Mr Fairclough's Inherited Bride. Georgie Lee

daughter. Mary thought the young woman should have sent her a thank-you note for saving her from a loveless future. Her brother had wanted Lord Breckenridge’s daughter’s money more than he’d wanted the woman, making his and their father’s rage against Mary and her mistake even more severe. She was sure Mr Fairclough was interested in her for more than what she might one day inherit, but it didn’t mean he wished to assume the taint of her past. She had to allow him to decide whether or not to continue to pursue her so he could never say she’d tried to pull the wool over his eyes or resent her for trapping him in a questionable union.

      The voice of a driver calling to the carriage horses to stop carried over the garden wall. A moment later Mr Fairclough’s hearty greeting to Richard’s butler followed. Mr Fairclough exchanged a few pleasant words with the man as he always did instead of ignoring him as if he was nothing more than a potted plant the way her father used to do with the Foxcomb servants.

      Mary froze on the gravel path, wanting to rush into the house and up the front stairs to her room before Mr Fairclough could see her, but she didn’t. She would face whatever was going to happen today and move forward with her life one way or another. ‘It’s time to find out exactly what kind of man Mr Fairclough is.’

      Silas warmed his hands over the sitting-room fire. The room held a decidedly masculine air, with heavy wood trim and leather decor and more weapons than watercolours on the walls. It was a bachelor’s idea of decoration if Silas had ever seen one. Silas had come straight here from the metal shop and listening to Mr Kent’s ideas for a new kind of steel rail, one that would support the larger English-designed engine once Silas acquired the patent and began manufacturing it. Except it wasn’t building more powerful steam engines in America that had Silas standing on his toes. He’d been up a great many hours last night after the ball, thinking about Lady Mary. She had proven herself an intriguing investment and Silas refused to sit idle and wait once a decision was made. However, if there was one thing Silas knew about women after growing up with two sisters and his mother, they did not wish to be treated like commodities. It would be a delicate balancing act to present a reasonable argument for why they should form a partnership while appearing like a genuinely besotted suitor. He couldn’t swoon too much because Lady Mary would instantly see through that ruse. It would tarnish whatever credibility he’d established at the ball and deny him a better taste of the vixen who’d pinned him with a look to heat his blood over her shoulder last night. That side of Lady Mary had intrigued him more than he cared to admit. He was intent on approaching this deal rationally, but the intensity of her reaction to him and what it meant if she accepted him stirred all the irrational parts of him. He wasn’t sure how he would achieve this delicate balance between business and pleasure and there was no more time to think about it as Lady Mary and Mrs Parker entered the room.

      ‘Good afternoon,’ Lady Mary greeted with a politeness that failed to cover the spark of anticipation in her expression.