In the Shadow of Lakecrest(4)
Thrown off balance by his sudden change in tone, I barely had time to nod before Matthew walked away. Moments later, I heard a familiar tap-tap-tap and guessed the reason for his quick departure. The girls’ great-aunt, Constance, came tottering toward us, her slouched upper body jolting with each movement of her cane. One of Cincinnati’s haughtiest social doyennes, she had been taken aback to discover that her reputation didn’t carry beyond the Ohio state limits. The humiliation had made her more high-handed with the few of us still subject to her commands.
“Miss Moore, we mustn’t allow the girls to tire themselves with recreational pursuits. Surely these hours should be set aside for their studies?”
“Yes, of course,” I said, mentally pushing aside the irritation that swelled up whenever Aunt Constance shared one of her self-important pronouncements. I told Lillian and Maisie to get their books from the cabin and meet me in the ship’s library.
“I can’t say I approve of Preston buttering up the young Lemont fellow,” Aunt Constance said. “It won’t do for the girls to be seen with him at every meal.”
“Why not?” I asked. “He seems very polite.”
“Don’t you know anything about the Lemonts?” Aunt Constance glared at me, irritated, as if my stupidity was beyond her comprehension.
“They’re rich,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “That’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
“We are unfortunate enough to live in a time when hedonism is celebrated rather than condemned,” said Aunt Constance mournfully. “The Lemonts’ money keeps them from being ostracized. But they’ll never be respectable, no matter how much they spend.”
I couldn’t understand it. Matthew looked and acted like a perfect gentleman. It’s what had drawn me to him, from the very first time I spotted him on board.
“There’s always been something strange about that family,” Aunt Constance continued. “They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want—that’s what everyone says about the Lemonts.” She shook her head in haughty disapproval. “That young man’s father and grandfather were the subjects of unsavory rumors for years.”
I was taken aback by the vehemence of her tone.
“A girl disappeared at their estate, you know. Simply vanished!”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Honestly, I can’t remember. It happened years ago. But I will not have Lillian and Maisie tarnished by association. We must distance ourselves from Mr. Lemont for the rest of our journey.”
We? Aunt Constance wasn’t concerned about my welfare; it was Lillian and Maisie she wanted to shield from whatever bad influence the Lemonts represented. Not that I took her suspicions seriously. At the time, I dismissed her as a bitter old woman, jealous of another family’s good fortune. I never considered that her accusations might be true, that something dangerous might be lurking beneath Matthew’s refined exterior. I looked at her pinched, judgmental face and nodded obediently, hiding my disappointment and frustration. I’d hoped our flirtation might last beyond the voyage. Now, thanks to Aunt Constance’s meddling, I’d never speak to Matthew again.
But I was wrong. That night, when I returned to my oppressively tiny cabin and the rattling snores of the elderly woman who had been assigned as my bunkmate, I found a cream-colored envelope sitting on top of my mattress. I ripped the seam open with one finger and pulled out a thick note card with Matthew Lemont embossed in gold letters at the top.
My dear Miss Z, he wrote in a narrow, angular hand.
With our voyage approaching its conclusion, I find myself much concerned with your plight. As we will both be traveling westward, I cordially invite you to join me in my family’s private railcar, which will be departing from Pennsylvania Station two days after the Franconia docks. I would be happy to escort you to the station of your choice in Ohio, but I hope you will consider continuing on for a visit to Chicago. The thought of giving up our lively conversations is enough to send me jumping off the deck at the earliest opportunity, so your answer must be yes.
It was all there, had I chosen to read between the lines: Matthew’s impetuousness, his disregard for proper etiquette, the entitled expectation that I would do whatever he asked—even a joking reference to the inner despair that would take me so long to truly understand.
Yet all I saw was an invitation into a world I thought forever denied me, a world of luxury travel and hovering servants and notes dashed off on extravagantly expensive stationery. What had begun as a lark—a challenge to see if I could catch Matthew’s attention—had taken a more serious turn. I’d been dreading our arrival in New York, when I’d be out of a job and forced to start fresh. I’d thought about staying on in the city, but a future as a shopgirl or secretary already felt like defeat. I remembered Matthew’s face as he stepped closer to me by the shuffleboard court, the mix of apprehension and hope in his eyes. Why not go to Chicago? I had nothing to lose.
I brought the card up to my face and brushed it against my lips, breathing in the scent of the paper and ink and imagining Matthew’s fingers skimming against the page. I already knew what my answer would be.
Yes.
CHAPTER TWO
I’d known, from as far back as I can remember, that I had to make my own luck. I may have come from nothing, but that wasn’t how I intended to end up. My mother always told me that getting in good with a rich family was the easiest, best way to pull myself up from poverty. She’d done the opposite and paid a heavy price.