Chapter 3 #3
Eugenia and Patrick were amused by her. “I don’t know who he is, but I can tell you she’s not one of my clients. I’ve never made a skirt that short,” she said, and he laughed.
“I can tell you who he is. Austin Wylie, a very big-deal Texas oilman, whose multibillion-dollar fortune supposedly comes entirely from oil, but I have my doubts about that.”
“Really? That sounds intriguing,” Eugenia said with a smile.
“He’s made some very big deals,” and as he said it, the oilman himself approached Eugenia and asked to speak to her alone.
Patrick Hughes looked amused and slipped away discreetly.
Eugenia was shocked that Austin Wylie wanted to speak to her, and she noticed that Geoffrey, her future son-in-law, was deep in conversation with Wylie’s wife, and standing very close to her.
She seemed to be enjoying his company, more than anyone else would have.
“This isn’t the place to talk,” Austin Wylie said to Eugenia in a low voice.
“My wife is looking for a company to invest in. She was very excited to meet you tonight. She loves your clothes. I’m wondering if you would be open to having a conversation with me about it, at another time.
Just to hear what I have in mind. We have to keep our women happy,” he said with a dazzling smile, as she tried not to stare at the diamond rope around his neck.
He was a good-looking man with a masculine craggy face, but his accessories reminded her of Liberace.
“Would you be willing to give me your number? I’d like to call you and have a serious conversation.
Just the two of us, not Natasha of course.
” Eugenia didn’t know what to say, but it suddenly occurred to her that he might be the answer to her prayers, if he was looking for an investment to amuse his wife.
Eugenia couldn’t imagine a collaboration with her, given how she was dressed.
But as a silent partner in her business, anything was possible right now.
She was desperate, and Austin Wylie’s money was as good as anyone else’s, maybe better.
They weren’t distinguished or elegant, but he obviously was worth a fortune, which Patrick Hughes had confirmed.
“Of course,” she said, still taken aback by his interest and direct inquiry. He handed her two of his business cards then and a gold pen, and asked her to put her number on the back of the second one.
“I’ll call you,” he assured her, as she handed him the card back with her number on it.
“Soon,” he said, and walked across the patio to rescue his wife from Geoff.
He was practically salivating standing next to her as she thrust her breasts toward him, and they were almost touching.
She saw that Gloria had noticed it too and didn’t look pleased.
The couple left the party a few minutes later, having only come for cocktails with their weekend hosts, since Daphne hadn’t had room for two more guests at dinner, when they asked her. She rushed over to her mother then.
“I’m sorry, Mom, was that man hitting on you? We don’t know them. They’re houseguests of people we hardly know.”
“He wasn’t hitting on me, it was just business. Apparently his wife loves my clothes.”
“What does she do, cut them off to make them crotch-length?” Daphne commented.
“The dress she’s wearing is actually Chanel couture,” her mother informed her. “I recognize it. It’s a tunic meant to be worn with see-through pants. She forgot the pants, though,” Eugenia said, looking amused.
“She’s young enough to be his granddaughter, and she looks cheap,” Daphne said with disapproval.
“True,” Eugenia agreed with her, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she was rapidly becoming a beggar. If Austin Wylie wanted to invest in Eugenia Ward, or Princess Eugenie, or both, she wanted to hear what he had to say, if he called her. She wondered if he would.
“I sat you next to one of Phillip’s good friends tonight.
He’s an incredibly nice man. He’s had some tough times in the pandemic,” Daphne said, and then hurried off to speak to the caterers and tell them it was time to sit down.
It was nine-thirty, and a few minutes later Eugenia found herself seated next to Patrick Hughes, who seemed happy to see her.
The man on her other side was a neighbor of Daphne and Phillip’s whom Eugenia had met before, so she guessed that Phillip’s good friend who had had a hard time in the pandemic was Patrick, and they had that in common, although she didn’t say so.
“What did Wylie want, if it’s not indiscreet to ask? I saw him hand you his card.”
