Spoils of Eden (24 page)

The table was complemented by a dozen oval-backed, dark-wood chairs upholstered with a woven tapestry in the warm colors of pecan, mango, ebony, and gold. Celestine’s Viennese crystal lamps were lit and gleaming, and in the midst of the table there was a bird-of-paradise flower arrangement. The various dishes were cooked to everyone’s delight.

“So, Silas,” Dr. Jerome said in a friendly tone from across the table. “I’m told your home was in California for the last several years?”

“Why, yes sir, it was.”

“I’d prefer you called me Uncle, or just plain old Jerome.”

“Thank you, Uncle. Originally, it was Nevada. Have you heard of Virginia City, Reno, and Carson?”

“Indeed. Silver country. During the War between the States, the silver in the Comstock Lode helped finance the Union army.”

“I see you’ve maintained an interest in American history even in faraway lands. Yes, you’re right about the silver bonanza and the War between the States. Actually, I grew up in the South … so I don’t know how I feel about the outcome of that war. As I told Cousin Eden earlier today, I’m also a Louisianan.”

Zachary turned his golden head. His mouth curved. “You could also say those old western towns you mentioned all have something in common. Virginia City, Reno, Carson, New Orleans, are all gambling towns.”

Eden tensed.

“You’re so right,” Silas said easily.

“Leave it to my young son Zach to fail to appreciate the wealth of experience gained by interacting in the real world,” Townsend said with amusement.

Zachary’s gambling slur had been turned against him. He said nothing.

Eden glanced at Rafe and saw his dark eyes flicker.

“Since when does tossing your money away over a deck of cards prepare anyone to handle the seriousness of life?” Rafe asked Townsend, a veneer of coolness in his voice.

Eden was amazed that Townsend did not attempt to counter Rafe’s critical query.

“Well said.” Candace spoke up, lifting her glass. She looked pointedly at Grandfather Ainsworth. “Oliver Hunnewell is known to attend gambling parties in Honolulu.”

“Oliver? Nonsense, Candace. He’s a church-going man. Always was.”

She looked at Rafe. “Does Keno gamble, Rafe?”

Before Rafe had a chance to answer, Dr. Jerome said calmly, “I hope everyone realizes I’m not smiling upon the evils of gambling, but it is possible to play cards and still be a true Christian.”

“Please
,” Great-aunt Nora said, snapping her spoon against her glass like a dowager instructor. The clear ring caused everyone at the table to look at her. Silence momentarily prevailed. “Let us not open a theological debate at dinner. Have we not problems enough? Ainsworth,” she said, leaning past Candace to fix him with a steady gaze, “how friendly are you with that overly zealous American Minister Stevens?”

Oh no
, Eden thought.
If Great-aunt Nora brings that up again, and after the episode in the hall between Silas, Townsend, and Grandfather
…

Eden said quickly, “Those particular towns you mentioned in California all have some fairly good newspapers as well,” as though she hadn’t heard Nora.

“Yes,” Rafe said, backing her up. “Tell us about them, Silas. Where did you work as a journalist?”

Silas looked around the table. “About four months ago, I came to San Francisco, writing for the
Bay City Times
. Fortunately for me they needed someone to research the tong wars going on in Chinatown.”

“Tong wars!” Zachary made a point of looking at Candace to vindicate his previous mention of them.

“Were fortunate to have Silas willing to spend some time writing for the
Gazette
,” Great-aunt Nora chimed in, turning to Ainsworth. “I firmly believe Silas will be an asset to the Derrington name.”

“By all means,” Ainsworth said calmly. “I hardly think he’ll find his place in the sun writing propaganda for the
Gazette
, however. I should probably announce that Silas also has experience managing a sugarcane plantation in Louisiana. Is that not so, Silas?”

“Yes sir, that is, I was assistant to the top overseer.”

“So Silas will be working closely with Townsend from now on. He’ll learn what it means to manage a real sugarcane plantation,” Grandfather Ainsworth said with a smile. “We need to train the younger generation to take over the enterprise after us. Right, Townsend?”

Townsend grinned. “You’ve made the right decision.”

Silas looked struck by lightning.

“Well.” Great-aunt Nora set her water glass down with a tinkle. She lifted her head. “I’m shocked, Ainsworth. Is this not a bit hasty?”

