The cloud of melancholy that had begun to follow her around left Rebecca feeling not at all like herself. She thoroughly enjoyed keeping a rather sunny state of mind, and yet, since the conversation with her father, she felt nothing but regret that the life that had seemed so clear since her time with Adam in the woods had become so dismally cloudy.

The more she was with him, the more she wanted him — for now, and for the rest of her life. And yet, how could she so directly go against what her father wanted, what he had been planning for her? Her father had given her everything while her mother had wanted nothing to do with her. To betray him now seemed the ultimate form of ungratefulness. So why did following his expectations feel so wrong?

That morning, long after Adam had left for the power plant, Eloise came to visit her. After she was shown into Rebecca’s drawing room, she had a smirk on her face as she sat on the armless green easy chair.

“Good morning, Eloise,” said Rebecca, lifting the teapot in front of her and pouring her friend a cup as she tried to inject cheer into her voice. “Lovely of you to visit this morning.”

“How could I not?” asked Eloise, bringing the cup to her lips. “For I could not help but come to congratulate you on your engagement.”

“My engagement?” Rebecca looked up at her in surprise.

“But of course,” said Eloise, raising her eyebrows. “It was in today’s paper, surely you must be aware?”

“No … no, I have not yet had the chance to read the paper,” she said, her heart sinking. It would be just like her father to post the announcement without even telling her about it. She rose, walking over to the side table where the papers were piled. She had honestly not even looked at them the past few days, so caught up was she in her own melodrama.

She opened the page to the announcement section, and there it was, in print in front of her face. Hardwick Trenton, owner of Trenton Andrews Power Plant, was proud to announce the engagement of his daughter, Rebecca Trenton, to Vincent Thompson, son of Bosworth Thompson and a recent partner in the business. Vincent had been made partner? Then Rebecca realized that was the least of her worries. Her engagement was now public, for all of London to see, and she had not even agreed to it. Anger began rising in her chest, and she made for the door to find her father and tell him exactly what she thought of his—

“Is it what you expected?” Eloise’s voice cut in, and Rebecca suddenly remembered the woman, who was all smiles as she sat at the table, looking at her in a way that said she knew exactly what was at play here, that Rebecca had no say in this. Yet Eloise seemed somewhat pleased by the entire situation, and it made Rebecca’s skin crawl.

“Yes,” said Rebecca, pasting a smile on her face and returning to her seat. “It was.” She sipped her tea, biding the time until Eloise left. She would not show the woman an ounce of weakness, but would instead wait until she left to determine her next actions.

* * *

Having concluded a productive morning completing the model, Adam leaned back from the worktable with a feeling of satisfaction. Andrews gave him a similar nod of approval as they reviewed the work in front of them.

“Have you spoken with Trenton regarding your compensation?” Andrews asked, looking at him over the tops of his glasses.

“My compensation?” asked Adam. “My partnership, you mean?”

“Partnership?” echoed Andrews, concern wrinkling his forehead. “He never said anything to me regarding a partnership. No, as far as I was aware, he was going to pay you for your work and for the design. In fact, Thompson has recently been made a partner in the business, and I know Trenton was not interested in any further divesting of shares. I’m sorry, son, I thought this was the agreement you had come to with him. It seems I was wrong … or perhaps Trenton mislead one of us.”

The unease that had been simmering in Adam’s gut regarding this arrangement began to slither up his belly and into his throat. So Trenton meant to keep him out of future profits, did he?

“Excuse me, Andrews, it seems I need to have a word with the man.”

He shoved open the door before making his way to Trenton’s office, entering without knocking. The office was empty, though the cup of coffee steaming on the desk told him the man hadn’t been gone long and should be returning shortly. He sat in the chair in front of the desk, arms crossed as he stewed, waiting for Trenton to return. Who did he think he was, cutting him out like that? Although, he realized, he partially had himself to blame. He had known from the beginning what kind of man Trenton was, and he should never have trusted him at all.

As he sat tapping his foot, his eyes wandered around the office, as stark as the man’s home. His gaze fell on the desk, where he saw papers strewn about with … designs and writing that looked intimately familiar. He rose, coming around the desk now to take a closer look at what Trenton was working on. They were patent application papers. He had seen them before, having considered filling them out himself for other inventions. He picked up the first page, seeing the information on the front of it. In the application information, not once was his name mentioned. This was not a partnership at all. Rather, Trenton was taking the ideas for himself. Adam felt like he was going to be sick. This had all been a ruse, a ploy for the man to take his idea and use it for his own means.

Adam picked up the papers, clenching them tightly in his fist as he turned to the door, which had suddenly burst open.

“What do you think you are doing in here on your own?” Trenton asked, his jowled cheeks vibrating with his words.

“Waiting for you,” Adam answered, not backing down an inch. “What do you think you are doing, stealing my work, presenting it as your own, and not offering me any of the initially agreed upon partnership or profits?”

“Partnership? Ha!” Trenton said, throwing his back and laughing. “Did you honestly ever expect I would partner with a man like you? A Scot from the backward Highlands? Truly, the idea is laughable. And it is not your invention. The plans were made right here in my power plant. I will pay you for your time, as an employee of my business. You will have little means to prove this is anything other than that. I must thank you, however. You have advanced my little company far beyond what I ever thought it could be!”

He rubbed hands together gleefully as he pushed passed Adam to round his desk. He opened the top drawer and pulled out his checkbook and a pen. He scratched something onto it then held it out to Adam.

