" Recently I met with the director of the London Ironstone railway," he said. For Kathleen's benefit, he explained, "It's a private company, owned by a friend. Tom Severin."
'We're in the same London club," West added.
Devon viewed the map critically before drawing a parallel line. "Severin wants to reduce distance on London Ironstone's existing Portsmouth route. He's also planning to relay the entire sixty-mile line, start to finish, with heavier rails to accommodate faster trains."
"Can he afford such a project?" West asked.
"He's already secured one million pounds."
West uttered a wordless exclamation. "

― Lisa Kleypas , Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels, #1)