Chapter 9
“There’s a gentleman caller to see you, miss,” Gallagher said the next morning as I sat in my room reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet before the warmth of my fireplace.
Aunt Maude had woken with a terrible megrim and was in her room with the shades pulled.
It afforded me a respite from our lessons, but I was still required to read.
Shakespeare’s story gave me a headache of my own, especially since I couldn’t concentrate on the difficult words and phrases.
All I could think about—all I had thought about since last night—was my encounter with Alec. I’d never been kissed, and though it had been quick, it had still left me spinning for hours—even in my dreams.
But I had also thought about what he’d said concerning Annabelle. So much heartache, and for what? Money? Power? Position? It was a tangled web of greed, and I didn’t want to be part of it, though I had agreed to be here. Would my heart be protected?
Above all else, I thought about what he hadn't said, or, rather, what he'd hinted at. My heart kept hoping…but my mind told me it was foolishness to even consider.
I eagerly put aside the book, hoping to put aside my thoughts, too.
“A gentleman caller?” I asked.
She handed me a calling card. “Higgins brought it up for you.”
Mr. Geo. Vanderbilt.
My heart galloped at the simple name embossed in gold ink on a crisp white card.
“What does he want?” I asked Gallagher.
She rarely cracked a smile, but one tilted her lips at my question. “What does any young man want from a pretty young woman?”
I frowned.
“He’s come calling, miss, the morning after he met you,” she said. “So he must have romantic inclinations and wants to be the first to stake his claim.”
Of course. Why was I so na?ve?
“What should I do?” I asked her.
“You can meet with him, or I can send him away and tell him you’re not receiving callers.”
I worried my bottom lip. I couldn’t accept Mr. Vanderbilt’s pursuit, because I was destined for Europe.
The only reason to meet with him was to practice my flirting, but that might lead to other problems and the last thing I wanted was to break his heart as Annabelle had done to Alec.
Yet he had come all this way—and he was a Vanderbilt.
I didn’t want him rebuffed by one of the servants.
What would Aunt Maude want me to do? Should I disturb her? I hadn’t made an important decision alone since I’d entered her house. Surely she would want me to accept his call, if for no other reason than his sister-in-law, Mrs. William Kissam Vanderbilt, was hosting a party she wanted me invited to.
“I’ll receive him,” I said as I rose from the chair and smoothed my morning gown. It was a lovely dress made of mauve cotton with layers of material drawn up and bustled at the back.
“You’ll need a chaperone,” Gallagher said. “It should be your aunt.”
“I don’t want to disturb her. Can you do it?”
She nodded, though it wasn’t generally the job of a servant. The task often fell to a family member.
We left my room, and I tried not to look for Alec, but I found my eyes wandering through the gallery and down the stairs. Was he home?
The front parlor door was open, so I took a deep breath and was about to enter, when I heard Alec’s voice.
I paused, causing Gallagher to pause, as well. If Alec was in the room, then I wouldn’t need her, so I motioned for her to leave.
She nodded without hesitation and left.
“I’ve been busier than usual,” I heard Alec say.
“Is that why you haven’t been at the club?” Mr. Vanderbilt asked. “Rumor is that you’ve been preoccupied with a young woman.”
Was the rumor true? Had Alec been talking about another woman last night, and not me? Pain sliced through my chest as the possibility took shape into a dozen different thoughts.
Alec was quiet for a moment and then said, unconvincingly, “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
I didn't want to hear another word on the subject. Lifting my chin, I entered the room as if I had been walking steadily toward the parlor without stopping to eavesdrop.
“Mr. Vanderbilt,” I said, pretending to be surprised.
Mr. Vanderbilt was sitting on the edge of a chair and Alec was standing near the hearth, almost exactly as he’d been standing last night.
They both turned at my entrance, looking concerned that I had heard them, but I would set their minds at ease and give them no foothold to feel uncomfortable because of me.
“Good morning, Miss Hill,” Mr. Vanderbilt said as he rose from his chair, a bright smile on his handsome face. “You look lovely.”
His compliment didn’t warm my cheeks as Alec’s would, but it pleased me and was an honor. Two months ago, if he’d passed me on the street, he wouldn’t have looked twice.
