Joy for Mourning

“Yes.” Alone. Laina blocked the thought from her mind and returned his smile. “And soon after, I shall have a wonderful party in those gardens. Elizabeth is helping me with the invitation list, and Madame Duval is making me a beautiful gown for the occasion.” She stepped close, threaded her hand through his arm and looked up at him. “You will be very proud of me. It will be my first effort to take Abigail’s place as hostess extraordinaire of Philadelphia society.”

“Well, don’t take on her astringent personality. You are enough of a challenge to me as you are.”

Laina laughed and squeezed his arm. “Surely you’re not calling me difficult?”

Justin grinned down at her. “There is no safe answer to that question. I shall ignore it.” She wrinkled her nose at him. He laughed and patted her hand. “I have good news.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“I had a letter from Judge today. Your house in New York has sold. You received an excellent price for it.” He guided her to the left. “Since you’ve no immediate need of it, if you wish, I will invest the money for you.”

Laina nodded. “I think that is wise. Do you have an investment in mind?”

“No. There are several to consider before making a final decision.”

“I see.” She tipped her head back and looked up at him. “Would the new waterworks be one of them? I am so favorably impressed with the running water in the kitchen and dressing rooms at Twiggs Manor. Surely others would be as taken with the idea.” She frowned as Justin chuckled. “You find my thoughts amusing?”

He quieted and looked down at her. “No, indeed. I find them impressive. Very impressive. I didn’t know my older sister had such an astute business instinct.”

Laina stopped walking and studied his face. “Truly?”

“Yes, truly.” Justin started walking again. “One of my basic requirements for a good investment is that the product or service be one that people either need or want. The waterworks is both.”

“I see.” She gave him a saucy smile. “Let’s keep my business instincts a secret, shall we? I don’t want anything to tarnish my society-leader image. But I do want the money invested in the waterworks. And equal portions of it in the new railroad company and the new freight line I’ve heard you speak of.”

“Again, very wise investments. Expansion to the west is increasing in leaps and bounds.” Justin laughed and shook his head as they climbed the steps to the back porch. “You amaze me, Laina. It shall be as you wish. I am yours to command.”

“Thank you, dearheart. You take good care of me.”

He shot her a sidelong look. “I thought so, but now I’m not so certain.”

Laina gave him a pat on his cheek and walked through the door he held open for her.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.