“I don’t have enough money to keep the college afloat,” she said simply.
“How much did you inherit when our father died?” Liam asked with his mouth full.
“A lot, but not enough to run the college. I need my uncle to reverse his decision to stop funding the college, and you can help with that.”
Liam leaned back on the bench and met her gaze. “Cut to the chase. I want to know how much you inherited and what part I’ll get.”
Well, that was blunt. She wasn’t accustomed to such frank speaking, but he had a right to know. “Twelve million,” she said, watching Liam’s jaw drop. “You might get half.”
He recovered quickly. “Might? What’s stopping me from getting half?”
“Me.”
It was time to fight for the college, and she would be as blunt and aggressive as Liam. He still didn’t understand the realities of his legal situation, so she would spell it out.
“Our father had two huge assets: his partnership in the bank and his personal estate. The bank’s operating agreement dictated that his shares could only go to the nearest living male relative, so they went to Uncle Oscar. His personal estate was another matter. He had complete freedom to dispose of his estate however he chose, and he left every dime of it to me. He left no provision for you.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed, and he lifted his chin. “And you’re cutting me out of it.”
“I haven’t said so.” Her father would have wanted her to split the estate with Liam, and she would, but she refused to show all her cards at once. Liam was about to become a very powerful man, and they needed to cooperate with each other. “I know what Father would have wanted. He was a great man and would want me to give you half . . . provided that you use your shares in the bank to support the college.”
Liam studied her as silence stretched between them. “So that’s how it’s going to be. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”
“That’s one way of putting it. I’d rather suggest that we help each other. You will encounter difficult businessmen at the bank, and I can teach you the best way to negotiate with them.”
Liam snorted. “I learned about businessmen when I dropped out of school in the eighth grade and joined a union. Come at them hard, fast, and don’t take no for an answer. Your fancy college means nothing to me. Any power I claw away from the Blackstones will be used on behalf of the workingmen of this world.”
She silently cringed. Everything about Liam, from his brash manners to the pride he took in his eighth-grade education, was destined to be a catastrophe in the Blackstone boardroom.
She swiveled her eyes to Patrick, silently begging for help. He needed no prompting.
“You are about to walk into a den of snakes,” Patrick said, making no effort to mask his Irish brogue. “These people don’t fight with fists or words but with alliances and legal technicalities. I’ll have your back and so will your sister, but nothing in this world comes for free. She’s going to expect you to come through for her, and she’s not wrong in asking for it.”
Then Patrick directed his strong, Irish brogue toward her. “Gwen, you can’t expect Liam to walk away from a crusade he’s fought all his life. It would drain him of the fire that’s made him the survivor he is. Like it or not, you two are going to have to get along with each other.”
She rocked back in her bench. Liam was the one who needed fixing, not her.
Suddenly, her optimism about their three-week retreat to the Queens campus seemed far less certain.
24
Defending Gwen from Liam’s wisecracks was trying Patrick’s patience, but he hoped the situation would improve once they were no longer trapped in a train compartment. They would each have their own bedroom at the dormitory in Queens, and the extra breathing room would be welcome.
Patrick liked the Queens campus even though it was only a single building located next to a horse stable and a fenced grazing area. They were in the heart of the city, surrounded by a tobacco shop, a pencil factory, and a delicatessen. This plain brick building would be their home for the next three weeks while they tried to smooth Liam’s rough edges and teach him the basics of how to function in refined society.
The first floor of the building contained a research laboratory, classrooms, and a large common area with tables for both dining and studying. Dormitory rooms filled the two floors above. A couple of stable hands lived on the top floor to look after the horses, but the entire second floor was empty because there weren’t students here during the summer.
The dormitory rooms each had a single bed, a chest of drawers, and a desk. Patrick insisted Gwen have the only room with a view of the horse pasture. He could sense how uneasy she was in this noisy urban environment, but he and Liam loved it. Frankly, the dormitory was newer and nicer than any place either of them had ever lived.
He was helping Liam unpack when Gwen tapped on the open door of his room.
“I’ve brought herbal sachets for everyone,” she said, holding out several little lace-covered packets.
“What’s a sachet?” Liam asked.
She set a couple on his pillow. “They are pouches of scented herbs to make things smell nice. I made these with lemon balm and lavender from my garden. They’ll make your dormitory feel a little more like home.”
Liam snorted. “I don’t need that sort of girly stuff.”
