Gabriel walked over to Mr. Bates and tapped him on the shoulder.
“If you need anything, Mr. Bates,” he said when the man turned to look at him, his own control returning after Elizabeth’s speech, “I shall remain at the side of the room in the chairs against the wall.”
Bates nodded, clearly appreciating the thought that someone else was available to back him if needed.
Gabriel sat in the corner, crossed his arms, and watched the proceedings.
*
Elizabeth had never been so exhausted in her whole life.
If she lost this bank, she would lose everything. As of this moment, it was just holding on. Thankfully her reassurance seemed to have held off some of the clients, and most of their significant clients had come to speak with her directly. While Elizabeth knew that no matter the size of the account, it was of equal importance to each client, when it came down to the bank’s financial picture, the larger accounts were, of course, the most vital.
Once she explained the truth of the situation, most agreed to remain with Clarke & Co., though she could tell some were skeptical. Between the lies spread by Henry, and the rumor—though true—he had shared with, it seemed, the partners of the bank, she wasn’t sure how long she could continue in her current capacity, or whether the bank could survive this.
She was letting her grandfather down, she thought, sinking her head into arms as she sat behind her desk. Elizabeth was nearly too tired to move, to find her way out of the bank and return home. Maybe she should just sleep here, she thought with some chagrin. She had the partner’s meeting in a couple of days. She could just stay here until then. What did it matter, anyway?
Elizabeth nearly jumped when there was a knock at the door, and when she bid entry to her visitor, she was surprised.
“Mr. Cartwright,” she greeted the elderly partner when he walked into the room. “Please, have a seat.”
He nodded, making his way over to the small conversation nook, where they sat next to one another. Elizabeth knew him fairly well, as the man has been a friend of her grandfather’s for so many years, yet she knew he had been as perplexed as many others when Thomas had named her his successor.
She opened her mouth but wasn’t entirely sure what to say. He was likely here to question her, suggest she leave the bank in the hands of someone else, but deep within she knew she wasn’t ready to let go. Despite the exhaustion upon her shoulders, she still had some fight let in her.
“Mr. Cartwright, I—”
He shook his head before she could say any more, and laid a hand upon hers in a fatherly way.
“Lady Elizabeth,” he said gently. “It has been a difficult day I am sure.”
She nodded, blinking back tears at his kindness. “It has.”
“Your grandfather was one of my greatest friends, and he is a man I admired all of my life,” Mr. Cartwright said, the tufts of hair bobbing around his head as he spoke, and Elizabeth could see that his fingers moved in concert, and she knew he was likely longing for the pipe he typically smoked.
“Did you know,” he continued, “That we grew up together?”
“I did,” Elizabeth said, having heard the story from Thomas a few times. “He said that you had always been close.”
“Since the day he protected me from the other boys picking on someone much smaller than them,” Mr. Cartwright said with a sentimental smile. “Thomas was always looking out for everyone else. He was the type of man who succeeded at everything to which he put his mind. Look what he did with this bank. He took a simple business and turned it into one of the most successful banks in London. A man who came from little was soon socializing with the nobility. Not many men can bridge that gap.”
Elizabeth nodded, well aware of all that he said, and Mr. Cartwright leaned forward, looking into Elizabeth’s eyes.
“Your grandfather believed in you. He put this bank in your hands. I was skeptical at first, I will admit that. A woman, the senior partner of a bank? I’d heard it done before, it was true, but at Clarke & Co., I wasn’t sure.”
Elizabeth nodded again, not trusting her voice. He was right. Perhaps she hadn’t been the best choice.
“But Lady Elizabeth,” he continued. “You have proven yourself as much as your grandfather ever did. You have handled everything with the decorum you were raised with as a lady, and still the strength that has been passed down from both your grandmother and grandfather. Your cousin has done much wrong by you, and still, you have maintained your poise, responding in a manner that most would be unable to manage. Needless to say, Lady Elizabeth, I am impressed.”
“But all of the clients today—”
“They will come back,” he reassured her. “No other bank in London offers the service of Clarke & Co., which they will soon realize for themselves. In addition, the fact that you allowed anyone who wished it to remove their money only proves that this bank is, by no means, failing. If your grandfather were here, Lady Elizabeth, he would be proud of you. I wanted you to know that.”
Elizabeth nodded, unable to form any words due to the lump in her throat. She swallowed a few times, and Mr. Cartwright, clearly seeing her struggle, patted her hand and began to rise.
“I shall see you at the partners’ meeting. Do not worry yourself,” he said with a smile as he began to depart the room.
Elizabeth finally managed, “Thank you, Mr. Cartwright,” as he gave a little wave and continued out the door.
Chapter Thirty-One
For the second time in the same week, Gabriel was stunned by the scene in front of him as his carriage pulled up before the doors of Clarke & Co. Once again, a line of people protruded from the entryway. This time, however, they were calm and orderly, and even Anderson didn’t look the slightest bit flustered.
This time, Gabriel didn’t rush into the building, but rather maintained the composed manner of the crowd itself and followed them in the door. Mr. Bates was standing at attention at his station, looking rather pleased, while clients were stepping up to clerks, some with hands full of papers.
