Worthy Brown's Daughter (21 page)

CHAPTER 48

W
. B. Thornton pushed away from the dinner table with a contented grin. His belly grew larger every day, but he could not resist Abigail’s honey-glazed ham, candied yams, and mouthwatering corn bread.

“I think I’ll have a drop of brandy in the study,” he told his wife as he used his napkin to dislodge a piece of corn bread that had attached itself to his beard. When he completed his task, the district attorney headed for the liquor cabinet, but a knock at the door made him pause in his journey. Thornton glanced at the grandfather’s clock in the front hall and wondered who could be calling at eight o’clock.

“Good evening, Jed,” Thornton said as soon as he opened the door.

“I hope I’m not disturbing your dinner,” the judge said.

“We just finished. I was going to have some brandy. Will you join me?”

Thornton brought Tyler into the study and poured two snifters of brandy. Tyler took an absentminded sip, then set down his glass on the end table.

“So what brings you here at this hour?” Thornton asked.

“A delicate matter. But I must have your promise that everything I say to you will stay between us.”

“Of course.”

“What are your political plans?” Tyler asked.

“Well, now. I’m quite content for the moment, you know. I haven’t really thought much about the future.”

Tyler did not react to this obvious lie. Thornton’s ambition was a frequent topic of conversation in political circles.

“Have you ever thought about a position on the supreme court?” Tyler asked.

“Of course,” Thornton answered with a nervous laugh.

“I’m going to step down from the bench for personal reasons. The governor owes me several favors. I’m willing to call them in to see that you are appointed to my seat. Would you accept the position if it was offered?”

“I’m flattered,” Thornton gushed. “I never thought . . . Well, there are others better suited, but—”

“You are the best choice,” Tyler assured the district attorney.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your confidence in me. But what prompted your decision?”

Tyler’s plan depended on what happened in the next few minutes, and he steeled himself by taking another sip of brandy.

“If I recommend you to the governor, he’ll appoint you to finish my term. During that term, a case may come before you involving Benjamin Gillette’s estate.”

Thornton paled as the import of Tyler’s words dawned on him. “Jed, I—”

“Hear me out,” Tyler said, using a tone that commanded immediate obedience in court. “Benjamin Gillette’s estate is worth fifteen million dollars. Whoever controls it also owns the majority of shares in the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, in which, I believe, you are heavily invested. That person will be in an excellent position to help his friends.”

What Tyler didn’t say, but what he implied, was that the person who controlled the estate could also do a great deal of harm to anyone who crossed him.

“Sharon Hill married Benjamin Gillette in San Francisco, but they kept their marriage secret. Miss Hill—Mrs. Gillette—has tried to assert her rights as Ben’s widow, but Orville Mason has launched a scurrilous campaign to discredit her claim.”

The so-called marriage contract was the talk of Portland society and its legal community. Everyone knew about it, and Thornton could not understand why it would concern Justice Tyler. He learned the answer to his unspoken question when Tyler continued.

“I intend to step down from the bench and represent Mrs. Gillette to establish her legitimate interest in the estate and save her good name.”

Thornton was stunned by the crudity of Tyler’s approach, but he concealed his shock from the jurist.

“I’ve heard about the marriage contract, but I have no opinion about it,” Thornton assured Tyler.

“That’s good,” Tyler said. “A judge must have no opinion about a case until he hears all the facts.”

“Of course.”

“So, shall I speak to the governor about your suitability to fill my seat on the court?”

Thornton hesitated. He was not someone who could think quickly, and there were so many possible outcomes if he accepted the judge’s offer that he was lost in the maze they created. What he could see clearly was a vision of W. B. Thornton draped in the robes of a justice of the supreme court.

Thornton was ambitious, and an appointment to the court would be a tremendous boost to those ambitions. Then there were the future financial rewards to which Jed had alluded. But Tyler had left no doubt about the quid pro quo in this Faustian bargain. Could he do it? Could he fix the result of a case? If he was suspected of fixing a case of this magnitude, he would be destroyed, but who could prove anything since only he and Tyler would know what transpired in his study?

“You can count on me, Jed.”

“Then it’s done.”

Tyler stood. Thornton walked him to the front door in a daze. As soon as the judge was outside, beads of sweat appeared on Thornton’s brow and he felt dizzy. He leaned against the door and closed his eyes. As he took long, slow breaths to calm his racing heart, he was assailed by doubt and wondered what he had gotten himself into.

AS SOON AS JED TYLER
was out of sight of Thornton’s house his shoulders sagged. He felt sick about what he’d just done. Thornton did not have the intellect to sit on the court, and fixing a case went against everything Tyler stood for, but he had no choice. His life had been barren without Sharon Hill in it, and he could not give her up. Her happiness meant everything to him, and she could not be happy while this stain on her dignity remained. And, of course, there was the money and power controlling the Gillette fortune would bring them.

Tyler had done well in the West, but Benjamin Gillette’s success was magnificent. Once Tyler was in control of Gillette’s enterprises and fortune, he would be the most powerful man in Oregon and one of the most powerful men on the West Coast of the United States. Allying himself with Sharon Hill was risky, but the rewards would be astounding if the risk paid off.

CHAPTER 49

T
he maid showed Orville Mason into the parlor and went to summon Heather.

“Have you come about the marriage case?” Heather asked as soon as she sat down across from her lawyer.

“No. I want to talk to you about something else that requires your attention. But I am taking some action in Hill’s case that may decide the matter. Bernard Hoxie is the California attorney who prepared the marriage contract. I’m going to San Francisco to confront Hoxie and explain what will happen to him if he testifies for Hill. If he sees the light and admits the forgery, we’ll be rid of Miss Hill.”

