Authors: Gloria Harchar
Mercy, she didn
'
t want to see him that often. How then could she escape to London with Ramsey in tow? Reining
in her frustration, she knew she would have to be
as cunning as a fox if she was to win this battle.
"
You want
daily
reports
?
"
she asked.
"
Yes
. Come to the town square tomorrow shortly after the noon hour.
"
His tone brooked no refusal.
"
If you insist.
"
She realized she would have to do some fancy footwork to keep the Earl satisfied.
"Now, I will drive me and Ramsey
home
, if you will be so good as to show me where he is
."
"
That reminds me.
I
'
ve decided to take your advice on your cousin.
"
"
Indeed?
"
"
Tomorrow he will be introduced to my stables.
"
Nicola
frowned.
"
Whatever for?
"
"
As my new stable
man. To muck out the stalls.
"
He
'
d outmaneuvered her. Her throat tightened with remorse.
"
And Miss
Moore
?
"
She stared at his hard features, at the lines that bracketed his mouth. Glancing into his midnight gaze, she shivered as if a blast of wind from the north had struck her.
"
Your cousin will live at Windmere until you or your
father comes
to terms.
"
Late in the night,
Malcolm
rubbed the ache in his arms. He'd
exerted all his muscles to rub oil deep into the dark mahogany of his newest loom. He
'
d replaced the
damaged piece. Now as he readied for bed,
he recalled with satisfaction the spirited repartee he
'
d had with Miss
Moore
.
She was an unexpectedly pleasant challenge. Energy surged through him at the thought of matching wits with her. He knew he
'
d have to keep three steps ahead if he was to ever get what
he wanted—but was it the
dye
or
Nicola
herself?
The wayward thought made him frown.
Nicola
was comely, which was a
satisfying
surprise, and interesting; but attraction to a woman of her kind wasn
'
t smart. She fascinated him, but that would never do because love was not for him. He would simply rise to the challenge of her resistance and vanquish her, then leave her to her own machinations as his wife. He had nothing to offer except the exalted position of his title—which was more valuable than anything as illusory as love. Love was a fantastical whimsy upon which poets such as Byron expounded.
Being part of the
haute ton
was something every woman coveted, and
Nicola
would be no different.
"
I won
'
t do business with the cheating
nob
,
"
Birch
Moore
exc
laimed before he succumbed to a
bout of coughing.
Nicola
jumped up from her chair and rushed around the desk to pound on her father
'
s back. She retrieved the chipped Worcester teapot with a worn golden handle that had been her grandmother
'
s favorite
, and splashed the brown liquid into a cup. Then she added a spoonful of honey before handing it to him.
"
Here, drink.
"
She didn
'
t like the hacking sound and feared his strength waned even more. And his
yelling
didn
'
t help.
The unusual burst of anger from him alarmed her, too.
These fits of fury were becoming more frequent.
As his fit subsided, she lowered herself upon the Georgian-style chair and stared across the desk at her father
'
s seething e
xpression
, waiting for him to calm
.
Had the Callers gone? She'd told them to leave, but they hadn't listened to her so far.
She still suspected they had something to do with Falconwood's discovery of her and Ramsey in the workhouse. But so far they wouldn't admit to their part in the Earl's schemes.
The Earl didn't
need
their help.
"
Papa? Why are you so upset? I know it
'
s rumored the Earl killed his brother, but you have never allowed hearsay to enter into practical matters.
"
After he took
another swig of tea
,
he
seemed to calm
, even though his jaw muscle twitched.
"
My judgment has nothing to do with that old gossip. But it does have everything to do with his ex-partner.
"
"
What ex-partner?
"
"
Thomas Hill.
"
"
You mean the president of the Textile Guild?
"
"
One and the same. Falconwood wouldn
'
t have what he has today if it weren
'
t for kindly Thomas. And what were his thanks? A stab in the back.
"
The early morning sunlight streaming th
r
ough the window dimmed as if storm clouds gathered.
Nicola
knew inclement weather wasn
'
t the cause. Rather, it was the brewing
confrontation with her father
that caused her to think the room had darkened
. Glancing outside, she noted the lush lawn. To the right, the beauty of her mother
'
s rose garden caught her attention. The manner in which the
yellow
and pink blooms climbed the ancient stone wall separating their property from their neighbors
'
caused poignant tears of nostalgia to sting her
eyes
, and she discovered herself fervently wishing her dear mum could be with her at the moment.
Her father rubbed the long scar on his right hand from his younger days as a stockinger. The gesture indicated the depths of his agitation.
Nicola
watched him with dread.
"
We won't discuss the Earl
if you don
'
t feel up to the topic
.
"
"
I
'
m all right.
"
He sighed.
"
I suppose you should know. About twelve
ye
ars ago, Thomas and the Earl became friends in India. They pooled their monies together and started a textile business.
"
He paused to take another sip of tea.
"
Thomas, being the generous fellow he always has been, invested all of his life savings—much more than Falconwood. Everything was working out well—their goods were demanding high prices and Thomas was seeing a return on his investment... until large shipments of silk were stolen on the high seas. The losses threatened to ruin the company and to leave Thomas with nothing. Naturally, he investigated and discovered the Earl was behind the thefts.
"
"
I don
'
t believe
it. What proof did Thomas have?"
Why she asked,
Nicola
didn
'
t know. Hadn
'
t she firsthand experience of the Earl
'
s ruthlessness? Her attention wandered to the bookcases filled with volumes, most of them
frayed
, being secondhand, and to the settee near the fireplace where she loved to read on snowy days. She
yearned
for those carefree days again.
"
One of the captains had an attack of honesty and told Thomas. Falcon had bribed the captain to report that corsairs ransacked the sh
ips. Thomas estimated that Fal
con stole more than sixty thousand pounds.
"
"
Oh no.
"
Her father
'
s lips thinned.
"
Thomas tried to prosecute, but all the captains who were involved with the swindle vanished. He could do nothing but terminate the partnership. You know that Thomas is a trusted friend of mine. He was the one who helped me establish a firmer foothold with the
dyes
by convincing the board members to approve my membership into the guild. I have nothing but admiration and respect for him.
"
Could it be true, then? Had the man she
'
d talked with the night before stolen from his own partner? Some part of her wanted to believe the answer was a resounding no, but upon what would she base such an opinion—the fact that he was darkly handsome and had a way of looking at her that sent shivers down her spine? Warm, lazy shivers, not of apprehension but of anticipation.
Don
'
t be a goose cap!
She wasn
'
t the sort to be
swayed
by a handsome face.