his forehead. He brushed it back with an impatient gesture and went on, "I didn't know you were his wife, of course, until I went to see Mr. Finch. I explained to him why I was here in London, and he suggested that we come and see you. Of course, I had an appointment with you—although I didn't know it was you—for eleven o'clock this morning, but when I arrived there, everything was closed, and I realized James was dead, and I went to see Mr. Finch. That's what it said on the sign, you know." He paused for breath. "So, here we are, you see."
Mara didn't see at all. She felt hopelessly fogged, but she concluded that nothing this man said ever made any sense anyway, and she decided it might be best to start over. "You said you knew my husband?"
Mr. Chase nodded and looked over her head, staring into space for several moments without speaking. "'He was a man, take him for all and all,'" he murmured, breaking the silence. "'I shall not look upon his like again.'" He glanced at her. "Hamlet. Shakespeare, you know."
Mara spoke to forestall any more quotations from Shakespeare. "Where did you meet?" she asked, praying Mr. Chase would eventually say something important.
"We met in San Francisco several months ago. I'd been living there for some time, and James came to see me. He'd heard about me and was interested in seeing some of my inventions." He paused and gave her a quizzical glance. "You did know I was an inventor, didn't you?"
"Yes, yes," she said, wondering if he would ever come to the point. "You told me. Go on."
"Well, James was very excited about my ideas. He wanted to manufacture some of them, and we decided to form a partnership. Pool our resources. We arranged to meet in London around the tenth of July. And, so, here I am."
Mara wanted to scream. "What exactly is your proposal, Mr. Chase?"
"Mara—"
"Mrs. Elliot, if you please," she said.
Her emphasis on propriety seemed to amuse him. A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth and crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Mrs. Elliot," he said in a voice so low and intimate he might just as well have used her Christian name, "it seems only right that we carry on with the plan. I propose that we form a partnership."
"A partnership? You and I?" Mara nearly laughed aloud. Her gaze traveled down the length of him, noting his untidy hair and the wrinkles in his white shirt. "You must be joking."
"I never joke about my work."
"Neither do I," she assured him. "The answer is no."
"Mara, there's no reason to be hasty," Mr. Finch interjected, speaking for the first time. "Perhaps you should at least listen."
"Really, Mr. Finch! I don't think—"
"As I said earlier, Mr. Chase may have a solution to your problem," the solicitor reminded her gently. "You have very few options, my dear."
The solicitor was right, although Mara didn't like being reminded of the dire situation in front of Mr. Chase. "Very well," she said to the man across the table. "I'm listening."
He leaned forward. "It's quite simple, really. I wish to buy a portion of Elliot Electrical."
Mara could scarcely believe that this man had enough money to solve her problem, but she refrained from saying so. She lifted one brow and asked the vital question. "How large a portion, and how much are you willing to pay?"
"I'll pay off Elliot's debt to Joslyn Brothers—it comes to approximately five thousand pounds, I believe—in exchange for fifty-one percent of the company."
"Fifty-one percent!" Mara straightened with a jerk. "Absolutely not."
He smiled. "I believe the company's net worth is less than ten thousand pounds. Therefore, my offer is a fair one. You won't obtain a better deal from anyone else, and your time is running out. The bank intends to foreclose on the loan tomorrow, do they not?"
She turned to give Mr. Finch a hard, accusing stare.
The solicitor gave her a helpless shrug in response. "I knew Mr. Chase was serious about investing," he said. "A potential investor has the right to know
Mara didn't see at all. She felt hopelessly fogged, but she concluded that nothing this man said ever made any sense anyway, and she decided it might be best to start over. "You said you knew my husband?"
Mr. Chase nodded and looked over her head, staring into space for several moments without speaking. "'He was a man, take him for all and all,'" he murmured, breaking the silence. "'I shall not look upon his like again.'" He glanced at her. "Hamlet. Shakespeare, you know."
Mara spoke to forestall any more quotations from Shakespeare. "Where did you meet?" she asked, praying Mr. Chase would eventually say something important.
"We met in San Francisco several months ago. I'd been living there for some time, and James came to see me. He'd heard about me and was interested in seeing some of my inventions." He paused and gave her a quizzical glance. "You did know I was an inventor, didn't you?"
"Yes, yes," she said, wondering if he would ever come to the point. "You told me. Go on."
"Well, James was very excited about my ideas. He wanted to manufacture some of them, and we decided to form a partnership. Pool our resources. We arranged to meet in London around the tenth of July. And, so, here I am."
Mara wanted to scream. "What exactly is your proposal, Mr. Chase?"
"Mara—"
"Mrs. Elliot, if you please," she said.
Her emphasis on propriety seemed to amuse him. A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth and crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Mrs. Elliot," he said in a voice so low and intimate he might just as well have used her Christian name, "it seems only right that we carry on with the plan. I propose that we form a partnership."
"A partnership? You and I?" Mara nearly laughed aloud. Her gaze traveled down the length of him, noting his untidy hair and the wrinkles in his white shirt. "You must be joking."
"I never joke about my work."
"Neither do I," she assured him. "The answer is no."
"Mara, there's no reason to be hasty," Mr. Finch interjected, speaking for the first time. "Perhaps you should at least listen."
"Really, Mr. Finch! I don't think—"
"As I said earlier, Mr. Chase may have a solution to your problem," the solicitor reminded her gently. "You have very few options, my dear."
The solicitor was right, although Mara didn't like being reminded of the dire situation in front of Mr. Chase. "Very well," she said to the man across the table. "I'm listening."
He leaned forward. "It's quite simple, really. I wish to buy a portion of Elliot Electrical."
Mara could scarcely believe that this man had enough money to solve her problem, but she refrained from saying so. She lifted one brow and asked the vital question. "How large a portion, and how much are you willing to pay?"
"I'll pay off Elliot's debt to Joslyn Brothers—it comes to approximately five thousand pounds, I believe—in exchange for fifty-one percent of the company."
"Fifty-one percent!" Mara straightened with a jerk. "Absolutely not."
He smiled. "I believe the company's net worth is less than ten thousand pounds. Therefore, my offer is a fair one. You won't obtain a better deal from anyone else, and your time is running out. The bank intends to foreclose on the loan tomorrow, do they not?"
She turned to give Mr. Finch a hard, accusing stare.
The solicitor gave her a helpless shrug in response. "I knew Mr. Chase was serious about investing," he said. "A potential investor has the right to know
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