Chapter 4

CHAPTER4

“This is ridiculous.” Ellie flapped the ankle-length linen duster she wore—Aunt Florence’s. “And I’m not wearing these.” She pulled the leather motoring goggles out of the pocket and shoved them toward Ada.

They stood under the carriage porch on the west end of the hotel, waiting for Lewis Thornton to bring his automobile around. His written invitation to take Mr. Hasting’s young ladies for a drive had arrived this morning. Aunt Florence had been so delighted she’d poohed any talk of boutonnieres and red silk sleeves. Uncle Walter and Aunt Florence now sat in Adirondack chairs nearby to wave them off.

Indeed, what had changed for Lewis Thornton between dinner last night and breakfast? Any amusement he had shown upon running into Ellie had soured the moment Aunt Florence pressed to further the acquaintance. Surely, more was afoot than the power of Aunt Florence’s will and a glimpse of Ada’s charms.

Ada pushed the goggles back. “You’re being ridiculous. You’re going to need these unless you want to lose your eyesight.”

Ellie made a soft blowing sound. How one managed to get the leather strap around one’s head while maintaining the fashionable low pompadour mystified her—although Ada, as usual, made it look easy. Her goggles already rested on her forehead, beneath her wide-brimmed, veiled hat.

Ada surveyed her with pursed lips. “I don’t know when I’ve seen you in such a mood.”

“And I don’t know why you and your mother won’t believe Lewis Thornton is already interested in someone.” The heavy clothing in the sultry Florida warmth was already sapping her normal reserve.

“I do believe it. But I don’t think it’s some mystery woman.” When Ellie stared at her, Ada rolled her eyes. “He’s interested in you.”

Ellie scoffed. “That is the most ridiculous notion yet.”

“It’s plain to see you intrigue him. Why do you think I let him believe we were sisters?”

She propped a hand on her hip. “If that is so, why are you motoring about with him while I serve as a backseat chaperone?”

Ada flattened her mouth, then leaned close. “Trust me, Ellie.”

With a loud rumble, a red touring REO with black metal fenders and a black soft top pulled up in front of them. Seated behind the wheel, Lewis Thornton lifted his leather cap from his head. “Good afternoon, ladies.” He bowed to Uncle Walter and Aunt Florence, who had risen and drew close to inspect the automobile. “Mr. and Mrs. Hastings.”

“Oh, look. It has a windshield.” Ellie tucked her goggles back into her pocket.

Ada shot her a glare but didn’t argue as a porter assisted her into the front seat. Then the young man opened the small door to the backseat and offered his hand to Ellie.

“This is a two-cylinder, isn’t it?” Uncle Walter asked Thornton.

“It is.” Thornton patted the side. “The engine rests under the seat here, while the radiator, water, and gas are under the hood.”

“I like the running board.”

“Yes. Much more practical than a Roadster.” Aunt Florence eyed the backseat as though she might climb in next to Ellie. “Sporty, yet practical for a family.”

Ada folded her hands in her lap and looked straight ahead.

“Yes, ma’am. I prefer being able to drive four passengers. I should have the ladies back for tea. I thought we’d drive up to Clearwater and back—give them a chance to see the area.”

“That’s fine, Mr. Thornton. Fine.” Aunt Florence chuckled and stepped back, tucking her hand in Uncle Walter’s arm.

Ellie braced herself as they jolted forward, circling past the terraced lawn that led down to the bay. Ladies with raised parasols and gentlemen in straw hats strolled out onto the pier, and small white sails and steamers dotted the aquamarine waves beyond the boathouse. The top of the touring car provided shade from the tropical sun, its rays stunning in intensity after the dreary Pennsylvania winter. And the breeze wasn’t bad, broken as it was by the windshield and the occupants of the front seat. Ada was chattering on, thanking Thornton for the outing.

Would he explain his apparent change of heart?

Just before the bridge that led off hotel property, he pulled into a gravel lot.

Ellie leaned forward. “Why are we stopping?”

