“The old man finally departed. Poor fellow was infirm for longer than was polite.” The sun caught his face through the dappled spring leaves, illuminating his one blue, one green eye.
The man wasn’t good with words, so at least Leo could take comfort in that. “Are you in town to take your seat in the House of Lords?”
“Last month, yes. Decided to stay for the Season.”
“Surely you don’t need the Season to keep yourself company.” How many women had he bedded by now? The count must be astronomical.
Eyeball chuckled. “Don’t you understand, Leo? I’m a viscount now. And a lord is always in need of a wife. Carry on the lineage, all that.”
Leo made a noncommittal noise. Lineage didn’t matter if there was no money to go with it. It seemed to mean inheriting debt from poor investments, houses too old to be maintained, and herds of sheep and cattle.
“Speaking of, good friend. I hear you are associated with Drummonds?”
Leo shook his head. “No, I’m a private banker.”
Eyeball gave him a sideways smile that Leo associated with con men. Mostly because his father had been one. “With which bank?”
Leo tipped his hat. “I must be off. Good day, my lord.” He began walking before Eyeball could catch up. He didn’t trust the man, and men he didn’t trust didn’t deserve his time.
“Wait now, Leo.” The man trotted after him, his horse on a lead behind him. “What has you cagey? Are you doing illegitimate business?” He grinned, looking annoyingly like the boy who’d been his friend so long ago.
Leo stopped in his tracks, suppressing all the desire he had to sigh or squeeze his eyes shut in exasperation. He stared down Eyeball. Enough of Leo’s life had been disreputable. He’d been disreputable since birth, and he was trying his best to make up for that. “Of course not.”
“I hear that you are the man to know when building a fortune. I’d like to give you my business.” Eyeball said, finally coming clean with his intent. “Legitimate or otherwise.”
“So you ambushed me in the park instead of making an appointment?” Leo’s palms were sweating, and he wasn’t sure why.
“I’d heard you were very selective about your clientele, and I hoped our old school days connection would aid my appeal.”
Leo shook his head. “Do you forget that we were both scholarship students? Your father hadn’t two shillings, let alone enough for me to work with.”
“Yes, well, times have changed.” Eyeball glared back at him. “Don’t be snobbish with me now, old chum.”
Leo arranged his face in the politest expression he could muster. “I am not taking on new clients at the moment. My roster is full. Should you still be in need of assistance, you can check back with me next year.” This time he gave a formal bow, one that could not be mistaken for anything but cold dismissal.
“I’m not even sure what you do, exactly, Leo. That’s what I want to find out. So I can do it on my own.” Eyeball called after him. “Just give me the basics, I’ll catch on after that.”
Leo turned on his heel. “If I gave away my secrets, my demand would fall. I think not. Good day.”
*
“GEORGIE,I’M GETTINGyou your own suite.” Prudence had thought and thought and thought. She’d lain in her bed, soft and comfortable with a goose-down tick both above and below her, and thought. She’d breakfasted at the dining table, the pale-yellow walls accented with white chair railings and crown molding gleaming, while she took her coffee and toast and thought. She pretended to read the newspaper, seated in her lounge, the rich cream-colored damask glinting gold in the brilliant morning sun streaming through the large windows, while she thought.
If she were to embark on a tryst, a full-on affair, she had to sort a few things first. Namely, privacy and birth control. She couldn’t be gossiped about, and she certainly could not become pregnant. Not for the scandal, and not for the mountain climb ahead of her.
Ophelia was demanding training days as a group be reinstated, which only made sense. They needed to see each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Next year around this time, they’d be boarding a ship to France to begin what could be a month-long journey, given weather and political conditions. Any time with Mr. Moon would have to be built around those mandatory meetings.
But the biggest obstacle was Georgie, her paid companion. She could dismiss the woman entirely, true, but a companion was there to ensure her respectability. Dismissing her would signal either poverty or scandal.
Georgie, for her part, just blinked at Prudence. The young woman had many excellent qualities: Georgie could haul luggage like an ox, never believed anyone at face value, and was loyal to a fault.
“Why?” Georgie asked. She was pretty enough, with dark hair and large dark eyes.
“Don’t you want your own space?” Prudence asked, hoping to distract her. But Georgie was tenacious.
“Is there something I’ve done wrong?” Georgie asked, a line forming between her two dark brows.
“Not at all,” Prudence assured her. In fact, Georgie was far better as a companion than she ever could have hoped. She was the niece of the housekeeper they’d had in upstate New York. She was young, uninterested in marriage, and not terribly good at working in service. She didn’t possess the ability to be obsequious, which apparently often bothered her employers.
