The Mistletoe Kiss

He’d been so agreeable this morning, she didn’t want to start anything up about the suffrage movement. If she thought he’d listen, she’d gladly have a conversation with him, but Matt and the other men’s minds seemed to be made up about it. And their stubbornness about it all was a reminder of why she needed to guard her heart from any man—and she must keep it in mind at all times. Particularly on those days Matt was so nice to her!

Millicent pinned on her favorite autumn hat, a brown straw trimmed with green-and-blue ribbon and peacock feathers, grabbed her reticule and hurried back downstairs. She breathed a sigh of relief to find only Julia in the parlor waiting for her. “Did the men leave already?” she asked.

“Yes. Although I don’t know where they were all going, only that Stephen went to work and Joe and Matt were going to meet at the Polo Grounds for the ball game later,” Julia said.

“Why is it they don’t seem to think they need to tell us where they are going, but they want to know every little thing we’re doing?” Millicent asked.

“Good question. I’d like to know the same thing.”

“My dears, it could be my fault,” Mrs. Heaton said, entering the foyer.

“Your fault? How could that be, Mrs. Heaton?” Millicent asked.

“Well, you know I opened this boardinghouse in order to give young women a safe place that felt like home away from home, but I wanted you safe when out and about after dark, too. That’s the reason I opened it up to men, too. Julia can probably remember when there were almost no men living here except for my son Michael.”

“Yes, I do. But it didn’t last long, once I told you I was walking to the soda shop that first summer.” Julia chuckled and shook her head.

“That’s when I made the rule that women must be in a group or ask a man to escort them to and from wherever it was they wanted to go at night. Michael was called into service that night.”

“And he was quite gallant about it.” Julia chuckled. “But he was only one man and there were around six ladies living here at the time. Soon thereafter—the next day, I think—you put an ad in the newspapers and that’s when Ben and John and Luke arrived.”

“Quite true, Julia. And I inform the men who live here of my rules when they move in and perhaps they think of themselves as your protectors.”

“Maybe so,” Millicent said, her heart sinking just a bit. If she were going to have a protector, she’d much rather it be because the man cared about her and not because he’d been asked to. But Mrs. Heaton’s explanation made sense. “But we don’t want them to know about the meetings, Mrs. Heaton. They get all riled up when they’re mentioned.”

“I understand, and I support you not telling them about the meetings you’ve been going to, as they are all in the daytime. But should you ever decide to go to one at night...” Mrs. Heaton’s brow wrinkled as she paused. “I think it might be time I spoke to the men about all of this.”

“Oh, Mrs. Heaton,” Millicent said. “The last thing we want is for you to feel you must defend us or—”

Their landlady chuckled. “Dear ones, I think each one of you is capable of taking up for yourselves, but I don’t think the men residing here quite understand your interest in the suffrage movement. Perhaps it’s time for them to learn that even though they do not have to like it, they must learn to accept your interest in aspects of the movement.”

“Would you like to come with us?” Millicent asked.

“Not today, I’m going to visit little Marcus. But I’d like to go soon. Let me know when the next one is.”

“I believe there is another in a few weeks, but we should find out more today. We’ll see you this evening.”

* * *

Stephen took off in one direction and Matt and Joe took off in the opposite one. Then they split up at the next corner. Joe worked for Michael Heaton’s investigative-protection agency and needed to finish up some paperwork. They’d all meet up later at the Polo Field for the last game of the season. For now Matt was off to explore the city. He loved looking at the architecture of the downtown buildings, the mansions on Fifth Avenue and the neighborhoods not far from Gramercy Park.

Much as Matt loved working on the high-rises, lately he’d been wondering what it would be like to work on remodeling the inside of an old structure or building new ones from his own design. He didn’t want to work for someone else for the rest of his life, but he’d wanted to get all the experience he could before striking out on his own.

But with all Millicent’s talk of opening her own business, he’d begun to realize he’d like to do the same thing—to be his own boss and be able to work on his own designs instead of someone else’s. He’d put the dream off, but he’d been giving it more and more thought lately.

He was eager to get a look at the photographs she’d taken from the Park Row Building. The views were spectacular, the building was one of a kind and he wanted to see if she’d done it all justice. He knew Millicent was talented but wished she weren’t so independent—way too much so for him to be thinking about her as much as he’d been doing. He didn’t want to have feelings for such a strong-willed woman.

