The Virtuous Woman (18 page)

“He was just trying to look out for her,” Kevin said quickly.

“You’ve got to wake up, Kev. It’s just not going to work—and by the way, you shouldn’t have given her that motorcycle.”

“I thought I ought to do it. I’d never given her anything. None of us has. She hasn’t had much, Paige.”

“I can see it’s no use talking to you. But Brian and I have talked about it, and he, at least, realizes that the situation is impossible.”

“Give her a chance,” Kevin pleaded. “You can do more for her than anyone else, Paige. You’re almost the same age, and you know so many things. You could take her in hand and—”

“You think I haven’t tried?” Paige said with exasperation. “I’ve tried my hardest, but nothing I say seems to soak in. It’s just impossible!” She turned and walked toward the door and paused there after opening it. “Wake up, Kev. I know you’ve got a tender heart, but some things are just impossible.
And you’ve got to understand that she’s one of them.” She abruptly left the room.

Kevin could not speak, and when she closed the door, he stood looking at it for a long time. Then he went back and stood at the window. His thoughts came slowly, but he knew that Paige was not entirely correct. “It’s not impossible. She’s rough now, but she can change. It’s going to take a lot of love for her to change, but God can do anything.” And then at that instant, a still small voice seemed to speak the words that Kevin had been studying:
“Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

The verse penetrated Kevin Winslow like a sword. He stood still and waited. Silence filled the room, and he heard only the ticking of the clock on the shelf behind him. “Do you mean, Lord, that I’m here to help my sister? Is that what I’m here for?” He got no audible answer, but he knew he had touched upon the truth. He bowed his head and prayed again. “I’ll do anything you say, Lord. All I ask is that you guide me.”

****

Kevin made a minor adjustment to the motorcycle engine and nodded at Grace, who was seated astride it. She raced the engine and grinned with delight. Reaching out, she grabbed his hair and tugged it. “You’re the best mechanic in the whole world, Kev!”

“Cut the engine. I want to do a few more things.”

Grace turned it off and dismounted, then watched as Kevin tinkered with the engine. She was standing on his right side and could see the unscarred part of his face and thought again how handsome he was—far better looking than Brian. She had become very fond of Kevin and was grieved over the secluded life that he led. She knew he was a devoted Christian, but somehow the differences in their beliefs did not stand between them. He did not preach at her, but many times his conversation would contain references to the Bible. She watched as his long fingers moved agilely over the engine
and thought,
If every Christian were like Kev, I guess maybe I could believe in Jesus.

Kevin stood up and pulled an oily rag from his pocket. He wiped his hands and said, “This is a fine machine.”

“Why didn’t you ever get a motorcycle?”

“Just never thought of it.”

“As much as you like machinery, you oughta get yourself somethin’ really fancy. Have you ever thought about racing cars? The way you can tune up an engine, you could run off and leave the best racers in the dust.”

Kevin laughed. “I’d like to try that maybe.”

After talking about engines for a time, Grace suddenly frowned. “It’s almost time for me to start getting ready. I guess you heard I’m goin’ to the opera with Paige and John tonight.”

“That’ll be great. Your new hairdo looks real pretty.”

“That’s nice of you to say.” Grace had decided to be a good sport and go shopping with Paige to pick out a dress she thought would be appropriate for the opera. That actually went better than either of them had expected, so they also went to the hairdresser and got her hair styled in a new way. To top it off, Paige bought her some new makeup and, when they got home, showed her how to apply it in an understated yet elegant way. It had been a surprisingly good morning.

“What are you going to see?” Kevin asked.

“I dunno. We’re going out to a fancy restaurant first. Have you ever seen an opera?”

“Once or twice.”

“Did you like it?”

“It’s pretty interesting. I don’t know enough about it to really understand it, though.” He grinned. “You have to believe that there’s a world where everybody sings instead of talks. Imagine singing out, ‘Please pass the toast!’ in great big full tones instead of just saying it.”

Grace delighted in Kevin’s sense of humor. “Why don’t you go with us, Kev? I don’t wanna go by myself.”

“You won’t be by yourself. Paige and John will be there.”

