Part 11 (1/2)
”We ran out of money.” Fan slammed the table and got to her feet. ”You want to know? I'll tell you. Frank ran out of luck in Frisco. We lost Big. I took to waiting tables in the saloon while he tried to rustle up some cash. It was useless. Frank isn't a miner or a rancher, and I don't intend to waste the rest of my life being pinched by some randy cowboy who's had three beers.”
”Frances!” Eunice said, appalled. ”You worked as a waitress? In a saloon?”
Grace waved a hand. ”Go on.”
”What else is there to say? I got on the next train for home, and here I am.” She grinned, seeing the shocked faces around her. ”I thought this is where I should be. Especially since I'm in the family way. That's right; you're all going to have another little Pemberton.”
”My G.o.d, Grace, fetch my smelling salts.” Anita Pemberton, one of the younger nieces, fanned herself breathlessly and stared at the young woman before her as if seeing a demon.
Grace snorted. ”There's no time for that. Is that all, Fan? Or is there any other sordid little fact that escaped you?”
”That's it.” Fan shrugged. ”I've said my piece, though G.o.d knows, I hated to come back to this place. Frisco is my kind of town, not this crummy little backwater or stuffy Philadelphia. But it seems my reappearance is well timed, that's for sure.”
”Frances.” George spoke softly, though his voice was thick with disdain. ”Am I to understand that you would prefer living in California? And that if it wasn't for the money, you would go back there?”
Fan stared at him for a moment, then nodded, obviously confused. ”That's right, I hate it here. I always did.”
”Well, what if you could go back?”
”Oh, no.” Fan rose, suddenly aware of what they were all thinking. ”No. You're not sending me back and keeping that s.l.u.t here in my place. You can't make me-”
”Don't be so sure, Fan,” Grace broke in, her voice stern. ”This really is the best solution. No one outside the family has seen you yet. Fortunately you arrived after the other guests left. Kate can go on as Fan Pemberton while you can live in San Francisco as anyone you wish. No one else has to know anything.”
”No. Absolutely not,” Fan said stubbornly. ”I won't let her-”
”We'll cut you off without a cent,” George said quietly. The other Pembertons nodded in agreement as Fan glanced quickly around the room. There was no support anywhere. ”Think about it, Fan. You'll have nothing. No money. No clothes. No friends. Why, you might even have to wait tables here for a living.”
Fan glared in hatred at them all, then slammed her fan down on the table and stormed for the door.
”You won't get away with this! I swear....”
Grace smiled softly as the door slammed shut. ”I think we may have just solved our problem.”
From the hotel sitting room, Ella Pemberton stood at the window and watched as the footman hailed a carriage. A dark-haired woman dressed in a cheap yellow gown stepped into the cab. She seemed none too happy, and when she glanced back at the window, her expression showed her outrage.
Ella let the curtain fall from her hand as the carriage retreated. Her heart pounding, she closed her eyes, remembering a scene exactly like this one that had happened many years ago. It was the same situation, the same face, the same woman. She could see it all clearly, Grace's indignant expression, her daughter's defiant one. Yet it had all come around, and was happening once again.
A small smile crept across Ella's face and she reclined once more against the back of the comfortable chair. They all thought she was senile, that she had lost her wits. Sometimes she wished it was true, for it would make everything easier. Yet it often worked to her advantage.
Like this time. This time they wouldn't win. And no one could be happier than Ella.
THIRTEEN.
Katie unb.u.t.toned the lovely gown she wore, a gown that she could no longer call her own. It was all so unreal, that her entire world could be shattered so quickly and so completely. But it had happened. Like Cinderella, the hour of midnight had struck and the coach was now a pumpkin.
Sniffling, Katie placed the dress back with the others and stood looking at the wardrobe. She had no claim to it now. All of it would revert to its rightful owner, the real Fan Pemberton, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Maybe it was for the best. Katie thought of her son, of how much she missed him, and realized that she couldn't have continued this farce, no matter how much she wanted to. She wanted her son around her, wanted to see her family again, even if it meant returning to scrubbing floors and cooking for the Main Line rich.
