“Sounds perfect.”
“But maybe you want to check with your father and Mrs. Bennet first.”
“Daddy loves lobster. I’m sure it will be fine. When they’re not around, I’m the one to make those decisions,” I said, thinking of what Lucille had told me. This was what she wanted, my taking charge in the house so she would be able to devote her attention and time to the business, wasn’t it? Besides, I felt good taking charge, especially when it involved Ethan.
“Okay. I’ll have to go to the market, so if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” I said.
“We’ll have something special for dessert, too,” Mrs. Dobson said.
“Thank you.”
“I must say, Miss Semantha, this is the first time since you returned from school that I can see some color in that pretty face of yours. I think this young man means a lot more to you than you let on,” she teased.
Now I felt myself blush.
“You just go on and be as excited as you want,” she added.
“I’ve got to start planning what I’ll wear tomorrow!” I cried, and hurried out with her laughter echoing behind me. I charged up the stairs, feeling as if I had returned to age twelve, when everything that happened in our mansion had been exciting for me. Until Cassie got to me, that is. Then she would do or say something to bring me back to earth.
“Try not to be so flippant and shallow,” she would say. “We’re the Heaven-stone sisters.”
She had a way of sending my most joyful and exciting moments into retreat. Even Mother would criticize her for it whenever she heard her on my case.
“Let her be young,” she would say.
“Young is one thing; stupid is another,” Cassie would retort. She was never intimidated, either by our mother or by our teachers. Only Daddy could clip her wings or staple her tongue. His approval or disapproval were the only adult reactions that mattered to her.
Well, I was determined that she wasn’t going to intimidate me now. I would ignore her if she appeared, and I would shut my ears to her if she spoke. She must have known, because she didn’t so much as whisper the rest of the day. Right before dinner, I found Ethan’s e-mail on my computer. He was leaving early enough to get to the Heaven-stone house by three in the afternoon. I was eager to tell everyone at dinner, including Mrs. Dobson, who assured me that everything was ready in the guest room.
Daddy seemed amused by my excitement and happy for me. I saw how he and Lucille exchanged conspiratorial glances and didn’t understand until Daddy announced that at Lucille’s suggestion, he’d arranged for me to take Ethan on a tour of our store in Lexington the day after tomorrow.
“You two can drive out yourselves. I’ve already told Perry about it,” he said, “and he’s eager to show him his department. Lucille suggested we take the two of you to Wally’s for dinner when you visit the store.”
“That all sounds wonderful, Daddy. Thank you.”
“I wish I could take credit for thinking of it, but it was Lucille’s entire idea.”
“Thank you, Lucille.”
“Not at all, dear. I’m happy things worked out for you. It is so devastating to have a romantic disappointment when you’re as young as you are.”
“Are you telling us you had some?” Daddy teased.
“Let’s just say I caused a few,” she replied, and they laughed.
There was so much inside me resisting it, but I couldn’t help but feel happy for them, for the way they looked at each other, held hands, spoke softly and laughed, and just simply looked at each other. Had it been like this with Mother? I felt terribly guilty even wondering.
That night, I went to sleep expecting to dream of Ethan, of his eyes, his smile, his wonderful kiss, imagining us behaving just like Daddy and Lucille. I hadn’t had a single Cassie-like thought since I had heard from Ethan. She was so sure that was over, that he was unworthy of a Heaven-stone. Perhaps I was acting a bit too smug, too overconfident now, and it was annoying to her, but after I had gone to bed and lowered my head to the pillow, which I hoped would become a well of good dreams from which to draw, I was sure I heard her whisper, “Don’t be so naive. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her kneeling beside my bed, but I didn’t respond. I turned my back to her instead and dove headfirst into my fantasies.
I was running around like someone with her pants on fire from the moment I woke up. My excitement stole away my appetite, but Mrs. Dobson insisted that I eat properly. She winked at me and said, “Something tells me you’re going to need your energy.”
