A Hope Beyond (37 page)
But instead of crying, Carolina fell to her knees in the middle of the family sitting room and prayed. First, she prayed for guidance and direction. Second, she prayed for Victoria and the future that the child would have. And finally, she prayed for Blake St. John that his eyes might be opened to the truth of God’s love and his heart healed from the past injustices and pains.
Leland Baldwin basked in the glory of the moment. Philadelphia had received him quite heartily, along with his brother Samuel Baldwin. And a proposal for the development of a western Pennsylvania railroad had been met with great enthusiasm. He offered the moon, the stars, and the sun, and in turn his investors gave over a great fortune. Everyone was eager to put the depression behind them and find new means in which to make money. And most men were enthusiastic to connect with the West and promote the solidarity of a nation.
Counting his pledges and actual cash investments, Leland was dumfounded to realize an initial outlay of over one hundred thousand dollars.
“This will see me set with the Potomac and Great Falls investors,” he told Samuel.
His brother, every bit as rotund as Leland, shifted nervously in the carriage and motioned to the cashbox Leland refused to secure. “Lock it all up now and let us put it where thieves won’t be inclined to ease our burden.”
“I hardly worry about thieves,” Leland answered, locking the box. “I have a great deal more to concern myself with. If I don’t show some kind of physical evidence that the P&GF is well on its way to development, I may have a riot among its investors. Those men refuse to be put off much longer, and while I was able to show a hefty loss in the initial onset of the depression, the years that have followed have been trials in creative bookkeeping.”
“Indeed, but how will you justify to the Pennsylvania investors that their line lies idle?”
“Simple enough. There is the time element involved with securing the charters and land surveys. These things take time, and with that time, I can well be on my way to making the P&GF a profitable line. Don’t you see, Samuel? We have but to rob one piper to pay the other. All the time we keep the music playing by simply adjusting the purse strings.”
“Sooner or later it must all come to a conclusion.”
“Yes, but by that time I hope to see a tidy profit, and in turn I can repay some of what I am, shall we say, borrowing against.” Leland smiled at his own inventive genius. “Either way, I do not have to bow and scrape to make ends meet, and I am still held in esteem as a beneficial businessman. Men will flock to me as they learn of the profitability of the P&GF, and just imagine how pleased Joseph Adams will be.”
“From the sounds of it, you’d better be more inclined to please Carolina Adams. Is it true that her father actually lets the little chit make decisions about the business dealings of the railroad?”
“Absolutely. He’s allowed her an education that has made her wiser than I would ever have imagined a woman could be. She posted a letter to me pointing out the inaccuracies in my accounting, suggesting that I might want to forward her the receipts and investment ledgers in order that she herself could scour them for mistakes.”
“Such nerve!” Samuel snorted and popped open a snuffbox. He procured a pinch for himself, then offered it to Leland.
“No, no. I’ve no desire for it just yet. I have a great deal of thinking to do, and I do that best unhindered by pleasure.”
“As you wish, brother.” Samuel replaced the box in his pocket and waved his handkerchief back and forth as if to ease himself of the heat. “These humid days are far from a favorite of mine. I do hope you haven’t planned any further excursion. I have a desire for a bath and change of clothes before we dine.”
The carriage pulled up in front of the hotel, and Leland nodded his agreement. “A bath does sound like just the thing to cap off this day.”
He handed the cashbox and his walking stick to his brother, then allowed two footmen to assist him from the carriage. Samuel followed behind and handed both back without ceremony. Passing into the lobby, Leland was surprised to find not one, but three messages awaiting him. All were from Washington, and all bore ill tidings.
Glancing through the brief messages, he turned despairing eyes upon Samuel. “I must make for home. Edith is quite ill.”
“At this hour?” Samuel asked, looking around to note the time on the grandfather clock that graced the entryway.
“I’m afraid I’ve little choice. She fell unconscious several days ago, and by the looks of this last message posted July seventh, she has not awakened. I fear she may well succumb to her illness this time.”
