The Letter (16 page)

“
This is completely improper, what must your parents think? ....such a shameful creature you are!” the woman bellowed stopping a few feet from Victoria.

Victoria was trembling with outrage. What an utter snob this woman was. No wonder William was so cold and unfeeling. He had come by it honestly.

“
It is a little late for that, Mrs. Worthington,” Victoria said, planting a sugar-sweet smile on her face that she hoped resembled a cat that just finished a bowl of forbidden cream. “I am William’s mistress, so I suppose since we are so intimate it was his desire that I stay in his house.”

The woman turned an even deeper shade of purple. Her whole body shook with fury. But Victoria refused to back down.

“
How dare you talk to me like that you . . . you trollop! What my son must be thinking of, I just can’t imagine . . . bringing a common whore into his house.”

Victoria paused under the punching impact of Mrs. Worthington’s words while outrage of the injustice consumed her.

“
Get out!” Victoria hissed between clinched teeth. Standing up and stepping forward, Victoria put her shoulder’s back and her chin up. “Get out before I throw you out. If you have a problem with your son and his choices, then you talk to him about it. But if you think for a moment I will stand here and allow you to insult me in such a fashion, you are wrong. Now get out!”

Startled by Victoria’s outburst of fury, Mrs. Worthington stared speechless at Victoria for a full moment before her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

“
You have not seen the last of me!” Mrs. Worthington threatened before turning on her aristocratic heel and marching out of the room like a soldier, her back ramrod straight.

When the woman was gone, Victoria sank back into the chair shaking with rage and hurt. Looking at her empty soup bowl with queasy regret Victoria tried to calm her anger.

She never wanted to be spoken to like that again, and she would tell William that very thing when she saw him this evening. How could the woman berate her when it was her own son who had taken her to his home and made the scandalous offer from the start?

His proposal had left her little to no choice and Victoria had only done the most practical and sensible thing she could hadn’t she?

He was offering her freedom, even if it required the price of her body.

Of course, the problem was that the damning inescapable truth was that she wanted William as much as he wanted her.

And there was something powerful and exhilarating about taking control of her life in a world where women had few choices.

She was selecting the bold path, the forbidden path and the scandalous path. But she had made her choice to determine her own destiny whatever the price was.

She wondered what his snobby mother would have said about that.

******

Who is she, William?” Eunice Worthington demanded as she stood in front of her son’s desk in his bank office little more than forty minutes later.

Regarding his mother’s agitated flushed expression and the angry commotion of her entry, William knew he wouldn’t get any peace until he explained Victoria’s presence in his house.

Damn. He should have taken Victoria someplace other than his own house. And had he dealt with the beautiful Victoria with a detached cool head, he would have anticipated this scene and avoided the situation entirely. His mother was always nosing around and in recent years since his father’s death, had taken an acute interest in his personal life. She had so little to do with him when he was a child. She had been much too caught up with her social activities to care much about what he was doing. As long as he presented himself properly in front of company she barely noticed him.

It was his father who had always been there, his father who had taken him to the bank to learn the trade. It was he and his father who always had the long talks together in the massive library at their family home. It was his father he conspired and held counsel with.

Other than his father’s guidance, William had been raised by nannies. Then, he was sent off to school. Even though her interest in him was very recent, William respected and cared for his mother. Eunice was not perfect, no one was, and more importantly, she was his mother. It was his duty to look after her and respect her.

“
Do you know what she told me?” his mother asked, her shrill voice interrupting his thoughts.

“
What?” William asked, putting his pen down, leaning back in his chair and attempting to hold onto his deteriorating patience.

“
She said she was your mistress!” his mother accused, dramatically displaying her most scandalized expression.

Throwing his head back, William laughed deeply unable to help himself.

His mother, looking utterly dumbfounded, stared at him in silence. Then, she said, “Laughter from my son is a rare sound.”

“
Did she really say that, Mother?”

Snapping back into her irritation, his mother answered, “Yes, she did and I find nothing, absolutely nothing, humorous about it.” Her chest rose and fell in agitation. “I demand to know who she is!” Raising her voice another octave, Eunice succeeded in making William become serious again but did not erase the small smile that played on his lips.

“
She is indeed, my mistress,” William confirmed, fondness creeping into his voice. “Now if you will excuse me, Mother, now that your mystery is solved, I have a great deal of work to do.”

He picked up the pen on his desk and looked back down at his work, knowing he would not succeed in ending this skirmish.

“
William, I am not going to be put off,” Eunice warned, as she began pacing the room in agitation. “What could you possibly be thinking bringing a whore into your home . . . and into your future wife’s bedroom?”

William’s pen dropped and he was on his feet in an instant.

“
Do not ever call her that again,” he warned. “Whore is such an ugly word. And it couldn’t possibly fit the angel currently installed in my house. And if it did ever fit her, it was because of me that it is so.”

Eunice gasped at William’s uncharacteristic show of emotion.

“
Such affection for your mistress?” And you would say that to your own mother? How could you defend a common trollop against me?” Her face had turned a deep shade of purple and her large bosom heaved inside of her royal blue velvet gown.

“
I will not tolerate your comments mother. You will not speak of Victoria with anything but respect.”

“
Victoria? Is that her name? Can you tell me that much since I can’t make any progress with you otherwise?” Eunice said. “I think you care about the girl, which is infuriating and completely improper.”