I tried to keep myself busy. I read a little, but my eyes kept sliding off the page, and my ears were open to any sounds that even suggested someone had arrived. We had deliveries often during the day, and because of the size of the estate, there were men constantly at work on the landscaping, the pool, and basic maintenance. Twice I ran upstairs and inspected the guest room Ethan would have, to be sure there were enough towels and washcloths. Mrs. Dobson was too competent to forget a single thing. She even had new tubes of toothpaste in the cabinet and new unwrapped bars of soap at the sink and in the shower.
I forced myself to eat the chicken salad Mrs. Dobson prepared for my lunch, and then I took a long walk just to slow down my beating heart and pounding anticipation. All sorts of questions raced through my mind. Had I changed in any way? Would he look at me and think, What was I thinking of, coming here to see her? Would all of this, the Heaven-stone estate, intimidate him and turn him away from me? When I was younger, most of the other girls and most of the boys thought we were too high on the social ladder. The girls thought I would look down on them and their homes, and the boys thought I viewed myself as some sort of princess. No matter how nonchalant I acted about our fame and fortune, they couldn’t get past it. Of course, Cassie thought that if they couldn’t, they weren’t meant to, and I should have little or nothing to do with any of them anyway. She never stopped hounding me about our responsibility to the Heaven-stone reputation. Whether I liked it or not, she forced me to think that I was better than most people.
It was one thing for Ethan to have met me and been with me at Collier, far away from the Heaven-stone estate and the Heaven-stone Department Store empire, and another for him to drive through our grand entrance and up our long driveway, with its elaborate landscaping and beautiful lanterns, his eyes surely fixed on the immensity of our house and its grandeur. I was suddenly afraid to show him my expensive birthday gift. That car would eclipse his rental. What if the shoe were on the other foot? Surely, when I met his father, I would naturally think that he would think I was not good enough for his son.
My wave after wave of elation and excitement waned. I fell into one of my characteristic depressions and flopped on the chaise at the pool, staring at the water and thinking, He’ll be in and out of here, making all sorts of excuses for a quick retreat. This is going to be a disaster. Just as I was at the bottom of this dark pit, the phone rang. I was never so happy to hear Uncle Perry’s cheerful voice.
“I can’t wait to meet this guy. I saw how anxious you were at your graduation and how disappointed you were when he didn’t show up,” he began. “Anyone who can put that sort of light in your eyes is a winner in my book.”
“I wish you were here tonight, Uncle Perry.”
“I would have come, but a good friend of mine is celebrating his fiftieth birthday. It’s very special and . . .”
“Oh, I understand.”
“And you’re going to see me tomorrow, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you try to get here early enough for me to take both of you to lunch. I know your father and Lucille have made dinner arrangements, and I thought it would be better if that was just the four of you.”
“You’re more a part of my family than she’ll ever be,” I said.
He was silent a moment. Then he said, “I appreciate what you’re saying, Sam, but don’t ever let her know you
feel that way. She’s going to be your father’s wife.”
“I know,” I said.
He laughed. “It’s good to hear you sound so nervous over a boy. I mean, a young man. What about my designs? I bet you haven’t looked at them.”
“Yes, I did. I love them. I’ll bring them along tomorrow with the list of magazines I know girls my age read.”
“Thanks, Sam. Have a great night tonight,” he said. “I love you very much and want you to be happy.”
Tears came to my eyes. I thanked him and hung up. His call was just the right medicine, however. My enthusiasm and excitement came galloping back. I was up and at it again, rushing about the house until Mrs. Dobson gently suggested that I might want to freshen up. It was nearly three!
I ran up to my room and did just that. Then I went to my window and watched our front gate. When people are nervous, they claim that they feel butterflies in their stomach. To me it felt as if I had swallowed a bag full of marbles and they were all rolling about.
