Mirror Image, page 7
"I don't think your sister was, " Charles said quietly, admiring her.
She was the most beautiful woman he had seen in years, and so was her sister. "I think she was very relieved we got you out of there as fast as we did. I frankly thought we'd have a harder time of it, " he said, sounding relieved himself. It had been an awkward moment.
"We can always try it again, I'll call you myself next time, " she said, her voice a sensual hint of future naughtiness, and he wondered how Edward Henderson kept his sanity, with two daughters like this to worry about, except that Charles had understood that Olivia was far better behaved than her allegedly "younger" sister, and Edward had said as much to him. He had said that Olivia was his godsend.
"Let me know if you ever need any help. I'll be there, " Charles said quietly, and then drifted away to speak to several other guests he knew, and of course, his associate John Dawson. They were under the tent covering the garden by then, admiring the ice sculptures when the last guests finally arrived, and Olivia was mingling with their guests freely. It was Victoria who was still standing near the door, when the Whitticombs arrived. She had no idea who they were, and had no recollection of the earlier conversation about them. She noticed only a very pretty woman in a silver coat and dress, with a silver turban which exposed a lock or two of pale blonde hair. And she was wearing an extremely impressive diamond necklace. And the man at her side was even better looking than she was. He almost took Victoria's breath away as she looked at him, and a moment later his wife drifted away, to meet up with friends she had seen going to the tent, inexorably drawn toward the champagne and the music. She was a very pretty girl, but he seemed not even to notice her, as he stared at Victoria in the dark green and extremely fashionable dress, put together by nimble fingers in Croton, and slightly redesigned by her even more talented twin sister.
"Hello there, I'm Tobias Whitticomb, " he said, accepting a glass of champagne from a passing silver tray, and never taking his eyes off Victoria's spectacular figure. He looked into her eyes as he said his name, as though he expected her to know everything that it meant about his reputation. "And you are? " he prompted her, his eyes never leaving her face, wondering why he had never seen her before, and who she was. She was quite a rare beauty.
"I'm Victoria Henderson, " she said modestly, suddenly embarrassed in the face of his obviously sophisticated manners.
"Oh dear, " he said, clearly disappointed, "you're married to our host.
What a lucky fellow." He smiled at her woefully, it was his wife who had responded to the invitation, and Victoria was laughing at him, not remembering anything she had heard about him from her father or her sister. She hadn't been paying close attention to them, and their gossip about one of their future guests had seemed singularly unimportant.
And now, all Victoria could see was his shiny black hair, the laughing dark eyes, and the handsome figure. He had a face like an actor, and everything about him said that he was full of fun and mischief.
"I'm not married to the host, " she corrected Whitticomb, laughing at his mistake, and wondering if he meant it. "I'm his daughter.
"Oh thank God. The evening has been saved. I couldn't have borne it if you'd been married to him, charming though he may be. In fact, we've done some rather pleasant business." He said it very smoothly as they walked into the drawing room, and without even asking her, he swept her into his arms and began dancing. It was as though they were magnetically drawn to each other, and there was no way to resist it.
He told her he had studied in Europe for several years, at Oxford actually, he had played polo there, and two years later, had gone all the way to South America to play polo in Argentina. He told her a fair amount about himself, and all of it was intriguing. He was fascinating, and danced exquisitely, he whirled her around the floor, making her laugh, and being irreverent about almost everyone in the room.
Eventually they left the dance floor and he told her funny stories about everyone he could think of, everyone except Evangeline and their children. He never mentioned them, and by their second glass of champagne, he and Victoria were fast friends, and he was vastly amused when he lit a cigarette, and she took a long drag of it when no one was looking.
"My, my, you're a racy one. What else do you do? Drink to excess, smoke cigars, stay up fascinatingly late? Are there other vices I should know about? Absinthe, perhaps? Some mysteries of the Orient?
" He was constantly and totally playful, but beyond that he was handsome and sophisticated and standing dizzyingly close to her. She knew she had never met anyone else like him. After their last dance, she excused herself, and said she had to check on dinner. But she promised to be right back. Then she did something she knew Olivia would be furious about, but she had to do it. In fact, she did it for her twin too, and was satisfied that she had assured the outcome of the rest of the evening.
As Victoria crossed the room to return to Toby, she saw him looking extremely confused. Olivia was talking to him, and he was actually blushing. He had whispered something in her ear, about slipping into the garden for a cigarette, and he was holding her around the waist, as he had done to Victoria while they were dancing, but Olivia did not look pleased, and realized instantly what had happened. And with that, Victoria appeared, and Toby Whitticomb found himself facing both of them, feeling as though he had double vision.
"Oh my God." He looked almost ill as he stared at them. "Did I drink that much champagne? What's happening? " He stared at them in disbelief, never having realized that there were Henderson twins, and for once he was completely stunned into silence.
"Did you behave very badly with my very proper older sister? " Victoria asked him with a wicked grin, as Olivia stared at both of them.
She had no idea yet who he was, or how her sister knew him.
