“Hopefully not, since I’m engaged. Like I said, he’s been very lenient lately. That’s why he let me come here. And a couple days ago, he let me invite Millicent, Jane, and Freya over for tea. The only friend I’m not permitted to see is Bryony.”
He didn’t trust any of it. “How long will this ‘good mood’ last? What happens when something makes your father angry again? Will you bear the brunt of it?”
She turned away and slid one of the books onto the shelf at her elbow, right beside the previous book she’d shelved. “Like I said, I have a plan, but it might take a couple months. But you don’t need to worry about me, I promise. I’ll find a way to survive.”
He pressed his eyes shut. “This isn’t the kind of thing anyone should have to survive. Your father’s first job should be toprotect you. You have bruises from his fingers on your arm, and they look fresh.”
She slid the other two books onto the second shelf from the top, then rolled her shoulder in its socket. “I’ve always bruised easy. Not everything is how it appears.”
“Are you telling me your father never grips your arm a little too hard? What about your fiancé? Is he gentle with you?”
She was silent.
“Ros, your well-being matters more than the money. Don’t let that keep you here.” His voice came out rougher than he intended. “We can untangle the accounts later. Right now, you need to be safe. I can have you on a ship headed away from Sitka with two days’ notice. I could probably even take the skiff and leave in the dead of night tonight, then take you to a port where your father won’t be able to trace you. Maybe Vancouver or Portland? You could get on a train from there, and no one will know you even arrived in town. We can change your name. We can buy you a wig so that your hair’s a different color. We can do anything. I’ll even go with you to Washington, DC, just to make sure no one your father’s hired has found you. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll see it’s done.”
She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes filled with something he couldn’t quite name. Then her gaze drifted to the floor and her shoulders hunched in on herself. “Just give me a few more days to work on my plan.”
“You don’t need a perfect plan to leave. You just have to let me help get you away from here and trust God to keep you safe. Do you remember the verse I shared with you at the wedding reception? ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ That verse is still in the Bible. Those promises are still yours to claim if you want them.”
“I’m trying, Yuri,” she whispered. “Please believe me when I say I’m trying.” Then she turned her back to him and returned to shelving books.
17
San Francisco; the Same Day
Alexei lifted a bite of lobster Newburg to his mouth and chewed slowly, then glanced at Laurel, seated beside him. She was quiet and poised, her light brown hair reflecting the glow from the elaborate chandelier. On his other side, Sacha was working through his plate of food with mechanical efficiency, his usual smile nowhere to be found.
Across from him sat Beatrice and Genevieve, Laurel Farnsworth’s younger sisters, each flanked by their husbands, who wore suits every bit as tailored and unwrinkled as Farnsworth’s.
Alexei swallowed his food, trying to pay attention to the conversation.
“The fund has already surpassed thirty thousand, and the board expects a full expansion by early spring.” Edward Banning, one of Laurel’s brothers-in-law, dabbed at his face with his napkin.
Alexei took another bite of food, which at least prevented him from yawning. The pastry that the rich lobster sauce hadbeen ladled over was light and flaky, perfectly balancing the denseness of the brandied cream and chunks of lobster. Getting the lobster from New England all the way to California wasn’t cheap. The shellfish would have had to be packed in ice and hauled by rail for days.
Even though, as the owner of a trading company, he could ship delicacies for virtually nothing, he’d never bothered importing food like this. Maybe he’d been wrong not to splurge every so often, though, because the meal was excellent.
“Personally I think the municipal bonds are the smarter long-term play, but one can’t have his way with everything when dealing with a board of directors,” Banning continued, sending his wife Beatrice a tight smile.
“If you want the highest return, real estate is where you ought to be investing,” Dwayne Everett, Genevieve’s husband, responded.
While Alexei didn’t know all the details of Everett’s holdings, he was aware the man had amassed a rather impressive number of rental and business properties in the city.
“There’s nothing like bricks and mortar to solidify a reputation in this town,” Everett added.
“I think both have their merits.” Farnsworth took a sip of wine from where he sat at the head of the table. His wife was directly across from him, at the opposite end of the long table, in a dark green gown with a dyed ostrich feather sticking out from the side of her carefully piled hair. “Buildings can burn, ships can wreck, and markets can crash. A wise man hedges his investments and doesn’t rely too heavily on any one thing.”
“Even if that man happens to own a shipping company?” Alexei asked.
Farnsworth eyed him. “Especially then. One storm can drag multiple vessels to the sea floor.”
He agreed. “I’m sorry to say our father had no desire to diversify his holdings.”
Farnsworth shook his head. “A pity, that, but I’ve heard it’s something you’re trying to correct.”
“Indeed.” Alexei took a bite of food, then looked at Laurel seated beside him, hoping his full mouth and the fact he’d just turned his attention elsewhere would prevent the man from asking any specific questions. He had no desire to explain his holdings and investment strategies to two men he barely knew and another he’d just cut out of a business deal.
Banning quickly filled the silence, pulling the conversation right back to his defense of bonds, which only seemed to irk Everett.