Today, he’d come to call.
“Thank you.” I didn’t acknowledge Alec—I couldn’t. But I wasn’t sure if it was because of the kiss he’d given me last night or the rumor Mr. Vanderbilt had heard concerning him. “To what do I owe this visit?”
Alec remained standing near the hearth, waiting for Mr. Vanderbilt’s response.
Mr. Vanderbilt looked uncertain as he glanced from Alec to me. He should have expected a family member to chaperone us, but perhaps he had been anticipating Aunt Maude. It was a little easier courting a woman without another gentleman present.
“I enjoyed myself immensely last evening,” Mr. Vanderbilt said, “and was hoping to continue our acquaintance today.”
I smiled, as I knew I should, and nodded.
“Won’t you have a seat?” I had planned to thank him for coming and then tell him I had no intention of accepting gentlemen callers—but with Alec watching, I didn’t want Mr. Vanderbilt to leave too soon.
Perhaps I could practice my flirting with him, after all, and show Alec that I wasn’t as na?ve as I used to be.
I took the seat opposite Mr. Vanderbilt and offered him one of my biggest smiles. “I had hoped to see you again.”
It was the right thing to say. His face lit up with a grin and his cheeks turned a ruddy color. He was an attractive young man, in his early twenties, with gentle, dark eyes and a charming mustache. When he smiled, it lit up his entire face. “I hope you don’t mind that I’ve come so soon.”
“Of course not.” I had practiced the art of using my eyes to flirt, since Aunt Maude told me it was imperative that I could communicate my pleasure or displeasure without uttering a single word.
I did so now, letting him know I was pleased he was here.
“I wasn’t certain you would want to come after my song last night. ”
Mr. Vanderbilt’s laughter was as charming as his smile.
“On the contrary, Miss Hill, it was the song that made me sit up and take notice. Anyone can sing timeless Christmas carols—it takes a spirited young woman to choose an Irish folk song. I get so bored with evening entertainments—but not last night. I have a feeling I would never get bored with you.”
He had found me to be spirited? The song choice had been made from frightened desperation—and nothing more. But I smiled nonetheless.
There was an awkward pause, so I said, “You mentioned last night that you’ve been to Europe. Do you enjoy traveling?”
“I travel extensively. I’ve been across the ocean a dozen times already.”
I lifted my eyebrows, unable to imagine such a life.
“And you?” he asked. “Do you like to travel?"
“I was born in England,” I said—but then realized it didn’t match the narrative that Aunt Maude was telling, so I quickly said, “I came to America when I was just a baby, so I have no memories of it. I have not left New York since then, but I believe I will love traveling.”
Mr. Vanderbilt spent the better part of twenty minutes regaling me with stories from his travels, telling me that I would enjoy this place or that. Several times, he even told me he would love to show me it himself.
Alec remained near the fireplace, not moving, nor giving any indication that he wanted to be part of the conversation.
I forced myself not to look at him—to pretend he wasn’t even there.
“It sounds delightful,” I said to my caller. “I would love to see some of the places you’ve mentioned.”
“Perhaps you’ll allow me to call on you in England—though—” He briefly glanced at Alec before continuing. “I hope you’ll allow me to call on you before then.”
I again refrained from looking at Alec. It would be foolish to encourage Mr. Vanderbilt, though it also seemed foolish not to. For a girl from Five Points, his attention was like a daydream—an impossibility. A Vanderbilt was interested in calling on me?
But I was no longer a girl from Five Points—at least, legally. I was a well-bred heiress to Mrs. Edmund Hill—and as her heiress, Mr. Vanderbilt was not an option. So I blithely evaded the question.
“Does everyone travel to Europe in the spring?”
He smiled, though I could see the disappointment in his eyes. He had wanted an answer from me, and I had not given it.
“Europe or Newport,” he said. “There is very little socializing in New York City in the spring and summer. It’s much too wretched a place to endure during that time. No one stays here.”
No one? There were over a million people in the city. If he only knew what we endured during the hot months of July and August in Five Points. Living in a mansion like this one during the summer would be a delight.
I smiled and then rose, indicating that our meeting was over, and said, “It was so nice of you to come, Mr. Vanderbilt.”