"I'm afraid I did, " he said, trying to recover from the embarrassment of having grabbed Olivia around the waist, when he didn't know her, though he scarcely knew Victoria better, but she seemed far more open to advances like his, and far more forgiving. "I offered her a cigarette in the garden, I do hope she smokes too. Perhaps we could all go, although I'm afraid I need another drink now." He gladly grabbed another glass of champagne, and took a long swig as he stared at both of them in continuing disbelief and amazement. "You know, you are absolutely extraordinary, both of you. I've never seen anything like it."
"It's a bit of a shock at first, " Olivia said graciously to him although she didn't like his manners, or his air of familiarity with her sister. "But one gets used to it. Or at least, people seem to."
"I'm terribly sorry if I was rude, " he said, sensing that she was not as easygoing as her sister. "You must be yet another Miss Henderson.
I've outdone myself tonight, I thought your sister was Edward's wife, " he laughed at himself this time, and they all did, "and I'm Toby Whitticomb." He held out a hand to her and Olivia immediately stopped laughing. She was extremely cool and prim when she shook his hand, and Victoria immediately saw her tightness.
"I've heard a great deal about you, " she said, hoping to dampen his interest in her sister.
"In my case, that's usually not a compliment, " he said, looking undisturbed by it, just as the butlers began announcing dinner.
Olivia was greatly relieved by that, knowing that she had chosen a good seat for her twin, between two attractive, wellborn young men, far, far from Tobias. Her own seat was somewhat more dutiful, next to one of her father's oldest friends, and a young man who was excruciatingly shy, and painfully unattractive. But she had thought to do a good deed for him, and had sat herself next to him, and her father's old friend, who had an acute hearing problem. For Olivia, it was going to be a very long dinner. And she had given her father two of their most honored guests on either side of him. She wanted him to have a perfectly delightful evening. He hadn't entertained in New York in years, and it was as much a rebirth for him as for them, and she wanted it to be absolutely perfect.
So far, the evening had been very good, the music was excellent, the food thus far had been tasty, and the champagne superb, chosen by her father. And as Olivia followed her guests slowly into the dining room, she kept an eye on them, seeing that people were finding their seats easily, and were comfortable where they sat. There were four large, ample, exquisitely set tables. The crystal and silver glimmered in the candlelight, almost as handsomely as the jewels on the ladies.
And it was only when she saw Victoria sit down that Olivia realized what her sister had done. She gasped, fearing that she had wrought havoc with all her seating, but in fact, she had changed only her own seat with one other guest, to allow herself to sit next to Toby.
Olivia signaled angrily to her, but Victoria was wiser than that, and wouldn't come. Olivia was furious at what Victoria had done to her seating. But a quick glance around the room showed her that other people were sitting where they were supposed to, with the exception of the rather plain woman who had been intended for Victoria's seat.
Olivia had done that on purpose. And that woman was now sitting with the two attractive young men meant for her twin, and she seemed very happy about it.
Resigned to her sister's outrageous behavior, but determined to deal with her for it later, the foolishness of letting herself be pursued by a married man, let alone one with his reputation, put Olivia in a dreadful humor as she went to her own seat, and then found someone else in it. And then she realized what other trick Victoria had played on her. She had improved Olivia's seat as well, and put her very kindly next to Charles Dawson. Olivia blushed as she realized it, and then quietly took her seat beside him.
"What an honor, " he said politely, staring at her, obviously unsure which one she was, and he leaned close to her as he whispered, "Are you the jailbird or the rescuer? I'm ashamed to admit that I can't always tell the difference." She laughed at his optimism. She couldn't imagine that he could "ever" tell the difference, let alone "always." And he made her laugh just enough to free her somewhat from her earlier ill humor due to Victoria's appalling behavior.
"Do you think you could ever tell us apart, Mr. Dawson? " she asked, teasing him. For an instant, she was tempted not to let him know which one she was, and see if he could guess it, but she felt too guilty to play with him for very long, and it really wasn't like her to do that.
He stared long and hard at her, wanting to know for certain who she was, but unable to tell her, and it seemed too cruel to keep it from him, though Olivia let the game go on for a few minutes longer.
"Your movements are even so incredibly similar. The looks in your eyes are different at times, but I'm still not sure which is which.
One of you sometimes has something wild there, " he said carefully, having observed it both in Croton and the Fifth Precinct. "It's something in your eyes that will probably allow you to go to lengths you will regret .. . but then whichever one it is who is wild, the other sister will tame you. One of you has a quiet, peaceful soul, the other seems somewhat restless, " he said, looking at her with interest, already beginning to sense which one she was, and relieved to be sitting next to Olivia, and not her sister. Victoria unsettled his soul, and was much too full of unbridled passion for him to be comfortable near her.
But Olivia was intrigued by what he said, and had to admit he had observed them well. "You have identified us correctly, sir, " she said, smiling softly at him, and he was almost sure now which one she was, though he didn't say it. "You're a very observant man, " Olivia said quietly, and he nodded.
"I try to be. It's part of my profession, " he said simply.
"And part of who you are as well, " she said, having observed him carefully too.
"And will you tell me now who you are? " he asked, "or will you keep it a mystery all night? " He seemed willing to play if that was what she wanted. Victoria would have let him suffer, but Olivia couldn't.
