Chapter Four #2
“It is a pleasure to see you again,” the man said, sounding quite obsequious. Well, he probably suspected Gideon was an important personage, since the manager treated him like a king whenever he dined there.
It would not be a large leap for him to figure out Gideon was a silent partner. However, Gideon had been adamant about the truth of his ownership being kept confidential.
The ma?tre d’ eyed Berry. She was not the usual sort of lady seen on his arm.
Gideon had taken Jasmine and Chloe here last week, and those beauties were quite memorable. Tall, lithe, and unabashedly mercenary. They were every man’s fantasy, and yet he had never felt a tug to his heart for either of them. Not even a glimmer or a twinge.
But Berry put his heart in spasms.
Not that he would ever admit it to her.
No, he could never. They were from different worlds and could very well destroy each other if ever they got too close. Worlds colliding. Would not end well.
It would crush him if he ever hurt Berry.
Besides, why change anything? Why upend his comfortable existence? He was better off with meaningless dalliances, escorting ladies like Jasmine or Chloe who looked out for themselves first and only.
And he was no good boy, either. He liked to provoke those Upper Crust wastrels like Hawthorne.
This was why just last week, he had walked in here with those two stunning ladies on his arms, ordering the best champagne, and tossing coins to the help so that they clustered around him and ignored their other well-heeled patrons.
He had done it purely for the joy of shoving his wealth and power in the faces of so-called gentlemen like Hawthorne.
It was completely foolish, childish, and unbecoming of him.
He did it anyway.
Berry had never been here before, and her eyes were wide with curiosity. “They gave us the best table in the place,” she remarked as he held out a seat for her. “Is the owner a friend of yours? I noticed the ma?tre d’ turned away several diners, but he led us right in.”
“Yes, the owner and I are the best of friends.”
She cast him another of her disarming smiles. “Well, he ought to be very proud. This is a lovely establishment. I cannot wait to try the duck cassoulet.”
Lord Berwick eyed him speculatively, no doubt suspecting he was more than a mere patron here.
Gideon ignored the man’s stare and ordered wine for them. He then made suggestions about the fare, for he knew which dishes were the most popular besides the cassoulet.
Once they had ordered, he began the business discussions. “Lord Berwick, will you tell me your thoughts on what ought to be done with the funds raised at Lady Berry’s charity affair?”
He then turned to Berry. “I’d like your opinion, too, Lady Berry.
I’ll listen for now. I would like to learn your process, watch how the two of you make your decisions on how those funds are disbursed, what reserves to hold back, and what the priorities for your spending are, since it has obviously worked out well for many years. ”
“The children are always the priority,” Lord Berwick explained.
“We budget for their needs first. Food, shelter, clothing, education. We estimate our spending for the month, the quarter, and the entire year. We also allocate for supplies and building maintenance. Unexpected repairs are always a concern.”
“There’s also wages for the teachers and staff,” Berry added.
Gideon added the numbers in his head, and then frowned. “Seventy mouths to feed daily, the upkeep on clothes, wages for five teachers, would you say? And an equal number of clerical staff?”
Berry nodded.
“But there must be a shortfall.”
“Yes,” Lord Berwick said. “Lady Berry makes it up from her personal investments every year.”
“My needs are fairly modest,” she explained.
“My largest expenditures are my own staff, my horses, and my gowns, and those are easily covered by my income, which always exceeds my expenses due to Lord Berwick’s wise management.
But what we have not been able to do is expand the size of the orphanage.
No matter how we look at it, we cannot support more than seventy orphans a year. ”
“But that is seventy lives that you have saved, Lady Berry,” Gideon said with sincere gratitude, for he had been one of those orphans. “It is very generous of you.”
She blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Knight. I am pleased, of course. But I would love to increase that number to one hundred children, if possible. I have an idea for how to do it, but neither Lord Berwick nor I have the expertise necessary to bring it about.”
“What is the idea? I am fairly well connected in business circles. Perhaps I can help.”
Their food was served, so their discussion was set aside for the moment while they ate.
