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“Well, what do you want to begin with? Is it calculating the crop yields, planning the renovations, or we can discuss the necessity of technological improvements in certain—”
Gabriel yawned. “Apologies, I got bored.”
Evie threw him a reproving gaze. “You said you wanted to work. So let’s work, shall we?”
“Is there a more exciting part to this ‘work’?” He grabbed her ledger from her hands and sifted through it. “It’s all numbers and statistics. Do you truly do this all day?”
“Well, yes.” Evie grabbed the ledger back from him with a violent tug. “It is numbers, and calculations and guessing. This is what running estates entails. I suppose it is boring for someone like you, but this is necessary for the well-being of tenants and improving the profits on the lands. It is the difference between a landowner like Montbrook or Bingham and one like my grandfather or—” She pursed her lips suddenly.
“Or my father,” Gabriel finished for her.
“He is a very clever and thoughtful landowner.”
Gabriel scoffed.
“I know you dislike him, but—”
“The land is his mistress and child. Yes, I know. I suppose he is competent at what he does. But since he never paid any interest to me, I never paid any interest to his pursuits. I was too busy—”
“Wallowing in self-pity?” Evie tried to hold back laughter, but a chuckle escaped her.
“You are laughing at my expense!” Gabriel narrowed his eyes on her before grinning. “Finally.”
The door opened then, and a maid brought in tea and biscuits.
“Finally,” Gabriel repeated under his breath, this time referring to the tray of food.
Evie poured the tea and returned to the ledger. “So, what do you want to go through first?”
Gabriel bit on the biscuit with a loud crunch and grimaced. He took the cup of tea and swallowed several gulps before turning to Evie. “This biscuit is abominable. How do you eat them?”
“I have never tried them,” Evie said with a laugh. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Well, for one thing, I think it is about a thousand years old. So it was probably prepared when none of the modern ingredients were developed.” Evie chuckled once again, and Gabriel shook his head. “No wonder you are so thin you look like a light wind would blow you away. I thought you said you didn’t eat well on our journey because you were ill in the closed carriage. What is the excuse now?”
Evie licked her lips.You. My broken heart. The loss of my grandfather and everything I ever held dear.“My Peacehaven cook is still back in Sussex, recovering from her injuries,” she said instead. “My London cook was replaced by the Montbrooks, perhaps because she was too costly, and she isn’t available anymore. She found a new household in no time. I really didn’t want to deal with seeking a new cook, so I left the one the Montbrooks hired. As you can see, they weren’t big on food.”
“Well, they were big on something,” Gabriel grumbled under his breath and sipped more tea.
“Since I see you are not interested in irrigation and fertilizing techniques,” Evie said to change the subject, “perhaps we can take a look at some investment opportunities.”
“Investments?”
“Yes, I know you took up an interest a few weeks ago. Perhaps you can walk me through some things. My grandfather left some papers about the ventures he thought would bring the most returns.” She stood and took a heap of papers from the bookshelf before returning to sit behind the table. “Here, he made calculations on probabilities of their growth and—”
“No, no, and no.” Gabriel shook his head and gently took the papers from her hands. “No calculations, no probabilities, none of that. Investing is a lot like gambling. You go with your inkling. The instinct. There is no way to predict which card will land on your lap—unless, of course, you cheat, which I would never do—so you take a chance based on the highest reward.”
Evie just blinked up at him.
“For instance, let’s say you and I were playing Vingt-Un. I deal you two cards, one is a jack, and another is a six. Do you stay, or do you ask for another card? You could win if I have a lower value, but if I have anything over sixteen and up to twenty-one, I win.”
“Yes, but if I ask for another card, I could get over twenty-one and lose.”
“Correct, but if you get anything from two to five, you have a better chance of winning. What if you hit vingt-un?”
Evie chuckled. “That’s pure chance!”
“Yes, and no. You could be sitting here and calculating all the odds and probabilities of hitting a vingt-un, or you could trust yourself. What is your inkling saying?”
