Glittering Promises (6 page)

“Well, fifty-one percent,” he said, staring back at me. “I’ll keep the other forty-nine.”

“Wh-why?” I stammered. “Why now? After all…”

He shrugged lightly and took a sip of his coffee at last. “You wanted it on your terms. And I decided you were right. It had been Alan’s land for all those years. It was the least I could do for them. For you. To honor how they raised you.” He settled his cup in his saucer, his hand rock steady in comparison to mine. “And it sets you up properly as a Kensington.”

So there it was at last. I stared at him, and he stared back. To accept this offer as a Diehl, on behalf of my parents, I had to accept my position as a Kensington, too. What did that mean?

I looked to Will with a question in my eyes.

“How can you say no?” he asked quietly. “He’s offering you what you wanted—your share of a fortune. A
controlling interest
in a fortune. You’re not only wealthy in your own right, Cora. You’re in charge of that wealth.”

I had to remind myself to breathe. I’d considered it but thought the opportunity was a long way off. Thought I’d have to battle my father for every cent, every portion. And now here he was, freely offering it to me. My eyes narrowed as I looked back to him. Wallace Kensington never offered anything freely. “You understand I don’t know the first thing about running a mine.”

“Yes. I will assist you if you wish, when you wish. But ownership involves steep responsibilities. Labor. Finances. Strategic, wise decisions. All of which I believe you can manage in time, with training. After all, you were first in your class in mathematics, science, history. In high school as well as Normal School, passing up every one of your male competitors.”

I started, and then my eyes narrowed. How did he know that?

He smiled, catlike. “Ah, yes, it’s long been clear to me that you have intellect that would be wasted in some country school on the plains of Montana. It simply took me some time to realize that my independent, smart daughter might very well run the Dunnigan enterprise better than I might myself.” He shook his head, his eyes partially cold calculation and partially warm with admiration. “And it is not only book sense you have, daughter. You have people sense. It was you who helped me and Morgan evade the potential strike in Billings.” He tilted his head. “That would’ve cost us thousands. Instead, all your predictions came true. With a small investment, our miners are more content than ever. We have no shortage of workers, and in turn, they have upped production, to the benefit of our bottom line.”

“How much?” I asked evenly.

He shrugged one shoulder even as he smiled over my question. “See there? That’s a businessman’s response. And to answer, eighteen or nineteen percent. A sound investment. An investment I can track directly back to
you
.”

I stared at him.

He huffed a laugh. “Why do you hesitate? Is this not exactly what you wanted?”

“I wanted a portion of the profits. I never anticipated…never thought…” I gathered myself and lifted my chin. “I never once thought you’d consider giving over charge of the entire
mine
.”

“You were born on that soil. Your folks raised you right, there. And I shall teach you what you need to know to run the mine.”

“I’m hardly a prospector,” I said, lifting one brow.

“Aren’t you? You ventured here with us. A bit of a gambler in you, I suspect.”

“Not that I had much of a choice.”

“Do you regret it?” His eyes slid to Will and back.

I studied him. He knew what I’d meant. But he was right. Even after our rough start, would I have honestly returned to a summer on the ranch as opposed to what I’d experienced, what I’d gained, the people I’d come to know? It was my turn to eye Will. He met my gaze with concern, clearly wrestling with the decision as I was. The banker and attorney simply watched us banter back and forth, waiting for Will to translate anything they needed to know.

Wallace Kensington rose and leaned over the table toward me. “Cora, it is uncommon for a woman to be in such a position. But you are a Kensington. I know you have what will be required. Or I shall help you discover it within you.”

So there, at last, was what bothered me. He knew I’d have to turn to him in order to learn how to manage such a business. “I am a Diehl, too,” I said, trying to buy time to think.

“That is why the Dunnigan mine will be known as the Kensington-Diehl Mine,” he said, sliding a stack of papers in my direction. I looked down to the first page, and in the midst of all the verbiage, our names jumped out in capital letters: CORA DIEHL KENSINGTON, ALAN AND ALMA DIEHL.

