Chase spent more and more nights out drinking. He would come in later and later as time went on. As it became more of a habit, Anna directed Mrs. Henderson to make the greasiest or richest dishes she could on the day after Mr. Trent was out drinking. It was an unkind thing to do but it made Anna feel better, and she believed the staff found it amusing.
Mr. and Mrs. Trent were completely unaware of their son's behavior. Anna saw no reason to tell them and be further humiliated by their insinuation that she was at fault for his drinking. It was best to keep it to herself.
One day, Chase came home with the announcement that Mr. Trent, Sr. and his wife would return to New York and Chase would have full charge of the offices in England. It was exciting news for him.
"I will no longer be under my father's watchful eye, if you know what I mean. This office will be mine to run in my own way," Chase boasted.
"If it has been so successful as it is, why would you want to change it?" Anna thought it a valid question.
"Because my father is doing things the old way and I think it could be better." His eyes glittered with excitement as he disappeared into his study. "Don't disturb me. I have a lot to work on." He closed the door.
It didn't take long after the senior Mr. Trent left for America for his son to start losing money. Once, his accountant came by the house to drop off reports that showed several negative results. Anna didn't know much about figures, but could tell the accountant was worried.
She continued to do what she was directed to do and tried to stay out of Chase's way. He was very irritable most of the time and drank more than ever. As business fell off, he spent more time out with his friends.
Night after night, Chase would come in late, fall up the stairs and sleep fully clothed, splayed across his bed. He was slowly drinking himself to death. Anna could see that. He wouldn’t listen to her words of warning.
"You are a child. You know nothing about the stresses of life. You have it easy," he reprimanded her.
To make matters worse, Chase decided to take on a business partner, one of his drinking partners. Anna was sure he had not discussed the idea with his father. She knew Mr. Trent, Sr. would have checked more thoroughly into the background of Mr. Antonio Paulo.
* * * *
Antonio Paulo was smooth. He had a way with words. He was handsome and knew it, using it to his advantage. He had a wife and several children. His wife was a frail little thing with a terrible temper. During his visits he would boast about his arguments with his wife, usually over his infidelity. Anna would excuse herself and leave the room when he spoke of her jealousy and laughed about it. She didn’t want to hear of such things. Mr. Paulo gave his wife plenty to be jealous over.
Anna heard tales of his continued indiscretions from several sources. Chase thought the situation amusing. Chase and Anna sat in the parlor on one of the few evenings Chase stayed home. He read a paper and she tried to read a book. Thoughts of Antonio aggravated her. He was no gentleman.
"Chase," Anna commented, "do you really think he is amusing? What about his unfortunate wife? He is so cruel to her, don't you think?"
"He gives her everything she needs and she has so many children, she can't be running around town entertaining him, too. He only finds company to spend time with. It means nothing to him," Chase replied, defending Antonio.
"She has so many children? He had something to do with it, don't you think? You do see the wrong in it, don't you?"
"No, I don't see any wrong in it. He’s doing nothing his wife needs to worry about. He has no intention of ever leaving her. He doesn't believe in divorce. He's married for life." Chase hardly looked away from his paper as he spoke.
"Some consolation Rita has. He won't divorce her, but fidelity is non-existent. I don't think I could live that way for very long." Anna looked down at her book.
After several minutes, she found she couldn't concentrate. "Chase, does Rita know he continues doing this?"
"No." He crumpled his paper into his lap, and stared menacingly at her. "She better not find out, either. If Rita should find out, someone will get hurt. Do you understand me?"
Chase could be threatening without moving a muscle, just by the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice.
"Yes, I understand. The poor thing."
"The subject is closed," Chase concluded, and raised his paper again. "Besides, he moves from one to the next so fast Rita would never find out who it was anyway. By the time she did, it would be someone else." He chuckled.
Anna decided to do some research of her own. She asked indirect questions at social gatherings and took note of all she heard. She was shocked by what she learned. Antonio was partial to one lady in particular, and spent more time with her than the others in his collection.
