Page 42 of The Bride Wore White

“It will not be necessary to waste my time with the police,” Clara said.

“Why?” Ella asked cautiously.

“Because I had a vision last night,” Clara said. “Gilbert spoke to me. He told me that the woman who calls herself Madame Ariadne will soon die by fire. I am going to Burning Cove because I must be there to witness her execution.”

Chapter 18

This is madness,” Ella said. She stormed into the bedroom, sat down at the mirrored dressing table, and stripped off the black gloves. “Your mother is unstable, Rollins. Surely you can see that now.”

“Eccentricis the term we prefer in society,” Rollins said dryly. He closed the bedroom door and turned the lock. The last thing they needed was an unexpected intrusion from the maid. “And we don’t use eventhatword around Mother.”

“That is not amusing.” Ella unpinned the black hat and hurled it onto the bed. “Where did she get the notion that Gilbert’s fits of bizarre behavior were the result of his so-called psychic sensitivity?”

“From the psychic she consulted years ago when it became impossible to ignore his dangerous temperament and unpredictable moods,” Rollins said. “For obvious reasons, she was afraid to have Gil examined by a real doctor.”

“That so-called psychic told Clara what she wanted to hear.”

“Don’t we all? It’s the only pragmatic thing to do with dearMother. She could never bring herself to admit that her favorite son and designated heir belonged in a locked ward in a hospital for the criminally insane.”

Ella met his eyes in the mirror. “I’m worried about her, Rollins.”

“So am I,” he admitted. “Something has changed in recent weeks. Flood is responsible. I’m certain of it.”

“It is unnerving to think that the future of Dover Industries is in her hands.”

Rollins walked into the sitting room that adjoined the master bedroom. The windows overlooked a park, San Francisco Bay, and the spectacular new Golden Gate Bridge. “Trust me, I am aware of the risks.”

“You are now the heir to the family business,” Ella said. “Clara will have to accept that.”

“She won’t have any choice.” He went to the lacquered drinks cart and picked up the bottle of expensive whiskey that the staff was always careful to make available. “But we can’t rush things, not with Mother. We need a plan.”

“I don’t think we have any time. You heard her. She’s headed for Burning Cove tomorrow because she thinks she had a vision, a message from Gilbert. Something about Prudence Ryland dying by fire. Clara is getting worse, Rollins. She is obviously hallucinating now. We can’t let this get out of hand. Who knows what will happen if she attempts to confront Prudence Ryland?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s not much we can do to stop Clara.”

“There is one way to control her.” Ella appeared in the doorway between the two rooms. “You know what you have to do, Rollins.”

“Forget it. I can’t risk trying to get her committed.” He splashed whiskey into a glass. “Even if I were successful, which is unlikely given that I probably won’t be able to convince a doctor that Clara Dover, the head of Dover Industries, needs a rest cure, we simplycan’t afford the scandal. Not right now. Putting Clara in a psychiatric hospital would cause the Feds to panic, to say nothing of the impact on the business world. Rumors of insanity can easily destroy a company like Dover.”

“Women get sent away for rest cures all the time, especially inconvenient women. No offense, but Clara qualifies as inconvenient.”

“I couldn’t agree more, but this isn’t just any inconvenient woman.” Rollins took a healthy swallow of the whiskey. “She owns one hundred percent of Dover Industries, and she controls the company. Our customers and suppliers know that she is the one who was responsible for building the business into the powerful manufacturing giant it is today. She’s the one who pays off the politicians, city officials, and judges who quietly make Dover’s problems go away. The only charity she never fails to support is the police department’s Widows’ and Orphans’ Aid Association. My mother doesn’t just own Dover Industries, Ella. She owns a big chunk of this city.”

Ella let out a long breath. “In other words, money talks.”

“Always has, always will.” He turned to look at her. “You are such an innocent, my dear.”

“All right, I believe you. But we’ve got to do something.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll clean up Gilbert’s mess. I know how to deal with my mother. I’ve been handling her for years now.”

“I know.” Tears glistened in Ella’s eyes. “I’ve tried so hard to please her, but today I realized I won’t ever be able to do that.”

“It was never even a remote possibility, my love,” Rollins said. “No one can please Clara Dover.”

“We’re going to Burning Cove, aren’t we?” she said.

“We don’t have any choice.”

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