An Unexpected Love (18 page)

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Miss Broadmoor, although I’m certain you have no idea.” He grinned and added, “I do believe, however, I will enjoy our little arrangement.”

Jonas scanned the room, convinced young Daniel Irwin was attempting to avoid him. When Jonas had met the ship in New York, they’d had no opportunity to talk. And shortly after they’d arrived home, Victoria had informed him that Daniel was away visiting relatives in Syracuse and wouldn’t return until the third of December. She’d said the young man had assured her that he would be back in Rochester to attend this evening’s welcomehome party. Thus far, however, he hadn’t set eyes upon Daniel, and Jonas wanted answers.

He worked his way through the crowd, stopping to say hello and offer a handshake here and there. But when he spotted Daniel talking to a young woman, he postponed any further greetings and picked up his pace. With a forceful hold, he gripped Daniel’s shoulder. The young man’s knees bent, and he twisted his body to gain release from the painful hold.

“Mr. Broadmoor! Good to see you.” Daniel extended his hand and forced a smile, but Jonas could see fear in the young man’s eyes, and it pleased him.

“If this lovely young lady will excuse us, I would enjoy the opportunity of visiting with you for a short time in my library.”

Jonas could see that Daniel longed to object, but he was smart enough to know he dared not. While the girl assumed a demure pout, Daniel nervously excused himself. From all appearances, Daniel had been wooing her. The thought rankled Jonas. Could he depend upon no one?

Had they been alone, Jonas would have been tempted to grab Daniel by the ear and lead him down the hallway like an errant schoolboy. Instead, he grasped his elbow. At the end of the hall, they made a left turn. Had they not come to an abrupt halt, they would have collided with Amanda and Dr. Carstead.

Jonas frowned and looked from one to the other, puzzled by the twosome. “Were you seeking a book from the library, Amanda?”

“No, Father.” She waved a folded sheet of paper back and forth. “I’ll explain later.” Her gaze shifted to Daniel and then back to her father. “Are the two of you looking for reading material or—”

“I promised to assist Daniel with an investment question. Should your mother be looking for me, tell her I will return very soon.” He hoped his response would erase the question he’d noted in her eyes. He had no idea who the man was who accompanied Amanda, but he assumed him to be some lost soul she’d come upon.

Once inside the library, he closed the doors and pointed to one of the leather chairs. “Sit! You have some explaining to do, young man.” Jonas pulled a chair closer and sat down. “I don’t see an engagement ring on Fanny’s finger, yet my wife tells me she helped you choose a lovely ring.” Jonas reached into a carved cedar-lined humidor and withdrew a cigar. He clipped the cigar tip and gave Daniel a sideways glance. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

The young man pulled his arms close to his body and appeared to shrink before Jonas’s eyes. “I’ve been doing my very best, but she isn’t easily convinced. Each time I attempted to advance my cause, she told me she planned to marry Michael Atwell.”

“Of
course
she told you that, but you were supposed to convince her that
you
were a better choice. I made my position clear before you sailed. You knew this would be no easy task, but you promised you could sway her decision.” Jonas held a match to his cigar and puffed until the tip glowed with heat. He leaned back into the cushioned chair. “I want further explanation than what you’ve given.”

Daniel squirmed in his chair. “I don’t believe Fanny can be convinced. Though I was able to win Mrs. Broadmoor’s support for my cause, even her assistance failed to help. Fanny wasn’t influenced in the least by my attentions or the beautiful ring. In fact, my overtures seemed to have the opposite effect.”

“Did she actually say she considered herself engaged to Michael?”

“Yes—and she said you’d agreed to their marriage prior to his departure for the Yukon.” Daniel narrowed his eyes. “A fact you hadn’t mentioned to me.”

After a deep draw on his cigar, Jonas slowly exhaled. The smoke formed a pattern of curves and ripples as it floated overhead. “I expect you to continue your pursuit of Fanny. Keep away from the other young ladies, both here and at other social gatherings. You are to keep your attention directed only upon her. I expect you to keep our agreement.”

