He called for the driver to stop. She stepped down and started north on Eighth Avenue, thinking through the elevations in her head. The pressed-brick building, trimmed in terra-cotta, utilized a new type of steel column so it could soar tall on a proportionally narrow lot.
But without the elevations, the grandeur of the place would be impossible to convey to the client. She hurried into the Dakota and up to Theo’s apartment, where Mrs. Haines was exiting the front door.
The woman formed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Their touching reunion after Sara’s release had been tempered by Sara’s close alliance with Theo. Even though Sara and Theo were as circumspect as possible, the servants talked. They always did.
But Sara’s stint in a madhouse and the resulting notoriety had offered up a freedom that she’d never imagined. It no longer mattered what other people said or thought. Her pain and suffering absolved her from gossip, or perhaps it was more that she was inured to it at this point. Which meant she could do as she liked, and at the moment, she liked being partners with Theo, in more ways than one.
Yet Sara hated to think that she was causing any problems for the woman, who certainly had enough on her hands. “Mrs. Haines, is there something I can help you with?”
“No, just overseeing a delivery to the children’s room. It’s been taken care of.”
“I see.”
She didn’t, though. The children’s room had been closed up since Mrs. Camden and the children had left. Sara had popped her head in once when she’d awoken early to climb the back stairs to her own room. The room had an air of neglect about it, as if the only occupants had ever been the dolls lined up on the neatly made beds. Her heart tugged, very slightly, at the thought of the children having to suffer the fright of their mother’s illness, but she had pushed it aside, too caught up in the charismatic pull of Theo. They had ventured beyond the rubric and the expectations of society.
Mrs. Haines disappeared without another word. Sara found the drawings on Theo’s drafting desk in the library and placed them in a rucksack. There was no time to waste, but a loud bang pulled her down the hall to the bedchambers. One of the porters, a new one, she couldn’t remember his name, stood in the middle of the children’s room, unwrapping a large piece of furniture that had been bound in burlap for protection.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” The young man smiled at her.
“Not at all. Is this the delivery Mrs. Haines mentioned?” She didn’t want him to think she didn’t know what was going on. Even if she didn’t.
“Yes, ma’am. A crib.”
Her heart leaped to her throat. A crib for a baby.
Could Mrs. Camden have had another child and Theo hadn’t told her? Would he have kept that information from her, knowing it would drive a wedge between them?
Maybe that was why Mrs. Camden had been trundled upstate. Not because of illness, but so Sara didn’t find out right off. So he could woo her and pull her close to him again before breaking the news.
She made it to the meeting quickly, after urging the hansom driver to pick up the pace. The horse seemed to sense her nervousness and stomped his feet as she paid the fare. In the distance, Theo stood in the center of the lot, which had previously held a blacksmith and a saloon. The owners had vacated months ago and the buildings had been razed. As she approached, he greeted her, and the men all nodded. She handed over the drawings and stepped back, knowing that her role right now was to be the dutiful assistant. Theo was never dismissive of her in front of clients, but the one time she’d made a suggestion, he’d cut her off with a curt “No, that won’t do.”
Later, he’d apologized and incorporated her idea, but she knew he was right. The outside world wouldn’t understand how they worked together, nor approve.
The meeting seemed to go on forever, and even once they were back at the office, there was still no way to speak privately. The last draftsman peeled off at seven o’clock, offering a cheery “Good night” as he put on his hat and coat.
By then, the knot in Sara’s stomach seemed to have tripled in size.
She got right to the point. One of the things Theo said he liked about her.
“When I was at the Dakota getting the plans, Mrs. Haines said that your wife and family are returning.”
Theo sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. “Yes. I’m sorry. I meant to tell you. We’ve been so busy.”
“When are they due back?”
“Next week.”
She crossed her arms. “When were you planning on mentioning it? When I bumped into Mrs. Camden in the courtyard?”
“No, no. Of course not. I was going to tell you tonight over dinner. But you see, it won’t make any difference, not to our work, our lives.”
“How can you say that? Do you really think she’ll put up with you running about town and being seen with me?”
She hated the way she sounded, like a scolding shrew.
Theo hung his head. “I don’t want her to come back. I know that makes me a terrible human being, but that’s the way I feel. I love you. We talked just the other day about how we don’t care what other people think. But now you do?”
No. Her pain was deeper than that. She drew a deep breath. “Did you and Mrs. Camden have another child?”
“What? No.”
How he could deny such a thing shocked her. “A crib is being set up in the children’s room.”
“Yes, right.” He came around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge of it, hands out. “This is why I wanted to tell you over dinner, where we could sit and I could explain things.”
She stood firm. “Please do.”
“While Minnie was upstate, she befriended a woman who was also ill, who had a small child. The woman passed away and Minnie said that she’d promised to look after it for her. I was aghast; I don’t want another child.”
“It will be your ward?”
“Yes.”
“Is it a boy or a girl?” She held her breath, praying it not be a boy.
“A boy. They named him Christopher.”
A chill went up her spine. When Sara didn’t speak, Theo continued on. “I wasn’t happy about it, but it gives her something to focus on, something that’s not the two of us. Don’t you see? It was my barter. I keep you and she can keep the child. It’s an agreement.”
“You spoke to her of us?”
“Not in an obvious, crass way. But she’d heard rumors. To be honest, I doubt she’s surprised or angry. We never really got on. It was all for the families’ sakes, hers and mine. She loves the children; that is her passion. I love you. You are mine.”
“You will live together, and we will carry on, and she’ll take care of this boy?”
“Christopher. Yes. You’ll see. It’s a splendid arrangement.”
“For you, perhaps. You get the attentions of the devoted wife, while the mistress stays close at hand.”
He stood, indignant. “You are not my mistress. That’s a useless word when it comes to describing who we are and what we do. We are business partners, lovers, all sorts of things. You are an indispensable part of my happiness. I hope I am to yours.”
“But the boy.”
“What is one more child running around? I will take care of it because by doing so, I get you.” He drew close to her and put one hand around the back of her neck, the other over her heart. A wave of claustrophobia washed over her.
Was he heartless or practical? Or both? What he was proposing was outrageous. But she couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. “How will your wife and I manage? Won’t that be terribly awkward?”
“You’ll see, it won’t be that bad. We’ll have to be careful in the early stages, as they settle in.”
“Theo. You’re mad.”
“I am. But I know what I want: you by my side. Always. I’ll do anything I can to make that happen. Now that I’m making money hand over fist, I can take care of you and take care of my family. I want to do right by you.”
He touched his lips lightly to her forehead. “Will you try it? If it’s awful, I will write you a glowing recommendation, and you can do work for another architect in the city.”
“No one would hire a woman to do what I do.”