Heiress in Red Silk (Duke's Heiress #2) - Madeline Hunter Page 0,95

the factories had been built of brick. None of them were very large. She plucked a piece of paper out of her reticule. The hackney driver said this was the street. Now she only had to find the correct establishment.

She had wanted to do this ever since she saw all those automatons. It seemed to her that they were simply large, elaborate toys for grown men. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a small, less elaborate one that was for a child? She had an idea of the one she wanted, as a gift for Lily.

The street was narrow and she kept crossing it to avoid horses. It surprised her, then, when one of the horses came up right beside her, all but crowding her against a brick wall.

“What are you doing here?”

She looked up. Kevin looked down. She smiled and held up her paper. “I’m looking for this factory.”

He dismounted, tied up his horse, took her arm, and guided her firmly to the corner. There he took the paper and read it.

“What are you doing here?” she asked while he looked at the address.

“That forge is nearby.” He sounded distracted.

“Are you going to cast something? Can I watch?”

His gaze rose. He did not look distracted anymore. His expression was hard and tight. He lifted the paper. “Why are you looking for this factory?”

“I was told they make brass machine parts, and I wanted—”

“And you wanted to hold a conversation with them? Without telling me?” He became the picture of a man barely controlling his temper. “First, they will not talk to you because you are a woman. Then, you have nothing to tell them because you don’t really understand what we need done. Finally, you lack the ability to determine if they can fulfill our requirements in terms of quality.”

She had been glad to see him, but she really did not like either his tone or his assumptions. “My guess is they will talk to anyone who can pay.”

“You think so, do you? Look at the men here. See how they find your presence odd. It is a good thing I chanced on you or you might have gotten into trouble, instead of only being troublesome to me.” Exasperated, he looked around. “How did you get here?”

“My hackney is down the street.”

He took her arm by the elbow and began moving her again. “I will escort you there.”

She dug in her heels. “I am not done here. Stay with me if you are worried, but do not presume to command me to leave at your whim.”

“Whim? This is no whim. I refuse to allow you to begin discussions about manufacturing the invention at this time, let alone without me. You can be willful and stubborn, Rosamund, enough so to drive me mad. You need to accept that there are ways to do this that you don’t understand, and that your impatience will only risk whatever future the enterprise may have. We aren’t talking about making a damned hat.”

She thought her head would burst, it throbbed with so much anger by the time he finished. She glared at him. “Unhand me, Kevin, unless you want me to start screaming for help.”

For a moment she thought he might not release her. Their gazes remained locked in a hot, furious connection. Then he did let her go.

“It is inexcusable for you to begin a row with me on a public street,” she hissed. “I don’t care how rough these men are, me thinks they know better than to do such a thing. But perhaps you think your good blood allows you to break every rule ever made.” She snatched the paper out of his hand. “As for this, it has nothing to do with your precious invention. Unlike you, I have other interests too.”

With that, she strode away, making it a point to look up at every building’s sign that she came to.

Boot steps fell in beside her. “I ask you again, what are you doing here?” he asked tightly.

“Seeking out a man who can make an automaton.”

“Zeus, not you too.”

She lost her patience and smacked his upper arm. “Go away if you are going to glare and moan. It isn’t for me. It is for Lily. A toy that moves, that is all. It is a wonder no one has thought of making them for children before.”

She had to suffer one of his exasperated sighs. “They would be too expensive. There are hundreds of parts, intricately connected. The craftsmanship would be