“But you don’t haveanymoney.”
“Yes, true.Though unpleasant.But we could have had it, long ago.”
“You clearly aren’t exploiting Indians currently, and honestly, your family didn’t do such a great job of doing it in the past, or you wouldn’t need an heiress so much now.Plus, you are half-Indian, so only half of your parentage is problematic in a colonial sense.It’s easier to handle.”
“Damned by faint praise; my family is too incompetent to take advantage of people.”
I rub his shoulder.“Just the brown ones.Don’t worry, I’m sure your white tenants don’t like you very much.”
“That does not make me feel better, actually.”
“Hey, maybe there is a decent person under all that champagne.”
“I would not go that far.But all right.No Miss Ogborn.What about Miss Presley?”
“Tell me about her.”I’m wary.What fresh hell will her father have done to make their fortune?
“Her father owns a coal mine.“
“Truly terrible labor conditions.But without the colonialism, so there’s that, I guess.”
“There’s also Miss Chilcott, whose father is a brewer.His beer is in almost every pub in the north, and he is expanding daily, it seems.He’s even in a few London pubs this season.”
“I still doubt anyone’s labor conditions at this time, but it must be better than a literal coal mine.”
“We will put Miss Chilcott at the top of our list.”He directs me gently to the drinks table.“That was hard work.Let’s toast to celebrate.”
“You and I have different definitions of work.”I refrain from saying that this may be why he has no money and has to marry an heiress, because I do need his goodwill.But I do note it for myself, so I remember we are two very different people.“Do you have any money at all?”I’m still curious about him.
“Such a frank question.Very curious for a woman.”
“I just mean that if you have some, maybe you can look into hiring a business manager, who can help with some investments or someone to help look for new agricultural opportunities.”
I could just tell him which companies to invest in, but I think that would be affecting the timeline a little too much.I can rationalize helping him with the wife because it was his idea and I’m sure he would have found someone eventually.And telling him to hire a professional seems fine because someone else would make the final business decisions.
Ugh.This accidental time travel business is fraught.
“I should go claim those dances.But I shall be back to collect ours presently,” Leo says.
“Sure.Yeah.Have fun.Woo some bank accounts.”I pump my fist in the bestgo get ’em, tigerway that I can as he walks away from me to take the hand of a beautiful woman in a pale pink silk dress.
Again, I have no right to be disappointed that I’m going to be on my own.He’s too old for me by over a hundred years, we’re completely wrong for one another, and, oh yeah, I might destroy the future if I get involved with him.Like there could be no airplanes.Or maybe the polio vaccine won’t be invented.Or maybe everyone will have a pet squirrel.
Okay, I could probably adapt to the last one.But still, that’s a lot to put on me.
I’ll just use my event skills and fade into the wallpaper.I don’t have a phone with me to help provide a distraction, but being a wallflower is more a state of mind than props, and I just need to channel the wallflower way.
The vintage wallflower way.
And not glare daggers at the woman who gets to dance with Leo.And laugh with him.And flutter her fan at him.
It’s fine.
CHAPTER10
The ground pitches and rolls as I stumble on the top deck of Victoria’s royal yacht, holding on tighter to Leo for balance.He tucks the muscular arm I’m holding tighter against his solid torso and extends his other hand in case my stumbles turn into full-on falls.A very real danger.
Although the risk of a fall might be worth it to be wrapped in Leo’s arms again.I’m in so many layers I don’t think I can physically bruise from the fall, and I missed him last night.His banter, his touch (through layers of clothes), and his carefree approach to life (even when it annoys me) were all things I got used to at our first ball, and all things I missed at the second.Since he was busy enjoying the fruits of our plan.And I was busy keeping a plant company.