“Has she suffered these episodes before?”
“Indeed. The doctor says she has a weak heart. He bleeds her constantly to take the pressure off, but it hasn’t seemed to help much. Now the doctor has informed me that after her last bleeding she fell into a deep sleep and has not yet recovered. He fears her general state of health may be such as to make recovery impossible.”
“I am sorry, Leland. Do you wish for me to accompany you?”
Leland could tell very well from the look on his brother’s face that he had no desire to follow him through the night to Washington.
“No, remain here and see to any straggling investors. I will arrange to take the train. Have my things sent to me.”
Leland made his way from the hotel and hailed a hack. He was reluctant to leave Philadelphia, while at the same time anxious to be back where he could not only look in upon Edith, but lay out a plan of action regarding the P&GF. Finally, he had the capital with which to create a sense of activity and accomplishment, and the feeling left him exhilarated in spite of Edith’s illness.
Edith. He thought of her while passing through the evening twilight on his way to the station. He would miss her when she was gone, but in some ways he would also find great relief. His worst fear was that she might find out how he had destroyed her family fortune and swindled their friends. He didn’t care that some folks found him ruthless and insensitive, nor did he concern himself that others felt he could be rather underhanded in some of his business dealings. Rumors certainly couldn’t hurt him in that aspect, especially not when he would eventually show the world his worth by producing a fine example of a railroad in the form of Joseph Adams’ Potomac and Great Falls line. No, what kept him struggling to meet the constant demands and deadlines that besieged him was his desire to keep Edith safely ignorant of the circumstance in which he worked.
She had never learned of their peril during his banking years. And if she had noticed small family heirlooms missing, she had never once raised a concern about such matters. Edith was simpleminded enough that she suited his purposes perfectly. She was highly regarded in Washington, and because her family had been well received, she had secured for them a respectable position within an elite social circle of wealthy peers.
He smiled when he thought of her. He did love her, and she had given him a son to carry on the family name. God only knew what the boy was up to these days. He certainly wasn’t meeting any criteria Leland had set out for him, nor did he care to inform his father of his whereabouts. From time to time he saw fit to notify his mother of his well-being and his work upon the Baltimore and Ohio, and often his letters were posted from Harper’s Ferry or Baltimore. But beyond his brief visits to check in on Edith, James was seldom in residence. Of course, Leland knew he had only himself to blame. He’d made it clear that James was no longer welcome in their home, yet little by little he had relented his stand for Edith’s sake.
But James didn’t seem to mind being sent from the house, and that was perhaps even more disturbing to Leland. James appeared content to stay away for long periods of time and to offer up little explanation for his absences.
Leland tried not to allow the matter to eat at him, but it was highly difficult to try to explain James’ actions to his circle of business friends. A son was a reflection of the father, and to admit to James’ unorthodox relationship was to admit to his own failure. It was better by far to make up what he could not confirm. To those around him, he was nothing but the proudest of fathers to a son who held a futuristic view of the world and the machines that would drive it forward through the century.
But to James, who knew full well his father’s disappointment, Leland would remain fixedly disapproving and openly hostile. He tolerated his son for Edith’s sake, but beyond that he had little use for James, and from what Leland could gather, the feeling was mutual.
“Let him make his own bed,” Leland murmured to himself. “His failures will catch up with him soon enough, and then he will come crawling back to me for instruction.” But even as he said it, Leland doubted his own words. James, he knew, would probably lie dead in a ditch before admitting that he needed his father’s help in any matter.
Carolina knew no peace as she awaited the arrival of Blake St. John. He had sent word to her in the nursery that they should meet at seven o’clock in his study, and thus far, nearly twenty minutes after the hour, Carolina was still awaiting his appearance.
She fretted over what he would tell her. Worse still, she worried that he would demand her agreement to remain with Victoria or, upon her refusal, order her to pack her things and be gone. She had prayed for guidance and sought verse after verse from the Scriptures, but an answer eluded her in such a way that she had no feeling of certainty in either choice.