When I saw the gate opening and a strange car coming through, I gasped and for a moment couldn’t move. Then I shot out and down the stairs so quickly I nearly twisted my ankle on the last steps. I heard Mrs. Dobson’s laughter but kept going, opened the front door, and rushed to the steps of our portico. Ethan pulled in behind my car and got out slowly. He was wearing a thin yellow cotton short-sleeved shirt and jeans. He wasn’t gaping at everything stupidly, but it was obvious he was quite overcome, and he turned slowly to look at it all. Finally, he noticed me standing there and laughed.
“Hi!” he cried, walking toward me.
I came down the steps slowly. I didn’t speak. He smiled, and then he just kissed me as if we were in the last scene of a romantic movie, the kiss long and warm.
“You look great,” he said. Then he laughed again. “What happened? Did you lose your voice?”
“I can’t believe you’re really here.”
He nodded, looked up at the house, and said, “Neither can I. I guess you weren’t exaggerating about any of this. It’s like a palace or something.”
“It’s just where I live,” I said.
“Well, something tells me it’s a little better than the motel I was thinking of checking into when I arrived. But I like the way you put it,” he added. “Let me get my bag.”
I followed him back to the rental car. He took out his suitcase and paused to look at my car.
“This is an Aston Martin,” he said. “Someone else visiting?”
“No, this is my car. It was my graduation gift.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Don’t make a big thing of it,” I said, pretending to be annoyed. “You’re driving it tomorrow. We’re going to Lexington to visit the store and have lunch with my uncle and dinner with my father and Lucille.”
“Well, I’ll cancel my appointment with the president in that case.”
“You’d better,” I quipped. He laughed and put his arm around my shoulders as I led him up the steps and into the Heaven-stone mansion.
I didn’t notice it until after I had introduced him to Mrs. Dobson and Doris and after I had shown him his room, but it was something I had been feeling all day.
Or, rather, something I had not been feeling.
Cassie was gone.
And in my heart, I harbored the hope that it was forever.
Arrival
IT WAS MRS. DOBSON who told me, “For goodness’ sake, let the young man catch his breath, Miss Semantha.”
I had immediately been dragging him through the house and was about to show him the grounds as well. She leaned over to add in a whisper, “He hasn’t even unpacked.”
Ethan laughed, but I realized I was overdoing it and insisted he march back up to his room and get his things out of his suitcase.
“Just leave anything on the bed that needs ironing,” Mrs. Dobson called after us as we started back up the stairs. “Doris will stop by in an hour.”
“You always live with this sort of service?” Ethan asked as we turned to go to his room.
“No. Before my mother passed away, we all worked on keeping the house and our things in order. Cassie was probably the best at it and the most dedicated. Despite the size of this house, my mother wanted to be in charge of its maintenance. It was a lot of work, but she wasn’t at all involved in the Heaven-stone business, and she enjoyed our privacy, our intimacy.”
“I’m sure that was hard to do, considering how famous your family is in the state. She must have been quite a woman.”
“She was,” I said. “And she was very beautiful. I’ll show you albums and pictures later, unless Mrs. Dobson thinks I’m overwhelming you again.”
He laughed and pulled me closer to him. “I like it when you overwhelm me, Semantha. Don’t stop,” he said, and kissed my cheek.
“My father and Lucille should be home soon. Why don’t we both shower and change and get ready to meet them for cocktails before dinner?” I said.
“Sounds like a plan. Knock on my door when you’re ready.”
He kissed me again, and we parted in the hallway. I hurried to my room to prepare for what I hoped would be a wonderful night. Just after I showered, Daddy called to tell me they were on their way.
“Your young man arrived safely?”
“Yes, Daddy. We’re just dressing to meet you and Lucille for cocktails.”
“That’s very good, Semantha. Lucille has gone ahead and made a reservation at Melvyn’s for us all tonight.”
“Oh, no, Daddy,” I said. “Mrs. Dobson has made an extra special dinner, lobster Alfredo. I asked her to prepare something Italian because Ethan loves Italian food, and she came up with that. I thought it was a very good suggestion, so I told her to go ahead.”