I looked to Will, and he said, “Cora, how can you say no? You will find your way.” He waved at my father and me.

“So that’s it? The papers are all drawn up?” I asked.

“They are,” my father said, sliding the rest of the papers from his side of the table to mine. “They’re in Italian, for expedience, and will be translated into English once we return. I’ll leave you with Will, who can translate for you, and you may ask any question that arises as you go through the documents with these fine gentlemen. Summon me when you are ready to discuss it.”

He turned to leave.

“Father,” I called. He slowly turned around, waiting on me. “There is one other stipulation.”

He paused. “Stipulation?” he asked, enunciating each syllable.

“I want you to forgive all of the McCabe debts.” I said it quickly, before I lost my nerve, knowing I was pressing my luck.

“Cora, I—” Will sputtered.

“No,” I said, looking to him and continuing to speak to him even as I turned toward my father. “He has been using that to keep us apart. If he’s honest in this endeavor to move forward in a spirit of reconciliation, it shall be no skin off his nose to release you from what was never your burden to bear in the first place.” I took a breath, knowing I was pushing into dangerous territory. “Do it as an act of good faith, Father. If you are truly to treat me as a partner, don’t sour that relationship by holding the man I love over a fire he can’t hope to escape. It was Stuart’s debt, not his. You lost in that gamble.”

“Cora, I—” Will tried to interrupt.

But I was emboldened, feeling the power unfold within me. This was the right thing to do. The honorable thing to do. And I would see it done. “Please. Release Will from his bonds, Father. And honor what you agreed to pay him, if he completes his task as the bear of this tour. Despite what you think about our relationship, he has served our group well in leading us.”

My father’s eyes narrowed, and he sniffed, then readjusted his hands over the glass knob of his cane. I reminded myself to breathe. I couldn’t portray every confidence in my entreaty if I fainted dead away.

“Very well,” he said at last. “But anything of Stuart McCabe’s of value, including his apartment, goes against the debt,” he said to Will, drawing himself up straighter. “Men may accuse me of generosity, but never of stupidity.”

“That’s fair,” Will breathed.

With that, my father turned on his heel and left the room. The banker and lawyer looked from his departing back to us, waiting expectantly.

“
Un momento
,” Will said to them, holding up a finger and turning toward me with a smile.

I looked up at him in delight, wondering if this day could possibly become any more miraculous. He gazed down at me with wonder. “Oh, you marvelous girl, you. Did you just manage to do what I believe you have?”

“I think so,” I said with a nod, taking his hands in mine and squeezing.

He shook his head in awe and then reluctantly let go of one of my hands to lift the pages of the agreement. “I’ve glanced through them already. I’ll translate every word for you so you can judge for yourself. But if you sign those, what your father said was true. You are about to become the wealthiest woman in America.”

CHAPTER 6

~Wallace~

“It is outrageous,” Andrew thundered in the library, pacing before the cold fireplace. “You’ve given a girl—a girl that knows not the first thing about business—control of the Dunnigan mine? Are you mad?”

“Watch your words, Andrew,” Morgan said.

But Andrew ignored his father, swearing under his breath and shaking his head. “I have an MBA from
Harvard
,” he spat out. “All these years, you two have bred me to believe that if I sowed the right seeds, married the right girl,” he said meaningfully, “the combined family fortunes would be managed by me.” He hooked a thumb to his chest and leaned slightly toward Wallace.

“Back away, lad, before you do something you regret,” Wallace said, warily eyeing the young man.

“Indeed!” Morgan seconded. “You are behaving most abominably, Andrew! I insist you remember your place.”

Andrew ripped his gaze to the right, still shaking his head, pacing a few steps and then turning back to the patriarchs, the veins in his neck pulsing in fury. “My
place
is head of the Kensington & Morgan Enterprises.”

Wallace frowned. “Perhaps you’ve misunderstood. Nothing has changed in that regard, Andrew. There is more than enough for one man to handle.”

“But you have placed me in a subservient position to that…that
girl
out there,” Andrew said, pointing a shaking finger to the doorway. “A girl who knows nothing about the work that is ahead of her.”

