They rode in silence for a while. When Leslie finally spoke, she said, ‘I know Oliver. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt me. What happened … just happened. I want only the best for him. He deserves that, and I wouldn’t do anything to stand in his way.’
‘That’s very gracious of you.’ He studied her a moment. ‘You really are a remarkable young lady.’
The limousine had come to a stop. Leslie looked out the window. They had reached Paris Pike, at the Kentucky Horse Center. There were more than a hundred horse farms in and around Lexington, and the largest of them was owned by Senator Davis. As far as the eye could see were white plank fences, white paddocks with red trim, and rolling Kentucky bluegrass.
Leslie and Senator Davis stepped out of the car and walked over to the fence surrounding the racetrack. They stood there a few moments, watching the beautiful animals working out.
Senator Davis turned to Leslie. ‘I’m a simple man,’ he said quietly. ‘Oh, I know how that must sound to you, but it’s the truth. I was born here, and I could spend the rest of my life here. There’s no place in the world like it. Just look around you, Miss Stewart. This is as close as we may ever come to heaven. Can you blame me for not wanting to leave all this? Mark Twain said that when the world came to an end, he wanted to be in Kentucky, because it’s always a good twenty years behind. I have to spend half my life in Washington, and I loathe it.’
‘Then why do you do it?’
‘Because I have a sense of obligation. Our people voted me into the Senate, and until they vote me out, I’ll be there trying to do the best job I can.’ He abruptly changed the subject. ‘I want you to know how much I admire your sentiments and the way you’ve behaved. If you had been nasty about this, I suppose it could have created quite a scandal. As it is, well – I’d like to show my appreciation.’
Leslie looked at him.
‘I thought that perhaps you would like to get away for a while, take a little trip abroad, spend some time traveling. Naturally, I’d pick up all the –’
‘Please don’t do this.’
‘I was only –’
‘I know. I haven’t met your daughter, Senator Davis, but if Oliver loves her, she must be very special. I hope they’ll be happy.’
He said awkwardly, ‘I think you should know they’re coming back here to get married again. In Paris, it was a civil ceremony, but Jan wants a church wedding here.’
It was a stab in the heart. ‘I see. All right. They have nothing to worry about.’
‘Thank you.’
The wedding took place two weeks later, in the Calvary Chapel church where Leslie and Oliver were to have been married. The church was packed.
Oliver Russell, Jan and Senator Todd Davis were standing before the minister at the altar. Jan Davis was an attractive brunette, with an imposing figure and an aristocratic air.
The minister was nearing the end of the ceremony. ‘God meant for man and woman to be united in holy matrimony, and as you go through life together …’
The church door opened, and Leslie Stewart walked in. She stood at the back for a moment, listening, then moved to the last pew, where she remained standing.
The minister was saying, ‘… so if anyone knows why this couple should not be united in holy matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his …’ He glanced up and saw Leslie. ‘… hold his peace.’
Almost involuntarily, heads began to turn in Leslie’s direction. Whispers began to sweep through the crowd. People sensed that they were about to witness a dramatic scene, and the church filled with sudden tension.
The minister waited a moment, then nervously cleared his throat. ‘Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.’ There was a note of deep relief in his voice. ‘You may kiss the bride.’
When the minister looked up again, Leslie was gone.
The final note in Leslie Stewart’s diary read:
Dear Diary: It was a beautiful wedding. Oliver’s bride is very pretty. She wore a lovely white lace-and-satin wedding gown with a halter top and a bolero jacket. Oliver looked more handsome than ever. He seemed very happy. I’m pleased.
Because before I’m finished with him, I’m going to make him wish he had never been born.
It was Senator Todd Davis who had arranged the reconciliation of Oliver Russell and his daughter.
Todd Davis was a widower. A multibillionaire, the senator owned tobacco plantations, coal mines, oil fields in Oklahoma and Alaska, and a world-class racing stable. As Senate majority leader, he was one of the most powerful men in Washington, and was serving his fifth term. He was a man with a simple philosophy: Never forget a favor, never forgive a slight. He prided himself on picking winners, both at the track and in politics, and early on he had spotted Oliver Russell as a comer. The fact that Oliver might marry his daughter was an unexpected plus, until, of course, Jan foolishly called it off. When the senator heard the news of the impending wedding between Oliver Russell and Leslie Stewart, he found it disturbing. Very disturbing.
Senator Davis had first met Oliver Russell when Oliver handled a legal matter for him. Senator Davis was impressed. Oliver was intelligent, handsome, and articulate, with a boyish charm that drew people to him. The senator arranged to have lunch with Oliver on a regular basis, and Oliver had no idea how carefully he was being assessed.
A month after meeting Oliver, Senator Davis sent for Peter Tager. ‘I think we’ve found our next governor.’
Tager was an earnest man who had grown up in a religious family. His father was a history teacher and his mother was a housewife, and they were devout churchgoers. When Peter Tager was eleven, he had been traveling in a car with his parents and younger brother when the brakes of the car failed. There had been a deadly accident. The only one who survived was Peter, who lost an eye.
Peter believed that God had spared him so that he could spread His word.
Peter Tager understood the dynamics of politics better than anyone Senator Davis had ever met. Tager knew where the votes were and how to get them. He had an uncanny sense of what the public wanted to hear and what it had gotten tired of hearing. But even more important to Senator Davis was the fact that Peter Tager was a man he could trust, a man of integrity. People liked him. The black eye patch he wore gave him a dashing look. What mattered to Tager more than anything in the world was his family. The senator had never met a man so deeply proud of his wife and children.
When Senator Davis first met him, Peter Tager had been contemplating going into the ministry.
‘So many people need help, Senator. I want to do what I can.’
But Senator Davis had talked him out of the idea. ‘Think of how many more people you can help by working for me in the Senate of the United States.’ It had been a felicitous choice. Tager knew how to get things done.
‘The man I have in mind to run for governor is Oliver Russell.’
‘The attorney?’
‘Yes. He’s a natural. I have a hunch if we get behind him, he can’t miss.’
‘Sounds interesting, Senator.’
The two of them began to discuss it.
Senator Davis spoke to Jan about Oliver Russell. ‘The boy has a hot future, honey’