Sons of Fortune

“You should,” said Nat, “because one thing’s for certain, Ralph Elliot would have murdered his wife if he had thought it would win him the election.”

Book Six

Revelation

49

Fletcher sat in his Senate office reading the morning papers the day after the trial.

“What an ungrateful lot,” he said, passing the Hartford Courant across to his daughter.

“You should have left him to fry,” said Lucy as she glanced at the latest opinion poll figures.

“Expressed with your usual elegance and charm,” said Fletcher. “It does make me wonder if all the money I’ve spent sending you to Hotchkiss has been worthwhile, not to mention what Vassar is going to cost me.”

“I may not be going to Vassar, Dad,” said Lucy in a quieter voice.

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” asked Fletcher, picking up on his daughter’s change of tone.

“Yes, Dad, because even though Vassar has offered me a place, I may not be able to accept it.”

Fletcher couldn’t always be certain when Lucy was kidding and when she was serious, but as she had asked to see him in his office and not to mention the meeting to Annie, he had to assume she was in earnest. “What’s the problem?” he asked quietly, looking across the desk at her.

Lucy didn’t meet his stare. She bowed her head and said, “I’m pregnant.”

Fletcher didn’t reply immediately as he tried to take in his daughter’s confession. “Is George the father?” he eventually asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“And are you going to marry him?”

Lucy thought about the question for some time before replying. “No,” she said. “I adore George, but I don’t love him.”

“But you were willing to let him make love to you.”

“That’s not fair,” said Lucy. “It was the Saturday night after the election for president, and I’m afraid we both had a little too much to drink. To be honest, I was sick of being described by everyone in my class as the virgin president. And if I had to lose my virginity, I couldn’t think of anyone nicer than George, especially after he admitted that he was also a virgin. In the end I’m not sure who seduced whom.”

“How does George feel about all this? After all, it’s his child as well as yours and he struck me as rather a serious young man, especially when it came to his feelings for you.”

“He doesn’t know yet.”

“You haven’t told him?” said Fletcher in disbelief.

“No.”

“How about your mother?”

“No,” she repeated. “The only person I’ve shared this with is you.” This time she did look her father in the eye, before adding, “Let’s face it, Dad, Mom was probably still a virgin on the day you married her.”

“And so was I,” said Fletcher, “but you’re going to have to let her know before it becomes obvious to everyone.”

“Not if I were to have an abortion.”

Again, Fletcher remained silent for some time, before saying, “Is that what you really want?”

“Yes, Dad, but please don’t tell Mom, because she wouldn’t understand.”

“I’m not sure I do myself,” said Fletcher.