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“Well, think of my surprise when the letter arrived from Maxwell with the tickets,” Father said. “I took a boat and then a very tedious train. We thought it would be delightful to surprise you.”
“I’m surprised,” I said. “I’m certainly surprised.”
“You’re looking well, son.” My father clapped me on the shoulder, to give the impression we were close. I knew him too well to be fooled. I caught a hint of alcohol on his breath. Apparently, they served drinks on the tedious train.
I murmured a thank you. Panic was rising in me, tightening my stomach. The pain behind my eye had returned. How could I tell them the wedding was off? Writing a letter was one thing. Telling my father the truth face-to-face was another thing entirely.
“What’s a man need to do to get a drink here in Colorado?” Father asked, flashing what had once been a charming smile. I’d seen him use it to manipulate people all my life. It had more appeal when he was a younger man.
Jasper, who had been lurking in a corner, leapt into action. “Sir, what may I get you? It’s nearly teatime if you’d care for something to eat as well.”
“A brandy will do quite nicely,” Father said.
“For all of us,” Alexander said. “Thank you, Jasper.”
I waited until Mr. Masters and Father had taken a seat before doing so myself. My mind was reeling as it acclimated to this new set of information. The trip on the ocean liner would have taken at least five days and maybe longer. Mr. Masters must have sent him first class on the best ocean liner if he had arrived so quickly. But why? Was Masters worried I’d change my mind? Had he sensed my reluctance and brought my father over to ensure my obedience?
Yes, I thought. I understood now. This was a dirty game these men were playing. Mr. Masters had sent for Father and told him the wedding would be here. All to force us into it before Lena or I changed our minds. I had news for them. It was too late.
Do it. Tell them. You must.
Alexander sent me a sympathetic gaze. I wanted to take him aside and ask him what to do. How would he handle this obvious manipulation? It wouldn’t work, though, even if I could ask him. He would not be able to advise me, because he wasn’t a coward. He wouldn’t be afraid of his own father as I was of mine. Otherwise, he would never have set out for America. I’d run away from my home and family instead of toward something, as Alexander had done. He’d made a purposeful change in his life. God help me, if I didn’t head for something, for once, it would be the end of me. Or someone. I must head toward Addie.
I accepted the glass of brandy from Jasper and took too large a swig and coughed.
“Are you all right, James?” Alexander sat near me on the couch and reached over to pat my back. I had a sudden picture of what he would have been like with his sons when they were small.
“I’m fine, thank you,” I said. I must gather my thoughts and present them with the truth. But the words didn’t come. They were stuck somewhere in my cowardly throat.
Quinn arrived then, her heels clicking on the floor before she reached the edge of the carpet. Her gaze seemed to take in the situation with immediate clarity. How she knew the stranger in her sitting room was my father, I couldn’t say. Regardless, it was obvious she understood perfectly what had happened.
Introductions were made. My father was practically dripping with charisma. Although he’d aged, his mind seemed as quick as it always had. He knew how to get what he wanted from people. In this case, he seemed to intuitively know that Quinn Barnes was no wallflower, no wilting rose. She must be charmed.
He kissed her hand and twinkled at her, almost flirtatiously. “If I didn’t know better, Mrs. Barnes, I would have taken you for one of your daughters.”
She granted him a small, tight smile. Father didn’t seem to notice her coolness. Or if he did, it did nothing to deter him from his mission. After Quinn sat next to Alexander in the spot I’d just occupied, Father returned to his seat. I took the chair closest to Quinn, wishing she had a miracle in her dress pocket to save me from my father’s wishes.
Father told Quinn what he’d already told us about the passage and train ride and added how excited he was to see this part of America and thank you so very much for taking care of his wayward son all these years. “His mother and I shake our heads at his notions. First France and then America? All of it paid for by his American benefactors, no less. Some men have all the luck, isn’t that right?”
“It’s been our pleasure to have James in our home.” Quinn’s hands were clasped tightly in her lap. “Quite simply, he’s our dear friend. There’s nothing we would not do for him. Furthermore, he’s hardly wayward. His success had been because of hard work and fortitude. He’s never been a man seeking assistance without offering something in return.”
“What exactly has he offered you in return for your hospitality?” Father’s tone remained robust and lighthearted, but I knew the venom underneath. He loved to put me down, embarrass me in front of others. Especially since he could sense the warmth between the Barnes family and me. My father was a drinker and a gambler, but he was smart when it came to people and sizing up how to manipulate them into giving him what he wanted. For a moment, I almost felt sorry for Mr. Masters. He had no idea what he’d unleashed when he brought my father into his life.
“We thought James was not good for much,” Father said. “I kept watching to see him prove us wrong, of course. As fathers do.”
“You must not have looked carefully enough,” Alexander said. “Because it’s quite obvious to most everyone who meets him. Perhaps there’s something in your own makeup that didn’t allow you to see what was right in front of you.”
“I can’t imagine it but will have to take your word as truth,” Father said. “How extraordinary.”
“James is rather extraordinary.” I’d never seen Quinn’s pretty eyes hard, as they were now. Her voice had taken on a coldness, as well. One that would chill most men’s blood. My father’s veins were too full of booze, I supposed, to freeze.
Father tapped his temple. “As a child, he was thick, you see. Nothing seemed to penetrate his dim-witted mind. We didn’t think he’d make it to adulthood.”
“Yet here I am,” I said under my breath.
“Why would you think that way?” Alexander asked. “Was he ill?”
“No, not at all. I meant that he seemed too dim-witted to keep out of trouble.” Father laughed, as if we were all in on the joke with him when, in fact, he’d alienated us all. Even Masters seemed shocked by his behavior toward me.
