His words were an explicit invitation to Nicol to judge his appearance, and as he stood there he had the dubious satisfaction of seeing the man do just that. As Nicol’s eyes swept down Lindsay’s body, disapproval flashed briefly in his eyes again, though he swiftly masked it. Absurdly, Lindsay was stung and found himself adding waspishly, with a dismissive glance at Nicol’s coat, “Of course, some people prefer no colour at all.”
Nicol raised his brows. “Itispossible to enjoy colour without wearing six shades of it at once,” he replied.
Lindsay’s lips twitched at the unexpected display of dry humour. “I deserved that,” he admitted.
“It’s possible,” Nicol agreed. He appeared neither annoyed nor amused, his blank expression giving nothing away, but his scent told Lindsay he was... well, he wassomething. Intrigued? Irritated?
Lindsay decided to try a change of subject. “So, Mr. Nicol, do I take it you have an appointment to see Mr. Cruikshank today?”
“I’m afraid not,” Nicol replied, “I called by today because I happened to be passing and hoped he might be free. Apparently, though, I will have to wait until he is finished with you.”
“I shall endeavour not to detain him for long,” Lindsay promised. “But how likely is that? What sort of man is he to deal with?”
Nicol blinked, possibly surprised by the bluntness of the question. “You have not met him before?”
Lindsay shook his head. “No. In fact, I am only just arrived in Edinburgh today.”
“You are new to the city then?”
“Not quiteentirelynew, but it’s been some years since I was here last. I’ve been living on the Continent for a while.”
“I see.” Nicol eyed his clothing again, perhaps reassessing his appearance with the benefit of this new information. Foreign fashions would not be often seen in this corner of the world. “Do you plan to stay long?”
“A month or two,” Lindsay said, with an airy gesture to emphasise the vagueness of his plans. “But we digress—you were about to tell me what to expect from Mr. Cruikshank?”
Nicol gave a slight shrug. “He is business-minded. Drives a hard bargain. Knows what he wants.” Several moments passed before he added, almost as an afterthought, “He appears quite physically infirm, and consequently many people make the mistake of underestimating him, but he has an exceedingly sharp mind.”
“I shall bear that in mind. Thank you.” After a brief pause, Lindsay pointed at the paper cylinder tucked under Nicol’s arm. “Do I take it your business with Cruikshank is concerned with those?”
That was blatant prying and Nicol gave him a look that said as much. “It is,” he agreed, but he offered no further information.
Not to be put off, Lindsay asked another question. “Are they”—Lindsay peered at the papers, his brows stitching together—“drawings?”
“Yes.”
“You are an architect then?”
“Yes.” This time there was a note of exasperation in Nicol’s voice at what was swiftly turning into a cross-examination.
Unmoved, Lindsay continued. “So you are building a house for Mr. Cruikshank?”
Nicol gave a faint sigh, plainly irritated by Lindsay’s constant questions, but resigned now to answering. “Yes, though I actually completed the design some time ago.The building itself is already near complete but there are a few last details to check regarding the interior. That is my business here today.” He gave a tight smile, as though to sayDoes that answer all your impertinent questions?
Lindsay itched to grab hold of Nicol, to kiss that stiff smile from his appealing mouth. Instead, he doggedly continued the conversation. “Is this house being built in the New Town?”
“Yes,” Nicol said. “Almost all of our work is there. The demand for houses in the New Town is great.”
“Is that so? I’d heard it was proving to be a struggle to sell the plots.”
Nicol shook his head. “At first it was, but this last year or two things have changed, especially since the American War ended. And now that the houses are going up, people begin to see the benefits of moving there.”
“I’m not sure I see what’s so appealing about it,” Lindsay admitted. “It just looks like a muddy plain at the moment.”
He did not miss the sudden gleam of evangelism in Nicol’s gaze.
“There may not be much to see yet,” he said, “but the few houses that have been built are both modern and elegant and far more spacious that anything the city can currently offer. There will be no towering tenements there to block the sky. The air and water will be clean. The streets will be safe at night—”
“All right,” Lindsay interrupted, chuckling. “I admit, that all sounds delightful. But what about the rest of the city? Won’t it just be left to go to rack and ruin?”
