He added with a smirk, “Unfortunately, he drew the short straw of penitentiaries. His facility is under federal investigation for a highly unusual number of inmate murders. I believe his imprisonment will be difficult. It’s doubtful he’ll reach the end of his sentence.”

She absorbed his words. The last she’d heard of her uncle, he was clean. “But I thought I heard...”

“Your parent’s recent financial woes must have contributed to his downward slide.”

She once again molded into his warm embrace. The autumn breeze held a hint of the impending winter. The coolness brought clarity to everything. She’d just received the gift of revenge -- of vengeance – as redemption for the wrongs done unto her. Nathaniel had done all he could to restore her world to its proper place. “Thank you, Nathaniel, I love you.”

He inhaled the sweet scent of her flowing auburn hair. “I love you, too. I’m still looking for your daughter, but so far I’m hitting dead ends.”

Marie placed her head against his sturdy chest. Her words were strong and filled with conviction, “I would like you to stop looking.”

He didn’t pull her away. Instead he held her tight; sensing the strength in her voice wouldn’t be reflected on her face. “Are you sure? Money can open closed files. It just takes time.”

She looked up at him, her strong-willed stance now moistened with tears. “I am sure.”

He didn’t ask for further explanation. If she wanted to offer, he’d listen. Although he wanted Marie to see her daughter, Nathaniel Rawls decided this wasn’t his call. He would continue the investigation, but he wouldn’t supply her with the information until she was ready.

Marie wanted to ask about one last perpetrator. She wanted to ask what punishment Samuel would receive, but she didn’t. Perhaps that was her battle to fight. Each dinner, each time she asked him to pass the salt, or stepped on the grand staircase, she shot a shell into his camp. As long as she had Nathaniel’s protection, her defenses were impenetrable.

Nathaniel returned to his home office, as Marie retired to his suite. She hadn’t stayed upstairs since recovering from her accident. He expected it to feel wrong, having her in the suite he’d shared with Sharron, but it didn’t. Sharron hadn’t been there for years. During her absence, his grand master bedroom suite became nothing more than a showroom for opulence, an empty space occupied by the best of everything, yet void of anything.

Now, when he entered the suite and found signs of cohabitation, he felt it was once again a home, a refuge. Sometimes he’d find Marie resting on the sofa in front of the large fireplace. With warmer weather she might be enjoying a rest on the adjacent terrace. The scent of vanilla and flowers lofted from his attached bathroom as lotions, gels, and perfumes filled his countertops and Sharron’s dressing table. His closet glowed with colors, dresses, and filmy blouses, where for so long he’d only seen suits in shades of gray and black. He smiled with each welcomed intrusion.

Nathaniel eventually planned to make their comfortable arrangement something more permanent and legal. He knew Samuel would protest, but wasn’t that always the case? Nathaniel hoped he could count on Anton’s support. His grandson provided it on numerous occasions since the accident on the stairs. What he truly didn’t know and what terrified Nathaniel was Marie’s response to his request. It was no secret she wanted children. He wasn’t exactly a spring chicken. Yes, everything worked. Her recent pregnancy proved his swimmers still swam, but would she want to intentionally plan a family with a man three times her age?

He wanted to prove she was more than a caring woman, nursing a sad old man back to life. She deserved to know how special she was to him. He wanted to wine and dine her and bestow the proper title of Mrs. Rawls upon her. However, as close as they’d become, they rarely went out into public. Sharron hadn’t been gone that long, yet. They had time.

Nathaniel had a trip scheduled to Europe, more specifically Geneva, soon. He planned to ask Marie to accompany him. Maybe, he’d even share his Switzerland investments with her. He hadn’t shared those with anyone. There was something about starting with nothing, that made a man want a reserve, a card in the hole, so to speak.

Focusing back on his desk, Nathaniel read Clawson’s latest report. There were two struggling companies in Ohio that looked ripe for the picking. There were also multiple possibilities in Illinois, but that was a trickier battle ground. Sometimes greasing hands cost more than actual purchases.

As he shuffled the reports, a manila folder caught his attention. It was the report Samuel presented to him while Marie struggled to survive the accident. Nathaniel thought his son’s timing couldn’t have been worse. If he would have learned anything from Samuel’s investigation, it was unlikely he’d have kicked her out of his home while she was recovering from internal injuries. Nathaniel shook his head. He continued to hope for Samuel’s business prowess. Hope may dawn eternal, but it wasn’t worth a dime in the face of tenacity. Perhaps there was hope for Anton, or children yet to come.

Nathaniel stuffed Samuel’s report in his side private file drawer, under C for Catherine Marie. After all, with any hope her last name would soon change – to Rawls.

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men.

--Robert Burns

Chapter 33

The traffic slowed as the SiJo limousine moved in short bursts. Claire recognized the sensation, after an almost hour long ride she was finally nearing her destination. Even though it had been a long time since she’d rode in the back of a limousine, her opinion hadn’t changed. She liked driving better. It gave her more of a sense of location and direction.