O'hara's Choice - Leon Uris [49]
By sixteen, she was extremely composed, extremely beautiful, and extremely mature. She fit in well in her lively circles.
Back to the affairs of Inverness, the Baltimore Cotillion was coming up. Daisy prepared for the high social season and even flirted with the idea of having Amanda make her presentation in both Baltimore and Washington.
That would triple the juicy intrigue, but the idea bogged down when Amanda refused to select an escort. Amanda knew all the eligibles, but the only true desirables were far outside of the intrigues of Inverness.
Willow Fancy would also have a presentation, a small and limited black imitation-white cotillion in Skerryton. At least she and Amanda could prepare certain things together. They’d be lonely for each other on their big nights, but separation had now become a more common occurrence.
To swear eternal friendship, they pricked each other’s finger and sucked each other’s bloody fingertip.
Willow and Amanda were having a fitting in Amanda’s apartment. Their white silk gowns were near matching. Weren’t they the only sane ones in the world? The black and white of it had gotten them rocking with laughter as they stood before the long mirror while the dressmaker pinned them, when Horace entered behind a single knock.
“Get these fucking niggers out of my home!” The words were never spoken but his expression said everything.
Laveda left Inverness, forever. Willow was deeply scarred. Amanda was placed under lock and key again, and this time she felt compelled to eat and drink to keep herself alive and keen of mind.
The siege of Inverness wore on. Daisy became frantic that Amanda still had no escort. Horace quit his raving and became frighteningly calm. He sent out urgent word to his Washington office, which quickly found and hired the penniless son of a Scottish earl who earned his keep doing a royalty charade as a fill-in at secondary embassies and parties. Horace’s move was kept secret. In fact, it would create quite a stir when Amanda appeared with such a “catch” on her arm.
The days ticked on. When Amanda did not appear at the first of the precotillion affairs, Daisy pleaded with Horace. Forty-eight hours before the debut, Amanda was brought to her father’s apartment.
He was icy.
“What is it you want, Amanda?”
“An apology to Laveda and Willow.”
“That has already been made, many days ago. What else?”
Ah now, those eyes of Amanda Kerr glared point-blank into the eyes of Horace Kerr.
“Go on,” he said.
Her voice shook, not from fear but with determination. “I want to be able to leave Inverness without being spied upon and be with friends of my own making.”
“I will grant that so long as you are escorted by a proper male who can defend you.”
“An escort of my own choosing, Father. If you don’t find him welcome in the house, I shall meet him at the gate.”
“And be home at a decent hour?”
“Yes.”
“You will keep out of trouble?”
“You will have to trust me, Father.”
“I’ll promise that,” he said, “in exchange for your promise to carry out your social responsibilities to Inverness and to the family.”
Horace felt the acid glow in his belly, stood, and clasped his hands behind him. Although his relationship with his other daughter and son had been extremely bad, he had never given in to them.
“Well?”
“I agree,” she answered.
“Due to the lateness of the hour and the urgency of the situation, I have brought in a neutral party of sufficient heritage to escort you to your presentation. Lord Dunsmore.”
She cracked a wee smile. “Yes, that’s fine, he’s harmless.”
“See your mother now, for she’s desperate.”
“Why did seeing Willow in my room trouble you so much, Father?”
“Certainly you know why. Maybe you don’t.”
Amanda wasn’t going to end it here. “No, I don’t,” she challenged.
“It just struck me hard seeing you and a black woman dressed in the same silk gowns. I’m a victim of my generation.”
“Generations,” Amanda said, “centuries.”
“I should never have taught Matthew Fancy how to play chess. I loathed the fact that he could pick up inconsistencies in clauses in contracts that