A Secret Ambition

XX

"I want to inject capital into your business, Mr McCarthy. I know it is a solid investment, as I have said, I keep an eye on industry. My proposal is simply this: you take my investment and clear your debts with your creditors. Instead of interest or repayments, I will take dividends. Perhaps you and I might further discuss your ledgers, and we may decide upon the value of your business, and my investment will allow me a stake."

Lily felt all the blood drain from her face before she even heard the mysterious guest's response.

"It's that simple is it?" he retorted, his unmissable accent wrapping around each word punched Lily in the stomach with every syllable. "There's not a chance in hell I'm giving up ownership, especially to one of you people. You get one hand on my business, and soon enough it'll be two. I know how you people work."

"I will have it put in writing. I will have my solicitor write up a contract and I will sign it." Adam was patient. Lily could hear her father's patience in the same way that he would interact with one of his children. Though he was not condescending. He was never condescending.

Nevertheless, her father was the eejit. Lily couldn't stop the tears that filled her eyes at the very idea that the two men she cared most for in this world were meeting, and they had no idea of their greater connection. What hurt her the most though was that her deception was now worse than she had ever planned it to be.

Lily was going to leave her position. She could have disappeared and become Cecily Beresford during the Season. Callan would not have missed her the way that she would miss him, and he would have replaced her. But they never would have occasion to meet again and nobody would have been hurt. Except for Lily, but she could accept that.

But now that Callan had met her father, Lily knew that it was only a matter of time before her deception ruined everything. It was as though everything was on fire again, and this time she could not stop it.

"I know you don't see this, Mr McCarthy, but I do have your best interests at heart. I can quite clearly see that you have been given many reasons not to trust someone like me, but I promise you that I my primary desire is to help you. This is not altruistic. I fully intend to see return for my investment, and I am certain I will. You might even find that having my name attached your business makes things a little easier for you when navigating the Sir Richard Frogmores of the world."

"You don't believe I can succeed on my own?"

"With all due respect, Mr McCarthy, you have not been able to thus far. I am not suggesting that this is through fault of your own. I know full well that there are many people unlike me who would resist doing business with an Irishman ... to put it politely. I am simply trying to make your life a little easier and save you from hardship. From how I discovered you the other night, I can see that this has been quite an ordeal for you."

"I almost believe that you care about me."

Lily heard her father chuckle. "Almost. I'll take it. I do care about you, Mr McCarthy, and you can believe that at your leisure. What you can do now is tell me what amount it will take to reverse your fortunes."

Lily bit down on her lip so that she could swallow a sob. Callan had been given many reasons not to trust someone like Adam Beresford. The man in question had clearly raised a dishonest daughter. Oh, Lily didn't want to be hated. How on earth could she ever explain her original idea behind this whole ruse in the first place?

Callan would never forgive her, and that very notion felt gut-wrenching. But it would also mean that he would blow up his business in the process. If Callan discovered the connection between his new investor and Lily, he would renege on the deal with her father and he would be forced to return to Ireland.