniel had tossed her over his shoulder and carried her downstairs and dropped her into her carriage.

"Your house? Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes. I'm afraid you did. There is no other solution I can think of. You must have the children out in a few days and there is nowhere else." He offered a strained smile.

"But. But. But won't that disrupt you?"

"No doubt. Again, I can offer you no other solution. If anything this will certainly help speed up my search for other quarters for the little ones."

She chewed on her bottom lip and fussed with her hands. "Keniel, we have ten babies and two caretakers. While I am grateful for your offer, I don't feel as though we can impose upon you this way."

He moved toward her, pulled out a chair and sat, taking her hands in his. "You came here with your problem hoping I would help, did you not?"

"Well, yes, but I never expected this."

"There is no other way, I'm afraid." He reached out and smoothed back a lock of hair that had come lose from her chignon. The butterflies rose from their slumber and beat a tattoo in her stomach. Just the touch of his hand could do that to her. She fought the urge to move her face into his hand.

"It will take some time to get everything moved. I will request the evening off tomorrow so we can do it all in one day."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure this is the only way. You have no idea how noisy and smelly a cadre of babies are and what they can do to your peace of mind."

"There are caretakers you said."

"Yes. But that doesn't cut down on the smells and noise." She looked over his shoulder for a moment, thinking about the solution Keniel had come up with. Of course it made sense, since he had an almost empty house that she was certain would be perfect for her orphans.

But to invade his privacy like that. She shook her head. Either he was one of the most generous men she'd ever met, or he was borderline lunacy. In which case this would certainly push him over the edge.

Thinking of no other solution, she said, "Very well. I wish I could think of something else, but if you are absolutely certain?" She regarded him with a frown.

"Yes."

She let out a deep breath. "Then I will notify the two other women on our committee first thing tomorrow morning and advise them of the plan. I am sure they will assist, but we will need men to move the babies' furniture and other heavy things."

"I will take care of that. Write the direction to the present house for me and meet me there tomorrow morning. Will ten o'clock give you sufficient time to speak with the other committee members first?"

"Yes. I can send around notes to them tonight so they can be prepared for the morning."

Laura studied him for a moment, then reached out and cupped his face with her hands. "Thank you so much." Before she realized what she was about, she leaned in farther and touched her lips to his.

The butterflies took off in a flourish. Her heart thumped and her breathing grew short. Keniel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She slid off the chair and ended up on his lap. She really should pull away. After all, they were in a place of business, and she imagined anyone could enter the room.

She lowered her hands to his chest to stop him. Yes, she would do that.

However, he had other ideas since he turned her head to take their kiss deeper. Oh, my. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips, and she opened. And immediately her temperature rose.

Footsteps in the corridor were like a bucket of cold water. She pulled back and stood, walking to the sideboard, attempting to pour a cup of tea and re-gain her dignity. For heaven's sake she was sprawled all over Keniel like some sort of wanton!

"We need you back on the floor," Dante said as he entered the room. He looked back and forth between Keniel and Laura. "Will that be a problem?"

"No. ‘Tis not a problem. We've concluded our business here." Keniel stood and moved to take his leave, then stopped. Turning toward Laura, he said, "Please allow me to escort you to your carriage."

Laura cleared her throat, not quite sure she could speak yet. "Yes. That would be fine."

With Dante leaning against the sideboard, arms crossed, and a silly grin on his face, she just wanted to leave and not have to look at him again. What he must think of her!

They remained silent as they headed down the stairs and out the door. "How did you even get into the club?" Keniel asked as he opened the door and stepped aside so she could exit.

"I went to the front door and asked for you. The gentleman at the door escorted me around to the back door where he summoned Driscoll."

Keniel stopped as they reached the edge of the pavement where her carriage stood. "I feel as though I should accompany you to your home, but as Dante pointed out I am needed on the floor."

Laura took his extended hand and climbed into the carriage. "I shall be fine. My driver is quite adept at maneuvering the vehicle and he carries a pistol, too."

"Let us hope he does not need that. But I beg of you to please not come here again. The area is certainly not as dangerous as St. Giles, but men wandering around the area, drunk and looking for some sport might decide to make you their target."

"Very well."

Keniel rested his shoulder on the door frame and studied her. "I'm thinking perhaps your father gives you too much independence."

Laura raised her chin and glared at him. "Certainly not. I have a competent, armed driver, and a sturdy vehicle."

"Even sturdy vehicles can break down and one man with a pistol might not be enough to protect you if you do have a problem." He glanced up at the driver. "He is quite old, is he not?"

She was becoming irritated. This was precisely why she did not want a man in her life. They became overly protective, and one's independence and ability to think for oneself vanished like dust in the wind. "John is fine. He has always been fine. I have never had a problem." She shifted in her seat as if to announce she was done with the conversation.

A clue that he either chose to ignore or didn't understand. When Keniel continued to stare at her, she said, "I believe you are wanted on the gaming floor, Mr. Singh?"

"Yes. I believe I am." He closed the door and looked up once again at the driver. "Do you know the safest way to Miss Benson's house from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Keniel!" Laura said through gritted teeth.

He slapped the side of the carriage and the driver moved the horses forward.

She fumed all the way home. Why did he have to ruin that wonderful kiss they shared by being so male? Perhaps it was an innate thing with men. They simply had to show women they were superior in all things.

The other night at dinner she had learned that Dante's wife, Lydia, spoke, wrote and read seven languages. She was certainly no sniveling, giggling female who needed to be taken care of. Of course, she'd also learned that the poor woman had been injured while finishing up their assignment and Dante had been almost out of his head with grief and fear that she would die and blamed himself for not being right alongside her.

Yes, truly a male thing.

She sighed as she climbed the steps to the front door and after a quick visit to the library, and a peck on Papa's cheek, retired to her room. After changing into a soft cotton nightgown, she climbed into bed, thinking about the kiss again.

Keniel's lips were so soft, and warm. Although she had made the first move, when he took her in his arms and pressed her against his body, she almost melted. No kiss from any other gentleman had affected her that way.

Then she reprimanded her foolish self because she would do much better climbing from bed and writing the missives to the committee members and the caretakers to be delivered first thing in the morning. Just because he had kissed her back didn't mean he had any feelings for her. Most men would certainly not pull back from a kiss. Of that she was certain.

Once she finished the missives and sent them with her maid to the butler to be delivered, she climbed back into bed and hugged her pillow. Life had certainly become more interesting since Mr. Keniel Singh had entered it.