“At least when Mick was around, things weren’t so bad,” Liam finally said. “Mick was always kind of funny and could talk Crocket out of a bad mood, but Ma couldn’t stand up to either one of them. She let me grow up in that house even though she knew the truth.”
Liam looked around, gesturing to the elegant furnishings and vaulted ceiling of the spacious bedroom. “And now I’ve wandered into all this. Money and power and a cozy life. How am I supposed to sleep at night, knowing my mother is still in that grubby row house with a leaky roof? I love her, but I’m mad at her too. I want to buy her a decent house, give her the key, and then walk out of her life forever. The thought of seeing her again and pretending that everything is forgiven is more than I can stand, and I hate, hate, hate feeling this way.”
Patrick thought carefully before responding. Liam wouldn’t be normal if he wasn’t struggling with anger and betrayal in light of everything that had happened to him.
“It’s not a sin to be angry. It’s how you respond to it that matters,” he said. “Liam, you just learned the truth three weeks ago. Take some time to come to grips with things before you cut your mother out of your life. She had to live with the same monster who terrorized you. Buy her a house if it will make you feel better—I can help with the legal part of that—but quit beating yourself up because you’re angry. You’ve got a right to be mad, but I want you to know that God was with you through it all, even when you couldn’t see him. And he’s here now, so don’t do anything stupid like vowing to cut your mother out of your life because she had human failings, okay?”
Liam gave a short, bitter laugh, but when he spoke again, there was a note of humor in his voice. “How come you always know the right things to say?”
“It’s a gift,” Patrick said casually. “You should listen to me more often.”
Liam scrubbed a hand across his face as though to banish the old memories, and a spark of energy lit his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Let’s head downstairs and figure out how we’re going to claw my ten percent back from Oscar Blackstone.”
Patrick nodded but silently prayed Liam had heard his counsel, because the sort of bitterness he’d expressed this morning could rise up to strangle a man if he didn’t learn to master it.
28
Over the next week, Gwen watched as Liam’s confidence rose and fell with breathtaking speed. One moment he seemed brash and ready to confront the world, and the next Frederick cleanly cut him down to size, reminding Liam of all the ways he was inexperienced in the world. During those times, Liam’s confidence evaporated, and he retreated inside himself, biting his nails and refusing to look anyone in the eye.
The real pressure wouldn’t begin until the rest of the family arrived next week. Frederick sent messages to everyone, confirming that the long-lost William Blackstone had been found. As patriarch of the family, Frederick insisted that everyone attend the annual summer gathering to officially welcome his grandson back into the fold.
The night before the family was due to arrive, Frederick coached Liam in the finer points of croquet. The Blackstones were zealous about croquet, and if Liam could participate, it would help ease his entry into the family.
Gwen had hoped Patrick would join them, but a lengthy document from town had arrived this afternoon, and he retreated to his bedroom to read it. Apparently, it was the bank’s operating agreement, which contained the roadmap for how to get Liam appointed to the board.
She couldn’t imagine anything more tedious than reading forty pages of small-print legal verbiage and remained outside in the cool of the summer evening. The front lawn was kept meticulously clipped and groomed in order to host croquet matches, and she settled onto the porch swing to watch Frederick teach Liam.
It wasn’t going well.
“You’re not concentrating,” Frederick groused as Liam rushed a shot and the ball skipped into the air and landed off the green.
“That’s because I’d rather work on banking lessons instead of rich-people games,” Liam said. “The July vote is coming up, and I want to be ready.”
Frederick eyed the green before tapping his ball through the wicket. “Why do you so desperately want to be at that vote?”
“To vote against the U.S. Steel merger.”
“Even though you have no chance of stopping it?”
“Even though,” Liam affirmed. “I may not win, but I intend to go down fighting. There’s valor in fighting all the way to the end.”
Frederick straightened, casually leaning on the croquet mallet as he eyed Liam. All Gwen’s senses went on alert. When her grandfather struck a deliberately casual pose like that, he was preparing to strike.
“And what if I told you I intend to use my thirty-percent stake to vote against the merger?”
Gwen’s jaw dropped, but Liam looked guarded and suspicious. “Why would you do that?”
Frederick walked over to his ball, positioned himself, and tapped it toward the next wicket.
“Perhaps because I know how big a risk it is. Steel is a valuable commodity, but what if the market turns? Even a bank as large as ours is not impervious to the whims of the market, and investing most of our capital in a single corporation is risky. Natalia is leery of the deal, and so am I.”
A door gently closed behind her, and Patrick joined her on the porch with a thick legal document in his hand. His expression was alert with tentative hope.
“Good news?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he whispered. “Maybe.” He turned his attention to Frederick as her grandfather continued speaking.
“Oscar believes this is the most profitable business deal of the century, and he may be right.” Frederick moved his ball through the course with ease as he tapped it with a gentle snick. “Then again, maybe not. The unions are hostile, which adds another element of risk.”
“You got that right,” Liam said. “I’ve talked to hundreds of men, and not one of them—”
Frederick straightened and sent Liam a swift warning glare. “Another rule to follow, my boy. When you sense an opponent is swaying in your direction, it is best to shut up and listen. Understood?”
Liam immediately conceded. “Yes, sir.”
Gwen could scarcely believe her ears. Was Frederick reconsidering his vote? She didn’t care about steel one way or the other, but if her grandfather was willing to split with Oscar on this, perhaps he’d reconsider funding for the college as well. Beside her, Patrick reached for her hand and squeezed. They both held their breaths, listening to the conversation on the lawn.
“I am not as heartless as the world believes,” Frederick continued. “I care about the people who work in Blackstone-financed mills and factories. I’m not convinced their rights can be safeguarded in a massive corporate conglomeration headquartered a thousand miles from the mills where people work.” He straightened and met Liam’s gaze. “Your father would have voted against this merger. I am skeptical about investing too much of our capital into a single corporation, but your father would have objected for humanitarian reasons. How can a company protect a far-off workforce the management never looks in the face? Theodore was a compassionate man, far too gentle for the world of finance. I will vote against the merger in his honor.”