Written on the Wind (The Blackstone Legacy #2)(84)

Poppy didn’t approve of Alexander being exposed to so much sunlight and wanted the nanny to take him downstairs, but Natalia volunteered to play with the child instead. It was the perfect excuse to remain in the cardroom and eavesdrop on Liam’s presentation. She sat on the floor with Alexander, casually tossing blocks across the carpeted floor. She watched the baby scramble after them while listening to Liam and her father at the nearby table.

“The profit margin on steel has increased thirty percent because of the new furnaces,” Liam said.

“So has the cost for iron ore and limestone,” Oscar interrupted.

Liam shook his head. “Iron is only up twelve percent, and limestone has held steady. The profitability of steel has gone up thirty percent, and the men on the line should get the same raise.”

“And if the price of steel falls?” Oscar asked. “Do the men absorb a pay cut each time the price dips?”

Liam answered the question perfectly, referencing a mathematical model she had written for him with a built-in floor for wages during economic downturns.

The baby crawled back to her, presenting a block to her with a radiant, drooling smile. Alexander had recently started saying his first words, and he called her Nala, which she loved. His attempts to say mother ended up as mud, which annoyed Poppy but made Natalia secretly smile.

She gave Alexander back his block, which promptly went into his mouth. Meanwhile, Liam continued outlining his plan for ensuring the labor force could be paid during economic downturns.

A knock on the door interrupted them, and Patrick stepped inside the cardroom, one of the ship’s porters standing behind him.

“Excuse me,” Patrick said. “I hate to spoil the afternoon sail, but Gwen is a little seasick. We’d like to return to port.”

“Seasick?” Oscar growled. “Nonsense. Gwen has the constitution of a horse.”

“A pregnant horse,” Patrick said. “The chop on the water is getting to her, so please head back to port.”

Natalia looked away. Gwen was four months along, and Natalia was happy for her. Of course she was. But it made her miss Dimitri. A tiny part of her had harbored hope that as soon as Dimitri arrived in Russia, he would quickly secure the necessary promises from the czar and rush back to America. Instead, she was treated to rapturous messages about the loveliness of his valley and the joy he took in being home.

Dimitri would never come back. He would probably marry Olga and raise her children while Natalia stayed in New York and watched other women have babies. She sighed and pulled Alexander onto her lap, hugging him tightly.

Oscar wasn’t happy with Patrick’s request. “My wife was looking forward to seeing the West Point cavalry on parade this afternoon.”

“We’re only half an hour into the sail,” Patrick said. “You still have plenty of time to get there.”

Her father glanced at the porter in annoyance. “Very well, order the helmsman to turn about as soon as lunch has been served.”

Liam stood. “Go ahead and order him to turn around now. It’s my yacht and my decision to make.”

Natalia bit her tongue. Why did men have to beat their chests like that? Her father owned this yacht for years before Liam managed to finagle it out of his clutches, and the loss of it still smarted.

Patrick nodded and left to arrange for the ship to turn around, but the business negotiation suffered. Oscar started attacking Liam’s numbers, and Liam got defensive. Then he confused depreciation with deflation, and Oscar pounced on the error. Liam was going to have to do better if he expected to win the confidence of the other board members on Friday.

Natalia had turned her attention back to Alexander and his uncomplicated love when the door opened so abruptly that it banged against the outside wall, and Poppy stormed inside.

“Patrick says you’ve turned the boat around,” she accused Liam.

“That’s right.”

“Gwen shouldn’t have come if she was going to get seasick. I never suffered a day of seasickness when I carried Alexander, and if I did, I wouldn’t have made the rest of the world cater to my frailties. I want to see the horses at West Point.”

Natalia shifted Alexander in her arms. “The cavalry practices every weekend,” she pointed out. “We can always come back next Saturday.”

“But I wanted to see them today. Alexander, don’t put that block in your mouth. It’s dirty.”

Natalia said nothing, but she took the block away, causing a snivel from the boy. She sent him a reassuring smile to fend off a crying jag, and Alexander beamed back at her.

His adoring smile sent Poppy into a rage. “Alexander, come to Mama,” she ordered, stepping forward to swoop the boy into her arms.

Alexander’s face twisted as he started whimpering.

“Hush that nonsense right now,” Poppy ordered, hefting him higher in her arms, which caused him to break into a wail.

“I think he’s getting hungry,” Natalia said.

“You don’t know that,” Poppy snapped. “And why did you let him put that dirty block in his mouth if you knew he was hungry?”

The harsh tone frightened Alexander, who tried to twist out of Poppy’s arms and reach toward Natalia. Poppy grabbed the boy’s hands and jerked them back.

“That’s enough, young man,” she said, shooting Natalia a poisonous glance. “I think you’re trying to win him away from me.”