And if he did?

She would have to deal with that when the time came.

Chapter 3

“How many pounds would you be interested in investing?” Diana eyed Mr. Winston from across her desk. He seemed sincere, but then again, so had Mr. Yates, and he had spent three weeks coming into the office and taking up her time only to decline investment after she declined a ride in Hyde Park. She had learned a few things about running off false investors since her experience with Mr. Yates, though, especially in the last three weeks since she had been using Lord Bryant’s name as a shield. Work was finally running smoothly. Her main problem now was deducing which men were actual investors and which were after the railroad.

She cocked her head to one side. Mr. Winston was young enough to be interested in marriage, but some of her investors were young as well. She couldn’t use Lord Bryant’s name until she knew for certain what kind of man Mr. Winston was. The last thing she wanted was for a serious contact to believe her foolish enough to fall for the silver-tongued Lord Bryant. She would have to deny her relationship with him if they did. Which—after all—was the truth.

“Is there a limit?” Mr. Winston asked.

“There is, but it is rather a large one.”

“For today, I would like to invest five hundred pounds.” Mr. Winston swallowed and ran a hand up and down his leg. His clothes were well kept but not expensive. Five hundred pounds would be a large sum to a man like him. It should be flattering, really, that a man would part with so much money just for a chance to woo her. She would give him the money back and more, though, once the line was completed. She wouldn’t feel burdened by it. His eyes searched hers. “Would that be an acceptable amount?”

Five hundred pounds was acceptable. It wasn’t the smallest investment she had taken, but neither was it anywhere near the largest. Despite Mr. Winston’s kind eyes and his refreshingly hesitant demeanor, she wanted to know exactly whom she was dealing with before she answered. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a list of questions as well as a blank sheet of paper for Mr. Winston. “Would you please write the answers to these questions?”

Mr. Winston nodded, and Diana watched each stroke of his pen, waiting for the moment he reached the last inquiry.

He set down the pen halfway through. “If I become an investor, will I be able to meet the owner?”

Meet the owner? Diana leaned back in her seat. Didn’t he know? She had pegged him for a hopeful suitor almost from the moment he walked into her office.

“The owner is available to talk to investors if there is a need.”

Mr. Winston nodded, slid his hands once more down his legs, less hesitantly this time. If anything, he was invigorated by her answer.