The Letter (2 page)

“
I know Mandy. You have said it over and over.”

“
If I am becoming repetitive it is from living with you and your hair-brained schemes,” Mandy grumbled.

Was it at all possible that she might actually go all the way to San Francisco ....on a train no less? The notion was something straight from the pages of a fantastic book.

“
I just can’t believe he actually sent a ticket and a voucher for a hotel,” Victoria carefully inserted the ticket and voucher back into the envelope with a gleam of anticipation in her eye barely able to contain her excitement. She was wildly curious about the man who sent them. The possibilities raced through her mind.

“
Victoria Riley!” Mandy exclaimed. “How could you actually feel excitement rather than grave concern over this?”

“
I know, I know, you are right to worry,” Victoria admitted, holding her hands up in mock surrender, meeting her sister’s outraged glare. “First of all, Worthington did invite Pap, not me, to San Francisco, which does present at least a small problem.”

“
Small?” Mandy’s voice quivered. “This is more than a small problem. This is a very large lie that is going to be quickly uncovered.”

Victoria smiled confidently while doubt crept into her enthusiastic thoughts. “Well, perhaps it is more than a small problem.”

In fact, now that she considered it, every instinct Victoria possessed screamed that she should not go to San Francisco even if she could think of a plausible story about why her father could not make it. There was a potent and sinister presence woven into the polite words of Worthington’s letter. Yet, even as fear and doubt set in like a cold hand around her heart, Victoria knew she had to go.

“
It will not be so difficult to resolve the problem of substituting me for Pap. I’ll just say Pap was too ill to travel,” Victoria said with far more confidence than she felt.

Lord forgive her for lying about such a thing, but Victoria knew that her father would certainly understand and applaud her actions. Of course, if he were alive to applaud her ingenuity she wouldn’t be in this fix to begin with.

“
Shame on you Victoria! When you walk into church, the roof is going to fall right in on top of you for lying like that,” Mandy declared with a preacher’s fire and brimstone tone during a Sunday sermon.

“
You are probably right Mandy, but maybe he won’t care if I lie a little.”

Mandy’s eyes grew as wide as teacup saucers and her mouth opened and shut several times in soundless shock.

Guilt washed through her so she covered it with a devil-may-care smile. “Don’t get your petticoats twisted up Mandy, it won’t hurt anyone, least of all Worthington, because I posed as Pap in that letter. Why, it was his own neglect of the store that brought about this situation to begin with….Besides, I have started down this path and now there is no choice but to follow it to whatever end it leads,” Victoria reasoned.

An angry flush suffused Mandy’s face. “Really Victoria Riley, that is like wondering how you got drunk after drinking a whole bottle of whisky, then opening another one. I told you something bad was going to happen and now it has.”

“
You assume the invitation is bad, but maybe it isn’t. I have to go. Or he will come, Mandy — he will come.” Victoria picked up the letter and waved it for emphasis. “Then he will know Pap is gone and that we are managing alone. And more importantly this letter demands to be obeyed. It is obvious, I have to go now before things do get any worse,”

Mandy frowned. “How can a letter demand? He invited you, that’s all. It was just a polite invitation. The rest is just your imagination.”

“
I can’t explain it to you, Mandy. I am not even sure I understand myself. That letter is disguised as a polite invitation, but I know it is a demand. And I know that I have to go to him because if I don’t, he will come here.” Victoria sighed. “And that would be far worse, can’t you see that?”

“
I hear what you are saying, and I agree to a point, but how are you really going to explain about Pap? I mean, what kind of illness is he going to have?” Mandy choked over her words and tears filled up in her eyes. “It is a travesty to Pap’s memory to talk about him being alive, pretending to be him, when he’s — he’s — gone.”

Victoria caught her trembling bottom lip and her own vision clouded with tears. They both sat in silence for a moment, each lost in a private memory.

Victoria’s gaze moved to the window of their small kitchen and through the thick glass she could see rolling hills green with the winter rains.

Beyond those hills was a place where hope lie. When there was nothing else, there was hope that kept one going. Believing in magic. Believing somehow everything would work out if you just try moving things in the right direction.

“
Pap would understand. I know it is what he would have wanted me to do.,” Victoria whispered. “I am going to tell Worthingon that Pap contracted a fever right before he left and sent me in his place. It isn’t a perfect solution and it will not be easy, but it is the best I can do and I must do it.” Victoria tweaked Mandy’s cheek and laughed softly. “Stop looking like that Mandy or your face will soon be permanently creased. There is nothing to worry about.” Victoria gave Mandy’s hand another reassuring squeeze.

If only Victoria could believe her own assuring words.

“
Oh my gracious Victoria, you take this grave situation so lightly!”

“
It isn’t so terrible if you think about it. I will see the city of San Francisco. You know how I have always wanted to travel. Please Mandy, don’t fret, I really do need your help.”

“
I am so worried about this Victoria,” Mandy said wearily, wiping a tear off of her cheek with the back of her hand. “But perhaps you are right, I don’t think Pap would want us to starve or beg. Maybe this is our way of helping ourselves.”

“
That’s my girl. I knew you would help me, and there is so much to do in preparation. I have nothing to wear for one thing.”

After a contemplative pause, a dimpled grin slowly spread across Mandy’s face and she said, “You always have been determined to go somewhere and have an adventure, I guess this is your chance. So what are we waiting for then?” Mandy stood up in an emotional flourish and started toward the attic stairs. “Let’s get to Mum’s cedar chest and pull out that beautiful dress we’ve been admiring for years…Not that this means I approve of any of this, mind you,” Mandy threw over her shoulder when she reached the stairs.

