Sheffield rose out of the morning haze like a city forged in a giants nightmare A hundred chimneys pierced the grey sky belching columns of black smoke that merged into a perpetual pall The clang of hammers the shriek of steam the rumble of carts on cobbles it was a symphony of industry relentless and overwhelming
To Isadora Blackwood looking from the window of the train compartment it was horrifying and exhilarating in equal measure The neat ordered world of Blackwood its greens and greys and quiet rhythms was gone replaced by this roaring chaotic dynamo
Its something isnt it Yves said beside her his own gaze fixed on the scene He was not looking at the industry but at the people the throngs of workers with soot smeared faces their postures weary but their steps purposeful There is a power here A different kind of power
Edmund smiled faintly from the opposite seat It is the power of the future son And we must understand it if we are to keep Blackwood relevant
The train hissed to a stop in the vast smoky cavern of the station The noise was immediate and assaulting Porters shouted trunks were hauled families reunited Isadora clutched her sketchbook to her chest a touchstone of her other life
Uncle Archie found them quickly His face a kinder older version of Freyas beamed from under a sensible hat Izzy My dear youve grown even more splendid He embraced her then shook hands firmly with Edmund and Yves The carriage is just here The city is a beast today
Archies house was in a quieter street away from the worst of the smoke It was a tall handsome red brick building with a black door and gleaming brass It spoke of quiet prosperity and good taste Inside it was all bookshelves and deep armchairs and the smell of polish and coffee
Chandler was waiting in the drawing room He stood as they entered a young man of twenty five with thoughtful grey eyes and hair the colour of wheat He was not classically handsome but there was a steadiness in his bearing an intelligence in his gaze that was deeply attractive His eyes found Isadoras immediately and a smile touched his lips a private quiet thing that was just for her
Miss Blackwood he said formally offering a slight bow but his eyes were dancing Welcome back to Sheffield
Mr Finch she replied matching his tone but feeling a blush rise to her cheeks The pleasure is all mine
The week unfolded in a pleasant rhythm Mornings were for business Edmund and Yves would go with Archie to meet factor agents men who bought wool or to visit the offices of engineering firms discussing new equipment for the estate Isadora often accompanied them sketching the machinery the workers the stark geometries of the factories Her art was her way of comprehending the incomprehensible
Afternoons were different Chandler would finish his duties at Sterling Mill and take her walking He showed her a different Sheffield The parks struggling to grow in the sooty air the libraries the debating halls He spoke of his work of the complexities of managing hundreds of workers of the vision of the mills owner Malcolm Sterling a self made man of fierce integrity
Its not so different from the land in a way he told her one afternoon as they walked along a canal path its murky water reflecting the iron sky You have to understand the soil the weather the sheep Here its the machines the markets the people The same principles of care and respect apply You cant just take you have to nurture
Isadora looked at him her heart full That is what my grandfather says That we are stewards
He is a wise man Chandler said He stopped walking turning to face her The noise of the city seemed to fade around them Isadora I… I must speak plainly These visits these letters… they are the highlight of my existence I know there are… obstacles Our situations are different
You are the son of a solicitor and I am the daughter of a second son she said softly It is not a grand match
It is the only match that matters to me he said his voice low but fierce I have no grand title to offer you Izzy Only my work my respect and my utter devotion I am building a life here a real one With your spirit your mind beside me… there is nothing we could not achieve Will you… may I hope
She did not let him finish She placed her fingers lightly on his lips Her touch was a promise He looked at her his breath catching
My heart has been yours Chandler Finch since I was fifteen and you showed me how to skip stones on the pond at Blackwood It is not a hope It is a fact
He took her hand his own trembling slightly and pressed a kiss to her palm a kiss that was a vow sealed
That evening at dinner the atmosphere was warm but charged Edmund watched his daughter and Chandler the quiet understanding that passed between them He saw the way Freyas brother Archie looked on with a mixture of pride and concern
They are a fine pair Archie said later to Edmund as they shared a port in the study But Alistair…
I know Edmund said swirling the dark liquid Alistair has other plans He wants Izzy for Delaney To consolidate his line To keep everything… pure He spat the last word
He will not succeed Archie said Alistair sees people as chess pieces He does not understand that a piece with a will of its own can overturn the whole board
Meanwhile in a private dining room at a Sheffield club far from Archies polite house another meeting was taking place Delaney Blackwood had not come to Sheffield for the scenery He sat across from a man named Finlay the recently promoted manager of the Sterling Mills finishing plant Finlay had a narrow face and eyes that darted like minnows
The shipment is confirmed Delaney said his voice a bored drawl It arrives on the docks next Tuesday You have the warehouse space
I do Finlay replied nervously But Mr Sterling is very particular And his son the Inspector…
Is a policeman in a backwater village Delaney interrupted Soon to be distracted by his own duties Your job is to receive the crates label them as industrial machine parts and store them The payment will be in your account by weeks end Do we understand each other
Finlay swallowed and nodded He understood perfectly The crates contained not machine parts but high quality opium refined for the London market Delaney was using the mills legitimate shipping routes to build his own empire an empire funded by the weakness of others It was a bold dangerous play and Finlay was now a part of it
As Delaney left the club he looked out at the smoky bustling city He felt a surge of contempt for its grubby energy This was his fathers future trade and industry He would use it but he would not be soiled by it He was a Blackwood His power came from land from blood When he had Izzy and her share of the estate when he had broken Chandlers influence over her he would return to where he belonged a king in his rightful stone castle
Back at Archies house Isadora lay awake The city sounds were a distant rumble She held her sketchbook open to a page where shed drawn not a factory but Chandlers profile the line of his jaw the set of his mouth Below it in her neat script she had written a single line
My steel my anchor my future.
The promise was made Now they would have to fight for it The quiet war for Isadoras heart had begun and its battlefield would stretch from the sooty streets of Sheffield to the green dales of Blackwood The first move however was still to come and it would be made not by a lover but by a father whose love was twisted into something dark and possessive