Virginia took her leave a half hour later. Helen saw her to the door.
'I hope you will come back to visit Elizabeth again soon, Miss Dean,' she said. 'Please know that you are welcome in this house at any time.'
'That is very kind of you, madam.'
'Call me Helen,' she said.
'You must call me Virginia, as Elizabeth does.'
The butler opened the front door. Virginia was surprised when Helen followed her onto the front step and out of earshot of the servant.
'He was not a bad or evil man, was he?' Helen said quietly.
'No,' Virginia said. 'Papa enjoyed life.'
'Perhaps to excess,' Helen said dryly. 'But in his boundless enthusiasm for it, he was careless of the happiness of others.'
'Yes.'
'He never wanted to consider the consequence of his actions, and he never was called upon to do so. He got away with that attitude because he could charm the birds out of the trees as well as every woman in range of his smile.' Helen shook her head ruefully. 'I swear, that was his true psychical talent.'
'You may be right,' Virginia said.
Helen fixed her with an intent look. 'But I will say this much for him, he fathered two fine daughters, of whom he would have been proud. Thank you, again, for your kindness to Elizabeth.'
'She is my sister.'
'And we are forever linked as family,' Helen said. 'Do not forget that.'
Virginia looked across the street and saw Owen lounging, arms crossed, against the side of the gleaming black Sweetwater carriage.
'As it happens, I am to be married soon,' Virginia said.
Surprise flashed across Helen's face, but she recovered quickly and smiled. 'Congratulations.' She glanced across the street at Owen and the sleek carriage. 'Dare I ask if that is your fiance?'
'Yes. Mr. Sweetwater.' Virginia raised a hand to signal Owen. 'I will introduce you.'
Helen watched Owen straighten away from the carriage and start toward them across the street. 'Sweetwater. I think I have heard of the family. It's an old one, I believe. But I know nothing about them.'
'The Sweetwaters rarely go into society,' Virginia said.
Owen smiled at her. He was halfway across the street.
'Can I ask you a personal question, Helen?' Virginia said.
'My daughter asked you a great many personal questions today. The least I can do is answer one for you.'
'Knowing what we both know about my father, it has occurred to me from time to time that while I'm sure he always intended to provide for me, it is unlikely that Papa actually got around to doing so in his will.'
Helen did not look away from Owen. 'I don't know what you mean, Virginia.'
'Even if he did remember me in his will, I cannot imagine that he went to the trouble of ensuring that I would attend Miss Peabody's School for Young Ladies in the event of his death. He would have assumed that my mother would be around to take care of me. I'm sure it never occurred to him that there was a possibility that I would be orphaned.'
Helen sighed. 'It was not in Robert's nature to plan for the future, nor did he like to contemplate the prospect of his own death. He lived too much in the moment.'
'You were the one who saw to it that I went to the Peabody School, weren't you? You were the one who paid the fees all those years and made certain that when I graduated I received a bequest to see me started in life.'
'It was only a small amount,' Helen said. 'I should have done more for you. But it took me a long time to overcome my own pain and anger. You see, I loved Robert with all of my heart. I believed he loved me. I never realized that he had a second family until the day I was informed of his death. It came as a great shock.'
'But you nevertheless made certain that I was not sent to the workhouse or a charity orphanage. You ensured that I was given a fine education and taught proper manners. You gave me what I needed to survive as a woman alone in this world. I will always be grateful.'
Helen smiled. 'Nonsense. I may not possess any psychical ability, but my intuition tells me that you would have survived quite nicely on your own resources, Virginia Dean. You are a woman of many talents.'
And then Owen was there and Virginia was introducing him to Helen and a very excited and curious Elizabeth, who came rushing out the door to meet him. There were congratulations on the forthcoming marriage and promises to attend the wedding.
Eventually Owen took Virginia's arm and escorted her to the waiting carriage. He handed her up into the cab, got in and closed the door.
'I take it your visit with your sister and her mother went well?' he asked.
'Yes,' Virginia said. 'Very well.'
Owen smiled and pulled her into his arms. His eyes, those dark, haunted eyes that she had sensed from the beginning could promise heaven or hell now promised a lifetime of love.
