“Yes. My carriage wheel shattered, and we were sent tumbling through the vehicle. Fortunately, my driver was able to stop the carriage before there were any serious injuries.”
Mr. Harris shook his head. “The city really must do something about these roads. They are not safe, and someone will be killed one day.”
Amy studied him as he spoke, looking for anything in his demeanor that implied guilt at their injuries. Had he been the one to cut the wheel? Unfortunately for their investigation, he looked only curious and annoyed at the city for the poor maintenance of the roads.
They settled into their seats, and Harris rubbed his hands together. She refrained from rolling her eyes at his eagerness. Had the man no sense of refinement?
“Haverstock said you are interested in placing Lady Amy’s money in shipping?” He directed his comment to William, which immediately annoyed her. It was her money they were pretending to invest, but he bypassed her as if she weren’t even there.
William leaned back in his chair in a restful pose, his foot resting on his bent knee. He flipped the sides of his jacket back and stuck his thumbs into the small pockets in the font of his vest.
Harris, on the other hand, leaned forward, all excitement. Things must really be bad in the business, Amy thought.
“Actually, Lady Amy came to me for advice on how to invest a small portion of money she recently inherited. Since she is of age, it came directly to her and not through her father.”
Harris nodded. “Yes.”
Now it appeared William was purposely dragging out his comments, most likely to tantalize their target. She tried hard to hide her smile.
“I do a fairly good job of managing my own portfolio, so I took a look at what I felt was best for her ladyship, and it appeared to me that transportation is a sound venture.”
“Yes, yes.” More nodding. The man was practically drooling.
“I told her either railroads or shipping would be best.”
For the first time Mr. Harris acknowledged her by swinging his attention in her direction. “No, my lady. If I might offer a bit of advice myself. Railroads are not going to last. Too many problems with time schedules and such. Trains breaking down, unreliable, and so forth. You want to put your money into an industry that has been around almost since the beginning of time. Shipping is the soundest way to grow your money.”
Good heavens! She could almost feel the man fishing around in her pocket for the blunt to pour into his business. No one would ever accuse Mr. Harris of being circumspect.
William leaned his chair back on two legs. “Not sure I agree with you there, old boy. I have found railroad investments to be quite profitable.”
Harris waved him off. “Right now, perhaps, but over the long road they will collapse. I am sure of it.” He looked over at Amy again. “I can assure you any money invested in shipping—especially in this company—would give you a satisfactory return.”
It was time for her to step in and have her say. “I assume you would be willing to turn over your books if I decided to invest in RSV Worldwide Shipping?”
Harris hesitated slightly. “Of course. I would just need a few days to bring everything up-to-date.”
A few days to alter the books, he meant.
All this chatter was an excellent way to break the ice, as it were, but they needed to get the information necessary to decide how likely it was that the man sitting in front of them had plunged a knife into his uncle’s chest.
William cleared his throat. “Mr. Harris. I must admit to some reluctance in recommending your company in particular to Lady Amy due to some rumblings I’ve heard in my club about your late uncle. In fact, in all honesty, if Lady Amy hadn’t insisted upon it, I would not have encouraged this visit at all.”
The happy, jolly, eager-to-please man disappeared in a flash, and a cautious one took his place. Mr. Harris eased back in his chair and rearranged his features into what could only be called a mask. “Indeed? Would you care to elaborate, Wethington?”
“In my financial circles there have been rumors that RSV Worldwide Shipping is a bit behind in paying bills.”
Before William had finished speaking, Harris was shaking his head vehemently. “No. Not at all. If that were the case, it would only be because of my uncle’s unfortunate death and the transition of the business from him to myself. It is quite possible some things had been overlooked, but I assure you, RSV Worldwide Shipping pays its bills.”
They might as well get straight to the point. “Did you and your uncle get on, Mr. Harris?” Before he could answer, she added, “I only ask because he never mentioned you to me in the time we were courting.”
If the man thought there was anything odd about her asking that question in the middle of a discussion on investing money, he didn’t show it. He did, however, take his time in answering. “Your fiancé was my mother’s brother.”
“Ex-fiancé.”
“My dear mother favored her brother over the others in the family. She died when I was sixteen years old and named my uncle as guardian for myself and my younger sister.” He leaned back in his chair as he continued to speak. “I won’t say Uncle and I were close, but we tolerated each other.”
Amy flashed back to her dance with Mr. Harris, when he had thanked her for killing Mr. St. Vincent. Apparently the toleration they had for one another was stretched quite thin.