Page 33 of Beyond Scandal and Desire
“Only as private as you’re comfortable with. Why don’t we start by going up the stairs so you can look out over the balcony? The view is better.”
Glancing up, she nodded. He offered his arm. She laid her fingers on his forearm, and his groin tightened with her light touch. Good God, he’d probably double over if she touched him with any real purpose. He acknowledged a few people he passed: a baker, a dressmaker, a milliner, all of whom would be tenants in his shops. He’d extended invitations to several in the nobility but fewer than half a dozen, not counting Kipwick and Lady Aslyn, had made an appearance. The ones who had were young bucks with no reputation to worry over. For the others, he was good enough to invest with but not to socialize with. Always the stigma of his birth haunted him.
“This hotel suits you,” she said quietly. “It’s strong and bold, masculine and yet warm and welcoming. A lady would feel comfortable here.”
“I hope so. I need those of the feminine persuasion to visit my tearoom.”
She smiled at him. “You have a tearoom?”
“Fancy insisted. Then we have an area for the gents with billiards and spirits. My brothers were responsible for that.”
“I think it’s wonderful that you welcome their opinions.”
“They’re going to offer them whether or not I welcome them.”
“It must be marvelous to have so many siblings. Kip and I would have each grown up alone if my parents hadn’t died.”
“How did they die?” he asked.
“Railway accident. Horrendous thing. Twenty-seven souls lost. I wasn’t the only child of a nobleman to be orphaned that night. I’ve yet to take a journey by railway. Can’t bring myself to do it. Even riding in a carriage makes me nervous. I’d rather walk where I am in control of my legs or ride a horse where I am in control of the reins. I suppose that makes me a bit of a coward.”
“I don’t find you cowardly at all.” But he would like to take her on the railway. When he was younger, he’d find ways to slip onto a car without a ticket. He’d made a vow to himself that one day he’d own his own car and travel wherever he damned well pleased. That goal had come to pass, and his car came in useful as he was scouting out areas in smaller towns that he could develop. He was especially interested in building a hotel at the seaside. People had more leisure time, and they were interested in escaping London for short periods of time. A man of vision could capitalize on that.
They reached the landing, and he walked her around to the balcony that looked down on the lobby. Behind them were a series of doors.
“What are the rooms up here for?” she asked. “Sleeping?”
“Not in this section. They can be rented for meetings or leased as offices.”
“Have you an office here?”
“On the top floor. I have suites where I live, offices where I work.”
“That must make things convenient.”
“For now.” Eventually he would build a majestic manor on a large stretch of land where his wife would entertain and his children could run barefoot over cool green grass instead of dirty cobblestones. Although for the most part, he suspected they’d be wearing shoes because they would always have shoes that fit and clothes that were not handed down from an older sibling or discovered on a rubbish heap and mended to be made serviceable.
People, who held no titles but possessed full coffers, wandered by, nodded toward him. A few tossed out a comment: “Splendid!”, “Well done, old chap!” But he cared little for their praise, cared only what she thought. None were dressed as fancy as she; none were as elegant. All lacked her polish. She didn’t have to scream she was above them, didn’t have to do anything at all to proclaim her place in the world. She had been born into it, had worn it all her life. Yet, he suspected even if she’d been taken to Ettie Trewlove’s door, she’d have still grown up to reflect her origins.
“Who are all these people?” she asked softly.
“Some will be tenants in the residences we will soon begin to build. Others will lease the shops. A few are friends, a couple I grew up with. Then there are lawyers, bankers, railway owners.”
“Do you invest in railways?”
“No, but it’s helpful to know where they are going to be built. A railway in the area increases the number of travelers who will be passing by the shops or who might require lodging for a night or two.”
“I’m impressed. A great deal of thought goes into what you do.”
“I like the challenge of it, figuring out how to maximize profits.”
She was studying his face closely, too closely. He knew his best course was to look away, to distract her, but he enjoyed cataloging her features, imagining his lips trailing along the edge where cloth failed to cover skin. He wanted to discover one freckle, one tiny freckle, to know the sun had kissed her where he longed to. It was torturous being in her company, not being allowed to touch, knowing he should never possess. He should send her on her way, ensure she wasn’t in his presence. Never before had he ever been so weak-willed. He was a man of strength, and yet he thought for her he’d go to his knees.
“How did you come to build your empire?” she asked.
“It’s hardly an empire.”
She leaned toward him slightly. “My goodness, are you blushing?”
