The Abolitionist’s Secret (23 page)

“No, he did not.”

Jasmine backed away from her embrace. “You mean, you’re still engaged?”

Heather’s smile grew wistful. “Did it not enter your mind that I might be the one who ended our engagement?”

Jasmine took a sharp intake of breath. “No!”

“Yes, dear sister. I’m the one who turned my back on David and the south. He longed to figure out a way to make things work. However, I could see no solution to our problems.”

Jasmine laid her head against her sister’s as they sat, arm in arm, at the edge of the bed. “I’m just glad you’re home, and safe.”

Heather pulled away from Jasmine’s familiar embrace. “Yes, I am home, and now safe. But you need to understand what you’ve done to me. I can’t forgive and forget just like it was nothing. My heart has been broken, and it’s your fault. I may eventually forgive you, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget your betrayal.”

“But surely, you can find someone new. The season still has months to go. You’ll find someone else to wed, maybe even before the end of summer.”

Heather sighed. “Maybe tonight, even, if Mother has anything to do with it. I’m having dinner with one of Papa’s newest clients at the bank. Mother thinks it would be good if we meet, since he’s British, handsome, and single. In fact, I must get ready. I’m anxious to see if he’s everything Mother says he is. He may be perfect for you or me, Jas, but since you can’t attend, I’ll entertain him tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Heather was gratified to hear Jasmine’s gasp once more as Heather left the room.

• • •

“What a divine hat, Papa,” Heather exclaimed as she hugged her father.

Her father touched the brim of his latest head covering. “Do you like it, pet? It’s called a top hat, and, according to Blake Morgan, it’s the latest thing.”

“The same Mr. Morgan we’re about to dine with?”

“Yes, he brought this to the bank when he applied for his loan, to show me what he and his brother, Brandon, are making, and after listening to his sales pitch, I bought it from him before he left my bank with his loan. Beaver hats have become passé. Now only a silk top hat is fashionable. And Blake Morgan’s haberdashery is poised to profit nicely from the trend. I’m glad you approve of it.”

George kissed his daughter’s brow as he returned her hug. “I am so sorry things didn’t work out with David. He impressed me from the moment I met him last fall, but I understand how you could not live in the south. Just the few hours I spent in Georgia left a bad taste in my mouth. I’m amazed you lasted as long as you did.”

Heather thought she was done with crying, but her eyes sparkled with tears again at her father’s kind words. “Thank you, Papa. The whole experience gives me goosebumps when I think about it.” Especially when she thought of David’s loving hands on her body. She gave herself a little shake. “But it was apparently not meant to be. I could never live on a plantation, where slavery is taken for granted and I would have to look at it every day.”

“You are so much like Ginger, it frightens me at times. Next thing I know, you’ll be taking to the streets in your bloomers to promote women’s rights.” He pulled back from her enough to peruse her dress. “You look lovely tonight, daughter. Blue is definitely your color. Now let’s make a pact not to talk of David again. I know you will enjoy Mr. Morgan’s company.”

Heather giggled at the praise, and, as her father twirled his finger in the air, she obliged and executed a quick turn. The skirt, with its many layers of embellished flounces over her petticoats, swished with a delicate grace. The top of the dress was off-the-shoulder, in a lighter shade of blue than the skirt, dipping low at the neckline in both the front and the back. The bodice fit closely to her corseted body, forming a “V” at her hips, which further emphasized her small waist.

George sighed as he again took her into his arms. “When did my little girls grow up? It seems like only yesterday you and Jasmine were terrorizing me in my study, running around my desk as I tried to read the paper.” He reached down and caressed Heather’s cheek. “I don’t like this, having my daughters leaving home.”

“Well, I’ve come back home and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, it seems,” Heather sighed.

Charlotte entered the foyer at that moment and glanced at her daughter. “The season is still in its peak, so we’ll see about that, my dear. You look lovely tonight, and I’m certain Mr. Morgan will be duly impressed. Not only is he one of your father’s newest clients, but he also has the loveliest English accent. The man is single, and he has a brother who resides in England. Wouldn’t it be nice if you and Jasmine and Blake and his brother married? Sisters marrying brothers. What could be better?”

