The two men sat in silence for a moment longer before Montgomery spoke again.
“I made a mistake, Ken,” he finally said.
“I beg your pardon, sir?”
“I made a mistake,” Montgomery said. “I should have never insisted that Cynthia marry Bixby. He is not the man I thought him to be.”
Hendel did not respond to the comment. He had felt that way about Jay Peerless Bixby from the moment the old man pushed his beautiful young daughter into marrying him.
“You don’t like Bixby, do you?”
“Not particularly,” Hendel replied.
“You were against this marriage from the beginning, weren’t you?”
“I wasn’t sure it was the best thing for Miss Montgomery.”
“For heaven’s sake, man, why didn’t you say something?” Montgomery asked. “Why didn’t you speak out?”
“I am but an employee, sir,” Hendel said. “It was not my place to speak out.”
“Nonsense, my boy, you are much more than an employee,” Montgomery said.
“I did not want to presume.”
“Yes, well, it is all water under the bridge now,” Montgomery said. He sighed. “I don’t mind dying, Ken—death comes to us all. But it does gall me to think that I have compromised my daughter’s future. I thought that, by having her marry Bixby, I was providing her with a husband who is a good businessman and who would look after her for the rest of her life. I fear now that all I have done is make it so that she will be beholden to him for the rest of her life.”
“That is not necessarily the case, sir,” Hendel said.
“What do you mean?”
“There is a way to insure your daughter’s security. That is, if you are willing to take those steps.”
“Yes!” Montgomery said, and with that one word, his voice was as strong as it had ever been.
There was a light knock on the door. “Papa?”
“Take care of that for me, Ken, will you?” Montgomery said. “Whatever you have to do, do it.”
“I shall require your signature, sir.”
“Then, by all means, do it quickly, while I still have the strength to hold a pen,” Montgomery said.
“Papa?” the voice called again.
“Cynthia, yes, dear, come in, come in,” Montgomery called back.
Cynthia opened the door, but seeing Hendel with her father, she hesitated.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll return when your business is done.”
“It’s done, Ken was just leaving,” Montgomery said.
“Miss Montgomery,” Hendel said with a slight nod. Then quickly, he corrected himself. “I beg your pardon, I mean Mrs. Bixby.”
Cynthia chuckled. “Mr. Hendel, you have known me as Cynthia Montgomery for my entire life. It isn’t surprising that you would slip up.”
“I suppose that’s right,” Hendel said. He looked back toward the figure lying in the shadows on the bed. “I’ll get right on that, Mr. Montgomery.”
“Good, good, I appreciate it,” Montgomery replied.
“Papa, you are looking better this morning,” Cynthia said, forcing the enthusiasm as she approached her father’s bed.
“Nonsense, my dear, I am dying, and I am closer to death this morning than I was yesterday.”
“Well, Papa, if you put it that way, we all are,” Cynthia replied.
Cynthia’s unexpected response tickled Montgomery’s funny bone and he laughed out loud.
“I suppose we are at that,” he said. “Thank you for coming by to see me, my dear. Have a seat and tell your papa all that you have been doing.”
Hendel left before the conversation went any further, but he was happy to hear that the old man was still able to laugh.
When Hendel stepped into the parlor, he saw Jay Peerless Bixby sitting on the sofa, looking at photographs through a stereopticon.
“Mr. Bixby,” Hendel said. “My business with Mr. Montgomery has concluded. If you wish to go in now, you may.”
“Cynthia is here, she’s his daughter,” Bixby said without lowering the stereopticon.
“Oh, but I’m sure Mr. Montgomery would enjoy a visit from you as well.”
“I’m not going in there,” Bixby said. “It stinks in there. It smells like the old man has already died.”
“I agree, it can get a little close in there,” Hendel said.
