“Wait a minute, Fenton!” Kane called. “You’re comin’ to my house for dinner two weeks from today.”
Jacob paused for a moment, his back to Kane, and gave a curt nod before briskly leaving the store.
Kane was silent as he put his purchases on the counter and Edan handed the storekeeper a long list of equipment. “Send all this to my house,” he said, not bothering to identify himself before he walked outside and climbed into his old wagon.
When Edan was beside him, he clucked to the horses. “I think I’ll get me somethin’ better to drive around in than this ol’ wagon.”
“Why? So you can impress Fenton?”
Kane looked at his friend. “What’s in your craw?”
“Why are you inviting old man Fenton to dinner?”
Kane’s jaw stiffened. “You damn well know why.”
“Yeah, I know why: to show him that you’ve done better than he has, to show off your pretty house and your pretty silverware and your pretty wife. Have you ever thought what Houston’s going to say when she finds out that you want her just as much as you want a new carriage?”
“That ain’t true and you know it. Houston’
s a lot of trouble sometimes, but she does have her compensations,” Kane said, smiling.
Edan calmed his voice. “You said before that after Houston had served her purpose and sat at the foot of your table with Jacob Fenton as your guest, you were going to get rid of her and go back to New York. I believe you said that you were going to buy her off with jewelry.”
“I gave her a whole trunkful of jewels and she ain’t even opened it yet. She seems to like other things instead of jewels.”
“She damn well likes you and you know it.”
Kane grinned. “She seems to. Who knows, though? If I didn’t have any money—.”
“Money! You bastard! You can’t see what’s in front of you. Don’t invite Fenton. Don’t let Houston know why you married her. You don’t know what it’s like to lose the ones you love.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talkin’ about. I ain’t plannin’ to lose nothin’. All I’m gonna do is have Fenton over for dinner. It’s what I’ve worked for most of my life, and I’m not gonna deny myself the pleasure.”
“You don’t even know what pleasure is. Both of us have worked because we had nothing else. Don’t risk everything, Kane, I’m begging you.”
“I ain’t givin’ up nothin’. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
“I wouldn’t miss your funeral, and I won’t miss this.”
Chapter 22
As Houston adjusted the une fantaisie in her hair, she found that her hands were shaking badly. The last two weeks had been nerve-racking. When Kane had come home and told her that he planned to invite the Fentons to dinner, she’d been very happy because she saw this as a way to close the rift between the two men.
But her happiness had soon turned to despair. She’d never known Kane to be so concerned about anything before. He repeatedly asked her if whatever she was planning for the dinner was of the best quality. He inspected the engraved invitations, had Mrs. Murchison cook the entire elaborate dinner beforehand so Kane could inspect each dish. He stood over the footman’s shoulder as the man polished the hundred-year-old Irish silver. He went through Houston’s closet and said that she had nothing really good enough to wear to this dinner, and insisted that she wear a dress of white and gold and even chose the fabric himself from the selection that the dressmaker brought to the house. He had new clothes made for everyone and hired two tailors to come to the house the night of the dinner to help the men dress. He even had new uniforms made for all the servants, and Houston had to talk him out of forcing the footmen to wear their hair powdered, as he’d seen in one of Houston’s fashion magazines that the Prince of Wales’ servants did.
By the end of the two weeks, everyone was praying for this evening to be over. So far, Sherwin and Jean had turned coward and said they weren’t feeling well enough to attend. Ian, his courage boosted from his past days of association with Zach, said he wouldn’t miss the fireworks for the world. And besides, Fenton, as the mine owner, was his image of the Devil. He was looking forward to sitting, as an equal, at the same table with his enemy.
If the President had been coming to visit, no more care could have been taken—and no group of people could have been more nervous than this household. Houston feared that one of the maids would pour a bowl of soup in Fenton’s lap and Kane would try to murder the girl on the spot.
But what was making Houston’s hands shake was that Kane had promised to tell her what was between him and Fenton. It seemed that she’d wanted to know forever, but now she had an urge to tell Kane she didn’t want to know.
Adding to her fear was a telephone call yesterday from Pamela Fenton. Pam had begged Houston to call the dinner off, saying that she had a bad feeling about what was going to be said. She said that her father’s heart wasn’t strong and that she was afraid of Kane’s temper.
Houston had tried to talk to Kane, but all he had said was that Houston didn’t understand. She had told him she was willing to try to understand if he’d explain things to her.
And that was when he’d said that he’d tell her everything before the dinner party.
Now, sitting before the mirror, inspecting herself, she found herself shaking.