And Ella. A painful throb surged inside her as Katie thought of the older woman. Ella had become much more to her than a rich employer. Still, Ella had the real Fan back now. If Katie stayed, she would only add to the woman's grief, to discover that she'd been deceived. She had no choice.
A glimmer caught her eye and she glanced into the mirror, seeing herself clad in her corset and petticoats. The necklace Christopher had given her glittered in the morning sunlight, the gold shamrock twinkling with the emerald. A sudden tightening came to her throat and she felt so ill she had to sit down on the edge of the bed.
It had meant so much to her, this gift. Katie knew it was ridiculous, but it was almost as if she thought it would bring her real luck. It wasn't as if she loved Christopher; she wouldn't lie to herself about that. Still, she genuinely liked him and enjoyed his company. And last night...she couldn't even think about that, it just hurt too much. Yet it had all been lies. First her lies to him, then his about his financial position. None of it had been what they'd pretended. She should be glad it was over, glad that she wouldn't see him again. Why then did she feel so much like crying?
Ah, Katie, it's just the Irish in ye. The G.o.ds weren't happy with her deceit, and once again she was being punished. She, Katie O'Connor, wasn't good enough to hang her hat with decent people. She was being sent back to where she belonged, on her knees, to a life of repentance and dirty floors....
”Mrs. Scott? It's George Pemberton. May I come in?” A slight knock sounded on the door and Katie wiped her eyes, then s.n.a.t.c.hed up her robe.
”One minute!” Katie tied the garment firmly around her waist, then opened the door cautiously. ”Mr. Pemberton,” she choked self-consciously, but allowed the older man to enter.
”Kate.” George nodded, his gaze falling on a small pile of clothing in the center of the bed. ”May I ask what you're doing?”
”I'm packing.” Katie fought the tears that threatened and kept her voice firm. ”I'm only taking my own things, so you can tell the Pembertons not to worry. Fan won't miss anything from her own wardrobe.”
”I see.” George frowned as Katie continued to pack, placing a ridiculously small amount of clothing into a battered valise. ”May I ask where you're going?”
Shrugging, Katie continued her work. ”Home. To Philadelphia. I haven't many other choices, and it seems the most logical thing to do.”
”Back to your old life?” George sounded incredulous. ”Is this something you want?”
”It doesn't matter what I want.” Katie gave him a tired smile. ”I appreciate all your kindness and concern, but the fact is that Fan has come home. I can't stay.”
”What if I told you that she hasn't come home? That she never left San Francisco?”
Katie stared at him as if he'd lost his wits. George chuckled softly. ”No, I'm not insane, and neither are you. As it happens, the family...encouraged Fan to go back. No one has seen her; no one knows the truth. We could go on as before.”
Katie's mouth parted, but no sound came forth. She sank into a chair, trying to make sense of what this man was saying. ”You mean...I couldn't possibly...”
”Why not?” George asked amicably. ”Ella cares a lot for you. She would be quite happy having you here. Of course a dowry is out of the question, since everyone knows the truth. But still, with Christopher's money...”
Katie shook her head. ”It wouldn't work.”
”Why ever not?”
”For reasons I can't go into.” No matter what else had happened, she owed Christopher that much loyalty. She wouldn't divulge his family secret. ”Don't even ask me. I just can't say.”
”I see.” George frowned. He obviously hadn't counted on this. ”Are you sure you're just not being stubborn?”
Putting the last piece of clothing into the valise, Katie nodded. ”Christopher was so disillusioned when he learned the truth that I don't think he'll ever trust me again.”
”He'll recover,” George said quickly. ”Anyone would react that way initially.”
”You don't understand.” Katie smiled sadly. ”You didn't see his face. He thinks I'm nothing more than a liar and worse. You can't base a marriage on that kind of feeling. Christopher wouldn't listen to me; he doesn't care. He can't see past his own hurt. I don't think anything would make a difference.”
”I'm sorry to hear that.” George rose to his feet and took Katie's hand. ”Isn't there anything I can say to change your mind?”