“If Hoxie prepared a forged marriage contract for Hill, he’s a criminal. Will you be in danger?”

“Hoxie does have a bad reputation, but I’m no adventurer. I don’t plan on getting into anything I can’t get out of. Don’t worry. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

“If you didn’t come to talk to me about the marriage contract, why are you here?”

“I haven’t pressed you about certain matters because you’ve been grieving, but I don’t feel I can put off this discussion any longer. Ben was the moving force behind a financial empire worth many millions of dollars. There’s the bank, the shipping company, his stores—”

“I’m well aware of his business holdings.”

“Then you appreciate the fact that, as Ben’s heir, you must make decisions involving them. There’s nothing to worry about for the immediate future. Good men are running the enterprises and I’ve been overseeing them, but there are some pressing matters that require your attention. Since Ben passed away I’ve entertained offers to buy out your interest in a number of his companies. Some of these offers have come from San Francisco, and I can discuss them with the interested parties while I’m there. That means I need guidance from you concerning them.”

“What do you think I should do, Orville?”

“If you sell everything Ben owns, you’ll be wealthy and independent for life. Apart from a sale, I can arrange for you to retain stock in the more profitable ventures. This will provide you with a steady, and considerable, income.”

“What will happen if I don’t sell?”

“It’s hard to say. Ben was the driving force behind his business ventures. To a great extent, it was his personality and business acumen that made them successful. As I said, he recruited good men to help run them. We could promote some to provide continuity, but I don’t know what will happen without Ben at the helm.”

“Would my taking the helm provide continuity?” Heather asked.

“You?” Orville asked, taken aback by the suggestion. The idea of any woman taking control of a multimillion-dollar business empire had never occurred to him.

“I’m Ben’s daughter. He discussed his businesses with me all the time, and he trusted my judgment. You and the good men my father put in place can educate me further. And believe me, if I find I’m not up to the task, I’ll tell you. I have no wish to destroy what my father spent a lifetime building.”

Orville recalled what he admired most about Heather. It was her intelligence and independent spirit. Looking back, he realized that there was nothing he’d discussed with her about her father’s estate that she had not grasped, and there was no question that she possessed her father’s tenacity and charm.

“If you help me in this, I know I can succeed,” Heather said. “Will you do that for me?”

Orville smiled. “Of course I will.”

CHAPTER 50

A
s soon as Orville left, Heather went upstairs and changed into breeches and a flannel shirt. She threw on a heavy jacket and went to the stables, where she had the stable hand saddle her favorite horse.

Heather had been to San Francisco on several occasions, but she had only been exposed to the bright side of the City by the Bay. If Bernard Hoxie was a man so morally bankrupt that he would forge a marriage contract for a slattern like Sharon Hill, Heather assumed that Orville would find him in the darker parts of the city that were explored by a gentleman only at his peril.

Orville Mason was fearless and brilliant in a courtroom or political arena, but Heather doubted that he had ever been in physical danger. Matthew Penny had confronted violence and survived on the Oregon Trail, at Caleb Barbour’s house, and on the road from Gillette House on the evening of the Keans’ performance when he’d been attacked. Orville was ill equipped to deal with a villain like Hoxie, but Heather trusted Matthew to use force to defend Orville if it became necessary.

Heather had another reason for enlisting Matthew as Orville’s bodyguard. Killing Caleb Barbour had changed Matthew, and Worthy Brown’s insistence that he take the blame for the killing was destroying him. If Worthy followed through with his plan, Matthew would go through life with the blood of two men on his hands, and Heather was afraid of what Matthew might do if Worthy was hanged.

Heather cared for Matthew. She even considered the possibility that she loved him. When they had kissed in the gazebo after the theater, her heart had soared. Rather than diminishing her feelings for him, Matthew’s confession of his love for Rachel had earned her respect. And they had definitely been drawn to each other while Matthew was convalescing. Heather had no idea what would have happened between them if Matthew had not killed Caleb Barbour and if her father had not died. Those events made it impossible for their personal relationship to move forward. But there was one thing Heather knew for certain. No matter what the future held for the two of them, she had to find a way to save Matthew. She hoped that getting him away from Portland might lift his spirits.

Heather tethered her mount to a hitching post and walked up the stairs to Matthew’s office. She watched him through the window. He was concentrating on a document.

Matthew looked up when the door opened. “Heather, what brings you to town?”

“Did you know that Orville is going to San Francisco?” Heather asked.

“No, I didn’t.”

“He’s going to confront Bernard Hoxie about the signature on the marriage contract, and I’m afraid that he may be putting himself in danger. Hoxie is a degenerate and a criminal, and I don’t know what he’ll do if Orville upsets him.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Matthew asked.

“I want to ask you for a favor. I would feel much better if Orville didn’t confront Hoxie alone. Would you go with him to San Francisco?”

Matthew didn’t answer right away. Heather could see conflicting emotions twisting him.

“Please. I am afraid of what a man like Hoxie will do if he feels threatened.”

“You’re right. Orville is ill equipped to deal with a man like Hoxie. I’ll go with him.”

Heather reached out a touched Matthew’s hand. “Thank you, Matthew. I knew I could count on you.”

“You’re a good friend to Orville and to me. Don’t think for a moment that I don’t appreciate that.”

For a moment, Heather thought that he would say more, prayed that he would. Then he pulled his hand away.

“I’ve got to finish my work. It’s for a case,” he said.

“I understand,” Heather answered, though she wasn’t talking about his need to complete his reading of any legal papers. “Thank you for helping Orville.”