She wasn’t used to having to do for herself, but she could manage. Anyone who thought otherwise was a fool. She had been giving her family the slip for more years than she could remember.
Laughter bubbled up inside her at the thought of what she was about to do. She would let Arthur know that Kenzie would be home later that day—and alone. Victoria frowned. At least she hoped Kenzie would be alone. Arthur had told her it was important that he find a way to get Kenzie away from the others, and this opportunity was too good to pass up.
She made her way to Arthur’s hotel wearing her mourning clothes and veil. She ignored the doorman when he asked if he might help her. Arthur had given her his room number, and while it was scandalous for her to go to a man’s hotel room, she didn’t have time for proprieties. If she asked the front desk clerk to have Arthur notified and brought to the lobby, it would only expose her presence at the hotel. Hopefully this way, no one would pay her any mind.
When she knocked at his room, Arthur opened the door and stared at her for a moment as if not recognizing who she was.
Victoria raised her veil and pushed past him. “Shut the door, you fool. We don’t need anyone recognizing me.”
He did as she commanded. “What are you doing here?”
“You told me to let you know when Kenzie was alone. She’ll be alone this afternoon. At least, I believe she will be. The others have gone to Oakland for the day, and Kenzie just left to attend her cousin’s wedding. I have to be quick about this, and you must pay for a taxi for me to return.”
He smiled. “You have definitely captured my attention.”
She crossed her arms. “I thought we agreed to be useful to one another.”
“Of course. I’ll do as you say. So Kenzie will be at the house alone?”
“I’ll be there, but I’ll conveniently disappear and leave you two alone. I honestly don’t know why you want her. She’s dull as dishwater and has a voice like a harpy.”
He laughed and casually took a seat. “Kenzie is my business. What I want to know is what you expect me to do for you.”
Victoria cocked her head. She crossed to where he sat and took the chair opposite him. “I need help to get my inheritance. I want you to find me someone—a lawyer or a judge or someone with power who can be bought. You’ll have to front the money, but I assure you that once I have mine, you’ll be paid back.”
“Perhaps you should give me the details of why you can’t access your funds without legal aid.”
“My cousin Judith has the advantage of age. I’m only nineteen, and therefore they’re holding my money in trust until I reach my majority. However, I think with the right incentive, we should be able to convince a judge to let me have my money and freedom. A great many young women set out on their own prior to reaching the age of twenty-one. Given my circumstances—my family having been killed and Judith being a stranger—I can’t help but believe some sort of arrangement could be made. For the right price, of course.”
Arthur’s expression turned wolfish. “I’d arrange for you myself if I didn’t have Kenzie to contend with. You’re exactly the kind of young woman I enjoy spending time with. Perhaps I could set you up somewhere in Kansas City.”
Victoria smiled in her most seductive manner. “We shall see. First things first. You, for whatever reason, need to get Kenzie to marry you, and I need my funds released from the care of my cousin. Can you find me a lawyer?”
“Of course. My family has any number of connections here in San Francisco, but as I recall, one man in particular seems able to accomplish almost anything. I’ll get in touch with him immediately.”
Victoria got to her feet. “Thank you. What’s his name?”
“Ruef. Abraham Ruef.”
“So, did that give you any thoughts as to saying yes to my proposal?” Micah asked as he drove Kenzie home from the small ceremony.
“I’m still surprised at the quickness of Cousin George marrying Mrs. Andrews. I never thought him the marrying type. He’s been single all these years.”
“When a man has had enough loneliness and solitude, he can’t marry fast enough.”
She looked at him. “Is that why you want to get married?”
Micah turned a corner and barely missed a stack of debris. Some of the streets were still barely passable, so he kept his eyes on the road ahead. “I think you know me better than that.”
“Cousin George is such a strange man anyway,” Kenzie continued. “He’s spent so many years caught up in his belief that someone is out to do him in. He was always certain that someone was trying to ruin his chocolate business, and now he’s working for the very man he called the enemy.”
“Sometimes enemies can become quite chummy.” He touched her cheek and smiled when she didn’t jump back as she used to.
“We’ve never been enemies, Micah,” she countered.
He nodded. “True. Perhapsadversarieswould be a better term. Like in a game of chess. We both had our pieces and our moves, and the challenge was to see if we could endure to the end.”
“I thought the challenge of chess was to put the king in checkmate.”
