He poured a healthy measure and handed it over to the grateful man. He leaned back in his seat and crossed one leg over the other, wondering how much longer until he cracked.
“Tell me, have you received offers in the past, Sir Clarkeson?”
“Many. You are certainly not the first.”
“Deary. Do you truly believe that?” Gideon responded, skimming once again over the documents of the Den’s dealings in the last several years. “I may end up being the last.”
“That is what you say, Your Grace. But you have yet to actually offer anything. Vague remarks such as the fact I ‘will be greatly compensated’ and ‘shall want for nothing’ will not put food on my plate.”
“You are right.” Gideon suppressed his victorious grin. He’d pushed the man far enough that he was all but begging to learn more. “I wish to purchase it for one hundred thousand pounds.”
Sir Clarkeson choked on his brandy, then began to cough so furiously that tears came to his eyes. Gideon came to his side,papers still in hand and patted him on the back. “Have I alarmed you?” he asked with a mixture of mirth and concern. “Or perhaps you seek more?”
“One-one hundred thousand—” Sir Clarkeson choked again as if the words themselves were too difficult to say aloud. “Your Grace, are you certain?”
“I would not suggest such a figure if I weren’t.” Gideon had conducted enough background research on the place over the last decade as he had strewn his revenge plot. Of course, he was not foolish enough to realize he was paying well over the market value, but there werecertainfacts that the present owner of the land was not aware of. Facts that would only appreciate that piece of land’s value for the decades to come. It would be more than worth the temporary setback. Certain that he had Sir Clarkeson in the palm of his hands now, he grinned. “I have had my eye on the Serpent’s Den for some time now and I have decided it is now time for me to finally make my move.”
“And what a lucrative move you have made, Your Grace! Your offer has certainly caught my eye! However…”
Gideon’s grin slipped. “However…?”
Sir Clarkeson cleared his throat, straightening in his seat. “After hearing such an… outlandish offer, it would be quite rash of me to give you a response right away.” That backfired. “This is an important decision, as you must know. I should think about it first.”
“What is there to think about? You have never received an offer like this before. I thought you would be jumping at the chance.”
“Of course, of course!” Sir Clarkeson seemed too excited and too flustered to focus on anything Gideon was actually saying. The note of victory Gideon had felt was slowly ebbing away to reveal annoyance. “But if I am to make a sound decision, I must confer with my solicitor. Perhaps we may meet again in a few days’ time?”
Gideon swallowed his irritation and nodded. “Three days.”
“Three days? Perfect, perfect.” Sir Clarkeson surged to his feet. “Then I shall take my leave and give you my response when we meet next. My solicitor will be joining us when the time comes, also. If everything goes well, the contract should be prepared by then.”
Gideon stood as well. “I will have my pen ready,” he murmured.
“Your confidence knows no bounds, Your Grace,” Sir Clarkeson barked with a laugh as he began to make his way to the door. Gideon followed, reaching around him to open the door. Thomas was waiting patiently on the other side and, as soon as the door opened, he turned and bowed deeply.
“Again, thank you for indulging me this fine afternoon and I shall see you in three days’ time,” Gideon said as amiably as he could.
Sir Clarkeson gave his farewells, hardly able to contain the fact that he was still reeling from the figure Gideon had announced. But even as Gideon watched him leave, trailing behind the butler, he felt a sense of unease. He’d planned fervently for this meeting to end in a solid agreement but he supposed he hadn’t heard a rejection. All he would have to do was make sure that he was fully prepared to sign an agreement in three days.
He ran his fingers through his dark locks, letting out a sigh to release his frustration. In the quiet that settled within the room, his thoughts inevitably drifted to Amelia as they had done all day. Ever since the early hours when he had sent word that he wouldn't be joining her for breakfast, she had been on his mind incessantly. Now that he was alone again, he found himself wondering about her day, whether she felt his absence at breakfast, or if she was longing to see him as he was to see her.
A glance at the grandfather clock indicated it was approaching dinner time. Without hesitation, he abandoned his study and began to make his way to the dining room, hoping that Amelia was already there. Seeing her again was all he needed to distract him from the slightly disappointing meeting he’d just had.
As soon as he stepped into the room, he spotted her already making her way to her seat. She paused at his entrance, her perfectly arched eyebrows lifting in surprise. The sight of her was like a punch to his gut, feeling like an addict witnessing their next fix. She looked as lovely as she always did, her brown curls appearing softer in the candlelight that swarmed the room.
“Gideon!” she exclaimed in surprise. “Are you finished with your meetings already?”
“You seem disappointed. I can schedule some more if you’d like?” he teased, a half-smile playing on his lips. He made his way over to her, reaching out to take both her hands. “And here I hoped you had thought of me all day.”
“Perhaps I did,” she answered shyly, a blush touching her cheeks. It deepened when he kissed the back of both her hands. “It is just that I had prepared myself to dine alone tonight. If I knew you would be joining me, I would have dressed in something better.”
“You are perfect as you are,” he grinned, studying her figure shamelessly. “My last meeting finished earlier than I’d anticipated,” he explained, catching a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes as he let go of her hands to pull out her chair for her.
“Did it not go well?” she asked, gracefully taking her seat.
“It went well enough. However, it seems further discussions will be necessary to finalize the new… venture I’m pursuing.”
“So it is a matter of business.” She sounded almost relieved. A footman approached to serve the first course of white soup before disappearing once more. “…Truthfully, I was a little afraid that it had something to do with your work as the…” she leaned in to whisper, “Masked Rogue.”