Thornton glanced over his shoulder. “There are shops and a museum in the lower level of the bridge, and a boardwalk along Corkscrew Creek. I thought you might wish to investigate on our way back. For now, we will be picking up another passenger.”

Ada gripped the edge of her seat and swiveled to scan the lot. A tall man with russet hair approached. “Jesse!” She scrambled down from the running board and flew into his arms.

Ellie covered her mouth and half muffled the slang that slipped out. “Oh, blimey.” This was what Ada had meant when she’d urged Ellie to trust her? “What will her mother say?”

“I think the point is for her mother not to know.”

“You’re in on this?”

Thornton laid an arm across the front seat as he looked back at her. “Mr. Bowen and I are members of the same gentlemen’s club in Philadelphia. He’s a good egg, a younger son who has yet to catch his break. We all need a break, don’t we?”

“I—I suppose so.” She would never dare to apply such a theory to herself—not only a woman, but the dreaded poor relation.

“When he came last evening asking for my help, I took pity on him. Besides, today’s outing served my purpose.”

Ellie’s brows rose. “Which is?”

“To better make your acquaintance.” Gracious. He had laugh lines around his eyes as well as his lips.

His smile deepened. “I’m afraid I’ve given you a poor impression.”

“Oh, you mean when you thought I, and then Ada, were after you?” Her hand flew to her mouth again. What about the man so unhinged her tongue?

His relaxed, hearty laugh made her jump. “Let’s just say I have a better understanding of your situation now.”

She narrowed her eyes, owning her sass this time. “Well, I still have questions.” If he thought he could carry on with a paramour on the fourth floor and charm her stockings off, he had another think coming.

“Good thing you’ll be joining me up here, Miss Hastings.”

She turned with lips parted as Jesse opened her door and extended his hand. “Miss Ellie? Nice to see you again.”

Ada giggled. “I told you to trust me. Jesse and I arranged everything last night.”

Ellie let out a breath and turned her head to one side. “If your mother finds out…”

“But you won’t tell her, will you?”

“Ada…”

“She won’t think to ask, not with Mr. Thornton motoring us around. Come on, Ellie. You promised to help me.” Her bright brown eyes pleaded until Ellie took Jesse’s hand and stepped down.

The deception unsettled her spirit, but what was she to do? Stalk back up the driveway and spill all to Aunt Florence? Since when had her aunt’s judgement proved sound? Perhaps Jesse Bowen deserved a break. Did Lewis Thornton?

She slid onto the front seat beside him, and he smiled at her—the open smile one gave an equal. Her heart seemed to come loose from her rib cage and go thudding down to her stomach. He must not know she was a pinch from penniless. Just on the off-chance Ada was right about him having any interest in her, she could at least absolve herself of subterfuge. If she scared him off, so be it. She didn’t want a man who kept a woman on the side. And she sure didn’t want to be that woman.

As Jesse helped Ada into the backseat, Ellie forced out her confession. “You might as well know, Ada and I aren’t sisters. We’re cousins.”

His smile didn’t dim. “Jesse told me. Don’t you have any goggles? You’re going to need them.”

Ellie produced the leather-framed glasses. When she merely sat there with them in her lap, Thornton took them and gestured to her hat.

“You’ll need to unpin it.”

She slid out her long hatpin. While she patted her sweat-smashed hair, he looped the strap around her head. From the backseat, Ada muffled a giggle.

Thornton secured the goggles. “There, now. We wouldn’t want anything to harm those amazing turquoise eyes.”

And that made any protest about how ridiculous she must look die on her lips.

* * *

Belleair’s palm-lined boulevard gave way to the sandy road to Clearwater, and Lewis let the engine wind out to forty. Even with the glass, wind and road noise made conversation a challenge. Not that Miss Hastings tried. Behind them, Jesse and Ada Hastings exclaimed over heron and deer sightings and tried to get him to stop at an orange grove. Ellie sat with her hands in her lap and her face forward.

