“And are you? In love with me, I mean?” Was it hope that made his eyes glitter like that?
“You don’t really want me to answer that question, because whatever I say, you’d always suspect it was a lie.”
This time she knew it was anger flashing in his dark eyes. “And what if I decide to tell Thornton everything?”
“Then we’ll abandon our plans.” She wouldn’t let them kidnap Gideon no matter how much the Old Man argued. “The general will disappear and so will I.”
“You? Where will you go?”
“Someplace where Thornton can’t find me, hopefully.”
“But a woman alone . . . How will you do that?”
“I have money put away.”
He frowned at that. “I thought you didn’t have your share of Thornton’s losses.”
“I don’t.” She could get it easily enough, but, “I don’t need it.”
“I see.” He didn’t, of course. He would never understand her world. “And if I don’t warn Thornton, you’ll go ahead with your plans?”
“Yes. I’m supposed to let the general know what you decide.”
“Who is the general to you?”
“Does it matter?” It did to him, but she wasn’t going to ease his suspicions. She needed him to doubt her.
Anger flashed in his eyes again. “All right, then, I’ll tell you what I’ve decided. I don’t know what your general is planning, and I don’t want to know. That way, I don’t have to warn Thornton. I’ll do what David asked me to do and attend the meetings and draw up the documents, but I won’t lie to Thornton or anyone else.”
“You won’t have to,” she promised rashly. “You aren’t part of this at all, and you’ll be just as shocked as everyone else when it goes wrong.”
“Perhaps not quite as shocked as Thornton,” he said with the ghost of a smile. “And when it’s over, what will you do?”
“That will depend on Thornton. If he still blames me, I’ll have to disappear.” And he would, she was sure.
“I can help you with that.”
Anna had warned her he’d follow her to the ends of the earth, but she would never let him do that. “We’ll see.”
“Yes, we will.” He thought it was settled. She could see it in his face.
“I’ll write the general a note and tell him what you decided.” She turned to go.
“Elizabeth.”
She stopped, and when she turned back, she nearly gasped at the naked longing on his face. “What are you going to do about David?”
She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I never intended to marry him. I’ll break the engagement as soon as everything is over.” If she had time before she left, of course.
He nodded, and she thought she saw some of the tension drop away from him. She hadn’t told him she loved him, but he believed there was hope. She had no idea why he still wanted that hope. He knew what she was. How could he even imagine they could have a future together?
The Old Man would tell her not to worry about it. The important thing was that Gideon wasn’t going to ruin everything. And if he got his heart broken, well, he asked for it, didn’t he?
Elizabeth had asked for it, too.
? ? ?
The next morning, Elizabeth gave her letter to the maid to post. The Old Man would receive it that afternoon or the next day. Meanwhile, she had nothing more to do. The Old Man and his mob would take care of the rest of it. The general had told him the tale, and now Thornton was on the send, figuring out how to turn everything he owned into cash so he could buy up as many rifles as he could find. He was going to find them pretty easily, too, once he had the cash.
Mrs. Bates was packed, and they put her on a train to Washington City for the Woman’s Party conference and the awards ceremony she wanted to attend. Gideon left for his club, and Anna arrived at the Bateses’ house with her bag.
“We’ll have such fun,” she said, and although Elizabeth didn’t feel like having fun, they still managed. They went ice-skating with David and shopping with each other and visited Cybil and Zelda, who were trying to convince Anna to enroll at Hunter College. Since she knew she would never marry, Anna needed a profession so she could support herself, they argued.
On Sunday, Elizabeth attended church with the Vanderslice family, and she spent most of the service wondering if she could ever be like the rest of the people sitting in the pews. The Old Man would say they weren’t all as pious as they pretended, and he would be right. The question was if Elizabeth could pretend to be pious along with them. The hardest part was knowing Gideon was there, too. She caught him watching her a time or two from his seat on the other side of the church, and after the service, Mrs. Vanderslice invited him to join them for Sunday dinner.
As they sat around the table, David took the opportunity to inform Gideon that Thornton wanted to meet with the general on Monday to discuss terms. He was apparently buying up whatever guns he could find, and he needed to know how much the government would pay so he didn’t overspend.
“I’m sure the general will pay whatever Thornton asks,” Gideon said with a meaningful glance at Elizabeth.
“The general is the only one who can affirm that,” David said. “Do you want to attend this meeting?”
“I probably should,” Gideon said with another glance at Elizabeth. Was he seeking her opinion? Or perhaps her approval? She had no idea, but she saw no reason he shouldn’t meet with the others. It would give the general an opportunity to see for himself how Gideon would act with Thornton. When she made no protest, he said, “Once they agree on terms, I can prepare the bill of sale and the other documents and have them ready.”
“That’s a good idea. I’m sure Thornton won’t want any delay once he’s ready,” David said. “I heard he’s even mortgaging the house.”
“Marjorie’s house?” Mrs. Vanderslice said in dismay. “Can he do that?”
“He owns it now,” Gideon said. “He can do whatever he likes with it.”
“But it’s been in the family for years,” Mrs. Vanderslice said. “What if he loses it?”
“He’s only mortgaging it, Mother,” David said. “As soon as he sells the rifles, he’ll pay it off, I’m sure.”
Marjorie’s house. Elizabeth couldn’t believe it. Even Marjorie would get some revenge.
“I’ll be glad when this is over,” Mrs. Vanderslice said. “You know I hate it when you discuss business at the table.”
“I apologize, Mother,” David said, his good humor undaunted by her disapproval.
“I think it’s all very interesting,” Elizabeth said. “And how nice that we can do something for Mr. Thornton to repay him for his help.”
Elizabeth didn’t dare meet Gideon’s eye after making such a ridiculously hypocritical remark, and even Anna pulled a bit of a face. Poor David was oblivious, of course, and Mrs. Vanderslice shook her head.
“You’ll change your mind after hearing years of it, I’m sure, my dear,” she said. “Now tell me, Gideon, when do you expect your mother to return?”