“Not at all, not at all. I do not make hasty decisions, dear Nora.”

“And I had such high hopes for Silas writing for the
Gazette
.”

Silas finally got hold of his voice and said to Ainsworth, “Sir, I’m astounded at your generosity. Coming into the grand Derrington family like this to be a part of the sugar enterprise is more than I would have hoped for.”

“You are a Derrington,” Ainsworth said quietly. “You’re my grandson. Besides, we need strength of purpose and fresh blood in
the family. I can’t very well expect my two granddaughters to run the Derrington Enterprise one day unless they marry good names, men of leadership. Were pleased about Eden and Rafe Easton, and now Candace and Oliver Hunnewell.”

Zachary thrust back his chair and stood. He started to say something, but was hindered as Rafe, too, stood and caught his eye.

Herald Hartley, Dr. Jerome’s assistant, mumbled a profuse apology as he recovered his water glass from the edge of the table where it had tipped over. It wasn’t clear to Eden whether his hand had knocked it over, or Rafe’s. The servant, Wong, quickly came to the rescue with a cloth.

“Oh, Madame, it was indeed clumsy of me, my deepest apologies,” Herald Hartley spoke to Celestine, who now also rose to her feet, some water on her dress.

“It was my fault for not moving before it ran down, I fear,” Celestine said. “No matter, Mr. Hartley, it was only lemon-water, but I think I’ll run upstairs and change. Do excuse me, everyone?” she said to those around the table. “There’s been too much excitement tonight, I think. Candace, dear, perhaps you could carry on? Have Wong arrange coffee on the lanai?”

“Yes, of course.” At Grandfather Ainsworth’s proud mention of Oliver P. Hunnewell, Candace had lapsed into a cool mood, as though she’d come indoors from a New England winter.

With dinner over, Eden’s spirits, at a high point all day, now sagged. She’d held her breath when Ainsworth mentioned her marriage to Rafe Easton. That toppled glass had come at a fortunate moment—not only for her, but for Zachary who’d been on the verge of an angry outburst.

The mood at dinner had been appalling. The way in which Grandfather Ainsworth had nearly crowned Silas heir of Kea Lani in front of Zachary was heartless. Zachary seemed all but left out of the succession for controlling the Derrington enterprise in the future. And
he
was the legitimate son of Townsend and his first wife, a kind, Christian woman who’d died young.

Why did Grandfather make the announcement at the table? He wasn’t a cruel man, but decent and reverent of God. So many of the things that had occurred during this momentous day had been in her mind. Odd.

She soon lost sight of Rafe. He’d slipped away like a shadow during coffee and dessert on the lanai, and had not reappeared when the hour came to depart for Kea Lani. Eden and Candace waited in the front hall for Candace’s bags to be brought down from the guest bedroom shed been using these past few weeks. Zachary had left immediately after dinner without taking desert, and Silas disappeared some twenty minutes after Zachary.

Horse hooves sounded out front as the large Derrington carriage drew up to the front yard. Grandfather Ainsworth and Dr. Jerome went down the steps together and were standing in the moonlight talking quietly while waiting for her and Candace to board.

“Isn’t Nora returning with us to Kea Lani?” Candace asked. She glanced back up the stairway.

“She’ll be going to Tamarind House,” Eden told her. “She left a section of her manuscript there.”

“Oh? I’m surprised she would have left it behind. Celestine is helping her arrange the chapters.”

They expected Celestine to come down and send off her guests, but she’d not reappeared after the lemon-water accident. Perhaps the busy day was leaving her weary. Still, it wasn’t like her Victorian manners not to make that final effort to bid her dinner guests good-bye.

Celestine justified her stay at Hawaiiana with her alleged poor health and a need for quiet and rest. While Eden knew Celestine was not strong, she also understood the deeper reason why she did not return to Kea Lani. For the last six weeks Celestine had been attending counseling sessions with Ambrose, studying the Word and wrestling over what to do concerning Townsend.

Eden wondered what she would decide. Could Celestine be forgiven for marrying Townsend, when all along she’d known he wasn’t
a committed believer? Then again, had Townsend
ever
been a genuine believer? And could a true believer live in almost constant disobedience to Scripture as Townsend did?

