Mariah was like her; where she worked was obviously important to her. Briony scanned the rows of bookshelves along the far wall and smiled to herself. Other than the copy of Fanny Hill, she guessed correctly that none of the books had ever been opened. Nevertheless they gave the room an air of respectability that Briony admired. She would angle for a look around the house if she could. It was always good to get a look at what the opposition was offering, and Mariah was her only serious opposition as far as the houses went, which was why she had never tried to take over any of her properties. There was room in London for both of them, providing Mariah didn’t blot her copybook with Briony personally.

Her mouth settled into a grim line as she thought about this. She would make that point clear enough. Mariah might have requested the meeting, but Briony had only deigned to come because she had an ulterior motive. No, Miss Jurgens didn’t scare her at all. Big as the bitch was, and as hard a reputation as she had, it would take more than a whore to frighten Briony Cavanagh.

She settled herself in the chair and resumed her neutral expression.

‘Well, you’re a runt and no mistaking!’ Briony heard laughter in the big woman’s voice and said, ‘Yeah, and you’re a big bastard. So that makes us quits.’

Briony’s voice was hard, her face set. She stared up at the huge woman in front of her, her heart beating a tattoo in her chest. Briony consciously kept her eyes away from the massive clenched fists of her rival.

Mariah watched her and felt a flicker of respect. As small as she was, and God knows this girl was small, she wasn’t afraid. In front of Mariah that took great courage. Men who were feared across the smoke were wary of her, she knew this and used it to her advantage. Yet this little thing was actually fronting her. She sat behind the desk with as much dignity as she could muster and said, ‘Anyone else said that, I’d brain them, but I invited you here today for a good reason. Are you after my houses? I know you’re after Deakins’ place. Old Nellie is a bit long in the tooth these days for rowing, but I ain’t. So I want a straight answer from you. Whether I brain you or not depends on what you say.’

Briony took a deep breath. The woman in front of her was renowned for her size, her strength and her temper. Well, Briony could match her in two of those attributes. But Mariah was also known to be fair. Briony decided to tell her the truth.