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THEY CHOSE TO STAY at an inn within the Summerhill village before continuing to Chatham. Sleep was difficult for Clayton, and he didn’t know which of his troubles was keeping him up. Every mile down the road brought him closer to home and closer to family. Closer to a mother who had been praying for her sons’ safe return but would learn he was the only one left. Her other son was gone from this world, and it was his fault. Seeing her face when she learned that news was not something he looked forward to. It would have been better for her to think both her younger sons were dead, but Thomas refused.
Yet there was also that other woman niggling in the back of his mind. Her taunting smile and delicious scent had brought him close to temptation in that tiny carriage. Clayton knew she had felt it too, but she would never admit to such attraction to someone of his station—or the station she thought he held, at least. They were only a few miles away, but he felt as though she was well out of reach.
“Still thinking about that piece of skirt?” Rex asked him. They had just finished breakfast, and Clayton was staring out the window. She was what occupied his thoughts.
“She was just so frustrating.”
“Both of them were.”
Clayton raised one eyebrow. “Her companion barely spoke.”
“Exactly. I don’t trust a woman who doesn’t know how to flirt.”
“You just don’t like it when they resist your charm.”
“It rarely happens.”
Clayton laughed at his friend’s oversized ego. For such a ladies’ man, he was surprisingly sensitive to rejection. “Lady Rory might not have been fresh to the London season, but she is far from on the shelf. I wonder why she decided to leave the London.” Clayton thought out loud.
“That companion of hers was definitely beyond the marriage mart. I have never been near such a cold fish. Woman gave me the chills all day.”
“I suspect there was more than meets the eye to both of them.”
“Are you wanting a second look?” Rex didn’t look pleased by the idea. “You might not need to go out of your way for that.”
A servant appeared, holding a letter with a lady’s handwriting on the front.
Clayton took it and read it. “You are right, the lady has summoned me.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “Perhaps she heard us talking about her.”
“It would be just our luck.”
“Not feeling up to facing the dragon again today?”
“I can face any lady.” Rex grimaced. “I just won’t enjoy this one as much.”
It took very little time for them to travel back to Summerhill Manor. He was surprised to find that both ladies were waiting outside for them. They were having an animated conversation, but they stopped abruptly when the men arrived.
“Lady Rory,” Clayton said as he and Rex approached them on the porch. “This is a surprise. I didn’t think I would be seeing you again.”
“Neither did I.” She didn’t sound happy about it.
“Your note had a sense of urgency to it. Were we wrong to come?” Clayton felt odd standing there in the drive, but Rory made no offer to let them in the house.
“I have something business related to ask you.” Rory looked up at him from beneath the brim of a very large hat. He didn’t know if that was meant to protect her from the sun or from his gaze.
“What kind of business?” Clayton watched her gloved fingers played with the edge of her gloves. “I got the impression you looked down on men who were in business.”
“I never said that!” Her voice went up a full octave.
“You made it very clear without words.”
He was beginning to think it was the sound of his voice that made her blush, since it happened almost every time they spoke.
“I’m sorry if I offended you before. That was not my intention.”
“I know what your intention was.” Clayton leaned back with his arms crossed. “I’m willing to get past it. Especially for business.”
She was doing that thing where she nibbled on her bottom lip, and he found it hard to concentrate on much else. “I would like to hire you, Mr. Murdoch.” Her voice wavered as she spoke. “The house I inherited needs more repairs than I expected and I could use your expertise.”
“To fix your house?” Clayton laughed at how absurd that was. “I don’t just do repairs. I build houses that people pay fortunes for.”
“Not here, they don’t,” she snapped back. “No one has even heard of you. At least not in London, where it counts. If you are hoping to make a name here, you will have to start somewhere.” Her eyes lit up when she was angry. She wasn’t going to easily give up on something she wanted. They had more in common than she realized.
“I don’t need your help to make a name for myself here. I already have a client waiting for me in Chatham.”
“Who?”
Clayton was shocked that she was insinuating she didn’t believe him. She was offending his honor in public.