“Here. A week’s honest work. It is a little more than you would have received leading a hunting group around your woods, no? Anyway, take it, enjoy it, and I hope to never see you again. You should be able to make the evening train. We’re celebrating my daughter’s recent engagement tonight, so there is no need for you to stay.”

At that, Adam froze, turning around to stare at the man.

“Oh, that’s right, you thought you had something with her too, did you not?” He laughed again. “My, you think rather highly of yourself. She asked me to say goodbye to you. She is certainly a good girl, that one. Why, she has proven herself so helpful to our business. I am sure she will continue as wife to Mr. Thompson.”

Adam no longer cared if he showed his true feelings, nor his vulnerability. He only cared for the truth.

“Rebecca knew of this plan?” he asked, his voice wooden.

“But of course!” Trenton said, his face full of mirth. “She was, in fact, the one who suggested you come to London with us. She is a much smarter girl than she lets on, is she not? Leave those papers where you found them, will you Mr. McDougall?”

Adam looked at him in the eye, holding his gaze as he slowly, carefully, ripped the papers in half once, twice, and three times before following suit with the check.

“Ah well, I can always draw them up again, never fear,” said Trenton with a wave of his hand. “Farewell, Mr. McDougall! It has been a pleasure!”

His voice followed Adam as he shoved open the door, storming through the building and out into the busy streets of London. He looked around him in disgust. He wanted nothing more to do with this city, this family, this business. He was a complete, utter fool. All he wanted now was to collect his things and go home. He could think of nothing else but to return to the Highlands and be rid of this blasted place.

* * *

Rebecca had scarcely finished showing Eloise out the door when she heard a knock come once more on the front entrance.

“My goodness,” she muttered, as she assembled the teacups back on the tray. “What in heaven is happening today?”

Her heart fell further when Jackson showed in her apparent fiancé.

“Vincent,” she said in surprise, “What are you doing here? It is the middle of the work day!”

“Ah, but I couldn’t wait one more moment to hold my fiancée in my arms, now that we are finally, officially betrothed.”

Rebecca felt anger simmering in her belly as she looked him square in the face. “Did you know about this? The public engagement that I have never actually agreed to?”

“Of course,” he said with a shrug. “Your father suggested it and I agreed that it was an excellent idea.”

“And neither of you ever thought to ask me?”

“Does it really matter?” he asked, picking up her cup of tea and finishing it himself. “The end result would be the same.”

“But—”

“Come here, darling,” he said, reaching out a hand to her.

“No, I’d really rather—”

Her words were cut off as he pulled her to him, his mouth coming down hard on hers. She was so taken aback, she hardly knew how to respond. His lips were cold, his kiss unfeeling, unlike the warm, loving kisses she had shared with Adam. How she longed for his touch instead, which brought warm feelings of pleasure through her body, rather than the cold slither of ice she felt from Vincent.

She reached her hands between them, positioning them on his chest. She pushed with all her might, and while she didn’t move Vincent far, she did manage to put space between their bodies.

“Vincent I—”

Movement at the doorway caught her eye. “Adam?”

She heard the tread of his boot on the wooden floor as he continued past the doorway and strode down the hallway, and forgetting all about the man in front of her, she raced after him, her slippered feet barely making a noise as she ran up the stairs, following him to his bedroom.

“Adam!” she gasped. “Stop.”

“I’ve seen enough,” he said, keeping his back to her as he found his bag and began throwing the few items of clothing he had brought with him into it.

“Where are you going?” she asked, as he moved about, seemingly in great haste.

“Home,” he said curtly, and her eyes flew up from his bag to his broad figure.

“Home? Back to the Highlands?”

“Of course. Where else would you figure my home to be?”

“But I — Adam, what you saw in the parlor, I did not ask for it. Vincent, he came and he took me aback, it was so sudden, and I — I was pushing him off me when you came in. It was not—” She stuttered as she somehow felt the need to tell him the truth of the matter so that he would know where her heart still lay.

“You need not explain anything about that to me,” he said, his voice an emotionless tone that seemed to dismiss her as if she meant nothing to him. “I knew you were to marry the man. It was not unexpected.”

“Then why are you so angry? Why are you leaving?”

“Why do you think?” he turned around and faced her, his face tight with anger and emotion, all now trained on her. “I know, Rebecca. I found the patent letters on your father’s desk. Tell me, was anything you felt for me real? Did you really think you had to sleep with me, to pretend to love me, in order to get what you wanted?”

She reeled back at his words, in utter shock at his anger. Who was this man who would speak to her like this? Why was he being so cruel?”

“I do not know what you’re talking about,” she said, trying to remain stoic. “I made love with you because I wanted to and for no other reason. I thought it was a good idea for you to come here in order to help you with your invention. I don’t know what papers you are speaking of, but I have nothing to do with that. I have no part of my father’s business, as he will not share any of it with me. And whatever it is you think I did, there is no reason to speak to me as you are.”

“Your father has told me the truth, that you helped lure me here in order for him to steal my work.”

She gasped. “I would never do such a thing. Is that what he told you? Is that what he’s doing?”

“He is,” he said, and hefted his bag on his shoulder. “Now will you get out of my way?”

She stood as tall as she was able, coming as close to eye-to-eye with him as she could. “You should know me better than that,” she said, trying not to allow the tears to form in her eyes as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I would never, ever do that to you. If you actually believe such a thing, well, there is nothing I can do for that but feel sorry for you.”

“Goodbye, Rebecca,” he said, pushing past her, down the stairs and out the door, as she simply gaped at him as she watched him leave.