Her name was Lydia and she lived not far from Colin's house. She was partial to married men, as she would not have to keep them around indefinitely. She was independently wealthy and in want of nothing, with the exception of male companionship. Antonio was known to visit her at least twice a week, sometimes more.
How Anna wished she could inform Rita of her husband's recreation. Chase warned her someone would get hurt if Rita were to find out. She wasn't sure if he meant her or Rita or Antonio. Anna decided to keep her information to herself. For now, at least.
* * * *
Chase was out when the accountant, Mr. Hastings, came by with more reports. He was in an agitated state. "Mrs. Trent, may I explain things to you so you could, in turn, explain them to Mr. Trent?"
"Of course, Mr. Hastings. Come in and have a seat in the parlor." Anna called Mrs. Weathers and requested tea. As she retreated to the kitchen to comply, Mr. Hastings and Anna sat in the parlor.
"Mrs. Trent, since the partnership of your husband and Mr. Paulo, money has become—unaccounted for, missing, as it were."
"How could this be?" Anna didn't understand the workings of business but how could one lose track of where money had gone?
"I don't know, but in the past five months, over twenty thousand pounds has gone unaccounted for. No trace of where it went. Do you realize the depth of this?"
Mr. Hastings nervously took the teacup offered by Michelle who had come in to serve. "Why, it is more than a year’s profits."
"I see." She tried to understand. "Mr. Hastings, would you like to stay to dinner and explain this to my husband?" Anna might have asked him to throw himself on live coals the way he set his cup down and leapt to his feet.
"No, no, you will do fine in telling Mr. Trent about this. If he has any questions, I will be available in my office. He can come and discuss the accounts there. Good day, Mrs. Trent." He gathered his briefcase and his copies of the reports under his arm. As if the devil were after him, he rushed from the house.
"My." Anna turned to Michelle. "Do you think this means Mr. Trent will not be pleased with this report?"
"I'm not a gambling woman, madam, but I would probably call it a sure bet." She disappeared toward the kitchen.
When Chase came home that evening, Anna showed him the papers Mr. Hastings left and told him what the man had said. Chase was furious.
"Mr. Hastings said the money has been disappearing since Antonio joined the company. Do you think he has anything to do with it?"
"Not a chance," Chase sounded annoyed. He searched the ledger pages as he stomped into his study with Anna following. "Antonio wouldn’t do that to me. He's an honest man."
Anna knew better from his reputation. He could not be honest with his own wife, why would he be honest in business? She kept the thought to herself. She quickly left the room as Chase went over the papers, cursing at each figure.
* * * *
Chase spent many nights closed in his study, fretting and drinking as he tried to see what could be done to salvage the business.
"My father entrusted this company to me and I will not allow it to go under," he announced one night at dinner.
"I thought your father did things the old way and you could make it better. That is what you said," Anna recalled.
"Woman, I know what I said," Chase thundered. "Old or new, this business is not going to fold. Do you want to go to work selling apples in the street?"
"No." She shrank from his rage.
"I have to find a way to save this," he bellowed and stormed out of the dining room. He grabbed his coat from the entry and slammed out of the front door. He shouted for Shaw to bring his trap around.
Anna finished her meal and went to her room while the servants pretended nothing had happened. Michelle prepared a fire for Anna and she sat reading for several hours before hearing Chase return. She watched out the window as he leapt from the trap. He looked happy.
Her first thought was that he was drunk again. She changed quickly into her dressing gown, sat in the chair, and hastily opened her book. She heard him call her name from the landing, followed by his footsteps on the carpeted hall. She expected him to burst through the doors as he often did after a night of drinking, but he did not. Instead there was a light tap at the door.
"Anna, could I come in?" There was meekness in his voice.
Anna turned to the door. She kept the surprise from her voice as she called out, "Come in."
The door opened slightly and his hand thrust through holding several roses from the front garden. His face followed the flowers as he peeked around the door.
