The men had a clear view of the stairs so that when the ladies appeared they saw them right away. Standing, Jonah tugged his coat straight, feeling about as nervous as he had in a long time. But this wasn't the nervous fear of getting caught, or of getting in over his head with a patient, no, this was a good sort of nervous, a hope that he didn't mess this up -- or if he did, he could somehow put the blame on Josiah!
Walking to the bottom of the steps, Jonah gave a bow and reached for Leah's hand. "You both look lovely this evening," he muttered, then quickly added, "You look lovely any evening, of course, but tonight..."
Well, best to stop while he was ahead!
Walking to the bottom of the steps, Jonah gave a bow and reached for Leah's hand. "You both look lovely this evening," he muttered, then quickly added, "You look lovely any evening, of course, but tonight..."
Leah and Elinor gave each other a quick look before Leah said; "Jonah you do say the nicest things."
"Yes he does. A good catch." Elinor said with a smile. "Like Josiah here, a true gentleman." She offered her arm which the physician took with the grace and elegance of fine upbringing, and years of practice.
"Then we should go in and get ourselves situated," Josiah said as he led the foursome into the dining room where the men seated the ladies. Once he sat down Josiah added, I trust you are settled in, well, as settled as one might be in an afternoon."
"I am, with the help of my daughter here we managed to almost everything put away. And now, I look forward to a nice meal and some good conversation." Both men smiled as Elinor spoke.
"Jonah you do say the nicest things."
"All part of the con," Jonah murmured, patting Leah's hand with a grin, then following Jonah and Elinor into the restaurant. The setting was elegant and the lighting dim, much nicer than the Lickskillet, but then, it was meant to be more formal, and the atmosphere reflected that.
"It's good to hear that you're settling in, Mrs. Steelegrave." Jonah smiled. "I do hope, though, that you aren't disappointed with the conversation. I'm not very talented in entertaining, I'm afraid, unless you're interested in poker or faro." He chuckled. "I don't suppose you've heard that Arabella Mudd is planning a performance of some sort. That might prove...different."
Having been seated, the foursome took up and began to look over the menus placed before them.
Leah raised an eyebrow at Jonah's comment, which of course, was not meant to be heard she decided she would let it pass, but he was going to need to change that attitude unless, of course, he was trying to be funny, Maybe she was a bit too thin skinned, and that mighty well be her mother's appearance.
"Settled in is hardly the word for it. Just a transition for now." She began, "To be frank, I am here on what one could term as business, personal business with a flair for investment. You see I have done quite well for myself since I left. Of course, at first, I was beset by poor choices at every turn, however, I got myself straightened out."
"I almost find the idea of you making poor choice quite out of character for you, Elinmor, not counting your husband." Josiah observed, " Business choices with a flair for investment? Sounds intriguing, yes, positively intriguing."
"A question for you all, being the main characters in this production, have you thought about accepting investors? Selling shares?" Elinor asked.
"Investors?" Here was something Jonah hadn't even considered, although he had little knowledge in such things. "We've been so busy, I don't think we've had time to consider that, but I suppose it's something we could discuss?"
Jonah glanced from Josiah to Leah, wondering what their thoughts on it were. Certainly, they could use an influx of cash, but didn't that also mean a board they would have to report to, and...
Was that why Elinor was here? To invest, perhaps enough that she'd demand a say in the running of the business? He still wasn't sure enough of Leah's mother to know if that was a good thing or not. There was a lot to consider, something he wasn't sure should be discussed here, with Leah's mother present...
"We haven't talked about it, but I suppose it's one more thing to look into." He smiled and shrugged. "But tonight is for pleasure, not business, right?"
"It would be one way to hold down the initial expenses," Josiah stated. "Perhaps it reall is something we might need to discuss. There is really only so much we can expect the town to do, or the county, really, we're the biggest town in what we call Flathead County. Already prepared for statehood, which shows we have governance. Plans for the future of the state."
"But offering shares, we haven't even incorporated yet, and seriously, incorporation was near the bottom of our endless to-do list. However, perhaps you are right, maybe we need to see about outside funding assistance, what we'll be able to take in from clientele will be minimal at best, and we will struggle as we grow. Just the facts of life.
"And Kalispell? The Town Council? Won't they have a stake in our success?" Josiah asked.
"Then, I'll cover the cost of the incorporation. I will gladly donate that much initially." Elinor offered, "Then we'll see where this goes from there, but yes, the Town Council needs to be pressed on this matter. Who is your attorney?"
"Attorney?" Jonah glanced at Leah and shrugged. This was getting more complicated by the moment, although it was a business, and a controlled one at that. "We haven't had time..." And as far as he knew, Leah was financing the whole thing, so there was no reason to get others involved and create that sort of conflict.
"It's something we could look into, and as for incorporating..." Well, he had no clue, honestly, why to incorporate, how it would benefit them, or how to go about it.
"Yes, Jonah, an attorney who can help us through all the legalities we need to be aware of," Leah said, knowing that most businesses in town did not have an attorney, and neither did he or Josiah Boone. "We will need protection for not only the hospital but for all of the doctors and nurses that will be on staff."
"I'd have to agree with Leah, Jonah. Not that most folks would be out to sue the hospital or any one of us, protection from litigation would be smart, if not a real necessity." Boone said.
"And who do you have in town, isn't Harriet Mercer still here?" Elinor asked, "Not that it's any of my business, but since I am investing, and you will likely be looking for others to do the same. the idea of a legal representitive would be very good."
"Well, as Jonah said, we have been very busy with all that has been going on with the hospital. As far a Harriet Mercy, I believe so, perhaps out at the Lost Lake. I know I've not seen her here in town lately, which actually means nothing." Leah revealed.
"I think you're right, that Miss Mercer is around," Jonah agreed, "but I haven't actually seen her in town recently." That didn't mean she wasn't there, it was just that their paths hadn't crossed. "Isn't there a Mr. Reeve? I believe he took over Mr. Orr's practice. I hadn't even thought about needing a lawyer, but then, if it's just me, it isn't really a consideration. But the hospital..."
So many people to protect, and the business itself. "We'd be foolish not to protect ourselves, although I admit, I don't know about those things."
Leah brightened up, Jonah was getting it, or at least he was accep[ting of the necessity of an attorney, one of the evils of doing the kind of business the hospital offered, where loved ones could, and did die.
"Reeves? Yes, he did take over Mister Orr's practice, and so far as I know, he is not on my father's payroll. Other than Miss Mercer and Reeves there's that slimy Cole Latham here in town. Now, he does retain a fairly prominent lawyer in Helena, Carson Tyndall, but I would fight shy of him just because he is my father's attorney."
And there was more to Tyndall, as Elinor would divulge, "Tyndall has an investigator, one Bradley Fairchild, a man to look out for. His methods can be quite ruthless. Fairchild was sent on Elias' orders to locate me, and for a time, I was busy trying to evade the man. He killed a gentleman that I was seeing in New Orleans and did his very best to frame me for it. That failed."
The room was silent as they all took in what she was saying. It was obvious that Elias Steelgrave had a long reach.
"So would you think that knows you're here?" Josiah asked, breaking the silence.
"Probably, but I doubt he'll follow, what I expect is, that both he and Tyndall are heading to the Evergreen for a full report. Things I would rather not get into just yet, if you don't mind." Elinor explained.
