Page 60 of The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child
“Thank you. I always feel reassured by having your view of things.”
“As to that, given his lordship thought your exposé was about him, ergo he’s wealthy enough to be the latest Golden Ball, I take that to mean that he’s rather wealthier than the typical duke’s second son?”
“From his almost-comical conviction that I was referring to him, I would say that’s definitely the case. He was no more wealthy than the typical duke’s second son before he left for America, and he certainly knows what the term ‘the latest Golden Ball’ implies.”
“Has he given you any inkling of how he came to make his money?”
She grinned. “He said it started with him stumbling upon a gold nugget in California. He used the cash that raised to invest, and his fortune grew to what it is now.” That was, in fact, all she knew of how Gray acquired his extraordinary wealth.
Silas allowed Cottesloe to help him into his heavy coat. “From what he and I discussed,” Silas said, “he seems to have a sound head on his shoulders regarding industry and manufacturing and investing in the same. Impressive, and not the sort of education one gets at Eton. Only way he could know half of what he does is if he’d studied the business closely, as an investor or owner would.”
She smiled, understanding that Silas was reassuring her that as far as he could tell, Gray had, indeed, amassed his fortune via investing.
Once Silas had wound a thick muffler about his throat and set the hat Cottesloe handed him on his head, she stretched up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for coming and being so helpful.”
“Not at all, my dear. Indeed, I found the evening thoroughly refreshing.” He caught her gaze and nodded. “Do take care, but with his lordship involved, I expect all will resolve itself in short order.”
“I can only hope.” She went with him onto the porch and watched him descend the steps. His footman helped him into his coach. Once the door was shut, she waved and, through the coach window, saw Silas raise a hand in salute, then the coach rumbled off.
With a satisfied sigh, she returned to the hall and allowed Cottesloe to shut the door. She paused, hearing again Silas’s confident tone as he assured her that Gray was the investor he purported to be. Not that she’d imagined anything else, but it was comforting to have a man like Silas—so very experienced in judging men—give such a favorable report.
“Will there be anything else, my lady?”
She glanced at Cottesloe. “Lord Child confirmed he’ll be here for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Very good, my lady. I’ll convey the information to Mrs. Hagen—she’ll appreciate the notice.”
Izzy smiled. “Indeed.” She walked to the drawing room and, pausing in the doorway, caught the attention of her mother and her sister, who’d had their heads together, chatting. “I’m for bed. Are you coming?”
The pair looked at each other, then her mother waved her on. “In a moment, darling. You go on. We’ll be up shortly.”
Izzy nodded and turned away to hide her wry smile. They were, undoubtedly, discussing Child.
With free and easy—lighthearted—steps, she made for the stairs. The evening had been significantly more revealing than she’d expected, and indeed, some of those revelations were not what she would have predicted.
All in all, with respect to Grayson Child, she had quite a lot to assimilate.
Chapter 9
The following morning, Izzy glanced across the breakfast table at Gray, who was systematically demolishing a mound of kedgeree, and felt a disorienting sense of…domesticity.
Utterly nonsensical!
Seeking distraction, she said, “Last evening, you mentioned you were thinking of entering politics.”
He glanced at her, met her eyes, swallowed, and waved his fork. “What’s your opinion of Russell’s ministry?”
The question almost shocked her. Gentlemen invariably assumed that ladies other than those of political bent—such as the established political hostesses—knew nothing of such subjects. Those gentlemen were wrong, yet…
She wondered if Gray had forgotten the unscripted rules of English society or whether things were different in America.
As if guessing her thoughts, he caught her eye. “Regardless of whether you have any interest in the subject, I’m sure that, as editor ofThe Crier, you keep abreast of the latest news, including the vicissitudes of political fortunes.”
Gray watched as, somewhat cautiously, Izzy inclined her head.
“Indeed, that’s true.” She paused as if collecting her thoughts, then ventured, “For all his reformist zeal, Russell is hedged about and constrained by others in his party. However, the primary source of instability comes from Palmerston’s ambitions.”
He picked up his coffee cup. “That’s certainly the case at the moment. What do you think of Palmerston?”
