Quicksilver Passion (49 page)

Thanks for the kind thought, Al.” Without thinking, Silver reached out and patted his arm. He pulled away as if she had touched him with a hot poker.

I am Bart Brett’s right-hand man,” he said
and that’s where my loyalty lies. I’ll forget we had this conversation.”

Drat it all! I didn’t really expect any help,” she said.
You just seemed nicer than most men I’ve met, Al. I thought you might want to do one noble thing in your whole life.”

Al looked a little grayer, his features more pinched with each day. He took to carrying a bottle of bitters and sipped on it often.

What’s with you?” she asked him one afternoon.

I just remembered lately that I promised my old mother I wouldn’t drink whiskey, but this has a high alcohol content.”

I thought you were an orphan and since when don’t you drink?”

There was something about his veiled expression that made her suspect he was hiding something from her. Maybe not. What difference did it make?

Al had come up to ask if she would like to see some fine jewels that an elegant store wanted to send out on approval. She shook her head. In all this time, Silver had become a connoisseur of fine jewelry, but she cared little about it. Brett used gems to display her, to make other men envy him his beautiful pet.

Al started to leave the room, then hesitated.
Silver, do you—do you believe in God?”

She was taken aback.
Of course I do. That’s a strange comment from you. What brought this on?”

He took the bitters bottle from his pocket and took a big swig.
Oh, I don’t know.” He sounded a little bit too careless.
Something that’s come up lately made me think about it. It’s occurred to me I never did anything noble in my whole life—you know, where there wasn’t something in it for me.”

Silver shrugged.
That’s the way the world works.”