Heather smiled at her mother. “I don’t know how you manage to find out everything about a person before you even meet them. But, please forget about fixing me up with him, Mother. I’m standing in for Jasmine tonight. She asked me to see if your Mr. Morgan is all you say he is. She’s interested, not me. I’m quite done with that part of my life. I’ve decided to become the proverbial spinster schoolmarm.”

Charlotte reached over and patted Heather’s arm. “There, there. I know Savannah was difficult for you. We should never have let you go there. Every time I think of you in that jail cell, it just makes my blood boil. David is such a nice man, but his mother … ”

“I don’t want to ever talk about Georgia and jail again. Enough talk of David and Bellewood, Mother. Tonight I just want to have a good time, even if I am only assessing things for Jas, and I can’t do that if I’m thinking of David.”

“Yes, yes, dear,” Charlotte said as she continued to pat Heather’s arm. “I’m glad you’ve decided to join us this evening. It’s time to move on, and for you to jump back into the season.”

“Please, Mother, listen to me. I have no interest in rejoining the season. I’m just having dinner with my parents and one of the bank’s clients, and will try to enjoy my evening.”

“Yes, a single, available, male client with a beautiful, cultured English accent,” Charlotte cooed. “I understand your hesitancy to begin entertaining men again, but I will not allow you to cower in this house for the rest of the summer. So, all right, if you say you’ll be entertaining Blake Morgan merely to see if he’s a good fit for Jasmine, then so be it. Come now, we mustn’t keep handsome Mr. Morgan waiting.”

Heather hesitated briefly, considering her mother’s words. She knew her mother well enough to know she had given in way too easily. Her mother was always up to something, and Heather began to feel like a lamb being led to slaughter.

Heather’s father was right. She and Mr. Morgan were getting along, even though he was the polar opposite of David, her ideal man. She mentally compared the two. David had a strong presence, with a ramrod straight military bearing that commanded the room. Blake Morgan, while equally as tall as David, was slighter of build, and he carried himself with an easy grace. Blake’s cultured English accent was quite pleasing to the ear, although not David’s warm, honeyed voice that sent shivers of delight through her body.

Heather thought of David’s hair, with his dark brown curls that despite his attempts to tame them, still managed to slide over his forehead in the most adorable way. She glanced over at Blake’s shock of thick, straight blond hair, thinking it looked like a tangled field of wheat, as if he had just run his hands through it, which he had just done, much to her amusement. When Blake, er, Mr. Morgan, fell into rapid conversation with her father about his ideas to expand his haberdashery business, Heather noticed he had the habit of running his hand through his hair. She enjoyed listening to a man who was passionate, even if it was about his livelihood and not about her, as it had been with David. She wondered what running her fingers through Blake’s hair would feel like. She glanced away from him with a gasp, embarrassed at the way her mind was wandering aimlessly. But still, he did have a very nice head of hair.

After dessert was served and the wait staff departed from their table, she raised her wineglass for a sip and then nearly dropped it as she caught Blake’s wink across the table at her. A wink! Her cheeks reddened as she watched him smile at her. He must know how inappropriate his actions were. The nerve of him! But she could not control her returning smile. She was, despite herself, enjoying this evening. She looked at her parents to see if they had caught Blake’s indiscretion, but they were staring into each other’s eyes as if they were the only ones in the room. She might as well have been alone with him.

Heather cleared her throat. That was the wrong thing to do, as now Blake and her parents looked her way, expecting her to say something profound. She searched her brain, frantic for something to say.

“How long have you been in this country, Mr. Morgan?” Land sakes, was that the best she could do?

“Only a couple of months, Miss Fitzpatrick. Your father is one of a handful of people I’ve been able to get to know. I’ve never been far from my brother’s side, so this is a new experience for me.”

Never one to miss an opportunity, Charlotte asked, “And how old is your brother? His name is Brandon, am I correct?”

