Or at least she could try. Provided she arrived on time. She turned to Weiss, who was lounging across from her, legs stretched out, humming, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Can we go any faster?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“We’re being pulled by mere horses, not Pegasus,” he said, folding back the thick, tasseled curtains to peer out the window. “Also, there are people in the street. I thought you were in the risk business.”
A fair point—not that she would acknowledge it. She was still his boss and needed her dignity.
“But this is important.” She pouted, folding her arms. “This is—” And the carriage skittered to a halt just past Bevis Marks, causing her to bump her head against the seat, probably crinkling the back of her bonnet and wilting her feathers. Not that such things mattered at the moment, though if she was going to see Aaron one last time, she might as well highlight all the good qualities she did possess.
“What was that?” she asked her companion as she restyled herself.
“I don’t know, but it looks as if another carriage just stopped short and is blocking our path.” He frowned as he rose. “I’ll see what is happening.”
Before Isabelle could say anything, Weiss slid out the door, leaving her alone, tapping her toe. She folded her arms as her pulse began to speed. What was the matter? Aaron was waiting. Well, not waiting, but with limited time before he left for America and—the door swung back open and Weiss stuck his head inside.
“We have company. Or more, you do.” He slid inside, settling next to her, as all three Berab brothers entered and took the seat across.
The five of them sat in an uncomfortable silence for a long moment.
“To what do I owe this honor?” she finally asked, working not to squirm nor appear disengaged, even if her entire being longed to bolt from the carriage and run, not walk, to Aaron. Because that would only make things worse. Especially if she’d truly insulted them, as Weiss had suggested. Even if the chasm was rooted in a misconstruction, she needed to try to put it right.
“I apologize for any inconvenience, but we were finishing with the morning service and I saw you through the window of Mr. Weiss’s carriage and decided that we needed to speak. Needed to have this out and set a plan into motion to best protect our clients. Before tonight.” It was David who spoke. “Before our most likely final meeting.”
“I suppose we do.” Isabelle took a deep breath, working to choose her words as carefully as she could. “I—I believe we might misunderstand each other.”
The older man paused, cocking his head. “Do we?” He narrowed his eyes, his thick, graying brows knitting.
“Yes.” She nodded before swallowing. Mercy, this was so difficult, but if she was to be a true leader, she was going to need to learn when to set her pride aside for the good of the whole. If only Aaron was here to squeeze her hand while she did it.
But he wasn’t. And that was her own fault, so she was just going to have to go it alone. She cleared her throat. “I, um, I would like to apologize if I ever made you believe that I do not respect you and all you do for the company.” Grimacing, she tried again. “More so, for not properly acknowledging and showing respect for what you do for the company. What you did for my father. You were such good friends—for so many years.”
“I considered him a brother.” David’s voice was soft.
“I know he felt the same.” She leaned forward and pressed a gloved hand to her collar. “And I would never, ever want to imply that I seek to dislodge you, or know more than you do, or that he knew more—I respect you and your judgment too much. I don’t want to lead the company—I want to be a partner to you. Not in the same way my father was—I know I will never be him—but in a new way, based on a new relationship that we build together. Where I listen to and learn from you, if you will permit it.”
Not that she’d ever articulated it that way completely, not to herself, but that was the full plan, the goal, the hope.
He blinked at her for a moment. “Truly? Then why, the moment he died, did you burst in and try to run me out?”
Run him out? Isabelle stared at him. Was that how he saw what she had been doing? Were his purposes the same as hers?
Isabelle wet her lips as she again sought the correct phrasing. After all, while what they’d done to her wasn’t exactly forgivable, sometimes, when emotion was involved and everyone was hurting, someone needed to de-escalate, whether they were in the wrong or not.
“I apologize. The last thing I wanted was to run you out. I was grieving and wanted to feel close to him again, and I was disrespectful to you and the business. I was rude and pushy and arrogant, and I’m sorry.”
There was a moment of silence. Louis glared at her, while Roger cocked his head pensively. However, David just stared, eyes wide.
“Yes, but you’re twenty-three,” he finally said before hanging his head, shoulders slumping. “I’m almost twice your age. I should have reacted better. Not gone to war. Not treated you as an enemy when you are practically family.”
“Yes. Not to mention try to force her into marriage,” Weiss said mildly.
“She’s twenty-three and would have been thinking about marriage anyway. My brothers are available and suitable.” David waved a dismissive hand. “I just thought you were determined to wrest control of the company. Which would have been foolish, given your experience, and harmful to the business.” He turned to Isabelle. “I’m not an ogre. I presumed—wrongly—that if working together was truly important to you, enlisting one of my brothers as a buffer was the best way to keep us both at peace and worms out of my coat pockets.”
“Pardon?” Weiss gasped, turning to her.
Apparently, they were going to be airing all the dirty laundry now.
“No one can prove they didn’t crawl in there on their own.” Isabelle gave a slightly guilty shrug. “That occurred the same day I discovered he’d hidden multiple files from me,” she added.