He’d gone from defensive when she’d attempted to introduce her family on the train, to amused and indignant when she’d spied on him in the basement, to sympathetic when Jesse described the pretentious aspirations of Walter and Florence Hastings.

He glanced over at her. “The notes about Alton Adler III make sense now. I only wish I could read what you’d written about me.”

One corner of her mouth tugged up. “I’ll never tell. I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

“Now that you know I’m an advocate for Mr. Bowen.”

She started to speak, then hesitated. “I don’t like being put in this position.”

Conversation behind them silenced. Jesse leaned forward. “Miss Ellie, my intentions are honorable, as I intend to show Mr. Hastings.”

She turned. “How, if I may ask?”

Before Jesse could shout an answer, Lewis nodded to the buildings ahead. “We’re coming into Clearwater. I’ll stop at the hardware store for some gas, and we can talk then.”

But Jesse’s voice swelled. “Why, that’s just it—stopping at a hardware store for gas. What an inconvenient notion.”

Ellie rubbed her ear. “Please, Mr. Bowen. Can we speak once Mr. Thornton stops the car?”

“Of course. Of course.” With a nervous grin, he sat back and reached for Ada’s hand.

Lewis puttered to a stop next to a faded green wagon. Its team pranced as his engine cut out with a bang.

Ellie wiped the outside of her goggles and peered over at the horses. “Poor things.”

Lewis lifted his lenses to his cap. “Before long, automobiles will replace all wagons and carriages.”

“And every town will have a filling station like the original one Standard Oil opened in Seattle—but not just for gasoline. Drive-in stations that offer tire repair, oil, and batteries,” Jesse declared. “That’s my vision, Miss Hastings. I just have to get Mr. Rockefeller to sign off on it.”

A young man in overalls hurried out of the hardware store. Tipping the brim of his cap, he asked, “Fill up?”

“Yes, please.” Lewis surveyed his passengers. The raccoon-like rings left by Ellie’s goggles threatened his composure. A ghostly figure in all her netting, Ada coughed. Lewis hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “I spied a drugstore on Cleveland Street. Shall we walk over for a soda while he gets the gas?”

“Oh, yes. I’m parched.” Ada pushed back her veil, and Jesse hurried to help her out.

Lewis came around for Ellie—as he found himself thinking of her, to differentiate between the Miss Hastings. When he offered his gloved hand, she hesitated a moment. Despite his assistance, she almost tripped when her duster tangled on the fender.

She slapped the material into submission. “Stupid coat.”

“It does rather swallow you whole.”

“It’s my aunt’s.”

Did she never go out motoring so as to require her own? Leading the way up the boardwalk, Lewis tucked her hand through his elbow rather than initiate another battle of will by proffering his arm. Whatever reservations Ellie harbored about Jesse, she made no secret of her distrust for himself.

He tilted his head toward her. “How long have you been with your aunt and uncle?”

She drew her lower lip up. “Half my life now.”

He had the good sense not to inquire further. “And Ada is their last child at home?”

Ellie nodded. “She is a good deal younger than me, but we are fast friends. So you see, I agree with her parents in wanting her to marry well.”

“Of course. And what will you do after?”

Her steps faltered, but two farmers stepping off the boardwalk to allow them to pass covered her vacillation. “I—I’m not sure yet.” She raised her pointed chin. “I assume I will take a post as a governess or teacher.”

“Have you taught before?”

“No, but my father saw that I was well-educated.” Defensiveness laced the statement.

Assurances and answers to whatever questions she had for him would have to wait. They’d reached Matghett’s Drug Store. The dim interior came as a relief, as did the cold bottles from the icebox. Lewis stuck with Coca-Cola, but the proprietor convinced the ladies to try Royal Crown Cola from Columbus, Georgia. Jesse had a ginger ale. Lewis selected a pack of Juicy Fruit gum to moisten their mouths on the ride back and laid out change while the owner removed their bottle caps.

“Welcome to sit out front as long as you like,” he said. “And come back on Saturday. There’s a pavilion down at the pier where we have a dance every week.”

