Claire inspected the fireplace, the chairs, the artifacts he had in careful display on the walls and on shelves, the bookcase filled with volumes of books, his desk, and the animals on the walls.

“You really amaze me, you know that. You obviously have impressive taste yet you don‟t display it in anything that is not

uniquely yours.”

“You‟re not coming into my home to change anything.

This is my house. The only room you‟re allowed to change is your bedroom and that‟s it. You‟re so afraid I‟m going to control you because I was trying to be nice and fix things up the way a typical

woman likes it.”

“In case you haven‟t noticed, I‟m not a typical woman.”

She faced him and crossed her arms, knowing her high neckline made it perfectly acceptable to do so. “I am a spinster. I grew up doing boy chores on a farm. I know more about books and

horses than I do about flowers and other dainty things. And just so you know, I will not go to a single luncheon or dinner party,

and I refuse to do any entertaining at this house. So don‟t expect me to follow in suit with what other wives are happy to do. I like

my privacy and won‟t compromise it for anyone or any amount of money. And you can tell your Mr. Bart that I didn‟t sign up for those things so I am well within my legal rights.”

“Well, that‟s great news because I hate those things too! I don‟t want you bringing people over here or dragging me off to

boring social events. The dance is all I can stomach.”

“So it seems we are in agreement.”

“I guess we are!”“There is one thing I would change about this room.”

“Here it comes.”

She ignored him. “You need a black bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. Then this room will be complete!”

“That‟s actually a good idea!”

“I am full of good ideas.”

“So you mean it. No dragging me to social functions or bringing people here?”

“When I get home from work, I like to read a book. I get enough of people all day and I need time to myself.”

“And you won‟t feminize my house?”

“That‟s not even a word.”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I‟m not going to decorate your precious house with feminine objects. Weren‟t you listening when I told you I don‟t like all that stuff?”

“So why are we fighting?” he yelled.

She paused as she processed everything they just agreed on. What were they arguing about? “I don‟t know, but I‟m sure

there was a good reason,” she said in a calmer voice.

He laughed. “And to think I was so scared of marriage.

You‟re actually going to be easy to live with.”

She relaxed and chuckled. “My friend lets her husband control everything she does and says. I was afraid you‟d try that with me.”

He walked over to his desk and sat in the chair behind it.

“I know husbands who are controlled by their wives. It‟s not pretty.” He took out some paper he had neatly folded into his

breast pocket and set them on the desk. “It‟s official. I own a building which will become hansworth Bank in a matter of weeks.”

“That‟s wonderful!”

He smiled. “I already asked Jasper to be the vice president. He and I will turn in our resignation letters to Matthew Moore right after New Year‟s Day.”“You would be surprised how many people in this town

are afraid of what will happen when Matthew retires. Jackson doesn‟t have a very good reputation with the women I‟ve talked to. He keeps a mistress in another town, and women don‟t like the thought of their own husbands being unfaithful.”

“Is that why you said you could hurt his reputation in this town?”

“Women are as upset about infidelity as they are about children being forced out of their homes because of foreclosure.”

“You should be a businesswoman. You understand your clients very well.”

“Oh, I wasn‟t trying to manipulate anyone. I just knew that many of the wives would want their husbands to pull out of

the bank if they were aware of what was going on. Hmm...I can see your point. I suppose a lot of women do have control over

their husbands.”

“I would call it influence instead of control in this situation. The women aren‟t allowed to close out their husbands‟ accounts. There is a great deal of apprehension from the male

side about what type of leader Jackson will make. What happened with you only confirmed those fears. The wives voicing that same fear is the support those men needed to approach me about opening my own bank.”

“I hadn‟t thought of it from that angle.”

As he turned his attention to filling out the paperwork, she walked over to the bookcase and examined the books. She was

impressed with the excellent condition the books were in. The library received books in such good shape but after people read

them, they lost their integrity. She longed to take a book out but wondered if he would allow it.

“Go ahead,” he softly said.

Startled, she looked at him. She hadn‟t meant to be so obvious. “I don‟t know. You keep everything in such good condition. I‟m almost afraid to touch anything in this room.”“I know you‟ll be careful with my things.”

She nodded and pulled the book off the shelf. “I didn‟t know you liked Jane austen.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “She‟s a woman author.”

“I‟m broad minded enough to think women have a lot to offer society. I enjoy her work.”

“This is one of my favorite books. Sense and Sensibility. The story of two sisters who represent two opposing forces: logic and emotion.”

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He seemed to be considering her analysis of the book. “I didn‟t think

anyone else in Virginia understood that.”

“Sometimes I like to seek out a deeper meaning to a story. But at other times, a story is just a story.” She picked out Tom

Sawyer by Mark Twain.

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has its elements in it but I prefer Jane Austen‟s work to Mark Twain‟s.”

“Don‟t let my brother hear you say that.”

“Which one is he?”

“The one with the mouse that escaped at the reception.”

He cringed. “I don‟t know how your family managed to pull that escapade off but you did an excellent job. People kept coming up to me and told me how impressed they were with my originality. I told them I had nothing to do with it. I do give credit where credit is due.”

"My brother's head is always in a book, so he was able to save the day. That was definitely not planned.”

“For what it‟s worth, you made a most beautiful bride. I don‟t know why you insist on wearing those buns. You turn many

heads when you wear your hair down.”

“Oh.” She blushed at his compliment. “I figured I had no one to impress so I started pulling my hair up and then it became

a habit. You really like the way I look when it‟s down?”“I do,” he softly admitted. “But don‟t wear it down because I said that. I don‟t want to be accused of controlling

you.”

She chuckled. “Now that I know you aren‟t trying to run my life, I can actually enjoy your company.” She put The Adventures

of Tom Sawyer back on the shelf. “Can I read this?” She showed him Sense and Sensibility.

“You have an open invitation to any book in this room.”

“I‟ll probably read all of them.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. I suppose not.” She studied the book for a moment.

“The irony with me is that I actually like logical Elinor more than emotional Marianne. Isn‟t that odd? I know I‟m nothing like Elinor.”

“Sometimes we like that which we lack. I always preferred Marianne myself. She had a lot of passion. She never did things

just because society dictated something to be done a certain way.”

“That surprises me because you are ruled by logic. Your world is very orderly.”

“Opposites attract.”

“Then I guess we better watch out. We just might become good friends in the next six months.” She took the book to the

chair by the fireplace. “Do you mind if I read here? It‟s more comfortable than my bedroom.”

He sighed. “I‟ll see what I can do about getting someone to decorate your room the way you want it. We‟ll also get you

clothes and a ring that you like. As for this room, since you appreciate it as much as I do, you may come in here anytime you

wish.”

“Thank you, Austin . That‟s very kind of you.”

He grinned before turning back to his paperwork.

She sat down and opened the book. Apparently, Austin wasn‟t so intimidating after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much love

V.A 💙

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