Who else have you approached about thisrare and untriedventure?
And why, in God’s name, would a man claiming to be earl require £60,000 fromme?
She opened her mouth to ask any of these, but she heard herself say, “Are you married, my lord?”
The earl narrowed his pale green eyes. “No. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just one of many bits of information I should like to know.” She released a breath. If he’d said yes, then no other question mattered. She pretended to make a notation on the parchment. “You and are I both unmarried, so there you have it.”
Perry made a strange sound, and Willow again spoke over her. “Carrying on . . . my next question repeats my original concern.Whatdo you intend to do with the money?”
***
Cassin stared at W. J. Hunnicut, who was not, as it happened, a man. Or an investor. Or a sane person, obviously.
Staring at her was not a hardship. In fact, the sight of her was so appealing, he found himself reaching deep for discipline, feeling around for self-control he hadn’t summoned in years. He couldn’t say what exactly her game might be, but the rare coalescence of cleverness and beauty and determination distracted him. By all accounts, he should have already made his excuses and gone, and yet here he sat. Too intrigued to leave.
“I’ll tell you again,” he said carefully. “Our venture is proprietary. The market is fiercely competitive. Exclusivity is a chief advantage. We don’t dole out business secrets to just anyone.”
“If you consider my offer to be a viable one, I would not be ‘just anyone.’ ”
Your offer isn’t viable,he thought, but something about the slight note of desperation in her tone kept his mouth shut. Instead, he said, “We’ve only just met. I haven’t the slightest idea who you are.”
“Lady Willow Hunnicut,” she said, “daughter to Earl Lytton.”
“LadyWillow?”
“Yes, Willow. Like the tree. It’s short for Wilhelmina.”
“This tells me exactly nothing, I’m afraid,” he said, but he thought,It suits her. She was tall and solid but also graceful, like a willow. And there was something wholly natural and fresh about her. It was a useless thing to notice, of course. He’d dragged Stoker and Joseph all this way for nothing.
“If you cannot describe the venture,” Lady Willow said, undeterred, “can you name the market? In general, perhaps?”
Cassin narrowed his eyes. Then again, he was already here. And he did not relish the task of returning to his partners with bad news. If nothing else, her persistence was a lesson to him. She refused to give up.
“Mining,” he finally said. “And farming.”
She glanced up from her notes.
He explained, “We will mine a resource that is used in farming,”
She nodded slowly and scribbled. He could not look away from the open interest in her face. She scratched notes as if he described the route to a buried treasure.
“And in what country is this meant to happen?” she asked.
“The mining or the farming?”
“Both.”
“The mining is in the Caribbean Sea. The farming is in England.” Cassin sighed. What he would have given to be taken so seriously by alegitimateinvestor.
She looked up and smiled. Cassin’s heart beat double for two heavy thuds.
“The Caribbean and England . . . ” she repeated. “Fascinating. Was that so difficult to reveal?”
No,he thought,it was far too easy, which is what worries me. He said, “It was not difficult as much as reckless. And please be aware I will not say another word until I learn more about you and your alleged £60,000.”
After a pause and a glance at her manservant, she said, “Very well. I shall say it. But please be aware that what I’m about to tell you may have an inconsequential effect on your life but could very well ruin mine. Please understand. My evasiveness has been only to protect myself. If the arrangement does not interest you, then I ask you, as a gentleman, to disregard it. Consider it irrelevant and leave here, speaking of it to no one.”
