Heiress in Red Silk, Hunter, Madeline [good beach reads TXT] 📗

The street was narrow and she kept crossing it to avoid horses. It surprised her, then, when one of the horses came up right beside her, all but crowding her against a brick wall.

“What are you doing here?”

She looked up. Kevin looked down. She smiled and held up her paper. “I’m looking for this factory.”

He dismounted, tied up his horse, took her arm, and guided her firmly to the corner. There he took the paper and read it.

“What are you doing here?” she asked while he looked at the address.

“That forge is nearby.” He sounded distracted.

“Are you going to cast something? Can I watch?”

His gaze rose. He did not look distracted anymore. His expression was hard and tight. He lifted the paper. “Why are you looking for this factory?”

“I was told they make brass machine parts, and I wanted—”

“And you wanted to hold a conversation with them? Without telling me?” He became the picture of a man barely controlling his temper. “First, they will not talk to you because you are a woman. Then, you have nothing to tell them because you don’t really understand what we need done. Finally, you lack the ability to determine if they can fulfill our requirements in terms of quality.”

She had been glad to see him, but she really did not like either his tone or his assumptions. “My guess is they will talk to anyone who can pay.”

“You think so, do you? Look at the men here. See how they find your presence odd. It is a good thing I chanced on you or you might have gotten into trouble, instead of only being troublesome to me.” Exasperated, he looked around. “How did you get here?”

“My hackney is down the street.”

He took her arm by the elbow and began moving her again. “I will escort you there.”

She dug in her heels. “I am not done here. Stay with me if you are worried, but do not presume to command me to leave at your whim.”

“Whim? This is no whim. I refuse to allow you to begin discussions about manufacturing the invention at this time, let alone without me. You can be willful and stubborn, Rosamund, enough so to drive me mad. You need to accept that there are ways to do this that you don’t understand, and that your impatience will only risk whatever future the enterprise may have. We aren’t talking about making a damned hat.”

She thought her head would burst, it throbbed with so much anger by the time he finished. She glared at him. “Unhand me, Kevin, unless you want me to start screaming for help.”

For a moment she thought he might not release her. Their gazes remained locked in a hot, furious connection. Then he did let her go.

“It is inexcusable for you to begin a row with me on a public street,” she hissed. “I don’t care how rough these men are, me thinks they know better than to do such a thing. But perhaps you think your good blood allows you to break every rule ever made.” She snatched the paper out of his hand. “As for this, it has nothing to do with your precious invention. Unlike you, I have other interests too.”

With that, she strode away, making it a point to look up at every building’s sign that she came to.

Boot steps fell in beside her. “I ask you again, what are you doing here?” he asked tightly.

“Seeking out a man who can make an automaton.”

“Zeus, not you too.”

She lost her patience and smacked his upper arm. “Go away if you are going to glare and moan. It isn’t for me. It is for Lily. A toy that moves, that is all. It is a wonder no one has thought of making them for children before.”

She had to suffer one of his exasperated sighs. “They would be too expensive. There are hundreds of parts, intricately connected. The craftsmanship would be even harder in a small version.”

“I am aware of that. Which is why I first asked at watch and clock makers. I assume it is much the same sort of craft.”

They paced on in silence. “Similar,” he finally said.

“One clock maker gave me this address and said this man might be willing to try it.” She waved her paper in front of his face. “I don’t need something like that swan. Just a woman who puts on a hat. Simple. Arm up, hat on, arm down. Although even the mechanical man in a smaller size would be a fine toy. If he was small, it would not matter if he rammed into things.”

More silence. Then—“Even simple, they would be too costly for parents to buy for children.”

“My sort, for certain. But not your sort. Your sort indulges their children. Which is why some of your sort have no manners.”

Having spied the sign she wanted, she broke away and strode across the street. He caught up at once. “I will accompany you.”

“No. Don’t you dare.”

“Then I’ll wait outside.”

“I can’t stop you. Do as you wish.” She turned the latch and entered the building.

A half hour later she stepped back onto the street. Kevin pushed away from the wall. “It must have gone well. At least you are smiling.”

“No thanks to you.” She was very pleased with herself, so she could not scold much longer than that. “He will do it. I sketched out enough of the woman for him to have an idea. The notion of making it charmed him. He mostly makes clock parts for others to use, so using them himself for this other purpose intrigued him.”

“Then you saw success. Come, I’ll walk you to your hackney. You should not be alone on this street. Promise you will not venture here again unprotected.”

She allowed him to walk with her.

“My apologies,” he said. “Can you forget our argument?”

“I’m not sure that I can. With no cause, you assumed betrayal on my part. If you don’t trust me, there