Cautiously, she greeted Mr. Howland, and he seemed to be back in the present.
“Lovely what they’ve done to the place, isn’t it?” he said as they stepped to one side of the room.
Sara was facing him so she could see the others interact. Teddy seemed to be sulking, with her lower lip stuck out. She wasn’t looking directly at her mother, but Sara felt that she wanted to speak to her. Whatever Jack had done, he seemed to have calmed the girl down somewhat.
Mr. Howland was waiting for an answer.
“Sorry. I missed that.”
“I was saying what a splendid job this woman, Isabella, has done. Wish I could meet her. It’s hard to believe that at one time I wanted to own this monstrosity.”
“And Nicky,” she said.
Mr. Howland looked startled, then laughed. “Poor Nicky. Nadine would have made mincemeat out of him.”
“He was more suited to Diana?”
“She was the boss he needed. She ordered him about like the do-nothing he was.” He looked around the room. “Diana would have done this—if she’d had the money.”
“Where was she going to get financing?” Sara asked.
“She was planning to go into breeding horses.”
“Not racing?”
“No. Too much expense. It was a secret, but one of the mares was pregnant by North Star. Ever hear of him?”
“No. ’Fraid not.”
“It was kind of like crossing a Lamborghini with a Ferrari. I don’t know how she managed it.”
“What happened to the mare?”
Mr. Howland shrugged. “No idea. After Thorpe and Diana ran away together, everything stopped.”
“What about Nadine?” she asked softly. “And the baby?”
Pain distorted Mr. Howland’s face. It was like watching a play as Sara saw him change from rational to something feral. He turned toward the others. “Where’s Bertie?” he bellowed. “I want one of his cigars. And I need to tell Nicky I have a car for him. He’ll like it. It’s fast.” He stepped away from Sara.
“Damn!” she muttered. She’d missed the little window of opportunity to find out more of what he knew. Was he there the night Sean and Diana disappeared? What was his opinion of what had happened? Did he—?
She was glad when Jack and Kate appeared in the doorway. They were laughing, probably at one of the many jokes they shared.
“There he is!” came a woman’s voice.
Sara turned to see pretty Teddy looking at Jack. It didn’t take a psychic to see that she was trying to annoy her mother. The sprayed-on dress, the blond hair caressing her face. She was what all mothers told their daughters not to be.
“He’s the man who saved me.” Teddy’s voice filled the big room.
Everyone was mesmerized by her as she slunk across the room, the fabric of her dress clinging indecently.
“My darling hero.” When she reached Jack, she slipped an arm around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth.
Jack didn’t pull away, but Kate did.
Sara got in one step before all hell broke loose.
Like the bulldog he resembled, Mr. Howland went charging. “You bloody bastard,” he yelled. “She’s your daughter.”
In one moment, he swept Teddy aside and went after Jack, head down, charging like an enraged bull.
Jack was fast and sidestepped the charge—which meant that Mr. Howland was going toward the wall. If he hit it, his head would be broken like a pumpkin.
Sara, Jack and Kate had spent a lot of time boxing, and they were used to punches and jabs that they had to duck.
Sara dropped her drink to the carpet and made three leaps to reach the man to grab him from behind. Kate was at his right side and she threw herself onto him, pinning his arm down. Jack put himself in front of the man.
They managed to stop him just as he was mere inches from ramming into Jack. But saving him didn’t stop his rage. “I’ll kill you,” he yelled, and went after Jack.
Sara was behind him, her arms around his waist, her head on his back, but her light weight wasn’t hindering him. Kate had his arm locked down, but he still went after Jack.
It was Nadine who stopped him. She got through the melee to stand in front of him. “He’s not Sean,” she yelled. “He’s Jack. You don’t know him. Not. Sean.” She had to repeat it three times before it registered.
Yet again, he switched. The energy left him. He stood upright. In the present again.
Sara and Kate stepped away, but Jack stayed where he was, ready to take the man down if necessary.
Mr. Howland looked at Jack. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m—” The man looked like he might die of embarrassment.
“How about if I take you to your room?” Jack’s voice was kind and Mr. Howland nodded.
“I’m sorry,” the older man said as they went up the stairs. His face was still red. “My mind comes and goes. I try to control it, but...”
“It’s all right,” Jack said. “We all have problems.”
“A big, good-looking young man like you?”
“Me most of all,” Jack said. “I look like a man your daughter hated.”
Mr. Howland gave a snort of laughter. “Far from it. She...” He took a breath. “I thought she was going to kill herself after he left. I would have lost her and my beautiful granddaughter both. Here. I’m in this room.”
It was the Napoleon Room.
“They see me as a failed ruler,” he said as he fumbled to find the key. “I lock it because I don’t trust any of them. They’re all liars and thieves.”
Jack pulled a penknife out of his pocket. “Let me try.”
“You are him. I liked him a lot. The son I never had. Before I found out what he did to my daughter, that is. Dropped her like garbage.” He was looking down the hall. “This place is bringing back memories.”
“About breaking elephants?” Jack was working the door lock.
“Oh yeah. I remember that night so clearly. They were arguing.”
“Sounds like they were always arguing,” Jack said.
“No. This was different. She was...desperate, that’s what she was. And he... Well, he didn’t care at all.”
“You mean Nadine and Sean? She told him she was pregnant and he didn’t care?” Jack didn’t like hearing that.