"Ruby," Edward said, motioning to her, "let's have a word, just you and me. Come with me for just one moment." He went outside to the garden and sat down on one of the benches and began to fill his pipe with tobacco.
"Sit," he said when she joined him. "This conversation is not for anyone else to hear, especially not children. "Nobody questions what your motivations are for being with Angus, just like we don't question Angus's motives, likewise, for being with you. That isn't something you should feel like you need to defend. So you know, though, the money thing is going to keep raising its head from time to time because the money thing is going to be a big thing in Angus's life.
"Here's why. My father was an ambassador living and working in Italy, and because I was the youngest of five, when he died, I received some money but not a mammoth amount. Still, between my work as a slayer and also my ability to grow some great grapes and make some decent wine, I was able to start squirreling away a nest egg and reinvest that money. Over the years, that has proven to grow to quite a sum. Even if Angus makes no new investments and can just hold steady the businesses that we have, he'll be considerably wealthy. He's considerably wealthy already as it is.
"Now, let's be realistic about this. Angus hasn't been stupid either with the money Robert has paid him, which is considerable. I know exactly how much he's worth. And I know how much he inherited from Benjamin and Eileen, and now how much more is going to be sitting in his accounts, at least temporarily because of Reginald's money and the screwy way Reginald wrote his will to try to keep your mom out of it. I expect Angus is going to divide that pot six or seven ways--for you, Jessie, the boys, Diamond, and perhaps Cris, and maybe even a small cut for himself. Regardless, if we add that cash in, plus the money he should continue to earn as he works for Robert, he has considerable wealth of his own. The Daily Prophet was correct about that.
"You need to know that, yes, I had six children, including Angus' father. None of them are going to inherit more than token sums from me, and that isn't any secret. They already know that, and they know exactly why. I have left some inheritance to Evan and Tyler because they run the family businesses, and I've left a sum to Simone so she will be well taken care of. I've also asked Angus if he will make sure that she is always provided for and cared for, and he, of course, agreed to do that. That's just who he is. That all seems fair to me.
"However, doing the very simple barebones math means that when I pass, when Angus adds the Donohue family assets to his own, Angus stands in line to probably become, at least for a time, nigh onto the richest man in the wizarding world. He hasn't asked for that, but he is also very aware of the responsibility and the pressure that comes with that. In a way, he's trained for that all his life. It isn't something you trained for, though, and he and I both know that.
"In their own way, the boys stumbled onto something that very well might be an absolute necessity for you. You will, very likely, share in that wealth by virtue of being his partner. At some point, you're going to need to start learning how to manage massive sums of money and how to run organizations the size of ours, even if you never actually run it. If it came to it you could hire people to run the businesses but you'd bloody well better know how to do it yourself so you see what they're doing, or they'll easily rob you blind.
"Angus would love to protect you from having to step into the responsibilities of big money, but I'm a realist. You could end up having a significant role, so you'd better consider learning how to do what he does in case you have to help him or do more than that. And, as the boys rightly said, you very well might need to have dual citizenship. Don't count it out.
"Oh, and one more thing. the more money you have, the more you're going to need people like Marcus and Aria around because the richer you are, the more people want what you have. You might well need Marcus and Aria or people like them to watch your back. Very likely, as much as you love this little duplex and the fairly quiet life you have for now, someday you'll need to live a good portion of your time in Tuscany on the estate. Just so you know, I know Angus knows that's coming someday, but he's not wanting to think about it right now either. So you're not alone in that.
"So, it boils down to this. Nobody questions why you're with him. We all know that. However, I think its time you started to learn what your life very well could be like, a couple decades from now, as Mrs. Donohue, because, at least half of the time, I think it could be very different from what you have right now, and you need to prepare for that. Take some classes or read. Or go and spend a little time at the winery. Learn about the grapes, the wine making process, the bottling, the shipping, the finances. Do the same for the charter business. Talk to Tyler and Evan and Tara. Learn how the family makes and manages the money but keep your eyes open. There's a reason why Angus will be in charge and the rest of the family will not. Ruby, what happens someday if he's worth all that money and he's sidelined by some very serious injury? In the work that he loves, that could happen. And if he's not able to tend to the business, all of that empire could rest on your shoulders while he recovers. You'd better be ready and hope it never happens, rather than to not be ready and be gobsmacked with it. Fair enough?"
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