Code Redhead - A Serial Novel

by Sharon Kleve

  It had been a small group, just Lily, her mother, Merritt and his brother Fletcher. At first, Tatiana was a bit intimidated by Merritt’s older brother. He did seem cold and aloof. But, it didn’t take long for him to engage Tatiana in conversation.

  They discovered they shared a passion for natural history, and spent their time comparing notes about the various exhibits they’d enjoyed seeing. She was enthralled when Fletcher described his travels in Alaska. His tales of seeing polar bears, seals and walruses captivated her.

  Later, in the family parlor, Merritt teased her. He’d said he feared his older brother planned to court her himself. She laughed with the others, but deep inside, she was thrilled at the idea Merritt seemed jealous of his older brother’s attention.

  “Lily was there, of course, and the Van Der Voot sisters, Rebecca and Annalisa.” She knew her aunt would be impressed that she was becoming acquainted with another Knickerbocker family. “And then Mr. Barclay joined us with his brother and several friends.” She glanced up at her aunt. “I don’t think you’d know them.”

  Her aunt slapped her embroidery hoop down on her lap with a resounding smack. It was just as well, with all that poking and yanking of the yarn on her crewel work, it was sure to be a mess that would need to be picked out and redone.

  “I thought I made it quite clear I do not approve of your association with members of the Barclay family. You are flouting your disobedience and ignoring my request.” She sat back in her chair. “I’ve sacrificed so much for you, Ana. I can’t believe you are intent on breaking my heart.”

  It was as dramatic an effort as Tatiana had ever witnessed. Her aunt had in the past shown her disapproval of Tatiana, but she’d never expressed any feelings of great attachment or love. She was restrained, remote and indifferent most of the time. This sudden proclamation that she’d experienced true emotional pain as a result of her niece’s actions was shocking.

  Tatiana sat up and studied the woman sitting across from her. She couldn’t be certain, but there might be circles beneath her aunt’s eyes. Had she been losing sleep lately because she was worried about her?

  “I don’t understand, Aunt Olivia. The Barclays are a fine, upstanding family. Perhaps their ancestors didn’t settle in the colonies as early as our family did, but they are respected. I know you object because of something that happened to Aunt Lorelei, but that must have been a long time ago.”

  Her aunt stood, her mouth pursed and eyes blazing with an angry fire. “It wouldn’t matter if it was one hundred years ago, I’ll never forgive Hadley Barclay for what happened to my sister. He broke her heart and he broke my family apart. I will not tolerate you socializing with members of his family.”

  She glared at Tatiana, who was shocked to see her aunt react so emotionally. This mystery of her Aunt Lorelei confused her.

  “Then tell me what happened so I can understand,” Tatiana pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I like Lily and Merritt,” she swallowed. “I even like the older brother, Fletcher. He’s not as aloof as many people think he is, and I believe he’s quite brilliant.”

  “Enough!” Her aunt held up her hand. “I don’t want to hear any more praise of the Barclays.” She crossed the room to adjust several books on one of the side tables before taking a deep breath and turning back to face Tatiana.

  “Do not oppose me on this, Tatiana. Until you are married, I’m still your guardian, and you will obey me.” She lifted the hem of her dark wool dress and marched out of the room.

  Tatiana sat on the edge of her upholstered chair in shock. Aunt Olivia was not prone to outbursts. In fact, in the nearly eight years since she’d moved in with Tatiana and her father after her mother died, Tatiana could barely remember a time when her aunt lost control.

  Even when her father’s assistant had arrived at their door with the news of his death, Aunt Olivia had accepted the news with stoic strength. She’d held Tatiana in her arms as she wept, but no tears clouded her own eyes.

  Her day now took a dismal turn, as she reflected on her aunt’s words. She respected her Aunt Olivia, and she didn’t want to cause her further pain. But, the idea of giving up her blossoming friendship with Lily, not to mention a romance with Merritt, was too painful to consider.