Gideon took pleasure in watching Berry sample her dish.
“Oh, this duck is delicious!” She smiled at him as though he had delivered a miracle.
“No wonder everyone wishes to dine here. I have never tasted anything so good. Which gives me an idea for next year’s charity event.
Do you think the owner would allow me to hold it here?
Or is it a foolish idea? I suppose the cost would be too high.
But it might be worth comparing budgets, the cost of setting it at my home versus the costs of having it held here. ”
“We can price it out,” Gideon said. “I think the owner would be amenable and might even reduce his prices to accommodate you. Write out a list of what you’ll require and I will evaluate the costs for you.”
Lord Berwick liked the possibility. “A change of venue, the best food in London. We could get more donors than ever.”
“And they might be more generous on a full and sated stomach,” Berry added.
“The Denby Arms is a draw in itself. You might charge a small fee for attendance.”
Berry appeared shocked by the suggestion. “How can I charge my friends? No, that is impossible.”
“This is not a dinner party, but a charity event to be held at London’s most exclusive dining establishment.
They know they are being invited to help raise funds for the orphanage.
If they refuse to pay over a few pounds to have the finest meal they will ever experience in their lifetimes, then you do not need them attending.
Wastrels like Viscount Hawthorne are never going to give you so much as a shilling toward those orphans.
But he will order the most expensive champagne and guzzle it down like there’s no tomorrow. ”
Perhaps he had been a little too honest with Berry. She appeared distressed. “You really dislike Lord Hawthorne, don’t you?”
“Yes, and men like him. They are given every privilege and show not a smidgeon of gratitude. In fact, they… Never mind. And do not fret about the suggestion of an attendance charge. I would never press you to do it. But if you are amenable to considering it, we could meet with the directors of other major charities and get their opinion on its effectiveness. I know of a few that have done this with success. Let’s gather the facts and then you and Lord Berwick can decide what to do. ”
“Fair enough,” Berry said.
Gideon chose to divert the topic to something less confrontational. “What was your special idea for the orphanage’s expansion? You mentioned that you haven’t the expertise to bring it about. Why don’t you give me a try at it?”
“It is something I would have to show you,” Berry said. “I understand from Bonham that you will be on Duchess Square tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, the ballroom doors are to be installed. The next step is furnishing the house and decorating it. That is woefully outside my area of expertise,” he said with a pained laugh.
“I can help,” Berry eagerly volunteered. “Let me know once your doors are in and I’ll walk over. Did Bonham tell you I had some ideas that might be helpful to you?”
Gideon grinned. “Yes, he said I would be a fool not to take your advice.”
Berry laughed. “He’s quite a character. How did he lose his hearing?”
He choked on his wine and had to cough to clear his throat. “About that…”
“Do you think there is something that might be done? Perhaps if I had my physician look at him.”
Gideon coughed again. “No, not necessary.”
“Why?” She frowned. “Is it hopeless? Have you already sent him to doctors and they could do nothing for him?”
Gideon smothered the urge to laugh. “He is quite a lost cause, I assure you.”
He felt some remorse for perpetuating the misunderstanding.
He really ought to tell her that Bonham was his business partner and best friend, not his butler.
Nor was Bonham deaf. But she was enjoying her cassoulet and the evening was going pleasantly.
He did not want to end it on a sour note. He would tell her the truth tomorrow.
Lord Berwick cast him another speculative look, then shook his head and grinned.
Ah, he’d figured it out. Was he going to tell Berry?
No, Lord Berwick was not going to stick his oar in this harmless jest. He smiled at Gideon, and then asked the wine steward to pour him another glass. Perhaps he understood that Gideon was serious about protecting Berry and would never truly hurt her in any way.
Gideon hoped that much was clear.
When they finished their excellent repast, they stepped out of the Denby Arms into the warm night air to await his carriage. Loitering just outside was Viscount Hawthorne and a group of his drunken friends who had just been turned away.
“They let you in here, Knight?” the wastrel remarked, tossing him an imperious sneer that rankled Gideon. “They’ve certainly lowered their standards.”
