Bethany laid it out. “We take our share and give MacLean his fourteen percent. Betty and the old lady take eight points each. The Elliots get twenty million, and we divide what’s left four ways. We won’t know the dollar value until William tells us in the morning.” Philip shrugged. He knew it would still be an enormous sum and he could continue his life as he always lived it, never worried about money, or where it came from.
He noticed Bethany’s sadness. “Hey, sis, it’s okay. You did well today. We saved the Old Man’s money and we’re set for life.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. “But he’s still gone Phil, and he didn’t want me, or us, with him at the end. Why?” Her brother wiped her tear away and smoothed his sister’s hair. He leaned closer until their foreheads touched. He had no answer to her question, and there was no comfort in words.
Junior watched them, and a spark of something ugly grew in him. His brother and sister had always been close, and their relationship made him feel like an outsider. After Junior’s mother’s divorce, Thurwell remarried, and his new wife bore him Bethany and Philip. But their mother never allowed him inside the cocoon of her family. He saw his French half-sister, and joined her with his back to the others, so he wouldn’t have to look at them.
$
Dennis Elliot sat on the bed as his wife called for a meal and wine to be brought up. She acted as if she was a big celebrity. He was stunned at how Janice had persuaded the family to pay them for their votes and was alarmed at how close he had been to voting the wrong way and wrecking her deal. He was also upset because she wouldn’t tell him how much she’d sold their votes for.
He heard her slam the phone down. “My God, Dennis, you wouldn’t believe how stupid the staff here is. They never would have made it in New York.” She was so full of herself that he was unable to bear her self-satisfaction.
“What did you get for our cooperation today, Jan?” He asked for the sixth time. “At least tell me that you got us a good deal?”
Janice could barely look at her husband with his hangdog eyes as he implored her to tell him how much they had earned. She didn’t want to say yet because she was trying to figure out a way to keep the bonus for herself. She would split the ten million with him, but she wanted the other ten million dollars for herself.
“I got us a lot of money Dennis, you’ll see. Stop worrying and just be happy. The Old Man is gone, but we won’t have to work again, and we’ll be able to afford a place of our own in the City.” Janice intended to leave Dennis for good at her earliest opportunity but had no idea he longed for the same. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared. She spoke of a future together neither of them wanted, but she didn’t know it.
Dennis watched Janice prowl the room as they waited for supper. She was plotting how she might persuade William Bird to give her the full amount of the bonus. The lawyer wasn’t a bad looking man, and she was attractive enough, perhaps he could be persuaded in the oldest way of all.
Janice went to her closet and looked at the clothes she had brought. Her best dress was a dark blue satin dress with a deep neckline. It was on a hanger covered in dry cleaner plastic. That might do the trick, she thought.
She heard a knock on the door and the bed creak as Dennis rose to answer it. If she let Dennis drink most of the wine, he’d be asleep in an hour, and she could slip out to see William Bird. It was a good plan, and she smiled at her own reflection in the mirror as she heard Dennis call her to come and eat. “I’ll be right there, dear.”
$
Betty Freah sat with Winnie Tremethick in the dining room. She was happy, but her mood was dampened by the knowledge that her good fortune came at the loss of the man she had liked and even loved a little bit.
Their conversation was sparse, Winnie never said much as far as Betty could tell. The old lady had refused wine with her dinner. She was so much like an elderly nun Betty thought it a miracle she had ever been married with children. She took a breath and tried once more to start a conversation. “I guess you’ll be heading home soon, Mrs. Tremethick?”
The old woman looked at her and cracked a small smile. “That would be lovely, I miss the farm.” She offered no elaboration and stared into space as she ate her food, apparently uninterested in further conversation. Betty gave up and ate the rest of her meal in silence with her memories of JT for companionship.
Winnie was relieved when the prostitute finally stopped talking. She had been trying to think but had no time to herself to do so. According to what she heard, she would be rich tomorrow. Winnie had no idea what she might do with a lot of money. She wouldn’t abandon the farm. She supposed her kids might like some money, but they still wouldn’t visit. They might call more often, but she doubted that too. She heard from her son three times a year, on her birthday, Christmas and Mother’s Day.
Her daughter called every month, but never for long, and Winnie was never able to talk to her grandchildren. Her daughter thought her mother too provincial for the artsy life she led in Scotland as a sculptor and Winnie knew she was seen as an embarrassment. She sighed, there was no one else to give the money to unless she donated it to the church, but she did not care for the new vicar. Winnie had disapproved of the ‘new’ vicar since he arrived in her parish twenty years ago. It was unlikely he’d see a donation.
Winnie thought about these things but what concerned her most was why she had been invited to America at all. The question was at the forefront of her mind. Who was the man that had insisted she be here and why was she receiving his money? She worried there had been a terrible mistake and that a different Winifred Tremethick should be in her place.
Perhaps she would just go home and forget all about it, just put the money in her savings. She had no idea how she’d explain her riches to Mr. Chambers, the post office manager who kept her savings book updated. The idea made her smile. A commotion broke out behind her, and she turned to see what the fuss was.
