The Marriage Machine Read Online Free PDF Page A

will never undergo a premarital inspection. So no.”
    He nodded, as if he took it for granted that a woman like her would never be selected for marriage. His reaction insulted her, and she was about to retort that she’d received a coveted silver envelope—thank you very much. But good sense muffled the words before she uttered them. Besides, it was considered impolite to discuss a person’s upcoming nuptials with a stranger. Not everyone was “lucky” enough to be selected. A lot of people got passed over.
    Elspeth swept into the townhouse. She expected to enter a lavish interior of velvet drapery and lush woven carpets. Instead the décor was comprised of simple black wood furniture, white upholstery, and gray walls—a plain but not unpleasant arrangement. A single painting hung over the ancient unused fireplace. Elspeth looked up at the portrait of a man in an old-fashioned suit and was struck by his blazing blue eyes framed by prominent dark brows and black hair. He wore a critical, penetrating expression that bore down upon her.
    “My great-grandfather,” Ramsay commented behind her. His cologne settled over her in a seductive cloud. “Alexander Ramsay.”
    “I see a resemblance.”
    “That’s what they tell me.”
    “He looks as if he was a stern man.”
    “Times were dire when he sat for that portrait. Everyone was stern.” He touched her elbow. “Come. Bathe yourself, eat, and then we will talk.”
    Elspeth pulled back. “What’s there to talk about? And why me?”
    “I need someone who knows their way around that machine.” His lip curled. “Don’t take it personally.”
    “I don’t intend to.” She glanced back at the stern visage of Alexander Ramsay.
    The sight of Mark’s relative reminded her of her own family. “Is there a way to get a message to my aunt?” she asked. “To let her know that I am all right, and where I’m at?”
    “I will take care of it.”
    She had to trust him to do as she asked. She was powerless to do anything else. Like he had said, he could have her re-arrested in an instant. She decided not to argue with his agenda either. A bath and a decent meal would restore her. After she’d eaten, she would escape.
     
    Elspeth followed Ramsay up a grand staircase to the first floor. He ushered her into a chilly bedchamber that was larger than her aunt’s entire house. Before she could tell him that she could manage on her own, he started a bath and then fetched a small box from a closet. She watched, curious, as he wound a key in the back and set the box near the tub. It whirred, issuing a wave of hot air.
    “Whatever is that?” Elspeth gasped, ambling closer and holding out her cold hands.
    “Something I’ve been working on.” He watched her bask in the glow of the small heater. “It’s damnable cold in these windowless Londo houses.”
    “These windowless houses saved us from the radiation cloud.”
    But thoughts of the past dissipated as she studied the box he’d produced. Surely, she was looking at the future.
    Fascinated, she glanced up at him. “How can it be so small and yet create so much heat?”
    “It’s based on the same technology as the Flying Horse.”
    “Bacteria biofuel?”
    “Yes, but in a more compressed form.” He walked to the tub. “In small cartridges. It costs next to nothing to run.”
    Elspeth stared at the contraption. “You developed this?” she murmured.
    “Surprised?”
    She was. Mr. Big was becoming an even bigger enigma the more she got to know him. “Have you passed this by the Energy Board?”
    “It’s still in the testing stage.” He shut off the water. “Besides, do you really think they’d ever let such a cheap source of heat hit the market?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “It’s my theory,” he handed her a towel, “that the Overseers maintain their hold over Londo City by keeping the citizens cold and hungry. When a man’s hungry, he thinks of nothing but his next meal.”
    Elspeth nearly dropped the