“What in the world is happening?” Gabriel asked Mr. Bates as he looked around him.
Mr. Bates looked at him with a wide smile.
“They are returning, your grace!”
“Returning?” he looked back to Bates with what he was sure was a stupefied grin on his round face.
“Yes!” The man confirmed. “Can you believe it? It seems that most of them, upon returning home, realized that no other bank would have offered such a service, nor treated them so courteously despite the fact they were doing a run on it. They are now returning to re-hire the bank to store their savings, as it were, though many are somewhat shame-faced.”
“Well, I’ll be…”
Gabriel had never heard of such a thing before. It seemed that a bit of decorum and treating the customer with the utmost respect was actually the best action Elizabeth could have taken.
It was becoming clearer than ever before why Thomas Clarke had selected her as his successor. Not only did she have the temperament and the intellect, but the original senior partner had also trained her well.
“Mr. Bates?”
“Yes, your grace?”
“What are the thoughts of the staff over all that has occurred?”
“They stand behind Lady Elizabeth,” Bates said staunchly. “Just as they stood behind her grandfather. She is a good woman, your grace. She treats the staff fairly, pays them well, and knows them each personally. That’s not typical in most banks, your grace. No, they will not be seeking employment elsewhere, that is for certain.”
“Thank you, Bates,” Gabriel murmured as Bates turned back to the next client looking for his service.
A flash of royal blue caught his eye as he turned, and Gabriel looked up to see Elizabeth standing at the top of the staircase looking down on the lobby below. Even from afar, he could tell that her gaze was incredulous, as though she herself could hardly believe what was occurring. And then the slightest of
smiles graced her lips, and she nodded to herself before turning and hurrying back the way she came—likely to prepare for the meeting at hand.
Gabriel would miss this. Would miss her. It had been a strange position to find himself in, as a duke, and yet an endeavor he enjoyed. He sighed as he made his way to the stairs to find the meeting room. He would likely be the first to arrive, but perhaps a moment alone with Elizabeth would not be the worst idea.
*
Elizabeth tapped her quill pen nervously on the table. She ran her finger over the pen’s inscription once more as she awaited the partners to join her around the table. She had no idea what the reaction would be to her pronouncements today, and it scared her to think of it. But this was her role, her duty, and one she would not shirk.
The door nudged open, and Elizabeth looked up, expecting to see Mr. Brant, whom she had sent on an errand to collect a copy of the partners’ rules in case she had to explain any of her actions. He must have found them rather quickly, she surmised.
The frame filling the doorway, however, was not Mr. Brant’s. It was a wide, broad frame, one more familiar than any other man’s had ever been.
“Elizabeth.”
His voice, his very presence, caused her heart to beat more rapidly than it had been even moments before, yet at the same token, it was somewhat… reassuring to have him here. Which was ridiculous. She knew, however, that some way, somehow, Gabriel would always make sure everything would be all right. She didn’t have to worry when he was there with her.
Which was ridiculous, but a truth she could not deny.
And as she stared up at him, his hard gaze looking back down on her as he said nothing, all she wanted to do was jump from her chair and into his arms.
She loved him. Part of her had always loved him, she knew that. This, however, was stronger, more palpable. She yearned to be able to rush back into his arms as she had before, to be able to both tell him and show him all that was in her heart. She wanted to apologize, to tell him that she had been a fool and that they could do anything as long as they were together. Somehow she also knew, with every instinct she had, that nothing had occurred between him and Lady Pomfret, that the woman was being the nuisance she had always been. Gabriel was no more the same man he had been five years ago than Elizabeth was the same woman. And yet she had doubted him, holding onto her past hurts in order to protect her heart.
Elizabeth stood—to do what, she had no idea, but suddenly she was overcome by the need to tell him… something, to ensure that he wouldn’t leave again without knowing the depth of her feeling toward him.
He didn’t move back, and as she took a step toward him, all he said was, “I’m sorry, Elizabeth, for everything.”
Everything. For their time together in the gardens years ago? For their time together more recently? To the fact their intimate time together had been shared with the partners of this bank? She had no idea, but she was astounded. Gabriel hardly ever apologized. And this time, he really wasn’t the one who had done anything wrong.
“No, Gabriel, I—” But she was cut off by Mr. Brant’s return. He was closely followed by some of the partners, who looked between her and Gabriel questioningly as they filed in the room.
The connection was broken, and Gabriel took his customary seat in the corner as they both began to greet the arriving partners. She would talk to him later—she had no choice, really. Though there was something she had to do first. She had made a mistake and it was time to rectify that.
“Mr. Brant,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “Could I speak to you for a moment?”
When they returned to the room, it was full, and the six partners looked up at her with expectant faces. Elizabeth took a deep breath and was about to speak when Henry sauntered into the room, taking a seat across from her. Elizabeth simply nodded in greeting and then began.
“There are two items of business to discuss today,” she said, hearing the slightest of tremble in her voice, and she cleared her throat, willing it away. “The first is regarding our partners. It has come to my attention that there are two partners who are working not for this bank, but against it.”
Murmurs began around the table, and she held up a hand to silence them.