“But I don’t see . . .”

Jonas clenched his hand into a tight fist. How could one insignificant girl cause him such difficulty? “Just do as you’ve been instructed. Now go out there and ask Fanny to dance.”

Daniel jumped out of the chair as though he’d been shot.

“Close the door behind you,” Jonas called after him.

He took another long draw on his cigar and leaned back in his chair. He must find a solution to this situation with Fanny. Michael must never return.

11

Wednesday, December 15, 1897

Fanny unfolded her napkin and tucked it onto her lap while attempting to avoid Daniel’s attention. He had arrived moments earlier and had asked to speak to Uncle Jonas. Her aunt had invited him to join them for breakfast. Unfortunately, Aunt Victoria directed him to the chair beside Fanny. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed Fanny could not escape Daniel. She caught Amanda’s eye, receiving a sympathetic look in return.

Her uncle offered his usual morning prayer over their food, but Fanny wondered if he truly meant what he said. The prayer seemed little more than hollow words. On the other hand, she ought not to judge her uncle; sometimes her prayers were no more than mechanical recitations. Of late, she’d attempted to make her prayers a conversation with God, which seemed to work much better. Except at night, when she would fall asleep in the midst of her private one-way discussions.

Her uncle motioned for the maid to begin serving, and while the platter of ham and sausage circled the table, Daniel made mention of the light snow that had begun to fall.

Upon hearing his weather report, Aunt Victoria perked to attention. “We need to begin planning the family Christmas celebration. Goodness, but it’s only ten days away.”

“Oh, must we discuss this over breakfast, Victoria?” Uncle Jonas jabbed a piece of ham and dropped it onto his plate. “You ladies can talk about that later. I don’t need to be a part of a Christmas discussion.”

“Well, you need to help with the decisions. This will be the first Christmas since your father’s death. I thought it would be nice if we hosted the celebration here at our home.”

Jonas grunted. “I think of it more as mayhem than a celebration, but if you want to invite the family here, that’s fine with me.”

Fanny straightened in her chair. “I have an idea.”

Her aunt beamed. “Good! What’s your idea, Fanny?”

“I think we should celebrate Christmas at Broadmoor Mansion. After all, that has been the family tradition for all these years, and there’s no reason we can’t continue to do so. It will help us remember Grandfather and Grand-mère, as well as—”

“That is
not
a good idea. We’ll host Christmas here.” Jonas signaled for the biscuits.

“But Broadmoor Mansion has been my home since I was an infant.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed. “I would truly enjoy it if we could host the event there.”

“I see no reason why we couldn’t manage the celebration at the mansion,” Victoria said as she dabbed her napkin at the corner of her mouth. “After all, the servants are still there to help.”

Her uncle gulped the remains of his coffee and cleared his throat. “I’m afraid your plan will not work, Fanny.” He shifted in his chair and focused on his plate. “You may find this news a bit discomfiting, but I sold my parents’ home.” He gave a curt nod. “Broadmoor Mansion no longer belongs to the family.”

Fanny’s fork slipped from her fingers and clanked on the china plate. “Please tell me you are jesting.”

“I’m afraid not. The house sold while you were in England.”

“Why? How could you sell Broadmoor Mansion? Other than Grandfather’s home on Broadmoor Island, the mansion here in Rochester is the only home I’ve ever known. Why wasn’t I told before this?” Her hands shook as she shouted her questions.

“Now, now, Fanny, do calm yourself. It isn’t necessary to shout. I’m certain your uncle will answer all of your questions as well as my own. Won’t you, Jonas?” Anger shone in Aunt Victoria’s eyes.

“You women need to gain control of your emotions. I had no choice in the matter. Liquidation of some assets was necessary in order to make the partial distribution called for under the terms of Father’s will.”