“
And
his parents. They can’t stand me, but it’s mutual. I can’t stand them either.”

“They’re a bit hard to take.”

“Hard to take! They’re the biggest snobs in the world, and John never had a thought of his own in his life that they didn’t put there. I don’t see what Paige sees in him.”

“He’s a nice fellow.”

“He’s got all the personality of a cauliflower!”

“Oh, come on, give him a break.” Kevin saw that she really dreaded the evening. “Look,” he said, “you don’t want to be like I am, stuck off in nowhere land. You need to get out in the world. You’re young and beautiful. You’re going to find a young man, and he’s going to fall in love with you.”

“I’ve met too many guys already,” Grace said bitterly. “I wish I hadn’t.”

“You can’t change the past, but you can do something about today. Start out by going to that opera and get to know John and his family. After all, they’ll be part of our family in a way after Paige marries him.”

“I can’t see that. Mom and Dad are great, but the Asquiths are stuffy. Dad thinks the same thing, but he don’t talk about it much.”

Despite Grace’s uncertainty about the evening, Kevin urged her to go to the opera and enjoy it.

Grace ran her finger along the handlebars of the motorcycle. “Do you remember our discussion soon after I arrived about what I really wanted? You never have told me what
you
really want. You got me a motorcycle. Now it’s my turn. What is it you really want?”

Kevin looked at her and appeared embarrassed. “I guess we all want things we can’t have. Anyway, you go on to the opera. When you get home, I’ll still be awake. You can come tell me all about it.”

****

“Say, you look very nice, Grace!” Paige stared at her sister in astonishment. The black velvet dress Grace wore had a low neckline, long sleeves, a tight-fitting bodice, and a long full skirt. To finish off the look, she was wearing black lace gloves and black velvet shoes and carried a burgundy-colored silk wrap and purse. Grace spun around to display the dress and invited her sister into her room.

“Do you really like it, Paige?” Grace asked. Grace really liked the dress and was pleased with the way it looked with her new hairstyle and makeup.

“I love it,” Paige said. “And it was fun picking it out with you. We’re going to have a good time tonight.”

“You do know that I don’t know nothin’ about opera....”

“John knows all about opera. It’s in Italian, but he’ll explain it to you as it goes along. Come along now. He and his parents will be here any minute.”

The two young women left the room, and twenty minutes later they were in the Asquiths’ limousine. John and Paige sat in the front with the chauffeur, which meant that Grace had to sit in the back with the Asquiths. They were pleasant enough, but Grace felt totally ill at ease with them. As they pulled out of the driveway, Helen said, “Your dress is beautiful, Grace.”

“Paige picked it out. D’ya really like it?”

“Oh yes. She has exquisite taste in clothing.”

“I ain’t never had nice things like this before, and I guess I might as well tell you, I ain’t never been to an opera.”

“It’ll be quite an experience for you, Grace,” Roger said benevolently. He turned to look at the young woman and could not help thinking of the last time he had seen her, which was when she had shown up at the party intoxicated. “I don’t know much about your background, Grace. Would you tell me a little about it?”

Instantly Grace became defensive. She did not know how much the Asquiths knew about her former rough life, but she suspected that Paige had said as little as possible.

“I grew up mostly in New York with the woman I thought was my mom. She worked a lot, so I pretty much had to take care of myself.”

“Your schooling?” Asquith demanded.

“I dropped out of school to go to work when I was fifteen.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate, but it’s not too late to catch up. There are all sorts of things you can do. Isn’t that right, Paige?”

“Oh yes,” Paige said, turning around and smiling brilliantly. “I’m going to see to it that Grace has every advantage now. And John knows so much! I think between us we can get her ready for college in as little as a year.”

“That would be wonderful!” Helen said. “Would you like that, Grace?”

“I dunno. I’ve never even thought about college. It was all I could do when I was on my own to just make ends meet.”

All the way to the restaurant, the Asquiths pried into Grace’s life, and she tried to explain carefully. She knew that Paige was on pins and needles waiting for her to expose some awful thing, and she was determined not to.

When they pulled up in front of the restaurant, they all got out, and Roger instructed the driver to wait for them.

