“Oh, Thomas, my friend, that is devastating. What do you plan to do about it?”
“Now this is where it becomes exciting, and where you can become involved.”
“Carry on,” George encouraged.
“I have been looking for a way to bring more income through the estate, and I had a dream that gave me the clue I was looking for.”
“A dream? Now that sounds interesting. What have you come up with?”
“Thoroughbred horses.”
“I do not understand.”
“I want to breed, raise, and manage racehorses, and I want you to be my partner in the venture. What do you say?” Thomas stood up in his enthusiasm.
“Me? What would you have me do?”
“You have more expertise with horses than I do. You follow the races, know the trainers, know other breeders, and have many more contacts in the racing world than I do.”
“And the capital to buy these horses?” George asked. “It sounds to me like you are lacking that right now. It is a very expensive proposition, and, although the rewards can be high, the overhead is high as well.”
“Excellent points. But I have the ability to borrow. And I have many friends who could very well be interested in investing in such a venture.”
“And my share of the profits, dear friend? What were you thinking?” George asked with a smile.
“It will partially depend on what slice our investors will want from the total pie. But I was thinking you might have thirty percent, I might have forty percent and the investors thirty.”
“You forty, me thirty? How do you figure that?”
“Because the operation would be located at Pemberton and I would provide the stabling, organizing the capital, and using my name—which could be very persuasive,” Thomas added. “What do you think?”
“Hmm. It is certainly worth considering.” George began pacing his sitting room, thinking. He turned back to Thomas. “What if I could convince Father to come up with all or part of the capital? Might that change the equation in any way?”
“Your father could finance the entire operation?”
“It would depend. Have you a budget worked out yet?”
“Not yet. That will be my next task, but I wanted to sound you out about this first.”
“Most intriguing.” He paced some more then added, “And this might be exactly what would allow Helena and me to marry. I would have my own income independent of my father’s estate and the only outstanding obstacle would be Helena’s father.” George began to laugh.
“What is funny about that?” Thomas asked.
George told him about the dinner where it was announced that Thomas was to be married—dashing Lord Comerford’s hopes of her marrying a duke. “He was most upset, poor old gentleman. But if I were to have my own income, it could make all the difference for Helena and me.”
“Shall we talk to your father then?” Thomas asked.
“Not yet. Let us organize a budget first. Let me talk to a few folks I know, and then let us prepare a more detailed plan. My father likes to look at the full scope of a project on paper, laid out before him. Then we can approach him. And it would not hurt if you talked to some of your sources as well. What do you say?”
“I think it sounds like an excellent plan,” Thomas said offering his hand.
The two men shook.
Thomas said, “Very well, I will work on the budget, but I should like your input on it. Perhaps you could stop by in the next day or two to see what might be missing. I expect to be at home the next few days, so feel free to stop by at any time.”
“Certainly. Until then.”
Thomas started to leave but had a thought and turned back to George. “What you said about Lord Comerford, do you think it might help you and Helena if I stopped by to see his Lordship and confirmed mynon-existentengagement?”
