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
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
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