And yet, his chest tightened as he thought of her. In spite of his resolve not to care about her other than as a friend, her smile seemed to shoot straight through to his heart and just touching her hand to help her out of the elevator sent sparks up his arm.

Something about her made him want to be her protector—when she’d declare that was the last thing she needed. Still, as long as he was responsible for her at his workplace, she’d have to accept that he would be looking out for her. She had no choice. And neither did he.

Chapter Five (#ulink_39516b18-44c4-5dde-8153-9fd7f39c9a8f)

Millicent and Julia left the suffrage meeting more excited and hopeful than ever that one day they might get the vote.

They were in high spirits as they stopped at one of the small cafés, which catered mostly to women who were out shopping. They were given a menu and decided on the lobster salad with rolls and English tea.

Millicent looked around the room and smiled. “We don’t have anything like this back home in Virginia. Most women don’t go out for lunch at all. I think there’s a tearoom, but that’s all. After living in a small town where everyone knows what everyone else is doing, it’s very refreshing to go shopping, even if it’s mostly window-shopping, in so many stores in one trip. To be able take lunch out instead of rushing home.”

“The only time constraints we have are those of Mrs. Heaton and they do make perfect sense when you think about it,” Julia said. “This is a large city and many women do go missing each week. We just don’t hear about all of them. Sometimes it makes the news, but then only if they’re from a well-known family. Others seem to disappear never to be heard from again.”

Millicent shivered at the thought. She knew dangers lurked in this city—there were times when Mrs. Heaton took in women as temporary boarders who had no place to go and paid nothing until they could decide what to do or where to go. And she realized, from talking to others, most boardinghouses were not run like Heaton House.

“I do hope she’ll come to a meeting with us one day,” Julia said.

“So do I. Wonder if any of our married boarders would want to go, too,” Millicent asked.

“They might,” Julia said. “I’d think Kathleen would be very interested and possibly Rebecca. I’m not sure about Violet or Elizabeth, but we could ask them.”

“It will probably depend on how their husbands feel about the suffrage movement. Surely they wouldn’t object to their wives getting the vote. But then, consider how Matt and the other men feel.” Millicent looked at Julia. “They’ve made us very aware they don’t like the movement.”

“But perhaps it’s not the voting they have a problem with. Some of the women want more than that...” Julia sighed. “I can understand why men aren’t thrilled with the movement as a whole, but all we want is the right to vote and I can’t understand why that would upset them so.”

“It would help if they cared to find out what is truly important to us about it. But there’s no sense in stirring up friction at Mrs. Heaton’s. They’re her boarders, too.”

The waiter brought their lunch and after they finished eating they headed out to shop. Millicent loved going to the Ladies’ Mile. Even if one didn’t buy anything, they could find what the latest fashion was and try to adapt their wardrobe in the least expensive way. Sometimes a new accessory or some new trim to put on a hat would do the trick.

They headed for Macy’s, where they spotted Emily from afar. She waved to them and hurried to keep up with the man beside her.

“Wonder who he is,” Julia said.

“Probably her supervisor.”

“Most likely. He’s not bad looking,” Julia replied. “No wonder she never seems to mind putting in long hours every once in a while,” she quipped.

“Now, Julia, Emily is quite good-natured and she seems to truly love her work.”

“That’s true.”

“Emily’s hours will be longer as Christmas nears and they start on the window displays Macy’s is known for,” Millicent said.

“I worked some evenings when I first started at Ellis Island, but thankfully, once I was promoted, I’ve rarely had to work evenings or weekends,” Julia said.

“At least Emily doesn’t have to stay late now. I think she said November would be bad, but she seems to be excited about working on the window displays,” Millicent said. “I’m glad she lives at Heaton House. At least she knows she’ll have a warm meal waiting when she gets home.” Mrs. Heaton always made sure her boarders were taken care of no matter what hours they got home.

As she and Julia visited the ladies department, Millicent realized how blessed she was to be able to set her own hours. But there was a downside, too. She did need a regular income so as not to dip into the money her grandmother had left her. Money she was saving to use to set up her own shop.

“You’ve grown awfully quiet, Millicent. What’s wrong?” Julia asked as the stopped in front of the lace collar display case.