"Anna, could I come in, dear?" he repeated.
"What on earth are you doing?" Anna was puzzled. He slowly came into the room, extending the roses as he came closer.
"I was not being very good to you before I left and I apologize. Can you forgive me?" He had a sincere look in his eyes, slightly glassy but apologetic.
Anna didn't know what to say. He never apologized for anything, to anyone. She placed her book on the chair, took the roses, and closely examined them. An uncontrolled smile curved her lips. He had not given flowers, even from the garden, since before they were married. How could he be so evil and so good all in one evening?
"I know you have a lot on your mind. It's all right."
"It's not all right, Anna. I shouldn't treat you in this way. You deserve better."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I should take better care of you, get you what you want, take you places."
"The only thing I want is for you to spend time with me. I don't need things, only you."
"I can't spend much time with you, not right now. Business is going to get better but it will take a lot of work. Can you allow me the freedom to take care of it?" He seated her before the fire, and pulled the second chair closer.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you need me."
"That is a comfort to my mind. Just give me time and you will be proud of me." His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I am proud of you," she assured him. She wondered what he was up to. He smelled of flowers, though it was not roses.
* * * *
"I don't know what changed, but in less than two months, business has grown considerably. It's better than it was before Mr. Trent, senior left for New York," Anna confided in Leslie as they sat in the side garden enjoying the warmth of the day.
Leslie sat her cup on the table. "It all sounds wonderful. You will be more wealthy than you ever dreamed, Anna." Leslie beamed with happiness at her friend's good fortune.
"Yes, but at what cost?" Anna questioned.
"What cost?" Her eyebrows knit.
"Chase works long, hard hours. He comes home late every night." She tried to explain. "He has cut down on his drinking. That's a blessing. He’s happy and easy to get along with. He compliments me on accomplishments that before he would not have noticed. He even looked the other way when I faltered at our last dinner party. It’s wonderful, but something doesn’t seem right." The situation had Anna puzzled.
"What could be wrong? It sounds like life is finally what you expected it to be." Leslie shrugged, and reached for her cup.
"Yes," Anna agreed, "but something is still not right."
* * * *
The same evening, as she sat in the parlor and waited for him to come home, he burst through the door, happier than she had ever seen him.
"Chase, what is the matter with you?" Anna questioned as she stood.
He came into the parlor with a hand full of money. "Business is good, Mrs. Trent." He waltzed his wife around the room, and hummed as he swung her around. His eyes were glassy.
"What are you doing with so much money?" Anna was afraid to upset his revelry.
"Oh, this? This is your paycheck, Mrs. Trent." He finished the dance with a low bow.
"My paycheck?" Her eyebrows shot up. "What have I done for a paycheck?"
"You have done so much—put up with me, mostly." He put a hand to his chest as he caught his breath. "You should have pocket money. For whatever you want, my dearest." He pushed the money into her hands. Anna quickly flipped through it.
"Two hundred pounds! This is pocket money?" She was astonished.
"Of course. You married a rich man, remember?" Chase puffed out his chest, reminiscent of a peacock. She fully expected him to strut around the room.
"Yes, I did." A note of suspicion crept into her voice. She tried to keep it out but was unsuccessful. She hoped Chase didn't notice.
"Don't you think it’s time you started living like you did?"
"If you say so. I don't know what to say." Her eyes leapt from the money to her husband.
"You could start with 'Thank you, Chase. You're wonderful.'" He grinned.
Anna could only smile at him. He looked like a small boy in desire of praise from his mother. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Then, as she backed to a respectable distance, she looked into his wonderful brown eyes and curtsied.
"Thank you, Chase. You're wonderful."
From then on, Anna received the same amount of money each week. She was truly beginning to believe her life had turned into the fairy tale she knew it should be.
To Be Continued...
______________________________________________
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination, or are fictitiously used. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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© 2008 Jena Galifany/Marge Conrad
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