He also rose and nodded. “Thank you for receiving me. I do hope I may call again.”
I had hoped he would take the hint from before, but clearly, he had not. I couldn’t alienate him, for fear of being left out of his sister-in-law’s party, but neither could I encourage him.
Alec watched me closely, his expression stormy.
For reasons I couldn’t identify, I wanted to make him upset.
“I would like that,” I found myself saying to Mr. Vanderbilt.
“Excellent.” He grinned at me and then he turned to Alec and nodded his farewell before leaving the parlor.
I slowly sank onto the chair I’d been occupying and let the nerves have their way. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been until now.
“Don’t be foolish, Keira,” Alec said, not leaving his spot near the hearth. “Why would you encourage him when you know you cannot marry him?”
I clasped my hands on my lap and studied them as I tried to gather my wits about me. “He’s a very charming young man. It will be nice to have his friendship.”
Alec snorted—which caused me to finally look at him.
“He’s too young,” Alec said, “and besides, he gets bored easily and moves from one thing to the next. He hasn’t taken anything serious in his life and won’t start now. He’ll toss you aside at the least provocation.”
My anger at Alec was intensifying, and I wasn’t sure why. I stood, my chest rising and falling quickly. “If I cannot keep the attention of Mr. Vanderbilt, how will I keep the attention of a duke?”
“A duke will be desperate—Vanderbilt is not.”
My mouth slipped open at his harsh comment, and I took a step back.
“Keira, that’s not what I meant.” Alec moved away from the hearth, remorse in his face. “I’m sorry.”
“I know what you meant,” I said just above a whisper, my anger turning to pain. “Only a desperate man in need of money would take me seriously.”
“That’s not—no.” He shook his head and swallowed. “I only meant that Vanderbilt has the luxury of choosing—” He paused again, clearly digging himself deeper.
“Please don’t,” I told him, holding up my hand, my accent deepening with my emotions. “I’m very aware of who I am and why someone like George Vanderbilt wouldn’t be interested in me if he knew the truth.”
“Keira—”
“I should not have encouraged him,” I continued, “but I’m not as heartless as the rest of your kind.” I turned away to leave, but he reached out and grabbed my hand.
“Please, Keira.” He gently slipped his fingers through mine. “I didn’t mean what I said. I don’t like George Vanderbilt, and I allowed my dislike of him to influence my words. Trust me when I say I didn’t mean them.”
My hand tingled from the pressure of his, but I refused to look at him. I had never felt the emotions that were stirring in my heart, and I wasn’t sure which way to turn. Alec was my only friend in this house, and he had been kind to me. I owed it to him to listen.
“Why don’t you like Mr. Vanderbilt?” I asked.
He softly tugged my hand until I turned to face him. “My dislike for him is a recent development,” he said quietly.
I needed to change the subject as I disentangled our hands. “Aunt Maude is planning a debutante ball for me, before we leave for France.”
“I know. She told me.” He did not sound pleased.
“Don’t you think I should have a ball?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that it’s all—” He shook his head in frustration.
This was a side of Alec I’d never seen before.
He was usually affable and teasing, but something had changed recently.
“If you want a ball, you should have a ball. If you want Vanderbilt—or your cabin by the stream—or a duke, then you should have it, Keira. It doesn’t matter what I think.
” He moved toward the door and stopped. “I am going away again. I don’t know when I’ll return, but I’ll be back in time for your ball. ”
“You’re going away?” My pulse sped up. My ball wasn’t until the end of February. Two whole months to navigate society without him? To endure Aunt Maude’s endless lessons? To miss him? “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to Newport—” He paused, as if he wanted to say more, but then he shook his head.
“When are you going?”
“Now. This morning. I should be on my way already.”
I walked across the room, trying to think of a way I might convince him to stay.
We stood facing one another as we had the night before.
The only difference was, last night had been bathed in candlelight, with falling snow brushing the windows. Now, the harsh morning light glared off the piles of snow—and the mistletoe was gone.
“Must you go, Alec?”
“I can’t stay.”
It wasn’t an answer—not really.
But it was the only one he gave as he left me standing in the same spot he had left me the night before.