“He says he’s looking for an investment for his wife, and she loves my clothes,” Eugenia said simply, and Patrick nodded.
“I don’t know if you’re looking for investors, and there’s certainly plenty of money there.
I’d just be very careful. I’ve always had an odd feeling about where his money comes from.
I don’t know him well, but his name comes up from time to time on proposals I see.
He tried to buy a commercial building from me a few years ago, and the deal fell through when we wanted more detailed information from him, as part of our due diligence.
He vanished, which seemed smoky to me. It was a prime piece of real estate and he didn’t care about the price, he agreed to it immediately.
He’s certainly in the big leagues,” Patrick commented.
They talked about other things then, art and travel, and Europe. He seemed like a very straightforward, low-key person and she enjoyed talking to him. They were both sorry when the dinner ended and they got up from the table.
“I don’t want to interfere with your plans, but I wonder if you and your family would like to spend a day sailing with me. I have a boat here, and I’d love to have you all on board. We’ve got all the water toys to keep everyone happy for a day sail.” The invitation seemed warm and genuine.
“We’re a big group, there are ten of us.”
“The more the merrier. I’m very fond of Daphne and Phillip, and the others seem just as much fun and just as charming.
” It was a very appealing invitation, and she cautiously agreed.
“How would tomorrow be, if the weather cooperates? It’s supposed to be a nice day, with a light wind, and if not we can motor, throw anchor for lunch in a cove somewhere, and swim, waterski, whatever they want to do. ”
“That sounds irresistible,” she said with a smile, and he looked delighted.
“I’ll work out the details with Daphne. I’ll send a van for you with one of my crew. The yacht club is very near here,” he said, and a few minutes later he left, and Daphne mentioned the plan to her before they went back to their house.
“That was sweet of Patrick to invite us on the boat,” she said.
“Is it safe for you?” her mother asked her.
“As long as I don’t fall overboard.” Daphne laughed, and the family left in the two cars they had come in, Eugenia and Eloise with Gloria and Geoff in one, and Sofia and Brad, Stefano and Liz in the other. Eugenia told her group about the invitation on the way home.
“I can’t go, I get seasick looking at boats,” Geoff said immediately.
“I thought the British were first-class sailors,” Eugenia teased him a little.
“My ancestors were generals, not admirals. There is some belief that the Duke of Wellington is a distant relative. I’d rather stay home and read by the pool,” he said coolly.
“I’ll stay home with you,” Gloria volunteered immediately.
“You don’t need to. I can fend for myself for a day. I can go to the beach and take a walk, or stay here. Have fun with your family. It will be a nice change for you,” and a relief for them if he didn’t go.
Eugenia was just as happy he wasn’t coming, but she would be sorry if Gloria wasn’t there to enjoy it. They were still debating it when they got out of the car and headed to their house.
“I hope he doesn’t come,” Eloise whispered to her mother as they walked into the main house.
“Me too,” she whispered back. “It’s too bad for Gloria if she doesn’t come.”
“It’s her choice, Mom,” Eloise reminded her.
“It was a lovely evening, wasn’t it? Daphne did a beautiful job putting it together.”
“Who was that weird guy I saw you talking to, with the diamond necklace and the white croc boots and cowboy hat, with the woman who looked like a hooker? She had an accent.”
“He’s a Texan named Austin Wylie. The woman is his wife, she’s Russian.”
“They stood out like overdecorated Christmas trees,” Eloise said wryly. “And who’s the guy with the boat? He looked nice, if he was the man sitting next to you at dinner.”
“He’s a friend of Phillip’s. It was kind of him to invite us.” Eugenia had enjoyed talking to Patrick, he was very personable and easy.
“I hope the boat is big enough for all of us,” Eloise said, kissing her mother, and headed to her room to watch a movie in bed. It helped her fall asleep at night.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” Eugenia said, thinking of Austin Wylie, and wondering if he would call her about the investment. If he did, it was really the answer to her prayers. She was still thinking about it when she fell asleep. She didn’t care how weird the couple looked, she needed his money.