  There must be a way to find a compromise. It was clear her aunt wasn’t going to provide any additional information about the secret tragedy of Lorelei Howland, but there were others who must know what happened.

  She’d start in her own household, perhaps with Hastings. He’d served her grandfather before she was born, so he must be the keeper of many family secrets. Then it occurred to her, she could invite Merritt to help her with an inquiry.

  She stood, thrilled with her inspiration. She’d write to him this evening and gain his assistance. A man had so many more opportunities to discover things than a woman could. Perhaps his father would share the story of his tragic love affair with Lorelei, for Tatiana was convinced that was part of the information she sought.

  Perhaps they were engaged, or even secretly married, but the family objected and they had to get an annulment. Her imagination went wild with various scenarios, all fueled by the romantic novels she read.

  She had a mission now, and the most important thing was it provided an opportunity to share something with Merritt.

  Maybe she was being fanciful and creating a far-fetched history of what had really happened, but if she wanted to continue getting to know Merritt, and more importantly, if he thought she was worth pursuing, they’d need to solve this mystery together.

  *****

  “You must have heard gossip about it, you’re older than I am and adults always trusted you to stay in the room when they were talking.”

  Merritt sipped his brandy and glared at his brother sitting across from him. Fletcher leaned back in the leather chair and considered the question.

  “They ignored me because I was quiet. So quiet they often forgot I was still there.” He took a sip from his own snifter. “But, to be honest, I’d never heard of Lorelei Howland until today.”

  “Don’t you think the fact that everyone is so silent about what happened is a good reason to investigate?”

  Fletcher shrugged his broad shoulders. “No one cares about old gossip, they’re far more interested in the reputations they can ruin today.”

  “Spoken as a true pessimist.”

  Fletcher settled his feet on the massive mahogany desk, and for a brief moment Merritt wondered what his father would think of such an act of defiance. Hadley Barclay was intensely protective of that desk, one of the most impressive symbols of his success. The fact that Fletcher was so clearly disrespectful said a great deal about his relationship with his father.

  “There must be at least one old busy-body who would be willing to spill the beans. What about Mrs. Doerfler? She’s planning that horrendous Valentine’s Day extravaganza. The press is having a wonderfully, wicked time accusing her of the high crime of spending too much money on the affair.”

  “I could pay a call upon her, I suppose.” Merritt swirled the dark liquid in his glass. “Or, you could ask Father about what happened.” It was a good thing Fletcher didn’t have any liquid in his mouth, for surely he’d have spit it out at that suggestion.

  “Interrogate Father about his past? Oh, please, yes—let me be the first to volunteer.” Fletcher removed his feet from the desk and glared at Merritt.

  “You’re the one who wants to court the Langdon heiress, so why do I need to be involved at all? Just tell Father you’ve scouted a potential wife and need to know why her only living relative despises him enough to make us all off limits.” He sipped his brandy. “At least he should be delighted at the idea one of us is considering marriage.”

  Merritt stood and paced across the room to refill his brandy snifter. He glanced at Fletcher and brought the bottle to the desk and set it down. He plopped back into his chair.

  “I doubt he’d tell me the truth. So far, from the few details I’ve
heard, it paints Father as rather a cad. He might even have left the poor girl in a delicate condition and abandoned her.”

  At this, Fletcher stood and rounded the huge desk to lean over his younger brother. “Do you really believe our father would do such a thing?”

  His taller brother looming over him with such a stern expression actually made Merritt shudder. “No, because the one thing we know about him is how rigid and unyielding he is when it comes to the rules of society. He might bend the law for the sake of business, but he’d never want to become a pariah to the people he cares most about.”

  “The four hundred best families in New York,” Fletcher said.

  “Exactly, so, whatever happened, it wasn’t bad enough for the members of the highest ranking families in New York to renounce him.”

  “From what your little dove wrote, whatever happened was before he even knew Mother. She didn’t make her debut until 1853.” Fletcher continued to pace around the room.

  “Let’s make a timeline and see if we can play detective. If we move back in time, Father would have had to meet Lorelei before he met mother, so we’re looking at 1850 to 1852?”

