Lauren smiled shyly and walked through the iron gate and up the sidewalk. She halted in front of the bottom step and looked up at the woman. Instinct warned her she should go no further. The figure at the top of the steps had the aspect of a sentinel protecting an inviolable domain.
“Mrs. Lockett, I’ve brought—”
“Yes, thank you, Mr. Travers,” Olivia Lockett sharply interrupted the man. “Can you find accommodations for the night? We will compensate you, of course, for your time and trouble.”
Ed Travers was being dismissed, and he knew it. He nodded his silent acquiescence but didn’t leave Lauren’s side.
“You are Miss Holbrook,” Olivia said.
The statement was clipped, and Lauren answered with like brevity, “Yes, Lauren Holbrook.”
The woman appeared to be slightly taller than Lauren. Her hair was dark but, around her face, it was streaked most attractively with silver. She was slender, but held herself straight and rigid. This militant stance made her seem larger than she was. Her face was unlined; her complexion was olive. It was impossible to see the color of her eyes in the poor light, but Lauren was uncomfortably aware of their hawklike penetration.
She wore a green dress of some stiff fabric, and it would have been incongruous with her character to see one wrinkle, one piece of lint, any flaw that would mar her impeccability. Because of her disheveled appearance, Lauren felt at a distinct disadvantage. The woman’s face betrayed neither approval nor disapproval of her guest.
“I’m Olivia Lockett. I trust your trip was uneventful.” She didn’t wait for a reply but continued in the same crisp tone, “I think you may have made the trip in vain, Miss Holbrook. I cannot conceive what my husband had in mind when he invited you here.”
Lauren was stunned by Olivia Lockett’s harsh words. Where was Ben? Obviously Mrs. Lockett had expected her. So why this instant hostility? She stammered, “I… I’m sure that if we could all sit down and talk about it, Ben would explain—”
“Is Jared all right, Pepe?” Olivia interrupted Lauren imperiously.
“Sí, Señora Lockett,” the man who had come to Jared’s aid answered her quickly, still supporting the younger man, who slumped against him unconsciously.
“He really got drunk last night, I guess,” Olivia said. Lauren thought she saw the hint of a smile in the corners of Olivia’s mouth, but then it was gone, and she was sure she had imagined it. What mother would be pleased to see her son in such a condition?
Continuing to ignore Lauren, Olivia addressed Pepe again. “Take Jared to the stable and sober him up.” Her tone was caustic. “Miss Holbrook, I’ll send someone out for your bags.”
Lauren took that to be the only invitation to enter the house she was likely to get. Where was Ben—at Keypoint? Why had he deserted her this way?
She lifted her skirt and climbed the steps until she was level with Olivia. The woman looked at her coldly, and a premonition of disaster coiled in Lauren’s stomach. She found the courage to say, “If you would summon Mr. Lockett, I’m sure—”
“That’s impossible, Miss Holbrook. My husband died early this morning.”
Chapter 3
Lauren was struck dumb. Was Olivia Lockett mad? The aristocratic face looking back at her with implacable eyes conveyed no emotion.
“That’s impossible,” Lauren breathed. The words were barely audible.
“I’m afraid it’s true, Miss Holbrook. He hasn’t been well for some time. He told me upon his return from New York that he had gone there to consult with a heart specialist.” She paused for a moment and looked toward her son who, still supported by Pepe, was disappearing around the corner of the house. “Last night, Ben and Jared argued. After Jared left, Ben had a seizure. He died this morning,” she repeated.
Lauren’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry,” she said. What was she going to do now? “I didn’t know anything about his illness. You must believe that, Mrs. Lockett.”
Olivia looked at Lauren closely and then said in the same brisk tones she had used to address Pepe, “We can discuss this another time. For the next few days, make yourself comfortable in your room. Elena will be assigned to you. I must ask you to stay to yourself as much as possible. It would be awkward to explain your being here at this difficult time. Do you understand?”
Lauren simply nodded.
Turning, she looked down at Ed Travers, who remained standing at the iron gate, holding his hat at his chest. His slack mouth and wide eyes revealed his astonishment at the news of Ben Lockett’s death.
“Thank you for your help, Mr. Travers. You have been most kind,” Lauren called down to him.
The depot manager said humbly, “I’m always at your service, Miss Holbrook. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, you have only to ask.” Travers raised his hands expressively as he spoke.
“Thank you,” Lauren mumbled.
“Mrs. Lockett, with your permission, I’ll help notify the public of Be—Mr. Lockett’s demise.”
“The funeral will be the day after tomorrow at two o’clock. Your help is always appreciated, Mr. Travers. As is your discretion.”