Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice (40 page)

The discussion over lunch was illuminating to Cassie. Once Senator Westing managed to stop subtly maligning the members of his family, she discovered he could be a stimulating conversationalist. It was clear where Calder came by his sharp intellect and quick thinking. She could see his father's success in politics lay not only in his ability to charm, but also in his talent for infusing energy into even the dullest subject. It reminded her of Calder's writing ability, the way he engaged a reader's feelings. How easy it would be to be caught up in his father's selfassurance, if it weren't for how he treated her before. She would never trust him, but she understood his famed charisma better now.

   Finally it was over. Back in the car with Calder, she let out a deep sigh. "I hope we don't have to do that very often. I'm exhausted." When Calder didn't reply, she looked over at him with concern. "Are you all right?"

   He shrugged. "Just thinking."

   "What about?"

   "You had a good time talking to my father."

   "
Someone
had to keep the conversation going. Your father is smart, funny, and quick on his feet, and I'd rather be in a room with a poisonous snake."

   "Really?" He gave her a sidelong glance. "It looked like you were getting along pretty well."

   "Calder, I do my best to get along with
everyone. D
o you think I don't notice those little cuts he makes? The only reason I'm civil to him is because he's your father."

   He was quiet for a minute, but she could see his shoulders relax. So he had been unsure of her loyalty to him, just hours before their wedding. This was happening too fast.

Cassie stepped out of the car in front of the church that afternoon to face a barrage of flashes. Startled, she froze for a moment but regained her composure when Dave Crowley materialized, taking her arm and leading her into the church. "Don't worry," he whispered. "We've got security here, and the press know that anyone who tries to ask questions or intrudes will be thrown out."

   "How did they find out? I thought no one knew," Cassie said in dismay.

   "Who do you think wants full publicity for the fact that he's here and smiling?" Dave said, a note of distaste in his voice. "Never mind. The only photographer inside the church is the one Ann hired. She runs a tight ship."

   "And I'm grateful for it," said Cassie. If her picture

was to be splashed all over the papers, she was glad she let Ann talk her into an elegant gown.

   Her father was right behind them, looking uncomfortable in a suit and tie, and no doubt even more ill at ease about the cameras. When they paused in the vestibule and Dave slipped away into the church, Cassie wondered how her father felt about giving his eldest daughter away not only to another man, but also to a different world he could barely imagine and would never be comfortable sharing. But she had moved out of his world when she signed up for her first library card at age twelve, and there was no going back. She felt a moment of sadness, realizing how little common ground they ever had beyond living in the same house. She wished she had tried harder to find some interest to share with him. Calder had shown how easy it could be with his sports talk. She had just never made the effort. Her thoughts were interrupted as the doors opened in front of her and her father held out his arm for her. She smiled at him and gave his arm a squeeze as she took it.

   The reception, in the private room of an elegant restaurant, had few trappings of a traditional reception beyond a wedding cake and place cards, a last minute addition to limit the Westing family's exposure to the other guests. Cassie paid little attention to the food, though everyone else seemed to be enjoying it—everyone except Scott and Erin, who were too busy looking into each other's eyes to notice anything.

   When she and Calder started to circulate through the room, their first stop was a duty visit to his family's table, where Calder introduced her to his brother. Tom was a pleasant young man with some of his father's polish but lacking his sharp edges. Cassie chatted with him and his wife briefly and found it hard to imagine Tom and Calder as brothers. Life seemed to have touched Tom Westing only lightly, but she reminded herself how much she had misread Calder at first. Perhaps Tom had hidden depths as well. If so, they were well disguised beneath the veneer of the promising young politician.

   Cassie said quietly to Calder, "I want to talk to Jim for a minute. He and Rose have to leave early to catch their flight."

   Calder looked across the room to where his father worked the room as if votes from Pennsylvania mattered to him. On an impulse, he said, "Go ahead. I'm going to stay here for a bit." He caught Cassie's eye as he sat down next to his mother, and she nodded slightly.

   Deciding to talk with his mother was easier than doing it. She said all the correct things about how lovely the wedding was and how beautiful Cassie looked, the meaningless but proper conversation he detested.

   "Your Cassandra is a very nice young woman, Calder.

You've chosen well." Caro Westing's hands were neatly folded in her lap.

   Calder kept his shoulders straight, the way she had always insisted upon. "There's no reason to pretend, Mother. I know perfectly well that as soon as my back is turned he's going to be out there trying to break us up."

