Elizabeth was the clear beauty in the family.
Elizabeth said nothing. Tension tightened in her delicate features.
“I don’t understand your silence,” her sister demanded.
Elizabeth leaned over to Zachary, murmuring, her tantalizing lavender fragrance entwining him. “Never mistake my silence for weakness. Nobody plans a murder out loud.”
“What did you say?” Louise huffed.
“I asked Mr. Rourke to share a bit about his friends.”
Smart girl. Great recovery. Elizabeth’s face relaxed and he rather enjoyed the slight curve that rose to her lips.
In the box adjacent to them, an elderly woman leaned over so much he thought she’d topple out. “To my estimation, if she cranes her neck anymore, her head will pop off.”
Elizabeth peered around him. “Oh, dear. That is Mrs. Merriweather. She was at our dinner party the night you were in attendance. Her husband died last year, and she has no children.”
He remembered her. Other than Elizabeth, she was the only one present that possessed a heart. “Mrs. Merriweather,” he called as he waved his hand over the Spencer box. “Why don’t you join us? There are plenty of seats.”
The old woman blushed. As predicted, she made a beeline to their box.
Zachary seated her. “We are honored and charmed to have you.”
Did the old woman titter? He guessed she was lonely.
“Please tell us about your friends, she said. “I’m most interested.”
Mrs. Merriweather, a woman in her early fifties with a soft and glittering manner flashed him a brilliant smile. She must have been a real beauty in her youth, no doubt to attract a steel baron, yet retained a sprightly elegance. Her hair was white and of a metallic luster. Her nose straight, and a pink and white complexion yielded twinkling blue eyes that held mischief.
Elizabeth prompted him. “Start with your Chinese friend. He seems so indifferent.”
“I hardly think it is an appropriate subject to discuss the lower masses.” Louise’s cruel lips drew flat over her teeth, and the glance she tossed over her shoulder waged a war between haughty and dismissive. Would the impassive statuette fall off her perch when the music stopped?
Mrs. Merriweather drew herself up. “The conversation is appropriate. On your part, Louise, you might consider silence to be golden.” To Zachary and Elizabeth, Mrs. Merriweather whispered loudly, “A gag would be silver.”
Zachary chuckled. “What a breath of fresh air you are, Mrs. Merriweather. I will tell you about my friend, Chen. He trained for years as a Shaolin monk.”
“He’s a monk?” Mrs. Merriweather was all agog.
“Orphaned, Chen lived in a temple since the age of four, existing under stringent conditions. Trained seven days a week from five in the morning to six at night in martial arts, mostly Kung fu. He has taught me many skills. He is also a master at Chinese medicine. He follows strict commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication.”
“He is frugal with his words,” said Elizabeth.
Zachary angled his head. “It’s called noble silence, a way to quiet the mind to be mindful of the words spoken.”
“I’m intrigued,” said the elderly woman. “As a monk, he is celibate?”
“From what I understand, it is part of his oath. He will never marry.”
“How did you become friends with Mr. Chen and Mr. O’Reilly?” Elizabeth asked.
She referred to an unlikely trio. “When working on the railroad we had to blast our way through a big mountain. The charge detonated prematurely. An explosion rent the air as if its intent were to shatter the universe, and precipitated a horrific cave-in. Several men were trapped. The railroad director said it was too risky to save them, and to forget about them because they were Chinese and could be replaced.
“Even if I had to dig up the whole damned mountain, I was not going to let them die. One by one, we rescued the Chinese from the bowels of the earth, including Chen. Then we found O’Reilly, spitting, and cursing but happy to be alive. Ever since then, the two men have been my constant companions.”
Mrs. Merriweather clapped her hands together, and Elizabeth beamed. Why did their approval affect him?
“At the Spencer dinner party, you were going to relate your experiences with the Indians. I’m fascinated.” Mrs. Merriweather sat ready to hang on every word.