“
Yes, her name is Victoria.” William answered, leaning against the desk top, her name tasting sweet and familiar on his lips. “I think it is quite proper to care for one’s mistress, otherwise, why have one at all?”

“
Victoria what?” Eunice probed, her gaze narrowing.

“
There is no need for you to know, so just forget about it.” William replied. He knew he couldn’t tell his mother who Victoria really was. Not yet anyway.

“
Oh, William, for goodness sake! What would it hurt for me to know her name?” Eunice put her bottom lip out in a convincing pout trying a new route.

“
Don’t play the poor, wounded one with me Mother. She is off limits to you and your schemes. Furthermore, if I find out that anyone,
and I mean anyone
, has said or done anything to her, there will be hell to pay.” Hard steel and determination edged his warning.

“
I know that tone, you sound just like your father. I knew I should have taken more of a hand in your raising,” she said, sighing over the words she had worn out in uttering. Then she asked, “What happened to that Chinese woman you were regularly going to see? She was a perfect mistress, no complications.”

“
That is none of your business. This conversation is over.” William said, his voice warning that he had run out of patience.

“
Okay, son, but please, could you just remove her from your house. Will you do that much for me? I don’t want the whole world to be aware of your affair, especially Faith. She would be so upset if she knew. She cares for you, and she deserves your respect.”

“
Your point is well taken, Mother. I will consider what you have said although I am fully aware of the social issues here. Now could you please allow me to finish my work?”

“
Of course son, of course. I know that you are aware of your duties, speaking of which, don’t forget, we are to go to the Anderson’s tomorrow for dinner. Faith is anxious to see you and complained you haven’t been around to see her,” Eunice finished, breezing to the door as if a major showdown had never occurred. She stopped and gave him a small wave before closing the door behind her.

“
Goodbye Mother and good day,” he replied, to the closing door.

Damn, William thought, annoyed as the door clicked shut. He had almost forgotten about the weekly dinner with Faith and her parents.

Even though he was normally more charitably disposed about the whole affair, it was suddenly an unpleasant occasion to anticipate. Until this moment, he never considered seeing Faith and her family as a bore. He could even go so far as to say that he previously enjoyed Faith’s chatter and even participated in her planning.

Now, he considered the notion that it most always proved to be an exceedingly dull evening filled with Faith’s chatter about wedding plans, Albert Anderson’s loud overblown personality and his mother’s endless, jealous, gossip with Jeanette Anderson.

Right now he just didn’t feel like being charitable, or subjecting himself to the torture of the scheduled dinner that was designed to bring the families together so that everyone could get better acquainted.

He knew the root of his impatience and unkind disposition was that he was anxious to spend time with Victoria.

His time with Victoria would have to be postponed. There was nothing to be done about that. They only had tonight together and then it would be another two days before he could see her again.

There was one thing that his mother was right about. Victoria would have to be removed from his house. Otherwise, there was no telling what his mother or Faith might do. Society was not kind to the Victorias of the world.

And he truly didn’t wish to shame Faith by being so blatantly indiscreet.

Pulling the cord to ring Ernst Pike, William swiftly made his mental plans.

“
Yes sir?” Pike, entered his office looking as pale and nervous as ever.

“
Pike, get in touch with the real estate department. Have them find me a little house on the hill within a block or two of my residence. The house should be elegant, spacious, with a view of the Bay and furnished to the smallest detail in something tasteful and comfortable.”

“
And red,” he added, his voice dipping low with emotion.

“
Red sir?”

“
Yes, red – the curtains, the sofa, perhaps even the paper on the wall should be red – tastefully done of course. “Red is her color.”

“
I will make sure the decorating is done in red,” Pike assured him patches of color appearing on his face.

Perhaps that was going a bit too far.

“
The furnishings should be elegant but comfortable. The house should have all the latest amenities. Have the house paid for in cash and have the deed made out to Victoria Riley,” William finished.

Certainly Victoria wouldn’t mind living in her own home. In fact she would likely prefer having her own home. Of course he would be certain that he spared no expense with her house, which should please her greatly.

“
I will do my very best sir.”

“
Offer whatever price you must to get the house that fits the requirement Pike, everyone has a price, just find the right house.”

“
I will make sure it is a very fine house that exceeds all of your expectations,” Pike said.

“
I am sure that you understand Mr. Pike, this house is for a very special lady.”

“
I do understand completely,” Earnest said his face flushed with embarrassment. “If there is nothing else that you need from me sir, I would like to get started right away.”

“
Yes, please do and also send word to Cloe Lanet to be at my house tomorrow to start fittings for gowns for the young lady. She will need an entire wardrobe, then more, make that clear to Cloe ... the best, only the very best ,” William said.

“
I will make sure she understands sir.”

“
That will be all, Pike,” William finished. It was a good start, he thought.

Dismissed, Pike started swiftly towards the door.

“
And Pike,” William said, just as Pike turned the doorknob.

“
Yes, sir?”

“
Please don’t forget to tell the decorator that the main theme of the house should be red.”

“
As you wish,” Pike responded. He hurried from the room, his own face spotted in deep red. “I think red is a very fine color for a lady.”

CHAPTER 14

Anxiety, anticipation and dread swirled inside of Victoria in varying degrees as she waited that evening for William to return home. While she waited nervous energy sent Victoria on a quest to thoroughly explore his house and the surrounding gardens.