Her father didn’t control her life, of course. He couldn’t tell her what to do and expect her to obey. But, she realized with a sudden shocking clarity, he could expect Malloy to obey him. He had power and influence, and he could destroy Frank’s life with a word in the right ear.
Or he could make it infinitely better.
Which would it be?
“Look,” Malloy said, pointing at a pushcart nearby. “They’re selling hot gingerbread. Let’s get some.”
Although his eyes still held the wariness he might always feel around her, he smiled in the way that made her feel warm to her bones. Warm and safe and cherished. She tucked her arm through his. “Yes, let’s. The children will love it.”
Author’s Note
WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS BOOK, TWO VERY INTERESTING and apparently unconnected things happened. First of all, I read the biography of Consuelo Vanderbilt, the heiress who was married off, at the age of eighteen, to a penniless English duke who needed her ten-million-dollar dowry to fix up his ancestral home. It was in such disrepair that the young couple had to take a yearlong honeymoon to allow time for repairs before they could actually take up residence. Their marriage eventually ended in divorce, and Consuelo and the duke both married for love the second time.
The second thing that happened while I was writing this book was that two scandals broke in the news in which powerful men were caught engaging in behavior toward women that was at best reprehensible and at worst criminal. I won’t bother to mention the specifics. By the time you read this, we will have probably heard of several more. The sad fact is that I started out to write a story that showed how poorly women were treated by powerful men back at the turn of the last century, only to be reminded that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I shouldn’t be surprised. I often find that the theme of the latest Gaslight Mystery is one that still resonates with modern readers. At least today, people are outraged by this behavior, so we’re making progress.
Please let me know how you liked this book. Find me at my website, www.victoriathompson.com.