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.” He straightened up slowly, letting his full height stretch out in front of her. She had to take a step back to hold eye contact with him.
“I’m sorry, but it seems you have a lot to prove to everyone here.” She managed to sound haughty even as she was looking up at him.
“What are you offering me in exchange for my services?”
For a moment she stared at his lips, and he wondered if she was going to offer something wicked. That might make the delay well worth it. Instead, she shook her head a little and looked away.
“I don’t have much to pay you now, but I can give you a portion of the sale.”
“You are going to sell Summerhill Manor?”
That was shocking enough to push the air from his lungs in a loud cough. He could see how beautiful that house was in person. Not to mention what he knew about it from growing up so close to the place. The idea that she would be selling such an amazing structure made his stomach sink.
“Who is the new buyer?” he asked.
“I don’t have one...yet,” she said quickly. “But I hope to find one soon. I need to make the necessary improvements to it first.”
“So, that’s what you really want? Me to increase the value for you?”
“I want your help, yes.”
Clayton had to admit he would enjoy getting a good look at the place, especially if it was as beautiful on the inside as it appeared on the outside. There could be any number of hidden details that hadn’t seen proper care in a very long time. Bringing a house like that back to its glory was the type of project he loved.
“Let’s go have a look at it, shall we?” He gave a dramatic bow and pointed toward the door.
Rex grumbled and cursed under his breath, but Clayton ignored him. He wished he could do the same for Rory. That was much more difficult.
Regardless of the harsh treatment he had gotten from her before, he saw something in her expression while she was asking for his help that surprised him. It was desperation, and he had no explanation for it. Very curious.
“Why aren’t you asking your brother for help? You are related to Lord Chadwick, correct?”
Lord Chadwick was someone Clayton had been familiar with before he had left London. They ran in different circles, but he had heard the two siblings were close.
“He could easily hire workers to fix up the place. They could get it done much faster and without causing you any discomfort,” Clayton added.
“Henry is in Scotland at the moment.”
“That doesn’t stop money from changing hands. He could hire them by post.”
“I don’t want to bother him while he is away.”
Her nose twitched. She was lying to him. He chose not to call her on it.
“Then perhaps you should wait. Go back to London until he returns.”
“London has grown tired to me. I want something fresh and revitalizing.”
He turned around to fully take in the dilapidated foyer. “This is your idea of revitalizing?”
Clayton could see how beautiful the house had once been, and in his mind he was already planning the steps it would take to get it back to its former glory. Like any job, he let the image of what it would be like when he was done guide him, as he walked past the stairs and deeper into the house. Clayton was a careful planner and meticulous in his daily work, but it always started with his imagination.
“It’s been alone too long. I regret that I didn’t get out here sooner.” Rory fell into step behind him as he walked through the house. “I hope to fix the thigs that are most important first. The things that are most visible.”
The things that couldn’t be seen, such as the structure of the house, should be first, but he saw that hungry look in her eye again. If her goal was to sell the house, that might be why she only cared about it looking good.
“The walls would be easy enough, and the floors could be stripped and waxed in a couple of days,” Clayton told her. “We would need supplies from London.”
“I don’t have anyone to spare.”
Clayton looked at Rex, who gave a casual shrug.
“Do you have the money to pay for them?” Clayton asked.
That nose twitched again. “I don’t have the money on hand, but I believe I could get the credit loaned to me. My family name is very well respected.”
Now they were getting a little closer to the truth. Lady Rory was suffering from money troubles. Clayton wondered if it was something her brother had done before he left. Only a coward would leave his sister behind to clean up his mess. Clayton lost all respect for the man in that moment.
“I can pay for it,” he offered. “As part of the investment into my portion of the sale.”
“We discussed a fee, not a percentage.”
“A percentage is all I will accept.”
“I’m only going to offer you a flat rate, like any hired worker.”
Clayton laughed. He couldn’t help it. She looked so outraged, standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. It really was adorable.
“I never agreed to a payment amount. I haven’t agreed to this task at all. If you want my services, you had better agree to my terms.”
