Page 47 of Lady of Providence
“Fine, thank you, Sir Hugo, and you?”
“Very good, very good,” the man said, his round cheeks flushed, a cigar firmly clamped between his teeth. “Though I was hoping to find you here this evening. You are a partner at Clarke & Co., are you not?”
“I am,” Gabriel said, suddenly wary. “Though typically I find myself to be more of a silent partner.”
“Yes, well,” Sir Hugo continued, leaning in closer, though he didn’t lower his voice. “Clarke — Henry Clarke, that is — tells me that you are working from the inside, which I admire. It is not the rightful place for a woman to be at the head of the bank, I’ll tell you that — not at all. Good on you to work with Clarke in order to determine how best to remove ol’ Thomas’ granddaughter from her position. I respected the man, I did, but it seems his heart was a little too soft when it came to the woman.”
Gabriel’s heart began beating in panic, though he kept his composure. He had nearly dismissed the lies he had told Clarke, but he hadn’t expected the man to share with others to what he had agreed. If Elizabeth happened to hear of this, well… the consequences could be dire.
“I would not say that is entirely the way of it, Sir Hugo,” he said carefully, and the man looked at him conspiratorially.
“Well, it is not as though she is the type of woman you would otherwise court!” he said with a laugh, and his companion, Lord Baxtall, joined in.
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean,” Gabriel said, his countenance frosty, and Sir Hugo began to look slightly concerned as he realized that Gabriel might not be entirely pleased with what he had thought was an entertaining joke.
“Only that a potential duchess is certainly not a woman like Lady Elizabeth Moreland, who is more concerned with business than anything else — especially one who may see herself as above you!” Sir Hugo exclaimed. “Why, if a woman thinks she can tell others what to do within a business, I can only imagine what she might think within the home!” He laughed at his own joke, a long, loud chuckle, and Gabriel’s expression didn’t change.
“She doesn’t know her place,” Baxtell said with a wave of his hands, his mustache bobbing with his head as he agreed with his own sentiments. “A woman should be in the home, providing for her husband. If she does not yet have a husband, then she should be preparing for one. Women in places of business are nothing but trouble — for everyone involved.”
“Lady Elizabeth is certainly not the first woman to find herself a partner within a bank, and I have heard hardly a word of ill regarding the prospects of other such banks,” Gabriel responded, his words clipped. “Why do you believe in the toxicity of women in such a position?”
“Women are a distraction,” Baxtell continued, his voice annoyingly pompous, as though he were providing a lecture to the rest of them. “How is a man supposed to concentrate on matters of the day when he has a beautiful woman sitting in front of him? And how is a woman — particularly an unmarried one — supposed to even attempt to look into matters of business when she is surrounded by potential husbands? If she is married, how can she focus on the important work she must do if she is also concerned with matters regarding the household? It is not natural, Clarence, and I, for one, am glad you are doing something about it.”
Gabriel said nothing as he sat and stewed on their words. They were unfair to Elizabeth, that he knew — she was one of the most intelligent people he had ever met, far more so than these fools at the table next to him. Though he hated to admit it, he could see their point regarding her role as a duchess. The fact was that there was much to attend to, with various social events as well as philanthropic efforts and households to manage. Not that he couldn’t hire someone to see to such activities, but to have a completely absent wife would be difficult. Particularly if he had to attend to matters in the country — could Elizabeth leave London for a spell? Not likely.
Besides all of that, the woman didn’t seem to want him anyway.
“Tell me you are not actually listening to all of that horseshit,” Berkley murmured from across the table, taking a sip of his drink. “I can tell you, man, I thought that way for far too long and it got me into nothing but a heap of trouble. Allow your woman to be happy and you will be too, I can promise you that.”
He tipped his drink toward Gabriel, who gladly accepted his own once it arrived. That was one thing about White’s — it was predictable.
Unlike Elizabeth.
“Let me ask you something, Berkley,” he said now, moving the glass back and forth in front of him. “Is your wife always questioning you? Does she try to undermine you? It is one thing for a woman to have her own passions in life, but at the same time, a man must still have the power within his own home. What does that say about a man — a duke — if he cannot even control his wife?”
“It’s not about control,” Berkley reasoned. “That only spells more trouble. I do hope you are not actually working to remove her from the bank.”
“Not at all. I was actually trying to protect her from Clarke, though I’m not sure she would see it that way. You do not listen to your wife inallmatters, do you?” Gabriel asked, slightly incredulous, and Berkley only smiled.
“You have a lot to learn, son,” he said jokingly, and Gabriel rolled his eyes at his friend.
“Or,” Redmond chimed in, “Perhaps you need to determine if you’re asking the right questions. You are all talk of business and control. There are many marriages, however, that are convenient for many purposes but do not mean joining your entire lives together. For instance, would your woman mind you taking on a mistress or two, to keep things interesting?”
Gabriel turned his stare toward him. “She absolutely would mind. And I would never do such a thing — not again.”
Redmond held his hands up in the air. “Just a question! No need to be angry with me. Then, Clarence, what I would ask you is whether you really want one woman — one woman only! — for the rest of your life? I tell you, I can hardly imagine it. There are so many options out there awaiting you, the thought of giving all that up… I couldn’t do it. Not a chance.”
Gabriel smiled now, a slow, knowing smile.
“If it’s the right woman,” he said, thinking of Elizabeth — in his bed, in the boardroom, in his life — then absolutely.
But he would not grovel. He was a duke, and if he allowed her to make him beg before a true relationship even began, then he was only setting himself up for a life in which he would be brought lower than he was.
Gabriel wanted her, that much was true. But he had far too much pride to allow her to bring him to his knees once more. He had bent for her once already — in order to ask the question — but now it was up to her. He wouldn’t be made a fool, not again.
* * *
Gabriel didn’t stay longat White’s — only long enough to finish his drink and brood in the company of friends, before Berkley finally told him to go home and think on things with only his own miserable company. Gabriel readily agreed, but as he walked out the imposing dark doors, he jumped at a presence suddenly appearing at his right.
