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“I am not sitting up here saying you have to do this or I will kick you out of the events that are happening this week. I only ask that you think about it. I have some time set aside for us to discuss it, otherwise there will be a slew of other activities going on. I will say this, though.” He paused while everyone looked up the table to him. “I will not work with people who still use slaves and refuse to pay their workers a salary. So if that is your belief then please, feel free to get up and leave right now.”
The room was quiet until Mr. Caulfield spoke almost cautiously, like he expected to be tossed out for speaking. “I notice not all of the people on the island are here. Is this something we are trying to keep from them?”
“Not at all. I will be reaching out to the others. But I wanted to start smaller to see if this was something that could get going. Then once it is set, we bring in more.”
He looked around the room at them all, noticing how most nodded at him. Even Elonne seemed like he was on board.
“And the women?”
Phillip glanced over to Mrs. Chari and gave her a smile. “You are a business owner. I want you here.” He pushed his plate to the side, giving the footman who picked it up a slight nod. “Waiting for things to arrive from England and other places can be unpredictable. And expensive. When we order something and it gets here, there are times that the price has nearly doubled.”
Everyone nodded in agreement about that. The problem was this was something that was happening more and more often, so the people of the island weren’t able to get all the items they had requested without spending nearly double what they had expected to spend.
This was his home and these were becoming his people. He wanted to protect them. And himself.
“How would it work?” Mr. Larson posed the question.
“I do not see anything changing other than we go to one another first. Like if I need building materials, I go to Mr. Oler and see what he can provide for me instead of putting in a huge order to England and waiting for months to get the items at a higher rate because of the distance.”
Mr. Caulfield nodded. “And if I had a crop ready to ship out and had the passage booked, but because I am a smaller plantation and won’t take up all the cargo space I see if, say, Mr. Tennemin had a shipment ready to go and then we split the cost of the ship.”
Phillip leaned back in his chair with a grunt. He may not like the man but Caulfield was getting the point of this. “Exactly. Needs will still be met, but we will no longer be working against one another. Mr. Caulfield and Mr. Tennemin do not sell the same thing. Again, they are not, nor should they consider they are, working against each other.”
Small murmurs of discussion broke out as those gathered talked about and mulled over what he had proposed. Pushing away from the table, Phillip gave them all a nod.
“That is the main reason for us gathering here, but it is also to get to know one another better. There will be drinks served in the sitting room in about an hour. I have a few things to attend to but I will see you there.”
He walked out and immediately found Keating’s sharp gaze. The man gave him a slight negative head shake and his gut dropped.
Where was she?
* * * *
Fyre wrung her hands together as the footman pulled down her two pieces of luggage and placed them on the ground. It was late. Too late for her to be arriving at the earl’s estate for a party. Darkness had already settled across the island.
Davie paused beside her as the carriage rolled away. “Miss Gwen?”
“It is late. I should not have come.”
“Nonsense. He has been worried about you. Your room is ready.”
Two other footmen came down and picked up her bags, leading the way to the door. She followed, paced by Davie. Unease was a tumultuous storm in her gut. She tried desperately not to think about Davie’s proclamation that Phillip had been worried about her.
I have to stop all this fancy in my head. He is an earl, and not for the likes of me.
Keating’s was the first face she saw when she stepped through the door. His cool gaze brushed over her before he inclined his head.
“Miss Gwen.”
“Mr. Keating. I apologize for my late arrival.”
“You are a guest, Miss Gwen. Your apology is not necessary.”
She forced a smile to her face. “Either way, it means you and more of your staff have to go out of your way to accommodate me and I do apologize.”