“What are those, exactly?”
“I’m going to want half.”
He knew that demand would shock her, but he wasn’t prepared for her reaction to be so vivid. For a moment he thought she was going to strike him, and the expression on her friend’s face showed that she did too. Darla rushed forward and put a hand on Rory’s arm.
She visibly vibrated with anger. “That is a ridiculous amount to ask for. You have no ownership here, and I’m only wanting a few weeks of work.”
“No one else can do what I can in two weeks. You give me that and I will guarantee you a top-dollar purchase offer.”
He could make that kind of promise because he knew how amazing the place could be.
“Do you have someone else who can get the job quickly and impressively?” he pushed when she didn’t say anything. “If so, I would be happy to leave. I still have someone waiting for me in Chatham.”
Rory was silent. He could see the tightness of her jaw, and they both knew there was only one choice. He turned and started to walk away, knowing he would hear her voice calling out to him.
“You can really get it done in two weeks?”
He stopped his progression toward the door. “Yes.”
“Would you need to hire more workers?”
“No. Rex and I can get it done. We will need the supplies and those would need to be ordered right away. I don’t have time to wait for you to arrange credit. That’s why I’m offering to pay for them in exchange for half the sale price.” He stood with his back to her, unmoving, while she thought about his offer. He had no doubt which way she would go.
“Fine. I will agree to those terms, but I want to be in charge of choosing the supplies you will be getting.”
Clayton could feel his lips slowly curling up into a victorious grin. He pivoted on his heels and looked at her.
“I know a woman always does like to shop,” Clayton said. “Unfortunately, it would slow us down if we all went to London. It’s faster to send just one person instead.”
“I insist Darla go as well. I trust her judgement.”
“You don’t trust mine?”
One finely arched eyebrow went up.
He shrugged. “Fine. Rex and Darla will both go tomorrow and should be back by evening. I will make a list and she can make sure he sticks to it.”
Her fingers fidgeted with the folds of her skirt as she thought about her final say. It would be an agreement, so he didn’t feel the need to rush her. He stood there and waited for her to give in.
“I agree to your terms.”
Clayton felt his grin spreading wider across his face. Rory looked like she had bitten into a lemon. She would warm up to him once she saw how beautiful he was going to make the house look.
On the way back to the inn, Rex was unusually quiet. He refused to look Clayton in the eye as his jaw clenched over and over again. The lack of banter was enough to be concerning.
“Surely you don’t have a problem with the work. You always enjoy a new project,” Clayton said when the silence became too tense.
“You are supposed to be going home,” Rex growled. “You gave your brother your word. I gave him my word.”
Neither of them had been the type to follow the rules before. Something about being in London was making his friend irritable.
“I’m still going to get there. I’m not expected for another two weeks. I can finish the house and still arrive as expected.”
Clayton leaned back in his seat and let has head fall back against the cushion. His mind was thinking about how lovely the house was going to be when he was finished with it. A good shine on those wood floors and a new wallpaper for the bedroom walls would instantly make it feel fresher than it had in years. Rich fabrics for the curtains and the furniture, but light colors to make the rooms seem bigger. The ballroom would require the most work with its crumbling ceiling, but that meant it would be the most impressive transformation. Then there was that secret garden. These were the things of a builder’s dreams.
“Do you think this delay is a good idea? A house with two women, alone?” Rex wasn’t going to let him relax.
“Are you saying you can’t control yourself?”
Rex snorted.
“Then we have nothing to worry about. The only thing I’m interested in getting my hands on is the house,” Clayton replied.
“You have an unusual way of dealing with anxiety.”
“I’m going home. There is nothing to be anxious about.”
“Neither one of us believes that.”
Clayton shrugged. “Then at least this will keep us busy.”
“I do hate idle hands.” Now the twinkle was back in his friend’s eye.
“Are you sure you are going to be under control?’
Rex laughed. “Against that spoiled young woman or her spinster companion? I think I can keep my distance.”
“You always enjoyed a challenge.”
“Not this time. The only challenge on my mind is making sure you arrive home.”