“No, they’re still quite high. They tossed you out, didn’t they?” Gideon shot back, knowing he ought to have kept his mouth shut and not goaded the sot, especially while Berry and Lord Berwick were looking on.
But the man got under his skin. He had run up debts all over London. He drank to excess and lost at the gaming tables because he violated every commonsense rule when playing cards. First rule, stay sober.
Nor did Gideon like that the man was obviously lusting for Berry’s fortune. Not Berry herself. Hawthorne wanted to dig his claws into that big pile of money Lord Berwick had built up for her over the years.
Hawthorne cared for no one but his wastrel self.
“You filthy guttersnipe!” Hawthorne growled, and took a swing at Gideon.
Gideon saw the punch coming, easily blocked it, and twisted Hawthorne’s arm just hard enough to make him fall to his knees with a yelp of pain. Hawthorne’s three friends thought to attack him, but Gideon’s lethal glower froze them in their places.
He lifted Hawthorne up by his collar and shoved him at the friends. “Take him home and sober him up.”
They tossed daggers at him with their gazes, but were too afraid to actually challenge him. Wordlessly, they dragged a howling Hawthorne away.
Berry stared at him, wide-eyed. Lord Berwick was frowning.
Gideon had no intention of apologizing. “He started it.”
Gad, had he just said that? He sounded like a schoolboy being taken by the ears to the headmistress for fighting in the classroom.
“You could have ignored him,” Berry remarked.
“No, I could not. The man is a monumental…idiot.” Gideon had been going to call him something far more insulting, but Berry was already peeved. He was not going to give her more reasons to be angry with him. “He threw a punch at me, or did you miss that friendly gesture?”
She sighed. “I saw it.”
“He thinks his courtesy title gives him the right to stomp on people. I was merely reminding him that it does not. He’s fortunate I taught him a gentle lesson. I could have broken his arm or laid him out flat with a counterpunch.”
“Gentle?” Berry rolled her eyes. “You think twisting his arm almost to the point of breaking was gentle?”
“Yes. In my world, you do not show mercy when someone attempts to assault you. He’s fortunate I chose to play by your rules.”
His carriage arrived and he helped both of his companions into their seats, and then settled in the one opposite theirs.
Blast. The evening had gone smoothly until that cur had shown up and interfered.
Would Berry agree to see him tomorrow? Or was she going to remain angry and refuse to have anything more to do with him? Was Lord Berwick regretting his choice in successor trustee?
Gideon sighed. “I have no intention of apologizing to that oaf, but I do apologize to both of you. I am not a gentleman, as you may have guessed. If someone insults me, I defend myself. If anyone were to insult you, Lady Berry, I would defend you.”
“And if I were the one to insult you, Mr. Knight?” she asked.
He cast her a wry smile. “I would apologize to you without hesitation.”
His response obviously surprised her. “You would? Why?”
“Because you are the sweetest, kindest lady I have ever met, and no one has more compassion than you. If you were ever to insult me, I would immediately know that I was at fault and had somehow hurt your feelings. I would feel awful about that and seek to atone.”
“Oh.” She laughed softly. “I see.”
His response obviously met with Lord Berwick’s approval as well, for he chuckled. “Well said, Knight. You dug yourself out of that hole.”
Gideon leaned back against the fine leather squabs, relieved they were no longer angry with him, especially Berry.
Her impression of him mattered. He wanted her to like him, to admire and respect him.
Which was odd, because he generally did not care what others thought of him. And yet he yearned for Berry’s approval.
He hoped she would see him tomorrow.
Well, he would repair the damage if she remained angry. He knew how to charm a lady. He had mastered the tricks of seduction by the age of fifteen.
Not that he meant to seduce her, only charm her. If that did not work, then he would have to do a bit of groveling.
Bollocks.
He was never good at bending the knee and apologizing. In fact, he had never done it before. Not even as a child. This simply was not in his nature.
But he would do it for Berry.
She was studying him. For once, he could not read her expression.
Was he forgiven? Or was he still stuck in that hole?