Page 25 of Lady of Providence
"Ah, do you think so, then?" he asked, and she could practically hear his mouth curving into a smile, though she refused to look up at him to see. For then she would be lost in his deep blue eyes, and all of her vows to keep herself from falling for him once more would be forgotten.
"Everyone believes so," she answered deftly. "Tell me, have you been keeping well?"
"I have," he said. "And you?"
"I suppose I have as well. Though it has been a... busy time."
Apparently, he read more into her words, words that were so carefully cultivated within this artificial conversation that was becoming rather ridiculous. When would this dance be over, so that she could continue on her way and take care of her necessary business?
"Have you been having any difficulties with partners and clients?"
"The partners seem to be split about equally on their thoughts of me," she said, not betraying how much it hurt that they would doubt her so, as expected as it was. "I believe they would all come around, were it not for Henry. He has been doing all he can to stir doubt in their minds as to my capabilities as well as the bank's reputation with a woman at the helm. While fortunately, the interrogation into the will’s validity proved all was credible, it did create some doubts as to the bank’s future, another obstacle to now overcome. I also visited Mr. Mortimer, and he could not remember signing over his share to Henry. His wife does recall Henry coming to visit, but she was not in the room with the two of them. Mr. Mortimer also had no recollection of who I was. His memory is fading fast, but his family has no wish to discuss it. So much so, that they will not come forward and deny Henry's claim, despite their anger at his treachery.”
"Do they not want to ensure the partnership stays within the family, despite what that could mean?”
"His wife and two currently unwed daughters have no wish for anything to do with the bank," Elizabeth explained. "They likely would have forfeited the partnership back to the bank, so they are not angry enough to actually take any action. In fact, one of the daughters is not so much angry now, but hopes that Henry might ask for her hand, and then the partnership would be retained within the family anyway."
"Has Henry any inclination to marry the girl?" Gabriel asked, surprise in his tone, and Elizabeth smiled ruefully.
"Likely not. I suspect that he has begun a flirtation in order to win the family to his side, but I cannot prove anything. All I can do now, if I choose, is to deny his partnership, but I'm not sure how the other partners would react."
"Please know that I am happy to help you in any way that I can."
"I appreciate that, Gab— Your Grace, I do, but this is something I must do on my own."
"You are a remarkable woman, Elizabeth."
She wished he wouldn't say such things to her. It softened her resolve toward him, one that needed to be built up.
"I am only doing what must be done," she said. "What my grandfather would have wanted."
"But is this whatyouwant?"
She looked up at him finally, then, as she thought on his words and tried to determine just how to best answer them. His eyes met hers, probing deeply, and she felt that connection they had once shared — the ability to talk to him about things that actually mattered, to be able to share her innermost thoughts. She had to be careful, however, for he could now use those words against her.
"It is what I want," she finally answered as she thought of her role with the bank, the fulfillment it provided her. "I enjoy having purpose and, if I am being honest, the power that comes with such a role. It is somewhat frightening, I suppose, to know that decisions I make could so greatly affect many others — especially those who have their entire life savings with us, for however big or small that might be, it is a fortune to each of them. And yet... I do not trust anyone else with such decisions. I must remember that my grandfather asked this of me, and it is important that I follow through."
"So you are happy then?"
"I am. Or, I will be once I feel surer of myself, more at ease that this will not all be wrenched away from me."
"This doubt, this fight," he said, "You must know it will never completely disappear. There have been women in banking before, it is true, but not many. This is an industry controlled by men—"
"Aren't they all?" she interrupted, but he continued.
"—And there will always be men who feel threatened by you, who will not want to see you succeed. Are you prepared to fight that battle for the rest of your life?"
"Are you attempting to dissuade me?" she asked, pulling back from him. "Do you still doubt me?"
"I do not doubt you," he said. "Not at all. I am aware of your abilities. And yet, I wonder if this will be a happy life, always fighting to prove your worth."
"Whether it will be a happy life or not, I cannot answer that, not at the moment," she said, looking back at his chest instead of into his face. "But it is a life that matters, and one that I will not give up on just because there are those who doubt me and want to see to my downfall. In fact, that is all the more reason to fight on."
"Then I offer you my support as well as my admiration once more," he said. "For it will not be easy, but if anyone can do this, it is you."
She nodded, unsure of how she felt about his words. Was he purposefully trying to goad her, or was he seriously unsure of whether she was able to handle this or not?
As if reading her thoughts, he lowered his head so that his mouth brushed against her ear ever so slightly. "I do not doubt you, Elizabeth, never think that. I never have."
