Page 60 of An Earl Like You
“Idiot,” muttered her father.
“Papa!”
“What else can I say?” Scowling, he put down his cup of coffee. “Livingston bought shares in a tin mine—one of Grenville’s schemes.” She just looked at him in reproach. He sighed. “The tin mine closed a year later. Livingston probably lost his stake. Is that what you want to hear?”
“I want to hear the truth. Were they your shares?”
“I didn’t make him buy them,” said Papa. “He came to me. Quite insistent he was, too, and offered me a premium for them. Was I supposed to refuse?”
Eliza’s eyes narrowed. “So Mr. Grenville persuaded you to buy into one of his cork-brained schemes, and then Lord Livingston offered you an easy way to make a profit.”
Papa looked exasperated. “That’s the way business works, Lilibeth.”
She frowned. She could see why Livingston might be unhappy, but it didn’t sound as though her father had cheated him. Was the viscount simply being vindictive? “What happened to the mine?”
He drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa for a moment. “I don’t know why you’re troubling your head about this. Investments go bad from time to time. It’s not unlike gambling, you know, and sometimes you lose. Anyone who doesn’t understand that should put his money in the four percents and leave it there. And before you accuse me of misleading Lord Livingston,” he added, wagging one finger at her, “I told him I thought it was a dodgy deal. Grenville thought he’d discovered a new way of extracting ore from old mines, but it only pulled up small amounts. Livingston brushed my warning aside. He wanted to take the chance that it would pay off magnificently, and I let him. That’s all.”
Eliza hesitated. “He was angry enough about it to end his son’s engagement...”
Papa raised his eyebrows. “And the young man agreed to that? Not a very devoted suitor.”
“No,” she murmured.
“I understand things are different with nobility—sons kept under their fathers’ thumbs and all that—but calling off an advantageous marriage for spite is idiocy,” Papa went on.
Eliza cleared her throat. “He offered to marry her after all for a larger settlement.”
Papa snorted in disgust. “Poor negotiation. You fix the price before you extend the offer.”
“But now poor Edith’s heart is broken,” Eliza said softly. “She loves him.”
“Then I am very sorry for her,” he replied more kindly. “But a man should keep his word. If he’s the sort who does not, she’s better off without him.”
Eliza agreed, but she couldn’t see why Lord Livingston felt so cheated by her father that he would spoil his son’s marriage to an eligible young lady. “It seems irrational...”
“Which is why I haven’t wasted much thought on Lord Livingston, and refuse to do so now.” Papa held out his cup, and Eliza obligingly poured him more coffee. “When shall I have a grandchild to bounce on my knee?”
Eliza blushed bright red. “Papa!”
He winked. “Patience isn’t my strength.” He paused, growing more serious. “Are you happy, Lilibeth? Is Hastings a good husband?”
“Yes.” Her mouth curved. “Very happy. If only this hadn’t happened to Lady Edith... She—she’s blamed me for her broken engagement.”
Pique flashed across his face. “That seems very undeserved. Are Lady Henrietta and her mother kind and welcoming?”
“Yes,” she said slowly. “At least, I think they’re warming to me.”
“But not initially?” His expression was grim.
“I suspect Lady Hastings had someone else in mind for Hugh to marry,” she confessed. “But she’s been gracious, and I believe she’s taking to me. We’re redecorating the drawing room together. And Henrietta... She followed her sister’s lead initially, but she’s a lovely girl. She’s becoming quite fond of Willy.”
“And Hastings?” her father pressed again. “Is he good to you?”
“Yes, Papa.” She gave him a warning look. “Don’t go browbeating him.”
“Why would I do that?” Papa acted surprised. “What does he need browbeating for?”
“Nothing.” Eliza meant to solve any lingering problems in her marriage herself. “It’s not your place.”
