responsibility increased the moment he heard of his brother’s death. It was understandable. Herb himself had changed when his second son died. He became driven. He spent less time at home and more time at the bank. It was as if the bank suddenly took Bobby’s place, and he needed to see it prosper and grow as if it were a living creature.
True, the bank was one of the oldest institutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, founded in 1878 by Herb’s great-grandfather, and in a way it did seem part of the family. Once simply named The Fourth Bank of Boston, over the years it had changed names and added officers and shareholders. Now Worth, Kellogg, and Lew Lowry were in charge. Lew’s son Whit, who was Charlotte’s age, worked at the bank, and Nona knew that Worth wanted Charlotte to date him.
Nona still owned shares in the bank, but she had little power there and didn’t care to have more. She did have control of the Wheelwrightpersonal monies and trusts, and she ran Family Meeting in Herb’s place. It had been subtly suggested to her that Family Meeting was too much of a burden for a woman of her age, but she had no intention of letting go of the reins just yet.
The truth was, she was worried about Worth. She felt a need to keep her eye on him. Something wasn’t quite right. It was not just the fancy of an old lady, either. She was clear-sighted enough to see how Worth put pressure on his children. Well, on two of his children. He demanded the most of Charlotte, because Charlotte was the child who most adored her father. Charlotte had tried working at the bank and had disappointed Worth when, after three years, she told him it was not for her. Worth wanted his second son, Teddy, to quit his rogue ways and stop drinking so much. Well, everyone wanted Teddy to stop drinking so much. But Worth’s methods and manners of relating to his two younger children had changed. Worth could be so persuasive when he tried. He was handsome, charming, energetic, humorous—but this past year he had become a bit of a tyrant, which only turned his children more definitely against him. Even Charlotte, who worshipped her father, had begun to argue with him. The sound of their raised voices was not pleasant, nor was it in any way effective.
It was not just Teddy that was worrying Worth. Nona wondered if perhaps Helen was having an affair. So often sex was at the root of an upheaval. Worth and Helen had just turned sixty, a dangerous age. Helen was hardly a siren, but in her own untidy way she was attractive. Perhaps she was sleeping with another man; that could explain Worth’s disposition. Nona cared for her daughter-in-law, but she did think Helen was a dark horse. Helen had never allowed herself to become a true part of the Wheelwright family. She had been and continued to be a good mother, though, and Nona thought her children were still her top priority. Perhaps it was only the burden of Teddy and his difficulties that was weighing Worth down.
Oh, daughter Grace and her contingent were surely noisy and chaotic, but it was the thought of Worth’s arrival that made her feel so tired. Was this because she loved her son just a little bit more?
Five
H elen felt scattered as she settled into the limo. Worth, next to her, touched her hand. “Fasten your seat belt.”
She did, hoping he wouldn’t notice how her hands were shaking.
He didn’t.
Lounging back in the buttery-soft cushioned leather of the limo, Worth talked on his cell phone with colleagues and assistants about bank business or tapped on his laptop computer.
In self-defense, Helen opened her own laptop and tapped away too, making lists and memos for her various committees. Amazing, she thought, how her stifled emotions supplied a geyser of energy. Interesting, how all the modern technological gadgets designed to bring us closer together really provided a polite means for people to ignore one another.
At the airport, they went through the rituals of checking in
True, the bank was one of the oldest institutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, founded in 1878 by Herb’s great-grandfather, and in a way it did seem part of the family. Once simply named The Fourth Bank of Boston, over the years it had changed names and added officers and shareholders. Now Worth, Kellogg, and Lew Lowry were in charge. Lew’s son Whit, who was Charlotte’s age, worked at the bank, and Nona knew that Worth wanted Charlotte to date him.
Nona still owned shares in the bank, but she had little power there and didn’t care to have more. She did have control of the Wheelwrightpersonal monies and trusts, and she ran Family Meeting in Herb’s place. It had been subtly suggested to her that Family Meeting was too much of a burden for a woman of her age, but she had no intention of letting go of the reins just yet.
The truth was, she was worried about Worth. She felt a need to keep her eye on him. Something wasn’t quite right. It was not just the fancy of an old lady, either. She was clear-sighted enough to see how Worth put pressure on his children. Well, on two of his children. He demanded the most of Charlotte, because Charlotte was the child who most adored her father. Charlotte had tried working at the bank and had disappointed Worth when, after three years, she told him it was not for her. Worth wanted his second son, Teddy, to quit his rogue ways and stop drinking so much. Well, everyone wanted Teddy to stop drinking so much. But Worth’s methods and manners of relating to his two younger children had changed. Worth could be so persuasive when he tried. He was handsome, charming, energetic, humorous—but this past year he had become a bit of a tyrant, which only turned his children more definitely against him. Even Charlotte, who worshipped her father, had begun to argue with him. The sound of their raised voices was not pleasant, nor was it in any way effective.
It was not just Teddy that was worrying Worth. Nona wondered if perhaps Helen was having an affair. So often sex was at the root of an upheaval. Worth and Helen had just turned sixty, a dangerous age. Helen was hardly a siren, but in her own untidy way she was attractive. Perhaps she was sleeping with another man; that could explain Worth’s disposition. Nona cared for her daughter-in-law, but she did think Helen was a dark horse. Helen had never allowed herself to become a true part of the Wheelwright family. She had been and continued to be a good mother, though, and Nona thought her children were still her top priority. Perhaps it was only the burden of Teddy and his difficulties that was weighing Worth down.
Oh, daughter Grace and her contingent were surely noisy and chaotic, but it was the thought of Worth’s arrival that made her feel so tired. Was this because she loved her son just a little bit more?
Five
H elen felt scattered as she settled into the limo. Worth, next to her, touched her hand. “Fasten your seat belt.”
She did, hoping he wouldn’t notice how her hands were shaking.
He didn’t.
Lounging back in the buttery-soft cushioned leather of the limo, Worth talked on his cell phone with colleagues and assistants about bank business or tapped on his laptop computer.
In self-defense, Helen opened her own laptop and tapped away too, making lists and memos for her various committees. Amazing, she thought, how her stifled emotions supplied a geyser of energy. Interesting, how all the modern technological gadgets designed to bring us closer together really provided a polite means for people to ignore one another.
At the airport, they went through the rituals of checking in
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