  “Yes, I’d guess that.” Merritt watched his brother work out the details. He’d seen this before when Fletcher created a plan to conduct a business deal. It was masterful to see his logic work itself out.

  “So thirty or so years ago, before the war, Father met a beautiful young woman.” Fletcher paused to glance at Merritt. “I assume she was beautiful.”

  Merritt shrugged. “Tatiana has never described her, but I’d suppose so.”

  “Yes, a beautiful, young woman from one of New York’s best families. Wealthy, well-bred and well-connected. The perfect bride for a man of rising status.”

  “Well,” Merritt said. “We might not be one of the Knickerbocker families, here when the colony belonged to the Dutch, but we arrived before the revolution.”

  “True, but remember, Father is the one who built the family fortune. Our woolen mills in New England provided the uniforms for the Union army. Before that, we were petty aristocrats with an old English name and empty pockets.” Fletcher continued to pace around the room, swirling and sipping the brandy in his glass. “Father meets a beautiful young woman, woos her and wins her love. But”—he turned and pointed at Merritt with the brandy snifter—”what if her family refuses to allow him to marry her?”

  Suggested Merritt, “Then she dies of a broken heart?”

  Fletcher shrugged. “I’m not sure that really happens. But, perhaps she took sick, or ran away to join the circus, or something equally horrible.”

  “Tragic,” Merritt said. “Tatiana’s aunt said it was a family tragedy.”

  Fletcher finally plopped back onto the leather chair and set his brandy on the desk. “Then we have no choice.”

  “We’ll have to ask Father what happened?” Merritt said.

  Fletcher raised his eyebrows at his brother. “Hardly. You and I will be dancing with some of the grand dames of society at the Sweetheart Masquerade. With a bit of flattery and a prodigious amount of champagne, we should discover the truth.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Tatiana stared in the mirror and had to work hard to keep from giggling at her own reflection. Her costume for the Sweetheart Masquerade wasn’t likely to meet with her aunt’s approval.

  Aunt Olivia had ordered a sweet shepherdess costume for her niece. But Tatiana had decided she was tired of being bland and boring, so she’d ordered her own costume to be made, dressing as Boudica, the red-headed warrior queen of the Celts.

  She turned to enjoy the illusion. Her dress was crafted from deerskin, and she’d had a corset made from leather. Her shoulders were bare, but it was a masquerade, so the regular rules of fashion were tossed aside.

  She had a beautiful plaid cape to wrap around her, and her hair was curled and free. She’d found several copper bracelets for her arms and a circlet to wear on her head to complete the look

  She even had a spear, which delighted her more than any other accessory she’d ever possessed. She felt beautiful, alluring and strong.

  “You look a wonder,” Mary said, holding the plaid cape. “But let me wrap you in this before your aunt discovers you’ve switched costumes on her.”

  Waiting in the vestibule, Tatiana wondered if Aunt Olivia would object so heartily to her new costume that she’d insist she change before they departed. It was already after nine o’clock and she certainly didn’t want to be late for what had already been declared the most prestigious social event of the season.

  Aunt Olivia trotted down the stairs, dressed as Mary, Queen of Scots. Her heavily starched frill collar looked uncomfortable but the huge cross embedded with jewels was most impressive. Tatiana wondered where that jewelry had come from? It certainly wasn’t a piece she’d ever seen before.

  Her aunt paused to blink at Tatiana. “I suppose even on the subject of an appropriate costume you find you must disobey me.”

  “I simply wanted something more…adventurous,” she offered. “But, you must admit I’ve complied with your request to keep away from the Barclay family these past few weeks.” She hoped her voice didn’t betray how dearly that decision had cost her. Only the letters she exchanged with Lily and Merritt had helped assuage the pain of not seeing her friends. They’d discussed how to solve the mystery of the break between the Barclay and Howland families.

  The Sweetheart Masquerade being held tonight was the key to success. All the most respected and wealthy families from New York would be attending. The newspapers had been talking about the decorations, the invited guests, the menu for dinner and the costumes, for weeks.