“
I know Mandy dearest, you can resume your scolding and dire warnings after I am ready to go,” Victoria laughed.

Mandy giggled.

Now they were the sister team again.

***

From the moment the sisters entered the attic to retrieve their mother’s trunk dress, Victoria’s life was propelled in a direction more determined by fate than by her own hand, even though it was her own hand that brought her to the situation she now faced.

With a few hasty alterations and the addition of some bows and lace, Mandy made their mother’s “trunk dress” fit Victoria beautifully. Topping off the ensemble was Victoria’s newly updated “Sunday best” bonnet, tied with a pretty new pink bow to match her dress.

Two weeks later after an exciting train ride, Victoria arrived in San Francisco. A uniformed driver, who turned out to be one of Worthington’s own drivers, waited for her at the station holding a sign with her name printed on it and transported her to the Palace Hotel in a Worthington carriage.

As she road on velvet seats in the elegant well sprung carriage, Victoria was overwhelmed by the teaming pace and bustle of San Francisco. The buildings were many and large and the number of people was remarkable.

True to its name, the Palace Hotel was a massive marble edifice, appointed with abundant beveled glass, sparkling chandeliers and foliage. Victoria could not understand how Worthington could afford such luxury much less bestow it upon a person he didn’t even know.

This mysterious man was certainly full of surprises. The question was, how many more surprises was she going to meet before this trip was over? She shivered as a wave of foreboding enveloped her.

Upon checking in at the hotel, she received a message to meet Mr. Worthington at “11:00 a.m. the next day at his bank office.”

As unbelievable as it was when considering the neglect of his store, Worthington apparently owned the bank because his name was on it…and it just happened to be just across Market Street in view of the hotel.

Apprehension almost overwhelmed Victoria now that the moment to face Worthington was imminent. But it was too late to go back. So, Victoria slept in a huge comfortable bed with satin sheets, the likes of which she had never even known existed, let alone hoped to lie in and tried not to worry about her meeting with Worthington.

The next morning, she would press out her dress and freshen it the best she could, then she would meet the mysterious Mr. Worthington at his bank.

The question was, would William Worthington bring the magic or would he destroy their lives?

She must prepare herself for whatever was going to happen. And if there was any magic for them, Victoria knew she was going to find it in San Francisco.

CHAPTER 3

“
Clear my schedule for two hours tomorrow, starting at eleven o’clock — I have a lunch meeting.” William Worthington looked up from his writing to speak to his secretary, Ernest Pike who had come into the office to deliver papers.

Despite years of being his secretary, Worthington’s deep, quiet tones still frightened Ernest Pike. His trained ear picked up the edge in Worthington’s voice that indicated that whoever he was meeting, he did not like. Worthington was not a man to take lightly despite his impeccable manners and cultured demeanor.

Ernest who had observed Worthington’s maneuvers firsthand knew he could be pleasant and charming while leading his victim to the kill.

“
Of course, sir, but may I inquire as to who you will be meeting?” Pike was genuinely curious about who the latest victim might be.

Worthington leaned back into his chair steepling his hands and fixing his gaze on some point on the wall behind Earnest.

“
I am not exactly sure. Charles Riley, who ran a hardware store for my father in Fort Worth, Texas, died some time ago, and I have been trying to decide what to do with that useless store. Riley ran it for years, but there has been no profit since Riley died.”

“
Now, there appears to be someone running the store besides the accountant that has been hired to oversee it, because I received a very interesting letter from this individual demanding I do something about it.” The iron edge in William’s voice spoke volumes about the fate of the letter’s author.

“
Demanding, sir?” A cold shiver touched Earnest’s spine…who would have been such a fool?

“
Yes, I think the word demanding fits quite nicely.” Worthington’s expression was thoughtful.

“
I think that was a terrible mistake, sir,” Pike replied earnestly.

“
Indeed, I think I agree with you,” William said.

Poor, demanding soul, whoever it was, Pike privately thought. Aloud, he said, “I will be sure your schedule is cleared sir. Will that be all?”

“
That is all for tonight.” William said.

“
Of course, sir.”

Earnest took a swift glance back at Mr. Worthington as he left the room. Worthington was already focused again on his paperwork and true to character probably would be for some time.

***

Hours later, Worthington leaned back into his burgundy leather chair stretching his tired muscles. It had been another long day. There was always an endless litany of letters to write, meetings or problems to solve.

This meeting tomorrow was yet another example. He had known about Riley’s death and the subsequent financial problems with the store in Fort Worth for some time but until now he had paid little attention to the small store and had left the accountant, Adkins, to monitor things and take care of the books. He knew he had to do something with the business eventually, but it was low on his list of priorities. Besides, he had to wait out the expiration of the shares before Worthington’s daughter inquired about them.

The store meant next to nothing to him until his father died and it came to light that his father had left ten percent of the Worthington Corporate shares to Patricia Riley.

His father’s unwise bequest to Patricia Riley was a dilemma of magnificent proportions. However, no one had come to claim the shares so he had let the situation go…hoping that the time would pass until the shares reverted back to the Corporation.

Then he received the utterly bold and presumptuous letter from someone posing as the deceased Charles Riley. But who would dare do such a thing? At any rate, whoever had written the letter was either extremely naïve, desperate, or both.

While it was obvious now he should have made more of an effort to contact the new owner of his company shares, it was exceedingly annoying that his father had settled the shares to Patricia Riley.

It sill amazed him that his harsh, foreboding father had done something so completely out of character. In fact, his tough no-nonsense-business minded father had done something that could be characterized as utterly romantic…if William believed his father ever had romantic notions…which he did not.