With a nod, Phillip walked off, feeling incredibly smug that he hadn’t actually punched the bastard in the face. It burned to know that man would be under the same roof as his Fyre. The only thing making it bearable was that the woman in question would be under his roof and not somewhere else.
Especially with that asshole around.
He stepped outside and moved around the terrace, looking out over his fields. The sound of children laughing gave him a moment’s pause before he walked to the end of the porch and stared in that direction.
Fyre’s nephews and niece were out running in the open space, laughing and making up games. There was a ball, but it had been left behind and they were engaged in what looked to be a rousing game of tag.
He leaned against the corner pillar and watched them enjoy being outside. Eventually they coaxed Mr. Tennemin’s children into the game as well. Mr. Tennemin was a plantation owner from a nearby island. One of the farthest ones away.
And he is here before Fyre.
Deep in his gut, Phillip would admit, he was scared Fyre would not come to the party. He squashed that because she had told him she would be there and his woman did not lie to him.
“My lord.”
“Keating.” He didn’t turn away from the playing children. In a way, they reminded him of Lucien’s and Rafe’s children, playing as they did.
“Everyone has arrived with the exception of Miss Gwen.” The man cleared his throat. “I was thinking I could send a footman with a carriage to see if she needed a ride.”
That got him to turn. He smiled at his butler, who stood there as if he were carved from stone. “You do care about her, Keating. This proves it.”
The man sniffed. “She is late and we have a schedule, my lord. That is all.”
Wiping the grin from his face, he nodded. “Of course, my mistake I am sure.” He pushed his hands into his pockets again. “Send a carriage.”
“Very good, my lord.”
Understanding hit him. “You already sent one, Keating, and this is your way of telling me I should have sent one sooner.”
“Far be it from me to argue with you, my lord.” The man walked away, leaving him alone with his need to laugh.
He could admit that he felt much better knowing a carriage was on the way to bring her here. He didn’t want to think about the fact her brother had arrived without her.
* * * *
She still had not arrived by the time they had the evening meal, and Phillip had become beyond worried. At the head of the table, he looked out at those gathered. People of all skin colors and backgrounds who had one thing in common now. They owned businesses. His initial guess of ten people had nearly doubled. Even with the women who had married the businessmen away from the table, there were still females there.
He knew his staff would be run ragged and for that reason, he would be offering them a bonus.
“I want to thank you all for coming. I only have one goal to come from this week of getting to know the others who own businesses in the area and on surrounding islands. I want to look into coming to one another for supplies instead of paying some of the larger companies that charge more. If we are able to help one another out we can not only increase our own profits but also make a stamp on the world by showing our products to be superior.”
Mr. Tennemin leaned forward. “Then the rumor you were looking to buy us out is not true?”
“Buy you out? Mr. Tennemin, I have enough work right now, thank you. I want us to form almost a coalition. That would mean we look out for one another. If we see something we know could help a fellow owner, we let them know. If we are moving a small or even a partial shipment, reach out and see if another has something ready to ship in order to help share the cost, instead of paying for a full load when we are not using all the space.”
Phillip set down his fork and took a drink from his glass. “If you look around, you will see that everyone around the table has one main thing they are known for. Sure, some of us have secondary items as well, but obviously there is one thing that works the best for us, because that is what we move mostly. I have been looking at the numbers and it hurts to see how much money is just tossed away because we are too proud, or arrogant, or whatever reason for not being willing to work together.”
There were some murmurs but no one argued outright.