He gave a slight nod at Nicolas' apology and listened to his speak about money, patronage and all he could think about was that he should care more about the money being offered, now and in the future, than about Atticus being well. These dealings of the heart would ruin his business sooner or later, he was certain. His gaze flicked to Atticus when he moved, but he remained silent, kept listening, studying both Nicolas and Florence while his chin rested on the bridge his fingers had made, only lifting them to nod once again when Florence spoke up, not giving any hints of his surprise. The woman seemed to nearly shift between stances. It was intriguing to watch. He couldn't help but wonder what her position was. If she held a certain job..<br/><br/>Only when both were done talking he spoke, raising his chin from his hands a slight smile to his lips that was not reaching his eyes.<br/>"Not everything can be bought, sir, M'lady," he spoke quietly "I will not go into the details, but, if you can give me a few moments.."<br/><br/>With that he looked up at Atticus, and made a small gesture for him to lean into him, then whispered against his ear, low enough to be very hard to hear, perhaps even not hearable at all by the two potential clients "I'm leaving this decision in your hands, Louis. Pose, if you think you can trust him. You have my permission to act if he does anything against your will..."<br/><br/>Lowering his eyes to the desk for a few moments, he rested his hands there and looked up at Florence.<br/>"The young man you described is named Adonijah. But, I feel I must protect both you from being surprised and him from having his emotions hurt. The young man is of a more exotic nature than one may think on first glance, though.. I do agree he is dashing."