   She arched a perfectly curved eyebrow. "I don't believe so, Calder. He's come to the conclusion she will be good for you."

   "Without money and the right connections? I doubt it."

   "She has something he values more. She's ambitious. He knows where she started and how far she has come. He thinks she'll make something of you." She might have been speaking of the weather for all the emotion in her voice.

   "Of course, I should have known," he said icily. "Whatever makes you happy and keeps him off my back is fine with me."

   "No, that's not what makes me happy." She turned to look full at him for the first time in the conversation. "I'm happy because she'll keep you safe. Excuse me, Calder." She rose and walked gracefully in the direction of the restrooms. He watched her for a moment, his eyes narrowed, wondering what she really meant.

Cassie hugged Jim, trying to remember the last time she had seen him in a suit. "I'm glad you could come on such short notice."

   "Wouldn't miss it for the world. You've been leading an exciting life. Not that I'm unhappy about the results, mind you. I always did think he was interested in you, no matter what you said."

   "Yes, you can say you told me so. I bet you'll never let me forget it." Thinking about Calder was comforting.

   "No, I won't. Especially since Rose got curious when we found out he was a writer and decided to read one of his books."

   Cassie blushed fiercely. "Oh, God. I was counting on you scientist types never picking up a book without footnotes. Now I'm embarrassed." A thought suddenly struck her. "I hope Rob hasn't read it."

   "Everybody read it. It has a marine biologist as the heroine, it's set at the MBL, and you're listed in the acknowledgments."

   So everyone from her old lab knew the intimate story. And this was just the beginning. Her entire life would be fair game.

   It must have shown in her face, because Jim said, "Nobody knows it's about you and Calder except Rose and me, and probably Rob. Even I wasn't sure it was supposed to be the two of you until I read that scene where we played Trivial Pursuit. I don't think I've ever been a character in a book before. It was kind of fun. But speaking of Rob, he asked me to give you this." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her.

   Cassie accepted it reluctantly. Rob wouldn't have sent it with Jim if it were bad. After a moment's hesitation, she ripped it open.

   It was a traditional wedding card with a picture of bells and a flowery verse. At the end Rob had written, 'I hope you find all the happiness you deserve. Love, Rob.'

   She blinked back the hot tears that filled her eyes. "How is he doing?"

   Jim laid his hand on her arm. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. I think he'd been hoping things wouldn't work out with Calder and that maybe later… Well, it's good you're married. That'll help him move on. So, how do you get any work done these days, with all this excitement?" he teased.

   Cassie frowned. "Time is the least of my worries. It looks like I may have to leave Haverford."

   Jim's face registered astonishment. "No! Why?"

   "It's a long story, and this would be a particularly bad time to go into it," she said, her eyes flickering in the direction of Calder's family. "I'm probably going to go on the market in the fall."

   "There are places that would be glad to have you. When you get home, send me an email about what you're looking for, and I'll do some nosing around for positions that might be open."

   Cassie was grateful, both for his faith in her and his help. Networking was more likely to come up with a job for her than watching the ads. "There's an opening I'm looking at for this fall, but I can't decide whether to take it seriously or not. It's a step down the academic ladder, but it's at the MBL."

   "What is it?"

   "It's with Boston University's Marine Program at MBL, teaching undergrads concentrating in marine science. I'd have the chance to do some research of my own with the Center for Ecosystem Studies if I can get a grant."

   "What's the catch?"

   "It's part-time, and it's not tenure-track." She was

embarrassed to tell him she would even consider such a thing. "They say there may be an opportunity for a tenure-track position someday, but realistically, I'll never have the high-powered research credentials they would want. And those jobs only open up once every blue moon, anyway."

   Jim looked at her in silence for a moment. "I'd think with marrying Calder Westing you wouldn't have to worry about things like tenure and salary anymore. So where's the problem?"

   "I don't want to be dependent on Calder. If anything goes wrong, I'll still need my career, and you know how hard it would be to get another tenure-track position after giving one up."

   "Rather pessimistic thoughts for a bride-to-be. Are you really worried about Calder leaving you destitute, or is it just hard to give up the prestige of the tenure-track?" When Cassie flushed guiltily, he added, "Don't give me credit for mind-reading. Rose faced the same thing when we got married. Our specialties were too close; we'd never have been able to find tenure-track jobs together. So now she manages the lab, because she had the guts to quit the track and I didn't."