she needed a decent meal and a proper pelisse to keep out the cold. Eyeing the moneylender, her dread increased. Even if he made her an indecent offer, she couldn’t afford to refuse it. With the business lost, there were only more horrors waiting for her and her mother out on the street. ‘I’m listening, Mr Rathbone.’
* * *
Philip shifted his hat to his other hand. From somewhere outside he heard the cry of an infant. It sounded too much like the way Thomas had wailed in the nurse’s arms while Philip had held Arabella in his, clutching her to him as her life had slipped away.
He set the hat down on the table. This transaction had nothing to do with the past, but the more pressing needs of the present. ‘A year ago, I lost my wife in childbirth. I’m in need of the services of a woman with your skills.’
Her brow scrunched down over her straight nose. ‘You mean as a nurse?’
‘No, as a wife.’
‘A wife?’ Her jaw dropped open before she pulled it closed, her eyes wider than when he’d snatched the pistol from her.
‘I assume you’re not already married.’
‘No, but—’
‘And you have no suitors?’
‘Unless you consider the drunk who sits in the doorway and pesters me whenever I come and go, no.’
‘Good. At present, I employ a capable nurse for my son, but she is leaving at the end of the month. I think it preferable for family to see to the welfare of a child. My sister is thirteen and too young for such things. She is also in need of a guiding hand. She will soon be faced with suitors and I don’t have aunts or cousins on whom I may call to assist her.’
‘And my mother?’
‘I will see to her welfare and care.’
‘By placing her in a home with some ill-mannered nurse?’
‘She will have a suitable room in my house and a proper maid to attend her. You will learn my business and help me manage it.’
She continued to stare at him as if he’d suggested she be presented to the king. ‘I nearly killed you and you wish to trust me with your son and business?’
Her reservations needled him. He’d reviewed the facts last night and they made sense. There was no room for doubt. He pressed on. ‘You were never a threat to me.’
A tiny curve appeared at the corner of her mouth and he couldn’t tell if she was going to smile or frown. ‘How do you know I won’t steal from you and run off?’
‘Not likely with your mother residing under my roof.’
‘There is truth in that.’ She uncrossed her arms, the crease beside her lips growing deeper as she silently considered the merits of his offer as any wise client might contemplate the terms of a loan. ‘Why me? Why marriage?’
‘In my experience, a wife is a better business partner than any other as her interests are my interests. As to why you, you seem a quick wit, except where firearms are concerned.’ Her crease deepened into a disapproving frown but he didn’t let it deter or distract him. ‘Your brazen act the other night demonstrated a degree of courage and strength.’
‘Some might call it rash and reckless.’
‘It was, but your plans for the fabric demonstrated an innate sensibility and intelligence. Your prior experience in your father’s shop is an asset. Your reason for breaking into my house was to protect your mother. That demonstrates a proper degree of concern for those in your care. I have no doubt you can transfer such regard to my sister and son.’
Her brow rose a touch in surprise. ‘I have never heard my attributes stated in such a plain way. I’m not sure if I should thank you or chide you for insulting me.’
‘I meant it as a compliment.’
She nodded her thanks. ‘You may find me a poor partner. I know nothing of moneylending.’
‘You will learn so that if anything happens to me, you will know how to successfully carry on until our son reaches an age where he is able to assume control of the business.’
‘Our son?’
‘He will soon be as much yours as mine, and others will follow. I assume your courses are as they should be.’
She crossed her arms again. ‘I beg your pardon.’
‘We’re making a bargain and, in such deals, we must be frank with one another.’
‘They are as they should be.’ No blush spread over her pale skin as her eyes dipped down the length of him, pausing near his hips before rising again to meet his gaze. ‘Is everything as it should be with you?’
The girl possessed pluck and for the first time in almost a year, he felt the twitch of a smile tug up the corner of his lips before he squashed it. ‘It is, as you will discover.’
‘I have yet to agree to your romantic proposal.’
‘You will.’
‘You’re so sure?’
‘You have no other options.’
She looked at the dirty cloth in her hands, picking off one loose thread around the frayed edge before she faced him again. ‘You’re right, I have no other options. However, you could present your case in a less businesslike tone, with a little civility and charm.’
‘You don’t strike me as a woman ruled by romantic notions.’
‘No, but I’m still a woman and would like to be wooed just a touch.’
For the second time today he wanted to smile but didn’t. Instead, he stepped closer, admiring her spirit. She didn’t just surrender to him, sign her name on the contract as it were, but demanded his respect, not his money or anything else. Once again, his instinct for business had proven correct. ‘Miss Townsend, will you do me the honour of accepting me as your husband?’
* * *
Laura stared up at the stranger who stood only an arm’s length from her, thankful he hadn’t taken her hand or dropped to one knee. She might have demanded a modicum of romance, but with her head still swimming from this unexpected proposal and a lack of food, she wasn’t sure she could handle the shock of his touch. Her parents had raised her to be sensible and she was, but it didn’t mean she didn’t have dreams. All her life she’d wanted the same happiness she’d seen between her parents, to have a shop and a family with a man she loved and respected. Uncle Robert had destroyed such dreams when he’d ground the shop and their reputations into the dirt. Whatever hope she possessed of reviving them now lay with this gentleman.
Mr Rathbone watched her and she studied him, trying to gauge something of the real person beneath the stiff businessman, but she could see very little. He’d not offered one ounce of warmth since he’d opened his distracting blue eyes in the tub, nor even a brief flicker of sympathy for her plight, yet now he wished to make her his wife and take care of both her and her mother. It defied all reason, except his argument made perfect, rational sense to the practical side of her.
It was the physical realities of marriage which nearly made her sensible side flee. He expected children and there was only one way to get them. The image of him naked in front of her seared her mind and she swallowed hard. After leaving his home, she’d hurried back here and slipped into bed beside her mother, trying and failing to sleep. Mr Rathbone’s was the first male body she’d ever seen undressed and the memory of it had insisted on teasing her.
She touched the loose bun at the nape of her neck, the skin beneath suddenly damp with perspiration. Seeing him naked hadn’t been an unpleasant experience. If she accepted him, she would see him again in such a state and he would see her, but what would their more intimate moments be like? Her fingers fumbled with the loose strands of hair she gathered up to tuck back in with the others. She’d