Page 66 of Suddenly a (The St. Clairs 5)

She was reluctant to say so. He must have sensed this and pulled her to him.

“If you are worried about money, don’t be.”

“You read my mind. Yes, some of the furniture is very dated. I would want to change a few of the carpets and draperies, too.”

“Change away. I may not have a grand title but I have more money than you could spend. If you want to empty the house of everything in it and start anew, feel free to do so.” Hudson chuckled. “I’m sure the female St. Clairs can give you some advice.”

He kissed her. “Let’s go find Bromwell and let him know we want it. I already have a price in mind so let me do the negotiating.”

They returned to the library, which they had visited earlier, and Mia took a seat. She tried to keep a bland expression on her face as the men talked numbers. It horrified her how expensive the house would be, even after Hudson named his final offer, but he didn’t seem to flinch as they shook hands on the deal.

“Have your man draw up the papers. I’d like to sign them tomorrow,” he told Lord Bromwell.

The solicitors consulted their calendars and named three o’clock tomorrow afternoon as the time to come together and finalize the sale.

She walked out with Hudson and Mr. Davidson, who said, “You are a ruthless negotiator, Mr. St. Clair. Remind me if I have need of a large purchase to bring you in to speak for me.”

They laughed and Hudson said, “I signed the agreement this morning regarding your inventions, Mia. That they are to remain your property and under your control and you have exclusive rights to sell them as you wish. Would you have time to accompany Mr. Davidson to his office now and sign yourself?”

“Yes, I can do that.”

“Good.” He drew her aside. “I have some business to attend to. I may be out rather late. Don’t wait up for me.”

“All right,” she said, wondering what kind of business would keep him out past bedtime.

“I do expect to find you in bed, though,” he said, a glint in his eye. “I’ll try not to wake you. Unless I do,” he added huskily.

They parted, with her riding in the carriage driven by George with Mr. Davidson accompanying her.

“Your husband drives a hard bargain, Mrs. St. Clair. I don’t know of many men who could have secured such a price for that size of a house, much less one in fashionable Mayfair.”

Mia suppressed a giggle, thinking of how skilled a negotiator her husband was in bed.

“He is a very astute businessman,” she said.

They arrived at Davidson’s offices and she accompanied him inside. His secretary fetched the documents and Mia signed where the solicitor indicated. He kept one copy and she retained the other two, one for herself and one for Hudson.

“It was incredibly generous of Mr. St. Clair to allow you to retain the rights to your machines and allow you to sell them without him receiving any of the proceeds,” Davidson noted.

“He is very fair,” she agreed. “He’s told me he is wealthy enough that he doesn’t need anything from me.”

“Only marriage,” Mr. Davidson quipped.

The way the solicitor said it gave her pause. “You do realize I didn’t bring a dowry into the marriage.”

“Yes, I am aware of that. And Mr. St. Clair certainly had made his own fortune before he met you. Thanks to the terms of his grandmother’s will, though, he added to that substantially.”

“I know she bequeathed Meadowbrook to him. We spent our honeymoon there.”

“The dowager duchess left him the estate and a considerable amount of income. It’s a good thing you wed when you did,” he chuckled. “Time had almost run out.”

A chill swept through her. “How much time was left?” she asked lightly.

“Mr. St. Clair had sixty days from the time the will was read.” The solicitor thought a moment. “I believe that was the beginning of March when that occurred. You wed in mid-April, so he still had a couple of weeks to fulfill the requirements.”

She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. “It’s a good thing we did so he could claim his inheritance.” She placed the contracts inside her reticule, fighting a wave of nausea. “I must be going.”

“Thank you for returning with me,” he said. “I’ll see you out.”

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