These thoughts were interrupted as Wong hurried in from outdoors, agitated and gesturing behind him into the yard. Addressing Eden, he called, “Ling Li outside make much noise. He very upset. Say number seven son very sick to leave Rat Alley. May die. He change mind, he say. He want haole medicine right now!”

“Rat Alley? You can’t go there at this time of night,” Candace said.

“No, I’ll have to get a doctor to come with me. We must talk with Ling. Is he outside now?” she asked Wong.

“Ling outside, very upset.”

“Tell him I will be right there. Then go ask Dr. Jerome to speak with Ling and learn whatever he can about his sons sickness.”

Wong hurried out the front door as Eden turned and started up the stairway. Candace followed her to the bottom step. “Where are you going?”

“To find my medical bag and nurse’s uniform,” she called over her shoulder. “I’d forgotten about them till now.” On the upper landing she looked down at Candace. “I intended to send a medical message to Dr. Bolton about Ling’s son the moment I arrived here this morning. Now it’s too late, so I must go myself and tell him.”

Upstairs, Eden rushed to the bedroom. She was furious with herself. She’d been so emotionally involved with thoughts of Rafe and Kip and her father’s work on Molokai that when a medical emergency was happening right where she lived, she’d allowed herself to become distracted. She quickly found her uniform where she’d left it when dressing for dinner, but where was her medical bag? She remembered having the satchel in hand when she’d visited Noelani in the nursery, thinking at the time she’d examine baby Kip.

Eden rushed down the hallway. While Ambrose hadn’t shown for the dinner, Noelani might still be here, waiting for the night
kahu
to arrive, who kept watch in the nursery in the late hours.

The lamps burned. Noelani’s weaving materials rested on the
lauhala
mats made from the leaves of the pandanus tree. The door to Kip’s little room was closed, the boy fast asleep. Noelani must have stepped outdoors for a moment. Eden looked about for her medical bag and found it by a chair. Turning to leave, she noticed a drawer of one of the bureaus standing partially open and a child’s blanket fallen on the floor.

Eden paused. She walked over to the bureau and opened the top drawer. Empty. She opened the other drawers. Empty. She whirled, hurried over to Kip’s room, and opened the door. Darkness. The night lamp was not lit. Alarm seized her as she rushed to the side of the crib.
Kip was gone
.

Wait—think. Might Noelani have brought Kip to the church bungalow?
She sometimes did that when there was no kahu to watch through the night. Could Ambrose have come for her and she’d simply not wished to disturb the group at dinner?

Yes, that must be it. It’s the reason for Kip’s baby clothes and blankets being missing
. She turned and went out, closing the door with exaggerated quiet.

But so many clothes? So many blankets? Eden forced her emotions into a calm repose. Why should she react in such a panic? It was needless, really. There was nothing whatsoever to worry about. She would find Rafe and ask him.

Before leaving the room, she walked over to the bench-chest and lifted the heavy lid. The extra blankets and clothing kept in store were all missing.
Everything is gone
.

Eden stood still. A sparkle from the diamond on her finger caught her eye. “Time was needed,” Rafe had said on the stairway.
Time
.

Wearing the ring tonight would buy her
time
to decide how to inform Grandfather Ainsworth she was no longer going to marry Rafe Easton. Rafe, as well, had bought himself what he had needed.
Time
. “I haven’t said I’ve changed my mind,” he’d said.

No, he hadn’t changed his mind about turning Kip over to the
Board, and the delay was for a purpose that went beyond Grandfather Ainsworth.

Her heart thumped steadily. So, that was it. This had been his plan all along. To smuggle Kip out of the house while she gathered around Dr. Jerome, listening to his exotic tales.
Time
.

She hadn’t expected the controversy over the Board’s decision to go this far, but now that it had, it explained Rafe’s behavior this evening.

Noelani and her nephew Keno had been in some sort of heated discussion when she’d first found them in the nursery. Keno must have been giving Noelani orders about Kip, orders from either Rafe or perhaps even Ambrose. Most likely, both men. In the end, Noelani must have agreed to help Keno, Ambrose, and Rafe in their plan to smuggle Kip out of the house—to where? To the mission church?

When she’d left Noelani and met Rafe on the stairway, he’d been prepared to bargain. And she went right along with it, thinking she was getting more from that bargain than he—three days. No wonder he’d been preoccupied at dinner!

No, she hadn’t expected it to go this far, but now that it had, what would she do?