Mr. Holloway’s shoulders slumped. “I’m starting to understand.”
“Good, then make out my bearer bonds, please. And see that my other investments are transferred to Mr. Rupert the day after tomorrow. I’ll be staying in town until all the Finnances aresettled. If you have any need to reach me, I can be found at the address on the bottom of the paper through the end of the week.” Rosalind nodded toward the paper she’d given him.
“Very well, Miss Cald— Mrs. Amos. The man looked almost pained as he studied the instructions. Then he slowly opened the top drawer of his desk and began filling out slips of paper, which he soon handed to Rosalind.
Yuri didn’t know how bankers made money, but he had a feeling Mr. Holloway would be losing a decent chunk of commission money with Rosalind closing her accounts.
After a few minutes, the banker stood to his feet and came around the desk. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you all these years, Mrs. Amos, and with your mother before you. I’m sorry to see our relationship end.”
Rosalind stood, and Yuri stood immediately afterward, extending his arm to support her. He had a feeling her ribs were rather painful.
“Thank you, Mr. Holloway. Have a good day.” She settled her hand on Yuri’s arm.
“Have a good day as well,” he mumbled as they let themselves out of the office.
The moment they closed the door behind them, Rosalind released a breath and reached for her ribs. “It hurts, Yuri.”
“Let me take you back to the hotel. You can rest for the remainder of the day.”
She clutched his arm tightly through the sleeve of his suitcoat, leaning her weight on him as they started toward the elevator.
“You were amazing in there,” he whispered low enough for no one else to hear.
She slanted him a worried glance. “I was so nervous.”
“I know, but you were also brave.”
She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know how you can say that when I feel like I might fall apart.”
“You might feel like falling apart, but you never do. I haven’t seen it happen once,” he murmured. “You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known.”
And he meant it. His wife might not have marched into this bank with the same level of confidence that Kate had performing surgeries, but she’d gone in with a solid plan and let the banker know her wishes even though she’d been nervous and in pain and had endured years of abuse.
He wasn’t lying when he said she was one of the strongest people he’d ever known.
35
Rosalind sucked in a breath, trying not to wince as the carriage hit a bump in the road.
Yuri frowned from where he sat across from her. “I thought you told me the pain was getting better?”
“It is.” Or rather, it had been. Until she’d decided to overdo it today. Her ribs had been screaming at her for the past several hours, and in a single afternoon, it felt like she’d lost all the progress she’d made after three weeks of healing.
But at least her money was safe. A bit of pain was a small price to pay for that, wasn’t it? Now the only thing she was waiting for was the transfer of her stocks and ownership shares. That would take a few days, but as soon as everything had been moved to Riggs and Company, she’d be able to go anywhere in the country without worrying about her father having access to her money.
It almost seemed too good to be true.
Still, she’d rather not have the pain. She pressed a hand to the bottom of her ribs, where the pain was always the worst, then looked up to find Yuri watching her.
The moment their eyes met, he stood and moved to the other side of the carriage, positioning his warm body right next to her.
“Don’t tell me you’re fine.” He wrapped an arm around her, tugging her against him. “I can see the pain on your face. How bad does it hurt?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she pressed her eyes shut and settled into his warmth.
He held her there for a few seconds, his fingers stroking idly up and down her arm as the carriage rattled and bumped its way toward their hotel. When he finally spoke, his voice rumbled out of his chest, low and deep. “I wish you would have gone back to the hotel to rest after you finished at District National Bank.”
“Mr. Holloway was right. Having my money converted into bearer bonds was a huge risk. Anyone could have taken the bonds from me and put my money into their own accounts. I wanted to see that they were deposited before the banks closed.”
