“So?” Jack snarled.
St. Clair ignored him completely and focused his attention on Ada. “I would never give my approval without you here, my dear. I think, though, that aside from some troubling progressive tendencies, you would make a good stepmother for Laura.”
Ada gave an uncertain laugh. Jack’s gut wrenched. How could they continue bantering when so much was at stake?
“Does that mean we can take her home?” Ada’s voice was high and tremulous.
“Yes.” St. Clair beckoned the waitress over. “Now, let’s have some chocolate cake, shall we? Negotiations of this magnitude are deserving of a little reward.”
* * *
Ada’s knees still trembled, even though she sat in a carriage and the restaurant and train station were far behind them. She could still feel Jack’s touch burning through her glove despite the fact that he’d stopped holding her hand the moment dessert had been ordered. If only Jack would say something soon. His continued silence, since they had left the restaurant, was troubling. Part of her wanted to commiserate with him on their harrowing negotiations, and another part of her wondered if his silence was, in actuality, a reaction to finally getting what he wanted. The entire luncheon had been a sort of battle, and she craved the opportunity to decompress with her fellow soldier.
The driver negotiated the heavy afternoon traffic as they rolled through the streets on the way to Mrs. Erskine’s Seminary. She had to stop thinking of Jack and focus instead on her role. In just a few short minutes, she would meet Laura—her daughter. She was Laura’s stepmother now and would be charged with her care. Make no mistake about it, St. Clair would follow the progress of the entire family. If her guardianship failed to meet with his approval, Laura would likely be shipped right back to St. Louis. No, despite what he said about boarding school, he would probably insist on her coming home to Charleston.
She would have to send a few more telegrams to Aunt Pearl, making certain the house looked absolutely spotless.
Ada glanced over at her husband, who was still brooding out the window. Silhouetted against the curtains, he cut a very handsome figure. Even sitting, it was obvious that he was quite tall and powerful. A sudden burst of loneliness struck her as she looked over at him. What was the use of being a wife—or a paid mother, or whatever you could call her place in his family—if she had no one to confide in? It could be nice to talk to Jack.
Well, Jack wasn’t going to say anything. It was up to her to break the tension, just as she had when their argument had heated up in the restaurant.
“In a few moments, you’ll get to see her again,” she said with a smile. “Are you ready?”
“No,” he admitted, his voice on edge. He settled back against the cushions and then straightened abruptly. “I wish he’d hurry up.”
“Traffic makes for slow going,” she responded. He was nervous. Well, that was understandable. She was, too.
“Why’d you say you’d let Laura go there in the summer?” It wasn’t a mere question. He was demanding an answer.
“Because the situation was quickly unraveling.” She was not going to get a thank-you from him, not from the sound of it. “Moreover, it really isn’t too much for him to ask. Laura should know her mother’s people.”
“I don’t like the St. Clairs,” he responded. A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“You made that abundantly clear,” she retorted. If only they could get back to the teasing manner to which she had grown accustomed. “I wasn’t overly fond of him myself. He was rather rude about my family and about my work in the suffrage movement.”
Jack turned to face her. Ada struggled to maintain her composure. When he focused his full attention on her like that, it made her feel as shaky as that first day at the train depot when she met him. “I’m sorry for his behavior,” he said. “He is just that way. They all are. Emily was, too. I guess I was charmed by her at first. I soon regretted it, I can tell you.”
Mixed feelings swirled within Ada. On the one hand, it would be good to learn more about Emily and how happy her relationship with Jack had been. Knowing these things might help Ada to understand Laura better. On the other hand, it was somehow distasteful to her to learn more about his first wife. How did Ada measure up to Emily? Was she sweeter and prettier? Mr. St. Clair had said she was blond. Ada caught a glimpse of a straggling dark lock of her own hair and sighed.
Here she was, falling into unhelpful comparisons. To compare herself to any other woman, in how they might be pleasing to men, was a betrayal of sorts to the sisterhood. It reduced all women to one common denominator: how they suited the men in their lives.
Besides, it didn’t matter how Jack felt about her or how she looked to him. Their marriage was forged for only two purposes: to help Ada provide for her sisters and to bring Laura home to her father.
The carriage swung onto a gravel driveway. A sign flashed past that read Mrs. Erskine’s Seminary for Young Ladies. They had arrived. One of the purposes for which they had wed was about to be fulfilled.
In a voice rough with emotion, Jack said, “Let’s get Laura and take her home.”
Jack stood in the school’s parlor, his hat in his hands, distinctly ill at ease. This stuffy school always put him on his guard, for it was nothing like home and everything he was used to. He was also facing it alone, as Mrs. Erskine had requested to speak to Ada privately about Laura’s progress. In some ways, he was annoyed that he wasn’t receiving that information. After all, he was Laura’s father, but since Ada would be in charge of Laura’s education, it was likely for the best. Besides, it might be nice to meet with Laura alone and explain everything to her before she met Ada.
The parlor door opened, and a maid ushered Laura into the room.
Jack drew in his breath sharply. She looked more like her mother than ever, more so than when he had seen her at Christmas. Emily had been a regular china doll, with pale skin, golden-blond curls and wide blue eyes. Like her mother, Laura possessed all these features. Also, just like her mother, she wore a fixed expression of angry disapproval. Maybe that’s why she favored Emily so much at this moment. Why was his little girl upset?
“Father.” She stood in the doorway until the maid ushered her in. Then the door closed behind Laura, and they were alone in the room.
“Hey there, my chickadee,” he said heartily, reverting to his pet name for her. He came forward to gather her into a hug, but she put her cheek up, coolly awaiting a kiss. He paused, disconcerted. “How’s my sunshine gal? Don’t I get a hug?”
She drew away from him, gazing up with a grave expression on her face. “Mrs. Erskine told me you married someone.”
“Yes.” He didn’t know what to do with his hands. He’d expected to get the chance to squeeze her and then sit down with her talking excitedly as she always did, but she didn’t seem to be in a happy mood. “I went out and got my little girl a new mama. Now we can all live together as a family.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I have a mama. She’s in heaven.”
“Well, now.” He cleared his throat. This wasn’t going at all as he’d expected. “That’s true. Mrs. Ada is just going to take care of you so we can all live in Winchester Falls together.” A terrible pain stabbed him. “You do want to come live with me, don’t you?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “This is my home, you see, Father. I know where everything is. I know what to do. I like it here.”
He