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and they were round and white and soft above the white gloves she wore with her gown. She hadn t
used lip rouge, but her pretty lips were red just the same, and her cheeks were pink with excitement. In
her hair, she wore an egret, a heron plume on a jet-jeweled comb. She was breathtaking and very
stylish, for a woman who d been raised in the country, outside society.
You look very nice, he said formally.
She could have said the same about him. Dark clothes suited him. He was devastating in white tie,
but she was too shy to tell him that.
Thank you, she said politely, gripping her small purse.
Shall we go?
He opened the door and escorted her down to the waiting carriage. She was very nervous and
kept picking at her purse for something to keep her hands busy. She wasn t overly fond of Eli
Calverson, and she had grave misgivings about John s reaction to Diane. Claire knew that she might
look passable in a nice gown, but she was no match for the elegant and beautiful Diane. Only love
would have given her the edge, and she didn t have John s.
How many people will be there? she asked after a long silence, broken only by the sound of
the horses hooves on the cobblestone street.
Just the Calversons, Mr. Whitfield and his wife and son, and us.
Oh.
It s a small, intimate gathering, not a party, he returned gently, flicking lint from his sleeve. He
glanced at her approvingly. Oh, and one other thing, Claire, he added, leaning toward her with a
wicked smile. Please refrain from making remarks about the motorcar.
She glared at him. Why?
Because Calverson thinks they re inventions of the devil, that s why. Bankers have to bow to
convention to get business. Speaking of which, he said suddenly, do you remember the dog whose
leg I mended?
Yes.
Well, the lady who owns him withdrew every penny she had in old Wolford s bank and
deposited it in ours. He chuckled at Claire s delighted expression. That will show him to take a little
more care with his driving.
Indeed it will. How delightful for your bank!
Calverson thought so, as well. Although, he added, I would have stopped just as quickly had
she been a poor woman.
I knew that already, John, Claire said. Her soft eyes lingered on his face, and he had to forcibly
tear his own away from that adoration. He found himself thinking less often of Diane lately, although
his heart was still sore from her loss. Claire was a charming companion. At times, he wondered what
it would be like to have a real marriage with her. He thought more about it when he didn t see Diane.
He had been looking forward to tonight s dinner, in any case, because his heart fed on the mere sight
of her. But Claire s appearance made him feel a sense of pride in his young wife. She would turn
heads tonight.
IT DIDN T TAKE LONG to get to the huge Calverson mansion. It had gingerbread woodwork and turret
rooms, and it looked like a castle. As Claire mounted the front steps on John s arm, she thought that it
would never suit her; it was far too flashy. But Diane needed a showcase, and certainly this was it.
Crystal chandeliers blazed through every long window, past exquisite white curtains. Even the
staircase inside was hand-carved mahogany.
Diane came to meet them, barely managing a curt greeting for Claire before she went to John
with her heart in her eyes and looked up at him with a hand on his sleeve.
I m so glad you could come, she said in her soft, husky voice. Both of you, she added
reluctantly, glancing at Claire. Mr. Whitfield s business is so important to us right now. I hope you ll
both do your best to make him feel at home in Atlanta, and with the bank.
Certainly we will, my dear, John said. His tone of voice was different when he spoke to Diane.
His eyes as he looked at her were suddenly hungry and hot and full of pain. He tensed, because he
hadn t expected the feeling to rise in him so powerfully.
Diane saw it and her own eyes sparkled. She smiled coquettishly. Why, John. You mustn t look
at me that way, she whispered quickly, glancing toward the parlor door and totally unconcerned with
Claire s reaction to the byplay. We must be careful. Eli already suspects
Before she could say another word, Eli Calverson came out into the hall to greet their guests,
motioning impatiently for a hovering maid to take their coats. Diane took his arm and smiled up at
him lovingly.
He flushed and his good humor seemed to return. He patted Diane s small hand and smiled at
her before he turned to greet John. There you are, my boy. Glad you could come. And how nice to
see you again, too, Claire. You re both looking well, he said pleasantly, shaking John s hand before
he turned to kiss Claire s. His eyes narrowed unpleasantly as he looked at her. I do hope you don t
plan any trips in that motorcar in the near future, Claire. It could play havoc with Mr. Whitfield s
sensibilities. And we wouldn t want to do anything to upset him, would we? It wouldn t help John s
position at all.
It was a veiled threat. She wished she could tell this fat toad what she thought of him. She didn t
dare. Her feathers were already ruffled from Diane s tragic-queen performance. She smiled instead. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]