  There had to be someone at the gathering who could provide information about what had happened to Lorelei Howland nearly thirty years ago. A glittering social event with plenty of alcohol should provide a perfect opportunity for the amateur detectives to ply their trade.

  Tatiana, Lily, Fletcher and Merritt would all be seeking out various attendees at the event to make innocent inquiries about her deceased aunt. She hoped the aunt that was still living with her wouldn’t discover what they were up to.

  Hastings wrapped a fur cape around her Aunt Olivia and the woman stood taller, whether to appear more regal or adjust to the ruff around her neck, Tatiana couldn’t decide.

  “Please don’t embarrass me this evening, Tatiana, by doing something outrageous.”

  Tatiana glanced at her aunt and smiled. “I’d hoped to take several hostages when I battle for Britannia, but I suppose I can settle for dancing a few waltzes instead.”

  She followed her aunt out the door of the townhouse, down the steps and into the snowy street. Light flakes were falling and they shone in the gaslight, looking like glittering crystal. She stuck out her tongue to capture a snowflake and that action earned her another frown from her aunt.

  Climbing into the carriage, her aunt settled her full skirts and pulled at her gloves. “I hope you reviewed the list of eligible young men I placed in your room. They all have glowing recommendations from some of the mothers I know. They assured me they were gentlemen they’d approve of for their own daughters.”

  Tatiana was skeptical. What mother in her right mind would provide the names of gentlemen she’d consider as son-in-laws to the competition? Tatiana had indeed reviewed the list of names, as she recounted to herself the obvious faults of several of the men she’d already met.

  She had no interest in any other young gentleman, as she was hoping after tonight she’d be able to accept the courtship of Merritt Barclay with her aunt’s blessing. Once they solved the mystery of what happened to set the Howland and Barclay families against each other, they’d obviously be able to make it right again.

  That was if the entire evening didn’t turn into a Shakespearean tragedy.

  A crowd was gathered outside the Astoria hotel, the location of the ball. They watched, applauded and commented on the various costumed and masked guests as they descended from their c
arriages.

  As their carriage drew closer to the entrance, Tatiana fastened the light leather mask over her eyes. She’d described her costume in detail to Lily and Merritt, so she had no doubt they’d discover her despite the disguise.

  An usher reached up to take her hand as she descended from the carriage. Policemen were stationed to hold back the crowd, and there was silence as people stared at her. She wondered if they were attempting to determine who she was trying to represent.

  With a theatrical flare, she swept off the plaid cape and stood majestically with bare shoulders, grasping her spear. A photographer’s powder flared and she congratulated herself on being outlandish enough to earn a spot in the papers tomorrow.

  Her aunt slipped behind her, sniffed and shook her shoulders. “Enough of this, Tatiana. You’re making a spectacle of yourself and you’ll be in all the gossip columns tomorrow.”

  It was actually quite a thrill to realize she was being admired as a red-headed heroine instead of vilified because of the color of her hair. She was enjoying the attention.

  They paused at the entrance to the hotel, as guests slowly filed into the rooms reserved for the ball. A fever of anticipation swept through her, as Tatiana realized after several weeks of being forced apart, she’d see Merritt again.

  Because everyone would be wearing a costume, it wasn’t likely her aunt could determine exactly who Tatiana would be dancing with at the ball. She’d memorized some of the names on the list of gentleman she wasn’t acquainted with, curious as to the nature of the men who had been recommended to her. If her aunt asked, she’d give her one of those names.

  But, it was her plan to dance as many times as possible with Merritt. She’d missed him, and despite the letters smuggled to her by Mary, being held in his arms as they danced was something she’d anticipated for days.

  When they finally entered the ballroom, Tatiana was entranced. There were palm trees set along the edges, and the ceiling represented a tropical paradise as ferns and colorful flowers were mixed with Chinese lanterns. The bandstand was wrapped with flowers, and the orchestra cheerfully welcomed them to the gathering.