“I would like to talk to them. They know me. My household, and the people I know. A little time, Joseph, before I give you my answer.” Until she worked out what to do.
He sighed. “Very well. A woman is, after all, a creature of softer temperament. Your rent is due on Lady Day. In case you were in doubt, that is now April the sixth, due to the change in the calendars.”
Since she’d been paying her rent on that date for the last three years, Annie did not need to be told. But she had the lurking suspicion he would make a habit of telling her what she was perfectly aware of already. “Thank you sir,” she said, although it went against the grain to concede even that much.
In three weeks she could no longer defer her decision, unless she could persuade him to hold off for another quarter.
“The season will have begun, and society will want its little luxuries. I foresee a busy time, so I would prefer that our nuptials and the consequent negotiations are concluded by that date.”
“I will speak to my people and see to my business. If I agreed to your flattering proposal, would you still allow me the property next door?”
“We would certainly consider it,” he said. “After all, we would want the business to become more prosperous. That house has been empty too long.”
At last something they could agree on. “It has vermin. We bought a cat to deal with the mice and rats, but the children love it, and now it’s a pet.” Tabby was their not so original name for the animal.
“I regret the deterioration of the property next to yours.” He moved and Annie was hard put not to step back to compensate for his proximity. “We will deal with the problem. They adjoin, do they not?”
She nodded. “We are in the center of a row. They were built as residences, but most of them are currently made over to industry of one kind or another.”
He gazed at her speculatively. “And I own the whole row of six.”
Would he offer her more? “Yes, I’m aware of that. And I have no complaints about you as a landlord. In fact, quite the contrary.”
He still watched her as if she held answers she was unaware of. “It is possible we could clear the row and use the whole set for the production of silver wire.”
“As Cathcart and Sons?” Eagerness suffused her and when he took another step toward her she did not retreat.
“I see no reason why the name should not continue.”
She swallowed as her mind started working faster.
She could become the largest producer of silver wire in the City, and do it far earlier than she had planned. If she put the company into trust, at the behest of her husband’s will, Joseph could not incorporate it into his business, and she would hand a legacy to her sons much larger than the one she’d inherited.
She needed to explore this aspect before she made any more decisions.
***
On the way home, she slowed her pace and told Matilda what had occurred. Matilda gave a long, very unladylike whistle. “Do you think he wants you? I mean you, or your business?”
“He wants me.” If that kiss had told her anything, it was that Joseph wanted her.
“And what of your feelings for him?”
“What do you think of the match?” she asked bluntly.
Matilda paused while they crossed the road. They passed by the shop they’d paused at earlier, sparing it scarcely a glance. “I think he is a man you would find difficult to live with,” she said. “However, you are a resourceful woman and you would find a way of coping, I have no doubt.”
No shared bedroom for a start, Annie thought grimly.
“On paper, it’s the perfect match for you. It enhances your standing, increases your customers and your appeal to them. To be part of the Stephenson company would bring great good fortune, if you decided to take that course.” He would doubtless wish for at least a share of Cathcarts, should he provide the company with the houses.
“Perhaps.” She pondered on the problem. “The man is thorough and methodical. He prefers not to take unnecessary risks, but he is prepared to do so if he thinks the rewards will be high. He would not invest his complete fortune on any one venture.”
She stopped so suddenly she evoked a curse from a man following close behind. He dodged around them. “They should ban hoops,” he muttered, sending them a darkling glare.
Slowly, Annie started walking again. She was really considering this. She had little choice but it felt like the bars of a prison were closing around her.
“I’m very pleased for you, dear.” Matilda paused, and Annie knew her well enough to know she was about to reveal something she had not said before. That pause was distinctive, clenching the air with tension. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” She lowered her voice. “Never doubt that he wants you.”