The maid refilled her uncle’s coffee cup and quickly retreated to her station near the sideboard.

“Why wasn’t I advised? I had hoped to purchase the house for myself.” The eggs she’d swallowed only moments earlier now roiled in her stomach. How could her uncle do such a thing?

Amanda chimed in and supported Fanny’s argument. “You know what you did was improper, Father. You should have first spoken to Fanny.”

He shook his head. “The funds were not yet available to her, and the home had to be sold. Telling her would have only caused her greater distress. But if you ladies will permit me a moment without interruption, I think your anger will be assuaged.”

Fanny folded her arms tight around her waist. “I don’t know what you could say to make this better.”

“Before you departed for England, Daniel came to me and professed his love for you, Fanny. I know the house is important to you. It is for that very reason I sold the house to Daniel. Don’t you see? This way you can return to your home again.”

Daniel’s mouth formed an oval. “I don’t know . . . well, I’m not . . .”

“I’m terribly sorry to ruin your surprise, Daniel. But as you can see, with all this talk of Christmas, I had no choice but to reveal the truth.”

Tears streamed down Fanny’s cheeks as she attempted to gain control of her emotions. Amanda rushed to her side and wrapped her in a comforting embrace. “Do take heart, Fanny. If the house is meant to be yours, you will have it one day. I’m certain Father will do everything in his power to help you.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve done, Amanda. Why else would I agree to sell the house to Daniel? I thought the two of them . . .”

Fanny glared at her uncle and pushed away from the table. “This is nonsense! You know I plan to marry Michael. Why would you do such a thing?” She wheeled around toward Daniel. “If this is an attempt to coerce me into marriage, it will not work! It’s Michael I love. I won’t marry Daniel even if he does own Grandfather’s house. Even if Michael should die, I wouldn’t marry him.”

“I was only attempting to help,” her uncle called after her.

Fanny stopped in the doorway. “If this is the way you help, then please don’t ever help me in the future, Uncle Jonas.” Before storming out of the room, she turned toward Daniel. “And I
never
want to see you again!”

The morning quickly dissolved into chaos, but Jonas wasn’t the least bit concerned. He motioned Daniel to his office, closed the door, and put the pandemonium from his mind. “I know you’re surprised by my announcement regarding the house.”

“To say the least, sir.”

“I had to do something, and this seemed the best idea. In fact, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”

“But, sir, I can’t afford to buy Broadmoor Mansion.” Daniel looked rather upset at the very idea.

Jonas laughed. “Of course you can’t afford it right now, but once you marry my niece, you will have ample funds to purchase it from me. I shall set things in motion for you to be deeded the mansion ahead of time. We can get my attorney to work out the details.”

“But won’t someone object?”

“Who? My brother? He’s too busy with his own affairs, and Fanny is too young to have any say over the matter. Once she calms down, she’ll see the sense in this. She loves that house, and I think this might very well be the one thing we needed to get her to focus her attention on you.”

“I had rather hoped she’d focus her attention on me, because of . . . well . . . her love for me,” Daniel said, sounding like a disappointed little boy.

Jonas rolled his eyes. “We don’t always get things the way we’d like them to be. I’m sure in time you can make the girl fall passionately in love with you, if that’s your desire. Now leave me. I have to write a letter. Say nothing of this to anyone, and if Fanny speaks to you about it . . . well . . . avoid the details and turn her attention to matters of the heart.”

Jonas waited until Daniel had exited the room before sitting down to his desk. While this hadn’t been his first plan of action, it did seem to resolve the dilemma nicely. There would be no more discussion of Fanny moving back to the mansion, nor of her trying to force Jonas to let her buy it with her share of the inheritance.

“This will buy me time,” he said aloud. He knew there would be a price to pay, but he was more than willing to risk it all for the sake of what he might yet take hold of.

Jonas smiled to himself. “The end will justify my means, to be certain.”