"I don't suppose that would be fair. I'm Olivia." She smiled at him as she said it, and although she was still furious at her twin for her antics over the seating, and with Tobias Whitticomb for his behavior with her, she was suddenly grateful for her seat beside Charles Dawson.
"You are the rescuer, the one with the quiet soul, " he said, and she felt somewhat less so than his description, though she certainly didn't look it. She was every bit as beautiful as her sister. "Are you truly both very different? It's hard to see at first, though I must admit I've noticed something unsatisfied in her, something searching.
You seem much more at home in your own skin than she is."
"I don't know why that is. Perhaps because she thinks she killed our mother." It was an odd confession to make to him, but he seemed to be someone one could talk to and trust, and she knew she hadn't misjudged him. He had already proven himself trustworthy by not divulging their secret, after helping to pick up Victoria at the Fifth Precinct.
"Our mother died giving birth to us, and Victoria is the younger twin.
It was her birth that seemed to do it, although one can't help but wonder what difference eleven minutes would make. I'm afraid we did it together." She had felt the same guilt too, but not to the same degree that Victoria had suffered from it.
"One can't see things that way. There's no way to know why something like that happens. You were both a great gift for her, it's a shame she could not live to enjoy it. I'm sure your father has derived great joy from both of you over the years. I think being or having twins would be wonderful. You're very lucky." She knew that they had touched on the death of his wife as well with what he had just said, he must have questioned often in the past year and a half why she had died, and there could be no real answers.
"Tell me about your son, " she said very gently.
"Geoffrey? " He smiled at her. "He's nine years old, he is the light of my life, and I love him very much. We're alone, " he said, not sure if she knew that. "We lost his mother a little over a year ago ..
.
on the Titanic." He seemed to choke on the word, and she barely touched his hand unconsciously with her own, and he looked at her and nodded.
"It was very difficult for a long time. I went back to Europe with Geoff to stay with her family. It was a terrible shock for all of us, especially Geoff. He was with her."
"How awful for him, " she said sincerely, deeply moved by the way he looked as he said it.
"He has some terrible memories, understandably. But he's better now.
" He smiled ruefully then, feeling as though he'd made a friend.
She was surprisingly warm and easy to talk to. "Better than I am. I never go to evenings like this anymore, but John and your father insisted."
"That's not fair to you, is it? You can't keep to yourself forever."
"I suppose not, " he said gently, looking at her, and admiring her.
It had been easier talking to her than to anyone in the past year and a half, and it surprised him.
"You'll have to bring your son to visit. Children love coming to Croton. I loved it there when I was a child too. I was about his age when we moved there."
"And now? " He was curious about her, she seemed to have an unusual depth of understanding. "Do you still love living in Croton? "
"I do.
It's my sister who doesn't. She'd rather be here, or in demonstrations somewhere, or in England with the suffragists, starving in prison."
"That's what I said, " he smiled at her, "restless."
"Actually, " she laughed, "I owe her an unexpected debt tonight.
I am not directly responsible for our seating."
"I thought you were the one who handled everything like this for your father." Edward had raved about her, and her invaluable assistance in running all his households, and even putting together every detail of this party.
"I do, but Victoria changed her seat tonight, and mine. She didn't like where she was sitting."
"Well, I'm very grateful to her." He smiled at Olivia, clear on who she was now. "Perhaps you should let her do the seating more often." He asked her to dance then, and they moved circumspectly around the drawing room, with his hand barely upon her. And as soon as the dance was over, he brought her right back to the table. It was hardly a sensual experience, but it was pleasant being with him. He was intelligent and nice to talk to, and it was easy to understand now why he kept his distance. She sensed from what he'd said and the way he behaved that he had obviously been very much in love with his wife, and had no intention of getting close to anyone else at the moment. Olivia understood that, but it didn't stop her from feeling attracted to him, or thinking that if life had been different for all of them, he would have been everything she wanted.
But there was no chance to think of that now. She couldn't have left her father anyway, and didn't think she ever would.
And Charles Dawson had no intention of opening his heart to anyone, not even for the sake of his little boy, Geoffrey.
The ladies withdrew and went upstairs briefly at the end of the meal, and it was then that Olivia spoke to Victoria again and warned her not to continue pursuing Toby.
"I'm doing no such thing." Victoria looked highly annoyed by her sister's warnings about him. He was charming, intelligent, danced brilliantly, and was even more outrageous than Victoria had ever dreamed of being, and she saw no harm whatsoever in a little mild flirtation.
What she didn't understand was that with Toby there was no such thing.
And he always got what he wanted.
"I absolutely forbid you to spend the rest of the evening with him, " Olivia said to her in an undervoice, just as his wife happened to walk by. But Victoria was not going to give in to her sister.
"You have no right to say that to me, Olivia, " Victoria shot back at her. "You're not my mother, and he's not the man you think he is.
He's kind and decent, and I enjoy talking to him. That's all this is, Olivia.
It's a party, an evening, a conversation. I'm not running away with him.
He's not having an affair with me. This is just a little talk and dancing. There's no harm in it. I think it's very sad if you are unable to understand that."