“As many of you know, my cousin, Mr. Henry Clarke, joined our bank a couple of months ago. I welcome family at this institution, of course, but Mr. Clarke has chosen to discredit both me and the bank in an attempt for me to step aside and provide him with the senior partnership.”
Henry began to protest, but as he did, Elizabeth held up a piece of paper.
“I have a signed letter from Sir Hugo regarding the information provided to him by Mr. Clarke. He has decided, upon learning from Mr. Cartwright that much of Mr. Clarke’s information was incorrect, to return to the bank.”
The chatter around the table began to swirl once again, and Henry stood.
“This is outrageous!”
“It is not, as you are well aware, Henry,” she said before addressing the rest of them. “As senior partner, I am choosing to remove Mr. Clarke as a partner in the bank. He has been informed of this already, so it is not a surprise. He will be replaced by Mr. Bates.”
“Mr. Bates?” came a voice from around the table. “The manager Mr. Bates?”
“The very one,” she confirmed. “He has been loyal to the bank, he knows the inner workings of the institution better than anyone, and he will be an asset to us, as previously discussed. Thank you for your service to the bank, Henry. Now, I will be removing one other partner.”
She saw heads begin to swivel, as they all turned to look at one another, nervous who it might be—each worried if he was the one? Gabriel simply stared at her, his face impassive, though the slightest of smiles teased his lips as he waited for his own dismissal.
“Mr. Lang,” she said to one of the partners, a man who had been with the bank for decades and was one of her grandfather’s close friends. “Have you recently come into an inheritance?”
The man furrowed his eyebrows together. “No.”
“You were, however, in a great deal of debt, were you not?”
“Lady Elizabeth, I hardly think—”
“Were you not?”
“I was,” he admitted, though the look he sent her way made her feel as though he was drawing his sword upon her.
“And that debt has been cleared?”
“It has.”
“Mr. Lang, I could, perhaps, forgive your initial deception, as my grandfather did. You have been a supporter of the bank for years, and I am aware that people become desperate when they fall into situations such as yours. If the theft of bank funds had ended there, I would have overlooked your betrayal. However, upon further review, your theft continued past the time in which my grandfather first spoke with you. You have continued to harm this bank, using money belonging to our clients in order to fund your betting at the horse track, which is unacceptable for a partner. You are dismissed as well.”
As she spoke, the man had begun to rise, and now he was standing, shaking his finger over her as he looked down upon her.
“You are a nasty woman! Your grandfather—”
“My grandfather forgave you the first time, due to your long friendship and standing at the bank. However, when I looked into the history of what had occurred and reviewed the current books, I realized that the pattern had continued. Thank you for your service, Mr. Lang.” She turned to Mr. Brant. “Please note that Mr. Brant will be replaced by Mr. Larkin, as previously discussed.”
She paused for a moment.
“That concludes our business regarding partners.” She caught Gabriel’s eye for just a moment, and he looked dumbfounded. She smiled. Good. It was hard to stun a man like Gabriel.
“And now, to discuss the recent accusations made against my character.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Gabriel could only stare at Elizabeth. He had been awaiting her dismissal of him. In fact, he had already been contemplating what he
would do following this shortened meeting. For once, Gabriel did not have a plan. No scheme in order to keep his role, nor to win back Elizabeth. For the first time in his life, he was simply going to accept his fate. Elizabeth could have what she wanted. A life without him as a partner, in any sense of the word.
Then she had completely surprised him by not saying a thing about him. Why? What had changed? He wondered what she was going to say to him when he walked into the room, had they not been interrupted by the arrival of the other partners. Had she changed her mind? But no… for clearly she would have told him before now, would she not have?
He awaited her words regarding her reputation. Gabriel felt as though he should stand up there with her, shoulder to shoulder, for it was his actions as much as her own that had been called into question. Yet he sensed that she needed to do this alone, to prove to herself if no one else that she could stand there, as a woman, to defend herself and show how strong she truly was. When she denied it, he would support her. While she may have turned him away, it wasn’t fair that she be the only one to have to respond to such accusations.
“The rumor that you have all heard is true.”
Gabriel’s jaw dropped along with the rest of the partners as she said the words. He could hardly believe it. Why had she not denied it? Once he backed her—as she had to have known he would—she could then have moved on, putting all of this behind her. Why was she risking everything with the truth?
The partners around him began to mutter to themselves, shaking their heads as they looked at her with some chagrin, judging her, questioning her.
“Lady Elizabeth,” began Mr. Cartwright, a man who Gabriel knew was quite friendly toward her, but surprised nonetheless. Elizabeth held up a finger, as though to signal she had more to say.
“As many of you know,” she continued, her voice strong, though her right pinkie was tapping nervously on the table before her, “The Duke and I were engaged to be married some time ago. Unfortunately, the marriage did not transpire, but we remained close. However, I firmly believe that anything that has occurred between us in a personal sense is, just that, personal, and should have no reflection upon the bank or the business we do. In fact, I will provide no further details as to what transpired. As you are partners in the bank, I have chosen to share this with you, but to anyone else, I will not justify their questions with an answer. They can think what they decide is true in their eyes.”
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