“That girl is my daughter,” Wallace said, steeling his tone. “And I shall not leave her side when it comes to running the mine until I’m confident she can run it as well as any man. Now you must do as your father encouraged, Andrew. Remember your place. You’ve already said too much.”

Andrew drew a long, shaky breath and stared at Wallace. “Forgive me, Mr. Kensington. But you must know I become impassioned because it is not only for me and my family that I feel the weight of these issues, but also because I hope to provide well for Vivian when we become man and wife. I cannot help but feel that you have taken bread from her cupboard and placed it in Cora’s.”

“Andrew—” Morgan began.

“No! Absolutely not!” Wallace said, striding over to Andrew and looking up at him. He jabbed at him, almost touching his chest. “The Kensington-Diehl Mine has absolutely
nothing
to do with my other children. The only reason I discovered gold and copper in Dunnigan was
because
Cora was there. Had she not…well, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. So I advise you to quit pouting over what you don’t have and instead be grateful for the significant sum that it will add to the Kensington fortune and possibly, in the future, your own.”

“Surely you see that I could manage the mine with ease,” Andrew said, a slight whine creeping into his tone. “There wouldn’t be much to learn at all.”

Wallace drew himself upward, resting his hands on the end of his glass-knobbed cane. “I have made my decision. Now you have one choice. Move forward with the spirit of gratitude, the desire to help Cora, not hinder, and all will be well. For
all
of us.” He stepped even closer to Andrew. “But if you broach this subject again, or do anything to harm my objective to aid Cora in becoming the most successful gentlewoman America has ever seen, you shall answer to
me
.”

~Cora~

The papers were signed, and my father instructed a local banker in town to establish an account for me and then deposit an enormous sum that evening. In celebration, I invited the entire group and our hosts out to supper at a local
osteria
, and when the bill was presented to me, I paid more for the meal than my family had spent at the Dunnigan mercantile in six months’ time. It took my breath away, and as we drove home, I felt numb, dizzy by what had transpired over the day. But I also felt free, giddy with delight.

Only when Will escorted me to my room and kissed me good night by the door did I feel the first twinge of unease, the slightest distance, from him. “Wait,” I said, grabbing his hand as he turned to go. He turned back to me, but only partway, a question in his eyes. “Will, are you…all right?”

“Yes, fine,” he said dismissively. “Just feeling weary.” He cocked a half smile. “I always do about now on a tour, but few tours have been so…involved.”

I smiled and played with his fingers, holding his big hand in both of mine. I looked up at him. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“It is,” he said, moving to cover my shoulders with his hands. He leaned in and gave my forehead a soft, slow kiss, then pulled back to look in my eyes. “Let us speak more of it tomorrow, all right? I think a good night’s sleep will aid us both.”

I nodded and forced a smile, then watched him walk away a few steps before I slipped into my room. I closed the door and leaned against it, looking upward, praying.
Lord, help me find my way. Help us find our way.

Anna came in and quietly helped me get ready for bed. “It was a big day, Miss, was it not?”

“Indeed,” I said, sitting down. She unpinned my hair and then set to brushing it out with a wide ivory-handled boar’s hair brush.

“May I speak frankly, Miss?”

“Do you ever speak any other way, Anna?” I asked with a small smile. I waved her on. “Please.”

She returned my smile, looking at my reflection from over my shoulder. “It’s been a big day for you. A grand day.”

“That it has.” It still seemed like a dream…was it all really happening? Her expression of concern pulled me back to the present. “But…”

She gave me a rueful smile. “I’ve worked for those of great wealth all my life. I’ve rarely seen money make anyone a better person, but I’ve seen it destroy many.”

“How so?”

“From what I can see, happiness depends on how a body uses what the Lord gives them. Seek His will out, Miss Cora,” she said, patting my shoulder and setting down the brush. “He’ll show you how to live a contented life. So many people I’ve seen in the Kensingtons’ set don’t have that…that inner satisfaction. Because they try to buy what cannot be purchased. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I-I think so,” I said.

And I thought I did. I just didn’t know what it meant for
me
. Yet.