$
The noise that had broken into Mrs. Tremethick’s thoughts was Larry MacLean’s hurried return to the dining room. He ignored Philip and Bethany’s protests and pulled up a chair to join them, breathless from his sprint from the library. Junior and Camille saw his hasty arrival and joined the others where MacLean was fending off objections to his re-appearance.
Junior decided to take charge. “What are you doing back here, Larry? Haven’t you done enough for one night?”
“Shut it, Junior,” the older man barked. “We might have a problem. I just saw Caroline Smith leave Bird’s office and she looked much too happy for a woman leaving here empty-handed.” Philip scoffed. “What are you talking about you old fool? Bill said he’d talk to the losers after we were done, it was no big secret.”
“Maybe, kid, but I was in the library when Smith left his office and she looked straight at me, as if she had won something. Maybe something important.”
Bethany interrupted. “Perhaps she just wanted you to think that? She’s proud. We all know Caroline would never admit defeat.”
“I thought the same at first, but I decided to watch to see if anything else happened. I moved to a corner where I couldn’t be seen and soon Bird came out of his office. He damn near looked right at me when he put a book back on the shelf, but he didn’t see me. I was lucky.”
He paused, still hardly able to believe Bird missed seeing him in the shadows. “Anyway, William left the library, and I followed him. I thought he was coming here, but instead he went to Freddie’s room.” Larry had their complete attention now, and they all leaned in to listen. “I had to follow carefully so he wouldn’t see me, but I was able to run up and listen at the door, and I heard Freddie shouting, he sounded pretty mad.”
Junior was torn between interest in what MacLean had to say and his distaste for the man. “Why would Freddie be mad at Bird? We were the ones that got rid of him.”
“I know, Junior. I agree, but Freddie was plenty mad about something and I don’t like not knowing what it could be.”
MacLean recalled the expression on Caroline Smith’s face. He knew in his gut that something was going on. He also knew he had failed to convince the family anything was wrong, he needed more evidence. “Maybe. Perhaps Beth’s right and I read too much into nothing.”Philip grunted. “Sure, Larry, that’s it. You over-reacted. Now fuck off, you’re upsetting my sister.”
MacLean left to the sound of Philip and Junior laughing at him. He returned to the library and found a chair in the darkest corner of the room where he could watch Bird’s office unobserved. Larry trusted his instincts enough to invest some time in surveillance.
$
Janice leaned in to the bathroom mirror as she applied her eyeliner. She heard soft, regular snores from the bedroom where Dennis slept. She looked at her reflection. She looked good in full make-up. Once she stepped away from the mirror’s bright light, ten years melted from her face.
She was in good shape, she carried no extra weight to spoil her figure, and her breasts had filled out with age. She admired them in a dark bra, full and round. Janice reached for the hanger on the back of the door and stepped into her best dress. She liked the deep-vee front that showed enough cleavage to make most men look twice. She figured William Bird was like most men. She was counting on it.
Janice smoothed her dress and gave a flirty half twirl, watching herself in the mirror. She felt good, she looked good and would feel even better when the lawyer agreed to give her the bonus. She peeked into the bedroom. Dennis was flat on his back, still wearing socks even though his pants were neatly folded on the bed. His breathing was deep and regular. He would remain in that position until the early hours when his bladder would rob him of a full night’s sleep.
Janice had more than enough time to execute her plan. She picked up her shoes, tiptoed past Dennis and slipped them on in the hallway. The high heels made her legs seem long and slender, and she smiled. Most men liked legs, too.
$
Larry was almost asleep in the library. He had removed the light bulbs from the nearest lamp to create an entirely dark section of the room where he could observe Bird’s office without being discovered. He had not given up the idea something was wrong, the look he’d seen in Caroline Smith’s eye had unnerved him.
He heard the click of a woman’s shoes in the lobby and wondered if whoever it was would head to the dining room or the library. He pressed himself back into the chair, unconsciously trying to make himself invisible as he saw a woman enter the library. Whoever it was had a very appealing silhouette.
The woman walked to the lawyer’s office, and as she entered the wash of light over the door, he saw it was Janice Elliot, his old friend’s housekeeper. His eyes widened, he had known she was attractive, but Janice looked stunning. He watched as she looked around the room. Her eyes moved over his position, but she didn’t see him in the darkness. She stepped up to the lawyer’s door and knocked lightly.
There was a short delay before Bird opened the door. Larry could not see his face or hear what they said, but, after a few words, Janice stepped inside and the door closed behind her. Larry leaned forward in his seat, and a dim light caught his intrigued expression, just what was going on?
$
William was surprised by Janice’s late visit. He knew her well from the Thurwell’s New York home, but had never seen her as she looked now, in a cocktail dress that showed more flesh than he was comfortable with. She stood in front of his desk and smiled in a way that made him more uncomfortable. Her dress rode up too high on her thigh when she took her seat, but she made no attempt to fix it. He pretended not to notice, but he had, and his heart raced.
