‘Damn.’ He muttered the word beneath his breath and the man opposite looked up.

      ‘I hope it is to your liking, my lord.’ The expressionless face of Middlemarch neither softened nor hardened. ‘Will you take it with you or shall I burn it?’

      ‘I will keep it.’

      ‘Very well. I do not wish to hurry you along, Lord Montcliffe, but...’

      ‘You are a busy man.’

      ‘Exactly. The Camerons have always been good clients and honest people. Their payments are regular and prompt and in all my years of working with Mr Robert Cameron I have seldom heard one bad word against him, professionally or personally.’

      The Montcliffe family lawyer chose that point to turn from the window. Mr Athol Bailey was of the old school of law, but had allowed the Cameron’s legal representative to outline the terms of the agreement mooted in his office. For his own benefit Daniel thought, but also as a means to an end. The Montcliffe fortune was in danger of collapsing completely and the severity of the problem was not going to just go away. Bailey spoke now as he rounded the desk to sit in a leather chair to one side of it.

      ‘The word about town, Lord Montcliffe, is that other parties hold several loans against the Montcliffe estate and they are interested in settling them quickly. Lord Greyton’s representative, for example, is a colleague of mine and, whilst I hope I do not speak out of turn, I would say that the general opinion is that you are on the verge of bankruptcy. As your family retainer, my lord, and given the expenses that your mother incurs in her daily and general life, I would advise you to reflect very carefully about an offer that could only be conducive to the financial well-being of the Wyldes from now on and into the future.’

      ‘I see.’

      For the first time that morning Bailey smiled and, looking over at the Cameron’s lawyer, Daniel spoke. ‘Will you take a message back for me? I would require an answer as soon as possible.’

      ‘Of course.’

      ‘Could you tell the Camerons that I agree to their proposals, but the small wedding will be held at Montcliffe Manor. I want only my bride and her father to be in attendance. No one else.’

      ‘Certainly, my lord.’

      ‘Could you also tell Miss Cameron that I shall be sending her a bill for the damage incurred to the roof of my carriage whilst she was under the influence of her fit of madness.’

      ‘Indeed, my lord.’ Middlemarch’s countenance did not falter as he handed over one of his inked quills. ‘Just here, if you may.’ He waited until the deed was signed before flipping over to another. ‘And here.’

      Finally the old lawyer stood, depositing the documents into a well-worn leather briefcase. ‘I consider my business done and I would like to thank you both for allowing me the time and place to present this agreement. I hope you are as happy with the outcome as I know my clients shall be, Lord Montcliffe, and I wish you the very best for the future.’

      * * *

      Ten minutes later Daniel was back on the street and his mood was as black as the clouds he could see amassing over to the west. He had been played like a fish on the line, the bait of his own demise as imminent as the Camerons would know it to be. Until this past week he had not had one single debt of his brother’s presented to him. Did Robert Cameron have some dealings there as well to force his hand and hurry things up?

      But why would he do so? Surely a dozen other down-on-their-luck lords could be cajoled into a union with Miss Amethyst Cameron and with far more ease, even given the scandalous nature of her first husband’s business.

      His mind went back to the carriage ride home. She had acted like a crazed woman, with little sense or reasonableness, her shrill cries still ringing in his ears. He had never met another like her, that was the trouble, one part innocent and the other part as deceptive as hell. She was her father’s daughter on the one hand and her own particular mix of madness on the other.

      Yet he had signed on the dotted line. For his mother and his sisters and a grandfather who barely knew the time of day.

      ‘More fool me,’ he muttered, pleased to see his town house materialise before him and also the possibility of a stiff drink. His lineage would stay safe and Montcliffe Manor would not need to be sold. Such protections would have to be enough. The dull ache in his thigh mirrored the pain in his head.

      Charlotte Mackay arrived on his doorstep just as he did and this time there was no mother or brother anywhere in sight.

      ‘Might I come in just for a moment, Daniel? I realise that I am hardly the person you wish to see, but I would appreciate at least a moment or two of your time.’

      Today she was dressed in a woollen cloak with the buttons done up tightly to her neck. With a quick nod he showed her through to his library, but he did not sit down as he waited for an explanation as to why she had come.

      ‘I am more than sorry for the scene at the Herringworth ball. I have been trying to get up the courage to allow explanation, but it has been hard.’ Swallowing she looked at him.

      ‘The allotted period of mourning society deems appropriate for a bereaved widow has been most...difficult and it is only in the past month that I have been allowed to enjoy my life again. As a result of everything I have come to the conclusion that a year of black clothes and dour conversation shows not only the nonsense of marriage but also my unsuitability to such a state.’

      ‘In what way?’ For the life of him he could not understand why she should be telling him this.

      Her right forefinger tucked an errant golden curl up into the folds of her hat as she gave him answer. ‘I am committed to enjoying every single moment I have left to me, Daniel. After Spenser I saw that sometimes bad things can happen.’ Shaking her head, she went on, drawing herself up a little. ‘Your finances are in a poor state. I have heard that from many people and your brother’s problems at the card table are no longer a secret. As my own bank accounts are most healthy I thought perhaps as a friend I could offer you a way out of the mess you now find yourself in.’

      He knew what was coming and he tried to stop her by holding up his hand, but she took little notice of the gesture.

      ‘I will pay off some of your debts in exchange for you and I becoming lovers again. I have missed you and I made a huge mistake when Spenser offered for my hand. But now there is an opportunity for us...’

      ‘No.’ He could say it in no other way than that.

      ‘No?’

      ‘Thank you, but I cannot take you up on the offer, Charlotte.’

      ‘Because you are angry at me for ruining your chances with Mrs Whitely?’

      At that he laughed. ‘Hardly.’

      ‘Then why?’

      He took his time in answering. ‘Spenser was an only child and the last of his family line. I have heard it said that his parents want you to reside with them in Scotland in return for the large sums of money they have bestowed upon you and which you accepted on your husband’s death. It seems Spenser Mackay’s mother thinks of you as a daughter?’

      ‘You sound like my mother, Daniel, and I do not want to hear this.’ Moving closer, she brought her fingers along the line of his cheek. ‘Scotland is full of sad memories for me and I want to feel again what I did, with you, in your arms, before it all went wrong.’

      Once he might have been flattered by the offer she had just made him,