An interesting story, and a way for him to further understand their motivation. But she still hadn’t mentioned the purpose of her visit, and what sort of disaster Heidi headed to.
Once she seemed calmer, Michael squeezed her hand. “Why are you here?”
“Oh my goodness.” She jerked her head up, and opened her string purse. “Here I am so busy explaining things to you, I almost forgot the most important thing.”
Michael smiled. He’d learned to deal with Mrs. Lester’s distractions during the short time she worked for him. He would ask her something, and she would digress in a totally different direction, until breathless, she would finally answer. A charming woman, he enjoyed her company, grew to respect her, and admired how fiercely she loved her family.
A small pile grew on the table as she pulled things from her purse. “Ah, here it is!” She held up a folded piece of paper, and shook it open. “Just look at this.”
Michael took the paper from her hand and began to read. His eyes moved back and forth, his outrage growing. Still not sure what the missive meant, and why Mrs. Lester possessed it to begin with, he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. “What does this all mean?”
Mrs. Lester leaned forward, and tapped her finger on the table. “Clarence Manfred wrote that, and showed it to Heidi. He told her if she didn’t return to Oklahoma City and marry him, he would send that,” she nodded at the sheet, “to the two biggest newspapers in Oklahoma.”
He frowned. “But who would believe this?”
“Do you remember Gloria?” She sat back and huffed.
“You mean the woman with whom we had dinner?”
“The very same.”
He nodded, more baffled than ever.
Mrs. Lester spoke through gritted teeth. “Gloria is Clarence’s mistress.”
Michael dragged his hand down his face. “All right. I’m so confused right now, I can’t think clearly. Can you start from the beginning?”
“First of all, did you know about the Senator’s background?”
“Yeah, we all know. Uncle Jesse never made a secret of his beginnings. In fact, we were always very proud of what he’d accomplished.”
“Gloria worked in a brothel,” she wrinkled her nose, “at the same time your uncle’s mother, um, resided there. Gloria’s the one who told Clarence about the Senator’s background.” She hopped up and paced. “After showing Heidi this,” she waved in the direction of the paper sitting on the table, “he told my daughter his mistress would speak with one of their reporters, naming dates and everything.”
Michael slumped in his char. “That bastard.” He looked up quickly. “Sorry.”
Mrs. Lester waved him off. “Tomorrow morning at eleven o’clock, my precious daughter will marry that…monster.” She sat once again. “Do you know he told her he intends to keep Gloria as his mistress after they’re married?” Her lips formed a tight line. “He also told Heidi even though he expected her to marry him, he didn’t even like her!”
Despite the anger boiling his blood, Michael smiled at the red-faced outrage on the woman’s face. “How did you discover all this?”
Mrs. Lester took another sip of tea that had to be cold by now. “I knew from the start something wasn’t right. I know my daughter, and I know how she feels about you.”
Michael’s head snapped up at her words, and his heart jumped. Did she mean what he hoped she did? Could he truly have Heidi in his arms once more? Forever?
“She loves you Michael. And am I wrong in assuming you love her as well?” Her voice softened.
He shook his head. “No, you’re not wrong. In fact, I had intended to speak with your husband, then propose to Heidi the morning she told me she was leaving for Oklahoma City.”
All the memories and pain rushed back. Heidi insisting she would marry Clarence. His gut tightened as anger shot through him.
She reached across the table, and covered his hand. “Heidi is a mess. And a miserable bride. She’s not aware I hear her crying into her pillow every night. I’ve asked her over and over what is wrong, but she refused to tell me. And she’s lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose.”
“I know how she looks.” At Mrs. Lester’s raised eyebrows, he continued. “Ellie caught me yesterday morning, and badgered me after her visit to your home.” He chuckled. “My bratty sister told me the only one who looked worse than me was Heidi.”
“I had hoped Heidi would confide in Ellie. But when your sister announced she meant to return home that same night, and Heidi still looked so sad, I knew nothing had changed.”
“Obviously somehow you uncovered this information. How did you manage that? Did Heidi finally tell you?”
“Yes. But only after I found this paper in one of her drawers.” She raised her chin. “Yes, I snooped. I grew tired of watc