try and eke out a living from that soil.”
A shiver ran down my back. Was I not proposing something awfully similar to what Wallace Kensington had offered my mama? Forcing my folks out by “buying” them out? “No,” I amended. “We offer them more than twice the value for their land. Three times,” I said, gaining steam. “And we allow them to keep the acres on which their homes and barns sit.”
Andrew laughed, incredulous. “Thrice the value? Are you mad?” He turned toward our fathers. “She’ll run us out of business before she’s even begun!”
I looked back to my father, silently pleading with him to trust me in this, then back to Andrew. “This pertains only to the Kensington-Diehl Mine. And I am not in need of your vote on it.”
My father studied me for several long moments, tapping his fingertips together. He glanced over to his old partner. “She was right in regard to our labor negotiations in Butte.”
Mr. Morgan nodded. “There is a certain wisdom to it. Unconventional, for certain.”
“It’d be quite a story,” Mr. Grunthall said, lifting one black brow and shaking his head. “Your girl is already fascinating. This would ratchet her up to Molly Brown status. A Robin Hood figure, of sorts. Unconventional. Daring. But intrinsically good.”
My father let out a scoffing laugh and rose to meander over to the window and stare outward, still thinking. “The Kensington name has seldom been tied to anything remotely considered ‘intrinsically good.’”
I waited a moment. Then I said, “Isn’t it then time?” I eased around the table and went to stand beside him at the window. “Wouldn’t you much rather our name be tied to the good, the true? What if we led the country in showing how a business could succeed without treating our workers as cattle? What if every miner in America wanted to work for us over any other?”
His eyes shifted back and forth, searching mine. I knew he was running my words, our name, through his mind. It was echoing in my own. He slowly turned and lifted his hand for mine. After a moment’s hesitation, I slipped my fingers into his and he covered it with his other hand. “My dear, you truly believe this is the best course of action?”
“I believe it is the only course of action,” I returned steadily.
“Then,” he said, cocking his head, “I say you are the majority share owner, and I shall support—”
“No, Mr. Kensington!” Andrew said. He came around the desk and stood near us. “You can’t be serious. There’s giving a horse a little rope, and then there’s giving her the whole field…”
“I am hardly a horse,” I said, turning to face him.
“You are a wild and untamed filly,” he bit back, staring down at me, “with no sense of a bit and reins. If we don’t teach you what it means—”
“That’s enough, Andrew!” Mr. Morgan cried.
“She will lose it all!” Andrew shouted, lifting his hands to his father, then mine. “This mine…” He shook his head and then ran his fingers through his hair. He turned to my father. “I don’t know what you’re doing here. If you are so desperate to forge a bond with this girl”—he jabbed a hand toward me—“so desperate to make her beholden to you that you’d risk earnings that would help your other children in the future…”
My father’s face became bright red, his eyes even more blue against the ruddiness of his skin. “That is enough ,” he said with such vehemence that the last word became a shout. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This mine is only going to bring income because my daughter was raised on its doorstep. It has nothing to do with my other children.”
“Doesn’t it?” Andrew persisted. “Isn’t this your mad attempt to level the playing field? To give your precious Cora an inheritance of her own? An inheritance that would rightfully be split with Vivian, Felix, and Lillian?”
“No,” my father said, shaking his head.
A shiver ran down my back. Was I not proposing something awfully similar to what Wallace Kensington had offered my mama? Forcing my folks out by “buying” them out? “No,” I amended. “We offer them more than twice the value for their land. Three times,” I said, gaining steam. “And we allow them to keep the acres on which their homes and barns sit.”
Andrew laughed, incredulous. “Thrice the value? Are you mad?” He turned toward our fathers. “She’ll run us out of business before she’s even begun!”
I looked back to my father, silently pleading with him to trust me in this, then back to Andrew. “This pertains only to the Kensington-Diehl Mine. And I am not in need of your vote on it.”
My father studied me for several long moments, tapping his fingertips together. He glanced over to his old partner. “She was right in regard to our labor negotiations in Butte.”
Mr. Morgan nodded. “There is a certain wisdom to it. Unconventional, for certain.”
“It’d be quite a story,” Mr. Grunthall said, lifting one black brow and shaking his head. “Your girl is already fascinating. This would ratchet her up to Molly Brown status. A Robin Hood figure, of sorts. Unconventional. Daring. But intrinsically good.”
My father let out a scoffing laugh and rose to meander over to the window and stare outward, still thinking. “The Kensington name has seldom been tied to anything remotely considered ‘intrinsically good.’”
I waited a moment. Then I said, “Isn’t it then time?” I eased around the table and went to stand beside him at the window. “Wouldn’t you much rather our name be tied to the good, the true? What if we led the country in showing how a business could succeed without treating our workers as cattle? What if every miner in America wanted to work for us over any other?”
His eyes shifted back and forth, searching mine. I knew he was running my words, our name, through his mind. It was echoing in my own. He slowly turned and lifted his hand for mine. After a moment’s hesitation, I slipped my fingers into his and he covered it with his other hand. “My dear, you truly believe this is the best course of action?”
“I believe it is the only course of action,” I returned steadily.
“Then,” he said, cocking his head, “I say you are the majority share owner, and I shall support—”
“No, Mr. Kensington!” Andrew said. He came around the desk and stood near us. “You can’t be serious. There’s giving a horse a little rope, and then there’s giving her the whole field…”
“I am hardly a horse,” I said, turning to face him.
“You are a wild and untamed filly,” he bit back, staring down at me, “with no sense of a bit and reins. If we don’t teach you what it means—”
“That’s enough, Andrew!” Mr. Morgan cried.
“She will lose it all!” Andrew shouted, lifting his hands to his father, then mine. “This mine…” He shook his head and then ran his fingers through his hair. He turned to my father. “I don’t know what you’re doing here. If you are so desperate to forge a bond with this girl”—he jabbed a hand toward me—“so desperate to make her beholden to you that you’d risk earnings that would help your other children in the future…”
My father’s face became bright red, his eyes even more blue against the ruddiness of his skin. “That is enough ,” he said with such vehemence that the last word became a shout. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This mine is only going to bring income because my daughter was raised on its doorstep. It has nothing to do with my other children.”
“Doesn’t it?” Andrew persisted. “Isn’t this your mad attempt to level the playing field? To give your precious Cora an inheritance of her own? An inheritance that would rightfully be split with Vivian, Felix, and Lillian?”
“No,” my father said, shaking his head.
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