Austin packed his suitcase as he scrambled to get his things ready for the three day trip to Everdon. There was no love lost between him and his father ever since his father walked out on him and his mother. Though he was ten at the time, the memory

still stung. During the divorce, his mother managed to obtain half of his father‟s wealth which she left to him when she died when he turned twenty-three. He vowed that he would not let her heartache go in vain, so he carefully invested the money until it

quadrupled. Now he could live the rest of his life in comfort, but since he had no wife or children, he focused all of his energy into

his work. Upon his father‟s death, a lawyer notified him of his father‟s will, which mentioned him as the sole beneficiary. He

almost refused to attend the reading of the will but decided it washis due after growing up without a father. How a man could leave

his wife and child, he would never understand.

He took the first train he could out of town and went to Everdon. The ride wasn‟t so bad since he brought a couple of books he had been meaning to read. He particularly enjoyed Shakespeare and could read those over and over. He considered going to London and checking out a Shakespearean play soon. It had been a long time since he went to the theater. It would be a much needed break after the stress at the bank.

He shook his head as he thought of Claire Lewisville‟ situation.

For a beautiful woman to have to live a life confined to a grouchy old husband who would most likely only pay attention to her

when he wanted her body made his stomach turn. She wasn‟t as bad as he originally thought. After talking with her at the dance,

he learned that there was more to her than her abrasive mannerisms. He considered the possibility that she presented herself to the world as being a woman who was so strong she didn‟t need a man so that people wouldn‟t feel sorry for her since she was a spinster. He knew he was lucky. A man could remain unmarried his entire life and not suffer public disapproval because of it.

He forced aside his thoughts and picked up The Merchant of Venice. He always enjoyed this comedy the most. The women in

Shakespeare‟s plays were just as bold and endearing as Claire. He shook his head again. What was he doing? He made it a point to

help people as much as he could, but if there wasn‟t anything else he could do, he let the matter go. Why couldn‟t he do that with

her?

He put the book in his briefcase and took out the Bible instead. He wasn‟t sure what to do about Jackson. That young man didn‟t have good business sense. What am I to do about him?

He turned to the book of Proverbs because it contained a great deal of wisdom. He used it on a regular basis as a guide for his

life. Not that he didn‟t read other books of the Bible, but thisparticular book had the most influence in his business dealings.

He credited it with his success. He read the entire book during the next half hour. It wasn‟t a long book and it was easy to read.

He also stumbled upon the answer to his question. It came from Proverbs 23:9.

"Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,

For he will despise the wisdom of your words".

Austin set the Bible down and realized it was pointless to argue with any other stupid ideas Jackson came up with. If Matthew was determined to run his business into the ground by handing over crucial business decisions to someone who put

money before people, then he was going to reap the results of that foolish choice. Talking to Matthew or Jackson would only be a waste of his time.

Lord, there must be something I can do for Claire Lewisville . What can it possibly be?

******************

This chapter is a bit short 😅

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