Neither Lady nor Pirate (Complete)

Chapter Eight

Check it out!  I got stuff done over the weekend.  Family gathering, birthday celebration with friends, AND A BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CONCERT AHHH! My weekend was jam packed but I somehow got homework and writing done too.  :D

Wee. 

Enjoy yourselves.

XOXO

sophie9630

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EIGHT

Haughtington was growing increasingly bored with the trivial matters of planning the dinner party Winston insisted on hosting. They had only just arrived home to England not more than two weeks after the horrendous affair in France, and already Winston was ready to proceed with his plan.

They had taken a carriage by land to spread word by mouth and to find any information about Abigail's whereabouts. It had taken nearly nine days, and then another half day to travel by ferry across the English Channel. In that time, Winston had devised a scheme to begin promoting his daughter's disappearance.

The man who had lost his wife five years ago to pneumonia had tragically lost his daughter to a band of ruffian pirates on her wedding day. Poor Winston had spent so much money to provide his daughter her dream wedding, and now, it had gone to waste. His business was crumbling and he no longer had daughter to uphold his family name.

It was the worst tragedy to befall a man, and heartstrings were pulled across the continent.

Word of the Englesworth girl's kidnapping had spread like wildfire, thanks to the extensively wealthy list of wedding guests Haughtington had so cleverly crafted. The rumors had snaked their way through France, and Haughtington was positive they had traveled farther, through Spain to Portugal, from Germany to Austria.

Almost immediately upon arrival in England, Winston and Haughtington were bombarded with sympathetic visitors, all of whom were willing to aid in whatever way necessary to save the sad man's daughter.

They'd offered ships, expensive ship captains, the finest searching crews that money could buy. They offered time and skills. Donations flooded in and books printed on his presses were suddenly flying out the doors by the hundreds.

Winston found himself rolling in more money in three days than he had saved for five years. But Winston, ever the businessman, had opted for an even more lavish approach.

He would hold a charity auction—the first of many—bidding off items of Abigail's that were sure to be a hit with the sympathetic crowd. Winston believed that it would it rally support, but it would also gather a large sum of money for Winston to use...Well, however he planned to use it.

Haughtington found the whole thing laughable.

Of course, he loved the attention. Haughtington could spend days surrounded by his concerned onlookers, recounting the tragedy that had come to pass him two weeks ago.

It was putting on the sad face and pretending he had any concern about his fiancée's current whereabouts that began to grate his nerves. Instead of focusing on the grieving Haughtington, too many people were interested on his ideas of where she could be. It was infuriating.

After Abigail had gone on the run, the Lord had been forced to put on a show at the church in France.

Sinking to his knees in quiet desperation as Winston barged down the aisle wailing about his daughter, Haughtington had buried his head deep into his hands, careful to not let any tears fall.