Carolina sighed and looked around the sparsely furnished room. Blake did his business in this room, yet there was very little of anything personal about the man to declare his ownership. On the walls hung portraits of long dead ancestors, and on the shelf were books related to business and law. Carolina saw nothing that offered even the slightest glimpse into the heart and soul of Blake St. John. But then, hadn’t he told her that his heart and soul were buried in the graves of his wife and son?
“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” Blake announced without warning. The door slammed shut with such a report that Carolina jumped noticeably in her seat. “Again, I’m sorry,” Blake offered.
He was dressed impeccably in his favored choice of dark navy frock coat and silk-print vest. His sleek, snugly fitted riding pants betrayed his whereabouts for the time he’d kept Carolina waiting.
“That is quite all right. Victoria is busy with Mrs. Graves.”
Blake nodded, then as if seeing her for the first time, sat down behind his desk and studied her without a word. Carolina grew quite nervous under his scrutiny, but she tried to refrain from fidgeting. Instead, she grasped the lightweight muslin of her dress and fought to steady her nerves. Why didn’t he speak? Why didn’t he demand his answer and let her be done with this nightmarish ordeal?
But she had no answer. She hadn’t decided what she would say if he insisted she choose one way or the other. God knew she’d tried to realize what was best, but every time she looked into Victoria’s trusting face, she couldn’t imagine saying good-bye. Unwadding the material of her skirt and smoothing away the wrinkles, she dared to look up. Meeting his dark eyes, she was surprised at the emotion she read in his expression.
“I have something to say to you, and while we have not been able to reach an amicable decision thus far, it is my hope that perhaps this proposal will meet with your agreement.”
“I see,” Carolina said, feeling relieved that he had decided to come up with yet another way to resolve the situation.
“I ask only that you hear me out before making up your mind or deciding against it. Will you give me your word on it? Will you hear me through?”
Carolina narrowed her eyes and tried to imagine what St. John would say next. To demand such a promise from her no doubt signaled some manner of unacceptability in what he would suggest. Hesitantly, she nodded. “All right. I’ll hear you out.”
“Very good.” He leaned forward and folded his hands together. “I have given thought to everything you said regarding my suggestion and proposal. It is true that I had given little regard to your future; however, that is no longer the case. I realize that to take on the responsibility of Victoria will most likely relegate you to a position of less-desirable marriage material, although a gentleman would have but to look at you in order to find merit in taking you as a mate.”
Carolina felt her cheeks grow hot, and she quickly lowered her face to avoid Blake’s notice.
“Furthermore,” he continued without hesitation, “I realize that to take my money and perform the duties that would suggest matrimonial obligation would lessen your reputation in the eyes of the public. Do not believe that I am unfamiliar with the gossip of this town. Those good folk who would call themselves Christian are most unforgiving and judgmental. I have little doubt that they would see you as less than the soiled doves who frequent the harbor walk should you set yourself up under my roof in such a personal way. Therefore, I am prepared to make a most unusual proposal.”
Carolina looked up and found him quite intent on her reaction.
“I am not of the mind to ever marry again,” he went on. “As I told you, I will never love another. However, I note that you, too, are without any particular ties to one gentleman or another. Is my assumption true?”
“Yes,” Carolina admitted, wondering where he was going with this line of conversation. A nagging fear began to build within her, and the suggestion of what she was thinking was too unbelievable to imagine.
“Then given these facts, I am suggesting that we marry for the sake of Victoria.”
He waited, as if expecting some violent reaction, but remarkably Carolina felt a strange peace. Not so much with the idea of marrying a man she could never love and who would certainly never love her, but rather it was a relief that he concerned himself with her welfare above his own.
“It would, of course, be a marriage in name only. To be quite blunt and perhaps completely out of keeping with acceptable conversation, I must honestly say that it would never be my intention to share your bed, nor to father additional children.”