mother’s effortless sashay as I crossed the polished marble floor inside the bank. I gave my name and my business, and soon I was being shown into the office of a grandfatherly type in houndstooth check. He glanced up from a chart on which he was scribbling figures. “May I be of assistance, young lady?”
“I hope so, sir.” I smiled, marshaled a little small talk. “What’s that you’re working on?” Indicating his chart and its column of numbers.
“Percentages, figures. Quite dull.” He rose, indicating a chair. “Do sit down.”
“Thank you.” I sat, took a breath under my half veil. “I would like to withdraw some money, please.”
My American grandmother had settled a trust fund on me when she died. Not massive, but a good bit, and I’d been conscientiously adding to it since I was fourteen and got my first summer job in my father’s office. I’d never touched the account; I had an allowance for college and that was all I needed. I normally left the passbook tucked into my dresser drawer under my unmentionables, but I’d tossed it into my traveling case at the last minute when packing for the ocean liner. That same part of me that had packed Eve’s address, and the report about Rose’s last whereabouts. Not laying plans, exactly, but listening to the little voice that whispered, You might need these, if you get up the nerve to do what you really want to do . . .
I was glad I’d listened to that voice and included the passbook, because I was flat out of cash. I had no idea why Eve had decided to help me, but I didn’t think it was from goodness of heart. I’d cross her palm with silver if that was what it took, and the palm of anyone else who might lead me to Rose, but for that I needed the silver. So I presented my passbook and identification, and smiled at the banker.
Within ten minutes, I was holding that smile in place only by sheer force of will. “I don’t understand,” I said for at least the fourth time. “You have proof of my name and age, and there are clearly sufficient funds in the account. So why—”
“Parting with such a large sum, young lady, is not generally done. Such accounts are held to be in trust for your future.”
“But it’s not just in trust for my future. My own savings are in there—”
“Perhaps if we could speak with your father?”
“He is in New York. And it’s not such a large amount—”
The banker interrupted me again. “A telephone number for your father’s office will suffice. If we might speak to him, to gain his consent—”
I interrupted him this time. “You don’t need my father’s consent. It’s my name on the account. It was arranged that I would have access to it when I turned eighteen, and I’m nineteen.” Pushing my cards at him again. “You don’t need anyone’s consent but mine.”
The banker shifted a bit in his leather chair, but the grandfatherly expression never wavered. “I assure you that something can be arranged if we can just speak with your father.”
My teeth gritted as if they had fused. “I would like to make a withdrawal of—”
“I’m sorry, young lady.”
I stared at his watch chain and his plump hands, the light shining through the thin spot in his hair. He wasn’t even looking at me anymore; he’d pulled his chart back and was scribbling more figures on it and crossing them out again.
It was petty of me, but I reached across the table, slid the chart out from under his hand, and gave the columns of numbers a looking over. Before he could bristle, I took a pencil stub from the edge of the desk, crossed out his figures, and wrote down the correct ones. “You were off by a quarter of a percent,” I said, sliding the sheet back. “That’s why your balance was coming out wrong. Run it through an adding machine just to be certain, though. Since I clearly can’t be trusted with money.”
His smile slipped. I stood, chin raised to the highest I don’t care setting on the dial, and stormed out into the sunshine. My own money. Not just money I’d inherited but money I’d earned, and I couldn’t get five cents of it for myself unless I had my father in tow. It was so utterly unfair my teeth were still grinding, but I couldn’t say I was completely surprised.