“Before I ask him, I need to know, Papa…do you have faith in me?” She clasped his age-spotted hand in both of hers. As she contemplated the step she was about to take, one that would change her marriage forevermore, she needed to know that she was doing the right thing. “Do you believe that I have the wherewithal to do right by you—by myself and my children?”
“If I ever gave you reason to doubt your worth, that failing is mine and not yours.” Although his squeeze was weak, his gaze remained steady. “But what I think isn’t what counts. You, Gabriella, must have faith in yourself.”
34
It was nearingmidnight when Adam returned home the following evening.
Climbing the steps to his bedchamber, he lacked his usual vigor. He felt like a bloody wrung rag after collecting and reviewing the latest figures on his banks.
At least now he had his answer: the game was up.
Somehow, De Villier had gotten wind of Adam’s plans. In the past fortnight, the bastard had been methodically paying off his debts to the smaller banks. He’d probably pulled in the additional capital from personal investors, using the skyrocketing price of his stocks as bait to lure them in.
With every minute that passed, De Villier was slipping farther out of Adam’s grasp.
Adam didn’t know how De Villier had discovered that he’d been slowly and systematically buying up all of De Villier’s debts over the years. His best guess was that it had happened during the course of his amnesia; devil take it, he’d taken his eyes off the prize for asingle bloody moment…and now everything was falling apart. Coming down around him like a house of cards.
He had no one to blame but himself. He felt a rush of impotent fury. He’d been carrying on like a bloody mooncalf, cavorting on vacation with his wife, when heshouldhave been keeping tabs on his vengeance.
A powerful man isn’t blinded by sentiment,De Villier’s voice taunted him.
His hands fisted as he reached the floor of his suite.I’m not going to lie down and accept failure like the damned weakling De Villier thinks I am.I’ll fix this. Numquam obliviscar—never forget.
All hope wasn’t lost. There was still De Villier’s debt to Billings Bank: it amounted to nearly a million pounds, a sum that even De Villier couldn’t immediately raise. Speculative frenzy would only take him so far, especially when he wouldn’t be able to unveil his much-heralded steam engine: according to Adam’s inside source, the machine was still not viable. Despite De Villier’s threats and bribes, his engineers apparently couldn’t deliver the promised product.
Thus, if Adam managed to call in the debt soon, De Villier would have his throat exposed. With no locomotive to back his promises, his adoring public would abandon him. He would have no means of paying off the debt, and Adam wouldownhim at last.
Only one thing stood in Adam’s way: Curtis Billings.
Christ, it was just like his father-in-law to be a thorn in his side. Why couldn’t Billings just cock his toes and depart gracefully into the great beyond? But no, the stubborn bastard had to cling to life like a goddamned leech, rendering Adam’s options a great deal messier.
If Billings had just passed away, Billings Bank would have been under the control of Gabriella’s trust. Since the trustee, Isnard, was Adam’s puppet, Adam could have maneuvered the strings with no one the wiser. Now he’d have to go to his father-in-law, who detested him, and try to broker a deal.
He knew Billings would refuse. Not only to spite him, but because he would want to preserve his precious bank. That meant Adam might have to consider a radical move: to have Billings declared incompetent because of his illness. That would trigger the transfer of all of Billings’s assets, including the bank, into the trust…and, ergo, into Adam’s hands.
But what would that do to Adam’s marriage?
He’d arrived at his wife’s door. Pausing, he saw the light that seeped beneath, telling him that she was still awake. It was late, yet she’d waited up for him. He hadn’t seen her in nearly two days, the urge to be with her gnawing inside him. He yearned to leave the darkness behind and lose himself in her sweetness.
But that’s what caused this whole mess,a voice inside him sneered.You got distracted, got soft. That’s why De Villier’s gaining the upper hand.
His temples throbbed with frustration. He couldn’t deny that his feelings for Gabriella were muddying his thinking. As he’d contemplated the best way to get his plans back on track, he’d wrestled with his conscience. How would she react if he had her father declared incompetent? What would the implications to their marriage be? Would he lose her love forever?
She’s your wife. Her first loyalty is to you, the old, familiar voice in his head stated.
She loves her father,a newer voice argued.You’ll break her heart with this betrayal.
He dragged a hand through his hair, his eyes closing for a brief instant. The warring inside him was driving him mad. He didn’t even know who he was anymore.
Get a hold of yourself, man. Don’t be the weakling De Villier thinks you are.
Inhaling through his nose, he continued on to his own room. As much as he wanted to see Gabriella, he wasn’t in a good place to be with her. He needed time to align his thoughts and emotions, to regain control of himself and his life.
Entering his room, he dismissed his waiting valet and poured himself a whisky. Sipping meditatively, he couldn’t help but glance at the door that connected to Gabriella’s chamber; beneath it, light still shone through, which meant she was either awake…or she’d fallen asleep with the lamp on. With a pang, he remembered what she’d confided to him, that she’d been a restless sleeper until he started spending the night with her, and the impulse to go to her tore at his gut.
He didn’t know if he could trust this part of himself. It was one thing to have no limits in their sexual activities: he was all for that. Just thinking of stripping Gabriella of her inhibitions made him hard as rock. Emotions, however, were another matter.
He loved her, yes. More than he’d loved anyone.