“Oh, that does sound fun.” Ada tossed a hopeful glance at Jesse, then slid it over to Lewis.

If he couldn’t get Ellie to warm up to him, these foursomes could become a challenge. But her reticence challenged him. “I’m available Saturday.”

Jesse grinned. “It’s a date. Well, not with you.”

Ellie flushed.

Lewis held the door on the way out. “You look a bit warm still, Miss Hastings—Miss Ellie, I mean. May I call you Ellie?”

Ada giggled and answered for her. “That’s a good idea, so I don’t get confused.”

Before Ellie had a chance to answer, Lewis indicated the bench. “Why don’t we sit here to enjoy our drinks, and Jesse can tell us about this big idea of his. Would you like to take off your coat, Ellie?”

Her eyes widened, and she set her cola on the arm of the bench. “Yes, Lewis, I believe I will.”

Settling beside Jesse, Ada clapped. “Isn’t it nice, being on a first-name basis?”

When Ellie struggled, Lewis reached for the sleeve. “Allow me.”

“Thank you, no. I’ve got it.” Frowning, she finally wriggled out of the duster and sat in a huff beside Ada. She took a long swig of soda and pulled the bottle away with a popping sound.

Suppressing a smile, Lewis lowered himself beside her.

Jesse was back on the topic of the filling station. “I’ve written a letter to John Rockefeller Jr. proposing the opening of three such businesses in Pittsburgh.”

“Overseen by Jesse, of course.” Ada’s fingers encircled his arm, and her glistening face shone with pride. “He asked for an appointment in New York.”

Ellie crossed one dusty boot over the other. “When do you expect to hear back?”

“Well, I wrote a couple months ago, so…” Jesse squared his shoulders. “Any time now.”

Lewis wiped condensation from his Coca-Cola. “I have to say, I find that doubtful.”

Jesse’s stare froze on him. “Why? He’s the Rockefeller still involved in Standard Oil, not his father.”

“I hear from friends that involvement is minimal and will not last long. The government is coming for Standard Oil and any other big trusts.”

Ellie nodded. “I read that there are seven suits pending against Standard alone. They say it’s more than twenty times the size of its closest competitor.”

Lewis met her gaze. “That’s right.” He liked a woman who kept abreast of headlines.

Jesse reached for Ada’s hand. “That may be true, but even if the trust breaks up, it won’t threaten the Rockefeller fortune. If anything, they’ll get richer as they sell off shares.”

“Maybe, but the family would pull away from involvement. I don’t expect you’ll hear back from your letter.” He waited until Jesse’s head lowered. “But I may be able to help you.”

The younger man’s chin snapped up. “How?”

“I like your idea. I think my friend, William Mellon, will too.”

“William Mellon, the largest investor in Gulf Oil Corporation?”

Lewis nodded. “That’s right.”

Jesse sat up straight, his tone growing eager. “I knew he lived in Pittsburgh. I’ve just never met him. You’re friends?”

“Business acquaintances. If you’d like, I can arrange an introduction.”

“That would be swell.” Jesse ran his hand through his sweaty auburn hair, making the ends stick up so that he looked like a tousled boy. “Would there be any way…you might consider writing him from here?”

“I could do that.” Lewis shrugged and sipped his syrupy drink. “But we might receive quicker results if we invited him to a golf match.”

Jesse shot to his feet. “You mean—he’s here?”

Lewis chuckled. The younger man’s enthusiasm reminded him of his own, back when he’d burned with ideas about how to change the world. “Staying just down the hall from me.”

“A golf match. A more casual tack. It could work.” He ruffled his hair again, taking a couple steps on the boardwalk, then turning back. “I hate to approach a competitor, but if what you say about Rockefeller is true…”

“I honestly believe Mellon is your best bet.”

Jesse offered his hand to help Ada rise, then encircled her waist with his arm. “I’m in your debt, sir. I’d do anything to get her father to consider me.” No one could doubt the devotion in his eyes. It could almost make Lewis believe in love again.