“Yes, ma’am. Brandon is merely nine months older than me. I’m twenty-four, and he’s twenty-five.” Blake glanced across the table at Charlotte and grinned. “But for three months of every year, we are exactly the same age. We went through our schooling together, heading off to Eton at the same time.”

“And why did he not come to America with you?”

“Our business relies on acquiring the best quality silk from Russia, and he has developed an array of connections in that country. It would be impossible to maintain the tight bond with them here in America, so I was the obvious choice to come here and set up shop.”

“You know, Heather has a twin, Jasmine, and she’s never been far from her sister’s side, except for this season.”

Blake switched his gaze from Charlotte to Heather. “And why is that?”

Heather gave an exaggerated sigh. “Because Jasmine broke her ankle at our Cotillion Ball, and she will miss the remainder of the season. So, I must plod on without her, it seems.”

“So we are alike in that regard. I, too, am without my sibling. Perhaps we can help each other. Will you be attending the Haversham ball later this week?”

Heather looked from Blake to her mother, who had a Cheshire cat grin on her face. So this was the reason for the dinner! Heather was right in feeling like she was a sacrificial lamb. Stunned, but not surprised, Heather found it difficult to form words, so Charlotte picked up the conversation. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Heather, George, and I will be at the ball, so perhaps we’ll see you there. This evening has been a delight. We are looking forward to seeing you again. Will your brother be visiting the States anytime soon?”

Her mother’s craftiness would now bear fruit. Heather would be expected to entertain Blake Morgan’s advances at the Haversham ball. At least at dinner, an entire table separated them. But a dance floor would be a more intimate setting. As she began to wonder how it would feel to be in the arms of a man other than David, the blood rushed to her cheeks again. Damn David for awakening her sensual nature, anyway. She raised her eyes across the table to stare at Blake, who raised an eyebrow as if he knew what she had been thinking.

• • •

As he dressed for the ball, Blake Morgan smiled at himself in the mirror. He brushed his mop of hair from his forehead. Things were going according to plan. He and Brandon had thought things through carefully before he boarded the ship bound for the colonies. They knew Americans loved a good British accent, so they were counting heavily on Blake making a favorable impression in society.

He hated being apart from his brother. Brandon might have been born first, but Blake knew it was his own personality that had carried them this far. Brandon might have a good head for business, but Blake could open the doors.

Together they made a superior team, coming up with the idea of establishing a haberdashery business and being the first to introduce the new silk top hats, a trend that was currently sweeping through Europe, to New York’s finest men. It was up to Blake to build a business catering to the wealthiest men in New York.

The two brothers were on their way, poised to take advantage of this opportunity, and would become rich beyond their wildest dreams. Then, they would be able to thumb their noses at every titled person in England who had laughed at them when their father gambled away the family estate and their livelihood.

Phase One was nearly complete. The haberdashery was up and running, and the members of New York’s elite society were beginning to find their way to the front door. Now if Blake could land the daughter of one of New York’s wealthiest men, it would be an added bonus. Heather was comely enough, but he wondered about the other one — the twin with the broken ankle. He hoped to meet her before he had to commit himself completely to Heather.

“This evening’s for us, brother,” Blake whispered in the mirror. With one final pat of his hair, he picked up his silk top hat, placed it on his head, and was on his way to his future.

He would be on his best behavior tonight, complimenting Miss Heather Fitzpatrick until the cows came home, if need be. No way did he intend to squander this opportunity. How perfect would it be if his brother and he both married into the Fitzpatrick family, using the twin daughters to gain entry into New York’s high society? Tonight, he would take a major step forward, for them. After all, he liked the way Heather blushed when he winked at her over dinner, and then smiled at him instead of being annoyed. Maybe she was worth getting to know a bit better.

Blake descended the stairs from his flat with a spring in his step. His living quarters were located over the top of his store, and he took a moment to look at the window display. Satisfied that the shop window was appealing, he then hailed a hansom cab to take him to the Haversham ball, where he would meet up with the Fitzpatricks, and hopefully, enter into a future marriage arrangement with Heather Fitzpatrick. Or Jasmine.

• • •