“You don’t just invest in people,” she said slowly. “You invest inordinarypeople.”
He nodded. “Why invest in the firstborn son of a wealthy nobleman? He’s already got every advantage life has to offer, and probably no good ideas to show for it. Whereas there are a thousand brilliant notions a day—perhaps millions, who knows?—that are thought and forgot because the people who had them could not act on them.”
“That’s... very sweet.”
“It’s not sweet,” he said quickly. “It’s self-serving and lucrative. Every person I help to succeed, helps me to fatten my bank account. I’m not funding charities, Miss Parker. I’m providing capital in exchange for healthy interest rates. I make money using other people’s genius.”
“It’s still sweet,” she said airily, since for some reason the thought rankled him. “It’s as if you have the Christmas spirit year-round.”
“Ido not,” he said in a huff. “I have self-advancing financial acumen year-round.”
“Mm-hm,” she said. “A selfish egotist who creates opportunities for the less fortunate. Have you seen my porcelain palette?”
“Listen to me,” he said as he passed her the palette. “My dealings have nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with simple mathematics.”
“Is anything ever simple?” she asked.
“Some things are.” He fixed her with his sapphire eyes. “Let’s make an arrangement.”
“I don’t want your money,” she said quickly. Shedidthink his investment stratagems sweet, but Angelica would make her way on her own.
“So you mentioned.” His tone was bemused, as though he was not quite certain what to make of her. “We’ve also established that you are overworked, and that I am an adventurer in want of an adventure. I know little about this village—”
“I donothave time to play tour guide to tourists. There’s a guided walk about the castle grounds on Saturday afternoons.”
“—and I’m uninterested in doing what everyone else does.” His low burr warmed her skin. “The thought of living like a local until my business partners arrive amuses me, but I’ve no idea where to begin. Here’s the agreement. You help me assimilate and I’ll be your footman.”
“You’ll be mywhat?”
“Your servant; your errand boy. I’ll fetch your food, provide aural accompaniment—”
“Are youcertainyou’re skilled at making advantageous business arrangements?”
“I adore doing new things and meeting new people. What is boring and commonplace to you will be new and interesting to me. I’ve also never been a footman before, and I find the idea quite tickles me. I’m inordinately fond of improbable travel stories, and this arrangement has all the makings of a classic.”
“You’re speaking as if we’ve already agreed. What makes you think I’d want your ‘aural accompaniment?’”
“You told me yourself: loud chaos relaxes and revitalizes you. As it happens, ‘loud’ and ‘chaos’ are my top two talents.”
“I said myfamily’sloud chaos would be welcome. You are not family.”
“You said your relatives aren’t allowed to cross the threshold. I am, and I haven’t shut up yet. Clearly, it’s helping. You finished your tiara.”
“I’m—” She stared down at her work board.
Itwasfinished. She’d moved on to the matching earrings without registering. His voice and his stories were every bit as relaxing as the comforting noise of her family, but without the accompanying anxiety.
“All right,” she said slowly. “We can try it. Just until the duke arrives or I finish my work, whichever comes first.”
He grinned at her. “Agreed. What time should I bring dinner, and do you prefer red or white wine?”
“Just to make sure we understand each other,” she said firmly. “This is a ridiculous business arrangement, not a romance. I won’t entertain sins of the flesh until I’m married—”
“At which point it won’t be sins of the flesh,” he said helpfully. “It’ll just be pleasurable.”
“—and I’m uninterested in attracting a suitor,” she finished.
“I’ve no intention of suiting,” he said solemnly, “so we are very well matched indeed. I simply wish to explore my present surroundings as though I’ll never see them again, because that is, in fact, the plan.”