He was curious about the reason for her visit but felt a surge of excitement too. “Mrs. Elliot, you said this was urgent?”
She smiled, and her eyes sparkled as she bit her lower lip. “Yes, it is a matter of great importance to me. You see, I made an agreement with Mr. Thurwell’s family to vote in their favor, in return for payment.”
William nodded. “Yes, I understand. It was within the rules. But the family will pay you from their share, so how may I assist you?”
Janice was annoyed by his condescension but didn’t let it harden her voice. “The deal was for a fixed amount plus a bonus for an early end to the negotiations. We did conclude early, so the bonus is rather large.” William sat with his fingers tented as he listened. He didn’t know the exact details of the deal, but what he heard sounded reasonable. He was distracted by the way his desk lamp’s light fell on Janice’s cleavage, and had to concentrate to make sure he looked at Janice’s face.
She noticed his furtive glances and allowed herself a sly smile. “You see Mr. Bird, I want to you instruct the family to give me all the bonus money.”
He didn’t understand. “You think the family will renege on your deal?”
She shook her head. “No, the family will honor the deal. What I want is to not share the bonus with Dennis.” She looked at him directly, making sure he had a good view of her chest as she delivered her demand.
He looked surprised and repeated. “You want to keep the bonus from Dennis?”
Janice smiled through her frustration. She was unsure if the lawyer was being slow or playing hard to get. “Yes, exactly. The Thurwells agreed to pay us ten million dollars, which I’ll share with Dennis. They also promised a bonus, which is worth another ten million dollars. I want all of it. I’m leaving Dennis when we leave this place, and I want all of that money, William. I want you to see to it, for me.”
She leaned forward to give him a good view of her curves and ran a finger through her hair flirtily. “I’ll be so grateful, if you help me.” She saw his eyes run over her figure, and her heart pounded in her ears, now was when he would decide to do it, or not.
William was under no misapprehension about why Janice was in his office and dressed so provocatively. She wanted Bird to help her cheat her husband and was willing to reward him in return. She looked almost eager to reward him. He was aroused by the thought even as he knew he could not accept her offer. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Janice knew enough to say nothing. She’d done what she could. Either she would secure the money and have some fun with the lawyer into the bargain, or she would leave disappointed. If she was rejected, there was always Junior or his brother. She thought Junior would take the bargain, Philip probably not. She was too old for him.
William was briefly tempted by her offer, but knew he would never go through with it. What Janice did not know was that her plea was for nothing. Judge Freeman had undone the deal she thought was in place, but she would only discover that in the morning. His immediate concern was to get her out of his office without an awkward scene.
Janice watched his face and saw the exact moment of her failure. She was disappointed but said nothing. She pulled the hem of her dress down, there was no point showing William her legs for no reason. He offered a weak smile and told her what she already knew. “I can’t do it Janice, it would be unethical. I’m sorry. You should leave. I hope you understand.”
He stood and opened the door for her. Janice smoothed her dress as she stood to let him take a good, long look in case he had a last-minute change of heart. She stopped in the doorway and caressed his cheek with her fingertips. “I would have been so very, very grateful. You don’t know what you missed, William.” She brushed her lips lightly over his and left. Bird closed his door and leaned against it, breathing hard.
$
Larry saw the lawyer’s door open again, and Janice rea
ppeared. She stroked the lawyer’s cheek and kissed him before she left. Larry admired the way her hips swayed under her dress as she walked out of the library. He wondered, did Janice Elliot just sleep with Bill Bird? It looked as if she might have, though they had barely enough time. She had been with him almost fifteen minutes. Had Larry stumbled onto a long-term affair or did she just do the lawyer for a favor? He sat in the dark and wondered what he had witnessed.
Larry had never suspected Bird of having an affair with anyone, let alone Janice Elliot. The Old Man was keenly tuned to undercurrents amongst his staff and had never mentioned that his lawyer might be banging the housekeeper. So what had Larry witnessed, and did it mean anything? He realized he should have followed Janice, but now was afraid to move from his place in case William came out of his office and caught him. He had missed his chance and was stuck where he was, for now.
$
William was shaken by Janice’s visit. While he did not regret passing up her offer, he thought about it nonetheless. He had been surprised but relieved that she had given up so easily, she could have made a scene and claimed just about anything. No matter what he said, a provocatively dressed married woman in his office late at night would not have looked good.
He replayed her visit in his head, every word. She had been serious about taking the bonus from Dennis, and he had no doubt she would have had sex with him in return. So why give up after his first refusal? He realized Janice must have another target, someone else who could give her what she wanted. It would have to be someone with influence on the family, most likely Junior or Larry MacLean.
William knew MacLean would not hesitate to take Janice’s offer, but he was less certain Larry had the authority to give her what she wanted in return. The better option was Junior. He had the most influence, and it made sense for Janice to try her ploy on him. William had to warn Junior, but needed to be careful not to reveal the deal was off. He thought about the pros and cons for a minute and picked up the telephone.
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The Philanthropist's Danse Page 13