“Really?”
“She’s doing a special dessert as well.”
“Oh?”
I heard him mumbling to Lucille.
“Well, this is a surprise, Semantha.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I was too occupied to tell you, but I thought it would be all right.”
“Yes, yes, it’s fine. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “See you soon.”
I could tell from the little strain in his voice at the end that Lucille wasn’t happy and had let him know it. Lately, she had been more critical of Mrs. Dobson’s cooking. If she brought up my planning for dinner without first consulting her, I would remind her that she wanted me to take more responsibility in the house. That was just what I had done. I probably should have told them earlier, but that shouldn’t upset them. Nevertheless, I felt my balloon of happiness lose some air. Worrying about upsetting Lucille had become more important than worrying about upsetting Daddy, because he was so tuned in to her every smile and grimace. I felt more like a ballerina dancing on a thinly frozen lake.
Thinking about it, about how much more complicated life at the Heaven-stone estate had become, put me a bit of a daze, and I moved at a snail’s pace, completely losing track of time. I had just started fixing my hair when there was a gentle knock on my door. I was still wrapped in a towel after showering and hadn’t even chosen what to wear.
“Yes?”
Ethan peeked in.
“Oh, sorry. I forgot how much longer women need,” he said, smiling.
“No, it’s my fault. I’ve been moving too slowly. I’ll be right with you,” I said, moving to my vanity table.
“Mind if I come in and watch?”
“I’m just about to put on a little lipstick, that’s all.”
“Anything you do interests me, Semantha, no matter how small it might seem to you or anyone else. Didn’t you ever hear the words in that song?” he asked, and then sang, “Little things mean a lot . . .”
I loved the way his eyes and his words quickened my heart and filled me with a wonderful sense of warmth, washing away the sting of nervous tension.
“Come in, silly. Don’t sing in my doorway.”
He came in, closed the door softly behind him, and stood b
ehind me, looking at me in the mirror. With his eyes so fixed on me, it was hard to keep my hand steady as I worked my lipstick over my trembling lips.
“What?” I asked, seeing his expression change rapidly from impish joy to serious concern.
“My not contacting you right before your graduation and afterward was inexcusable, I know,” he said in a voice just above a whisper, “but I hope you believe me when I say that all through the turmoil with my father, I kept thinking of you, seeing your face, hearing your voice. Maybe it was a good thing, because it kept me together enough to be a strength for my mother.”
He put his hand gently on my right shoulder. I lowered the hairbrush and looked at him through the mirror as well.
“Really, why didn’t you call, Ethan, so I would understand why you couldn’t be there?”
He shook his head and lifted his hand from my shoulder. “That was the contradiction, the irony, I suppose. I wanted to call you, but I thought it would be inappropriate for me to be thinking of you and me during this critical time. I imagined my mother asking me whom I was calling and the expression on her face when I told her. I realize now how silly that was of me. She probably would have been understanding. Sometimes I act like such an ass.”
“No, no. What you’re saying makes sense now. You were thinking of your parents first. That was right. I’m not upset about it. I understand. If the roles had been reversed, I probably would have behaved the same way.”
“Actually, it only made things worse. I was terrified of writing or calling you afterward. I never expected you would forgive me. I did behave like a horse’s ass those last days, especially in the motel.”
“I’m not so sure I would have behaved any differently had I been in your shoes and had such a story sprung on me like that.”
“You’re so good, Semantha, so forgiving.”
He leaned forward to replace his fingers on my shoulder with a kiss instead. I closed my eyes to drink in and hold the wonderful electric pleasure it sent through my body, and then I felt him kiss my neck. I didn’t open my eyes until I felt him slip the towel down and off my breasts. He cupped them, and I turned to bring my lips to his. He lifted me gently under my arms, and the towel fell off completely. We kissed again. He whispered my name, and then we heard voices. Lucille was on the stairway and was calling down some orders to Mrs. Dobson. I quickly picked up the towel and wrapped it around me.
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