Mirror Image, page 8
"I understand a great deal more than you think I do, or you seem able to discern yourself, " she said, still in a furious whisper.
"You're doing something very dangerous with him, Victoria. You're teasing a lion." But the phrase only made her laugh, and Victoria repeated it to him the moment they went downstairs again, where she had been quick to find him. No one seemed to have observed what was going on between them.
And Victoria and Toby disappeared into the garden and even went beyond the tent. He stood with an arm around her in the warm September air, and shared a cigarette with her while he told her something he said he had never told anyone else before, outside his marriage. But as crazy as it sounded, after only one evening with her, he said he thought he loved her. He told her too that he had nothing more than an arrangement with Evangeline, that he had been so lonely for years, he thought it might kill him. Their families had forced them into it, and their marriage was hollow, meaningless, and meant nothing to him. It was a loveless union, and he had been starved for true love for so long that meeting Victoria tonight had changed everything for him. Had Olivia heard his speech, she might have killed him.
Victoria sat listening to him, outwardly sophisticated, but in fact incredibly naive, believing every word he said to her, as she looked up at him adoringly but innocently, and then he kissed her. He wanted to know when they could meet again. He doubted he could live without her another moment. He said he knew how strong her principles were, after all she'd said to him that night, how ardently she believed in the cause of feminism, and of suffrage, but he was a man who shared those views with her, and he would never take advantage of her in any way. He just wanted to be near her, and get to know her.
Victoria was dazzled by him, and believed every word he said to her.
She wanted to believe him. She had never heard anything like it.
And by the end of the evening, she felt as though she had become a part of Toby. They talked about the coincidence that they were both going to the Astors' ball the next day, and after that they would have to figure out some way to meet, he said. And for an odd moment, with a strange glint in his eye, he asked if Victoria would be more comfortable, when they met, if she brought her sister. But Victoria looked horrified.
She already knew what Olivia thought of him, and that she'd do everything she could to prevent their meeting. Victoria told him that she would not bring Olivia with her, and he seemed to accept that. It had just been a rather amusing idea that he had clung to for only the briefest of moments. And then, having agreed to meet somehow, somewhere, the day after the Astors' ball, he took her back into the tent, and from there to the drawing room, and was then quite dismayed to discover that Evangeline had a dreadful headache and insisted on going home immediately, but by then the damage was done, the deal was made, the date was set, and Victoria was already head over heels with Toby.
Olivia was elsewhere in the house when the Whitticombs left, and she saw none of it, but Charles had, and he stood across the room afterwards watching Victoria with interest. There was something about the way she moved her head, the way she looked at men, her secretiveness, her seductiveness, her mysteriousness, that was entirely different from her sister. Olivia was completely open, willing to hold out her heart and her hand, he sensed easily how giving she was, how caring. And yet it was the tormented one who fascinated him, the one who didn't know yet what she wanted, and wanted all the wrong things thus far, that intrigued him. There was something so insanely perverse about it that it even annoyed him, and there was a part of him that wanted to stride across the room and grab Victoria and shake her for her foolishness, but of course he didn't.
There was yet another part of him that wanted to forget her entirely and concentrate on the far more sensible, infinitely decent Olivia, and yet she seemed so uncomplicated, so able to give and to receive that she frightened him. He was far too tortured and too bruised himself, after Susan's death, to accept all that Olivia offered. He had grown used to pain, to unbelief, to frustration and anger, and it was far easier for him to be near someone who didn't want him, had no expectations of him, than to be near all that Olivia had to give him.
To even let her close to him, with her wide-open heart, would have been a betrayal of Susan.
Victoria was something entirely different. And he watched her as the evening wound down, fascinated by her. She had something on her mind now, probably the infamous Tobias Whitticomb. And he couldn't help wondering what she was going to do about it. Would he be getting rescue calls again? Would Olivia dare to stop her? Did she even realize what was happening, or was Victoria clever enough to conceal it from her?
Just watching her intrigued him.
And at last Charles went to speak to their father, and thank him for the evening. It had been a splendid party, the first he'd been to in more than a year. He had woken some old and new feelings that faintly unnerved him. Both the tenderness that Olivia had aroused, and the raw hunger and aching loneliness that Victoria caused him. None were emotions he could put up with. And he left with an odd feeling of emptiness that night, that neither the polite excess of alcohol he'd consumed could numb, nor his son sleeping peacefully at home could fill.
He wanted one thing, one life, one person, and she was gone now.
And neither of the Henderson twins, however lonely, were adequate substitutes for her.
Charles said good night to both twins when he left, and thanked them for the party. Victoria had said very little to him. She had looked somewhat heated, and distracted, and he realized that she'd been drinking too, although Olivia hadn't. She'd had a few sips of champagne while they talked, and she thanked him for coming. He said good-bye to her, trying not to look straight into her heart, but she made it all too easy for him. He wanted to warn her that life would be cruel to her, that a heart like hers was dangerous, and she would do well to hide it.
But in truth, it was Victoria who was in real danger.
And Olivia knew that. She had seen Toby with her, and after the last guest left, and they finally went to their room well after two o'clock in the morning, Olivia followed her there and watched her.
