Chemistry of Magic: Unexpected Magic Book Five (Unexpected Magic #5)(46)

“I didn’t go out alone. I had Tess with me. But I left her with Bridey.” She shook out her skirt as if he hadn’t just manhandled her. She stalked toward the house, apparently expecting him to follow since she kept talking. “We must go to see the duke of Sommersville. There are surveyors in the fields saying they’re laying a railroad track through the village!”

Frigging bloody damn hell. Had the investors believed he could twist arms so quickly? Time was of the essence in a matter like this. They may have assumed all was in order. Or else. . . His panic escalated.

A competitor was planning his own track.

Dare strode after his wife. “Fine. I’ll ride over and talk with Pascoe. We’ll make an appointment with the duke. One does not just ride up and say hello, how are you, to a duke! How do you know there are surveyors? Did you talk with them?”

“Mr. Ives-Madden did. He got into fisticuffs with them. That’s how audacious they are! What are we to do if the duke isn’t available?” She flung her bonnet and pelisse over a hook and looked at him with dismay.

“You have no reason to believe they will come through here. You’ve not seen any letters asking you to sell, have you?” Dare tried to think frantically if the consortium had sent any. Emilia’s land hadn’t been on the original path, so there was no reason to. But fisticuffs with surveyors didn’t sound right at all. He wasn’t in this to fight with landowners!

She halted at the bottom of the stairs, looking pale and frightened. “What if this Crenshaw person has done something despicable besides stealing money? Could the executors have sent him the letters to sort out?”

“I would think they would have told me if there was any possibility an offer had been made on the property. I questioned them thoroughly. I’ll send a note to Pascoe,” he said to calm her down. “He’ll be able to reach the duke. Surveyors simply draw maps. They can’t lay tracks.”

She turned and flung her arms around him, resting her dark head against his shoulder. “Thank you. It would be awful to wait all these years to claim my home, only to lose it.”

Emilia had never voluntarily thrown herself into his arms. Despite his roiling panic, Dare felt like a twelve-foot god having his independent wife turn to him. Feeling good about himself didn’t happen much these days. He hugged her and rubbed her back. “They have to buy the land. They cannot simply steal it.”

He’d write the head of the consortium while he was writing Pascoe. The investors he worked with were all honorable gentlemen. They wouldn’t send ruffians to survey fields without permission.

He fought a cough and cursed. He needed this railroad done before he was too weak to gallop off to meetings. Without strong leadership, some of his investors might give up.

“Thank you. I’m sorry for panicking.” She kissed his cheek, wiped her eye, and straightened bravely. “I’ve spent my life with books, and fisticuffs are out of my element. Thank heavens you don’t indulge.”

Since he’d indulged in more than his fair share of brawls in his reckless youth, Dare didn’t have an answer for that. She only knew him as a weak invalid. Humiliating for him, to be sure, but reassuring for her, apparently.

“Let me know what Pascoe says. We really must hire a footman before Robert has to return to the marquess. We need someone to run messages to the abbey.” She bustled off, leaving Dare in a cloud of lavender and frustration.

It was a hell of a lot easier dealing with women who had no interest in his business. It was bad enough he had to share his workshop with his distracting wife. Now he had to keep her out of his investments or she’d be telling him where to lay tracks so they didn’t kill mice.



Her new life as an independent married woman had advantages she’d never dreamed of, Emilia concluded as she happily dressed for a meeting with a duke two days later. She had considered marriage simply as a means of completing her research.

But now, aside from the interesting introduction of bed play, she was learning a whole new world outside of her books. Besides working with an accomplished herbalist and midwife like Bridey, she could meet dukes. And not just any duke, but one with the same professional interests and gifts as hers. She was nearly dancing with excitement at the opportunity.

Hearing the berlin pull up to the door, she dashed down the stairs to meet Dare. He’d buried himself in his office writing letters since the railroad incident. He hadn’t even objected when she’d returned to the abbey alone to make more horehound drops for him. This morning, he’d dressed for his visit but had gone downstairs early to work on papers she assumed had to do with his business interests.

He’d been rather grumpy these last two days while planning for his meeting with a duke, but she’d happily worked around him. And in bed, she’d even dared send his poor stomach a little healing energy. He’d immediately been aroused, breaking the healing connection, but she thought the wrongness was receding from that area. Maybe, if she could just convince him of what she could do, he’d let her test his chest.

She wanted to make him proud of her today, so she’d worn her most fashionable afternoon gown and had Bessie help her with her hair. Sommersville was over an hour away, so she’d donned her best hat and matching pelisse to keep her gown clean. She didn’t mind being a little warm.

Dare was just leaving his office, carrying his tall hat, when she reached the bottom of the steps. She halted to admire the dashing figure he cut when he bothered to dress like a gentleman. He wore his new gray wedding coat and his linen was a blinding white. She fancied he’d gained a little color in this past week in the country. He certainly didn’t look weak, although she feared the journey would tire him.