Page 14 of The Bride Wore White

“The problem in the Dover bloodline goes back at least three generations,” Luther said. “In the course of my calls to San Francisco, I learned that years ago there were rumors that Clara’s husband, Copeland Dover, was responsible for the deaths of at least two prostitutes, but no charges were ever brought. He was said to have had a violent temper. No one mourned his passing when hekeeled over from a heart attack, although his widow gave him a lavish funeral.”

“Clara Dover, like most people in society, goes to great lengths to maintain appearances,” Prudence said.

“Copeland Dover’s father, Gilbert’s grandfather, apparently disappeared from San Francisco society altogether,” Luther added.

“The rumor is that the family had him locked up in a private asylum,” Prudence said. “That’s where he died.”

“Clara and her husband, Copeland, produced two sons,” Luther said. “Gilbert is the oldest. The younger brother, Rollins, is, by all accounts, stable. He got married a few months ago. His mother gave him a title and an office at Dover Industries, but everyone knew he was not in line to take control of the company. That was supposed to be Gilbert’s job. Evidently there was never any question but that he was the favorite.”

“Everyone in San Francisco knew that,” Prudence said. “As I was saying, Clara was well aware of the problems in the bloodline, although she would never in a million years acknowledge them.”

“Of course not,” Luther said. “Rumors like that can destroy a family and, in this case, a business empire.”

“Herempire,” Prudence said. “She built Dover Industries. But all the money and power in the world can’t fix a bloodline. Unfortunately, she thought I could take care of the problem as far as the next generation was concerned. Thankfully, I was warned of her intentions by the psychic circuit.”

Jack paused his pencil over his notebook. “Psychic circuit?”

Prudence waved a hand. “You know how it is. Members of every profession tend to share news that affects others in that particular line of work. It’s no different in the community of psychics.”

“A gossip network for psychics,” Jack said, thinking about the possibilities. “Interesting.”

Prudence gave him a chilly smile. “It was because of theinformation available on the psychic circuit that my grandmother made it a point to avoid booking appointments with Clara Dover whenever possible. After Grandma passed, I tried to follow the same practice. But once in a while there was no diplomatic way out of a reading.”

Jack nodded. “Refusing outright to do a séance for Clara would have been extremely risky for your business.”

Prudence gave him a repressive glare. “I don’t hold séances. Neither did my grandmother. In my opinion, mediums who claim to be able to speak to the dead are frauds.”

“On that point we are in complete agreement, Miss Ryland,” he said.

She raised her brows. “You think all psychics are frauds, don’t you, Mr.Wingate?”

“My opinion is not important,” he said. “I’m here to consult on your case. I can do that without having to believe in the paranormal.”

“As you said, your views on metaphysics are of absolutely no importance. You are correct about something else as well, Mr.Wingate. Clara Dover had the power to destroy a small business like mine, and she would have done it in a heartbeat. That is why I had to handle her in a diplomatic fashion.”

Luther sat forward at his desk. “Did Clara expect you to overlook her son’s dangerous temper for the sake of marrying a Dover?”

“Yes, of course,” Prudence said. “In her view, he was irresistible because he was a Dover, her son and heir. While she was trying to sell me on the idea of marrying him, she made a point of insisting that he was a man of keen intelligence and strong psychic ability. She said those traits occasionally made him impatient and temperamental, but she informed me that would not be a problem for the right woman.”

“You,” Jack said.

“Me. Clara’s theory was that marriage to a woman who alsopossessed some strong psychic talent would act as a calming influence because such a woman would understand Gilbert’s high-strung temperament. But, more importantly, as far as she was concerned, it would ensure that her grandchildren would be not only psychically gifted but stable.”

“She really believed you had some genuine psychic ability?” Jack asked.

Prudence gave him another of what he was coming to think of as her go-to-hell smiles.

“Oddly enough, Clara did believe that,” she said. “I understand why a man such as yourself, a man of apparently limited imagination, might find it impossible to grasp the concept of the paranormal. But not everyone takes such a narrow view of the world. Clara Dover, whatever her faults might be, does not lack intelligence or imagination. She believes in the paranormal, and yes, she was convinced I possessed some psychic talent.”

Jack looked at Luther. “Have I just been insulted?”

“I think so,” Luther said.

“Just wanted to confirm my own conclusion,” Jack said. He turned back to Prudence. “I’ll try not to take it personally.”

“If I were you, I would definitely take it personally.”

“If you insist.” Jack flipped a page in his notebook. “To return to the main topic—Clara Dover didn’t need a daughter-in-law who could bring money or social status into the family. She wanted one she believed could help her strengthen and stabilize her son’s so-called paranormal talent so that her grandchildren would inherit so-called psychic abilities but not the bad blood in the Dover line.”

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