The Asquiths led the way, and John smiled and said, “I hope you’re hungry. This is the best place in New York to eat.”

“Sure is fancy,” Grace said, her eyes wide as they entered the opulent foyer.

They were met by the maître d’, who greeted Roger promptly. “Ah, Mr. Asquith, it’s so good to see you again, sir. I have your favorite table.”

“Thank you, James.”

When they got to the table, the maître d’ pulled a chair out for Grace. She smiled at him and said, “Thanks a lot, buddy.”

He raised one eyebrow and then returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”

When they were all seated, he gave each of them a large
menu. Grace opened it and blinked. “Why, I can’t read this. It ain’t English.”

“No, it’s in French. Perhaps you’ll let me help you with your selection,” John said.

“I’ll eat anything except snails. I heard the French like to eat snails.”

“Yes, they call them
escargot.
You won’t have to eat snails. I don’t like them myself.”

John and Paige helped Grace make her choices; then while they waited for their food, she looked about the restaurant, fascinated by the furnishings and all the people wearing fancy evening clothes. She had only seen such things in the movies. “Are they all going to the opera?” she asked.

“Oh no,” Alice said quickly. “Some of them will be going to plays and others to concerts. Do you like plays?”

“I don’t know. I like movies,” she said. “My favorite actor is Clark Gable. He’s the cat’s pajamas.”

“I think movies are vulgar,” Mr. Asquith said stiffly.

This reply stifled Grace, and she remained silent while Paige and John engaged Mrs. Asquith in conversation.

When the meal arrived, Grace watched the others to see which of the three forks by their plate they were using. She followed suit and ate heartily, even though her meal looked much too beautiful to eat. While they ate, the others discussed the opera, the stock market, and people she supposed were famous—some she had heard of, others she had not.

They were just finishing their meal when a disturbance caught their attention. They all turned around, and Grace saw that a fat man with a red face had become displeased with a waiter. The waiter was an inoffensive-looking young man who appeared to be frightened to death.

“That’s Craig Matthews, the big railroad magnate,” John whispered.

Grace had never heard of Matthews, but she was growing angry at the way he was cursing out the defenseless waiter. “He’s nothin’ but a big bully,” Grace said loudly.

Paige leaned forward and shushed her. “Don’t be so loud. He’s one of the most powerful men in New York.”

Matthews stood and grabbed the young man by the collar, cursing him roundly, then slapped him. The waiter tried to get away, but Matthews, who was evidently drunk, hit him again.

Grace forgot that she was at a fancy New York restaurant with her sister’s future husband and in-laws. She had never been able to stand bullies, and now, without even thinking about it, she shoved her chair back and flew to where Matthews was slapping the helpless waiter. Everyone in the restaurant was watching as Grace plunged into the fray, shouting, “Let him go, ya big ape!”

Matthews turned on her, steaming with rage. “You keep out of this.”

“Let him go and I’ll keep out of it. Otherwise I’ll bust ya wide open!”

Mr. Matthews was not accustomed to being challenged. He loosed his grip on the waiter, who quickly ran away. Then he grabbed Grace by the arm and started cursing at
her.

“Let me go or you’ll be sorry!” she screamed. He began to shake her, and she was vaguely aware that several people were trying to stop him.

Grace’s eyes fell on a bottle of wine on the man’s table. She picked it up by the neck and brought it down with all of her might on Matthews’ head. The bottle shattered, and Matthews went down in a heap.

A pandemonium of confusion broke out. Amid screams and excited chatter, she felt her arm gripped and turned to find a big man in a blue uniform by her side. “You’re under arrest, miss.”

“You’re arresting me? For what? He’s the guy you should be arresting!” she wailed, pointing at the huge man on the floor.

“Assault and battery. You may have hurt that gentleman severely.”

“He deserved it,” Grace said coldly.

“Come along with me.”

Grace was pulled unceremoniously away. She looked over her shoulder and saw Paige gaping at the scene, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. She felt sorry for her sister, but suddenly she was not Grace anymore but Ruby Zale. “You let go of me, you creep!” she demanded, trying to jerk her arm away.