"You agreed to see him, didn't you? " She confronted her, the party was nearly ruined for her, from worrying about her sister.
"Of course not, " Victoria lied, and Olivia knew that too. She knew everything. It was impossible not to. Victoria was far too transparent.
It didn't even require their special bond to understand it.
"Besides, it's none of your business."
"The man is a rotter, " Olivia shouted at her, "everyone in New York knows that."
"He knows his reputation too. He told me so himself."
"How clever. But that does not absolve him. Victoria, you cannot see him."
"I can do anything I want to, and you can't stop me, " Victoria hissed at her. Nothing would stop her. Toby's lure was far more powerful than her sister's caution. He was the devil, the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
"Please .. . listen to me .. ." There were tears in Olivia's eyes as she begged her. "You'll get hurt. You're not sophisticated enough to handle a man like this. No one is, except maybe someone like him.
Victoria, listen to me. Believe me. The stories about him are awful."
"He says they're lies, " Victoria said, thoroughly convinced and manipulated by him in a single evening. The man was a genius at convincing people of whatever he wanted, particularly women.
"Because people are jealous of him."
"Why? " Olivia tried to reason with her, to no avail. It was hopeless.
WHY should they be? "
"His looks, his position, his money." He had told Victoria all that himself, and she believed him.
"His looks will be gone soon, his position is his wife's, and he was lucky with the money. So what's to be jealous of? " Olivia said coldly.
"Maybe you want him for yourself, " Victoria suggested evilly, not sure whether or not she believed it, but determined to say it anyway.
She was furious with Olivia for trying to keep her from seeing Toby.
"Maybe you want him, and not that dreadful dullard attorney of Father's."
"Stop being so rude about him. He's a decent man, Victoria, and you know it."
"He bores me, " she said, the champagne talking as much as her own heart now.
"Charles Dawson won't hurt you. Toby Whitticomb will. He'll use you, and then he'll throw you away, like paper to write on. And when it's all over, he'll go back to his wife and have another baby."
"You're disgusting, " Victoria said to her, and Olivia felt the familiar pain in her stomach she always got when they argued. She hated fighting with her sister, and seldom did it. This was not like their innocent squabbles, or even their more serious ones, about Victoria's childish pranks and adventures. This was a death dance, and Olivia knew it.
"I won't speak to you about this again, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, always, and I love you. And I'm begging you not to see him. I know you'll do what you want, but he's dangerous, Victoria.
And Father would be very upset if he knew you had spent the evening with him. He only invited him to be polite, and you were very foolish sitting yourself next to him. You're lucky Father had his back to you and never noticed. You're playing with a lion, Victoria. You're not big enough or strong enough to win. And eventually, the lion will eat you."
"I'm not worried, " she said confidently, "we're just friends.
That's all. He's married anyway." She was trying to get Olivia off the scent, so she could have some freedom. And she didn't bother to tell her how empty their marriage was. He had even hinted to her that they had been talking about divorcing recently. It would be a terrible scandal, of course, but he said he couldn't bear to go on in a loveless marriage like this for much longer. Victoria felt desperately sorry for him. But Olivia didn't, she hated him and wanted to send him away before he destroyed her sister.
When they went to bed that night, long after three o'clock, all Olivia could think of was the mess her sister was in, and all Victoria could think of was the Astors' ball the next night, when she knew she would see him.
Chapter 4.
Olivia woke the next day to muffled sounds from downstairs, and as she lay in bed and listened to them, she remembered instantly the agonizing argument with her sister. But when she turned on her side to look at her, she saw that the other side of the bed was empty. Olivia got up quietly, combed her hair, and put her dressing gown on to see what the noises were, and then she remembered.
As soon as she got downstairs, she saw men everywhere, there were people in the garden taking down the tent, furniture being put back where it belonged, and flowers from their guests being delivered by the armful.
It was total chaos. And Mrs. Peabody and the butler were standing in the midst of it, directing traffic.
"Did you sleep well? " Bertie smiled at her, and Olivia nodded, apologizing for not having gotten up early enough to help her.
"You did a lovely job last night, my dear. You deserved a little rest this morning. I'm glad you could sleep through all this racket." Though it was difficult to imagine how, as they were making a huge amount of noise taking down the tent in the garden. "Every one says the evening was a great success. I'm sure that all of New York is talking about it today, they must be, judging by the amount of flowers we've received.
I've put most of them in the dining room for the moment." Olivia wandered into the dining room quietly, wondering where Victoria had gone, and almost the first bouquet she saw was a huge vase filled with two dozen long-stemmed red roses, but when Olivia read the card attached to it, it said only "Thank you for the most important evening of my life." It was unsigned, and then she saw that the envelope was addressed to her sister. It was far too easy to figure out who had sent it. The other arrangements all had signed cards, and were a great deal more circumspect, though possibly less pretty.
There was a lovely arrangement though, she noticed, from Charles, addressed to all three of them, thanking them for a delightful evening.
She knew that it was the first time he had gone out formally since his wife had died, and she was glad that he had had a pleasant evening.
She certainly had, seated next to him, though she was still somewhat annoyed at Victoria for having changed the seating.
Olivia wandered into the kitchen then, and observed the activity there, and then she saw Victoria, sitting alone in the breakfast room, drinking a cup of coffee. Olivia stood looking at her for a moment, worrying about her again, and then she walked over and sat down beside her.
"Did you sleep well? " Olivia asked uncomfortably, still ill at ease after their argument of the night before. It had been far more serious than any they'd had in years. And this time was far more lethal than their childlish fights. Olivia was convinced that her sister was in real danger.
"Very well, thank you, " Victoria said formally, without looking at her.
"I'm surprised you could sleep with all the noise down here, " she said, glancing over her shoulder. Olivia thought she looked particularly beautiful, which was odd. She never thought of herself that way, and yet she could always see something different, and more exciting, in her younger sister. And there was something she had never seen before in Victoria's eyes that morning.
"I think I was exhausted." Olivia didn't mention the altercation of the night before, but after she had sat down and been served coffee by one of the kitchen maids, she asked Victoria if she had seen her flowers.
"Yes, I did, " she answered after a moment's hesitation.
"I think I can figure out who sent them. I imagine you can too.
" Olivia said it cautiously, and there was a long silence. "I hope you'll think about what I said last night, Victoria. It's a very dangerous situation."
"They're only roses, Olivia. There's no need for you to get up in arms over them, or about anything that happened last night. He's a very interesting man, that's all. You don't need to make anything more of it, " Victoria said, trying to make light of it in the morning sunshine, but Olivia could see something in her twin's eyes that frightened her, something very determined and powerful. And she knew instinctively that Victoria was not going to let go of Toby.
"I hope you don't spend time with him again tonight. It would make people talk, and the party is at his wife's cousins' house. You really have to be careful, " Olivia warned her.
"Thank you, Olivia, " Victoria said, and stood up, looking down at her sister. They were so identical without, and so different within, sometimes it was hard to believe they were even sisters, let alone twins. Olivia felt a shiver of fear at the chasm she suddenly felt between them.
"What are you doing today? " she asked innocently.
"I'm going to a lecture. Is that all right with you, Olivia dear, or do I need your permission? "
"I just asked. You needn't be so sensitive, or so rude, " she said tartly, tired of the sparks and the sudden enmity that had come up between them because of Victoria's flirtation with Toby.
"Since when do you ask my permission to do anything? You only expect me to cover up for you, you never bother to ask before you do whatever it is you wanted to do in the first place."
"You won't need to cover up for me today, thank you very much." It was times like this that made each of them wish they had other friends.
But the exclusivity of their relationship, their unusual closeness, their isolation from school, and the remoteness of where they lived, had always deprived them of other people. They had always been closer to each other than to anyone else, and although they liked it most of the time, at times it left each of them feeling somewhat lonely. What are you doing today? " Victoria asked. "Housework, I assume, as usual.
" She made Olivia sound incredibly dull, and Olivia felt it, as she looked at her sister.
No one had sent her two dozen roses with an anonymous card. The man she admired had sent an impersonal card addressed not only to her, but to her father and sister, and for a fraction of a second, Olivia found herself wondering if Victoria was right, and she was jealous.
"I'm going to help Bertie put the house back in order again.
It'll dave poor Father crazy to live with this mess for very long. I thought we could do it all today before the ball at the Astors' tonight."
"How entertaining." Victoria swept upstairs then, and she left the house an hour later, in a dark blue silk suit and a fashionable hat, and had Pethe dave her to her meeting. It was in a very ordinary neighborhood, and after he dropped her off, he came back very quickly.
The rest of the day sped by for all of them, Victoria came back early in the afternoon, and Bertie put her to work too, ordering the men who were banging back the furniture from where it had been stored in their carriage house around the corner. Olivia was working frantically, trying to help repair some of the damage that had been done in the garden, and by five o'clock, miraculously, the house looked as though no one had been there. Bertie congratulated both of them on their fine work, and almost as though on cue, their father walked in and told them how nice the house looked.
"You'd never know we had so much as a dinner guest, let alone fifty people dancing all over the place, and a tent damn near destroying the garden. How bad is * out there? " he asked, and Olivia reassured him.
"Every one in New York is talking about what delightful hostesses you are, " he said to both girls, but Victoria looked uninterested in his praise, and a few minutes later she went upstairs to dress for the Astors' party. Olivia had already put their dresses out for them, they were pale pink gauzy dresses she had copied, as usual, from Poiret, and they were quite demure. She'd had a moment of doubt when she set them out, and then decided that perhaps it was what was needed at the moment, precisely not to entice Toby.
"It really was a lovely party, Olivia, " her father complimented her again, and sat down in his favorite chair in his comfortable study.
Everything had been replaced precisely as it had been, and Olivia poured him a glass of port and handed it to him, as he looked up at her with a warm smile. With each passing day, he seemed to enjoy her company more than ever. "You spoil me terribly, my dear. I'm not even sure your mother would have been as kind, if she were alive. She was a bit more like your sister, a bit fiery at times, and determined to remain independent." Being in this house always reminded him of her.
