I pride myself on being careful and a bit skeptical of first impressions,” he said, “I believe you are very bright and perceptive, especially for someone as young as you are.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t imagine it will take you long to size up this family and navigate the waters of Wyndemere successfully, but I want to be sure you understand how delicate and fragile Samantha really is. She floods anyone, especially someone new, with a plethora of distractions, keeping you from seeing just how vulnerable she really is. I hope your life in New York, as short as it has been, hasn’t made you too cynical or hardened you.”
“No, I don’t think so, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing in today’s world.”
I knew where he was going, but I waited to hear him say it.
“Some cynicism is necessary for survival, of course. But to our issue… having a child, children, is very important to us, even though Samantha is apparently tossing overboard what most would agree is the essence of motherhood, carrying and giving birth to one’s own child. Dr. Bliskin will tell you that for most women, being pregnant is, at one stage or another, a time when they feel most fulfilled, healthy. Indeed, it seems almost antithetical to a woman’s essence to reject natural motherhood.”
“I’ve heard that, yes.”
It bothered me, too, I thought, but seventy-five thousand dollars…
“From what Leo tells me, you come from quite a traditional family structure. I doubt you’ve ever come into contact with this sort of thing.”
“In vitro?”
“That, and a woman like Samantha,” he added, to be sure his point was clear.
“I come from a male-dominated family,” I said. “My father oversaw all my social contacts. I can’t imagine that you’d appreciate how important my independence is to me now, but please be assured, I am capable of making my own decisions.”
“Yes, I believe you are. Leo warned me that you could be very determined.”
“In that way, I am my father’s daughter,” I said.
He finally released one of his precious smiles, precious because when he smiled, his demeanor changed instantly. The warmth that rushed in enhanced his good looks. He was like a man who, for the moment at least, had stepped out of the portrait painted of him.
“However, there’s a bit of a reversal here when it comes to what we call a traditional family. You’ll find the older generation in this house is female-dominated. My father would never admit it.”
“Yes, I met your mother for only a moment or two, but long enough to get an initial impression.”
“She won’t be any problem for you. As they say, more often than not, her bark is worse than her bite. She tends to ignore what she doesn’t approve of rather than truly face it down. But I’m here to talk about Samantha. I know you’re still deciding about this. What I want to be sure about is that whatever your final decision, you do not make her feel any less of a woman. I have no doubt that she will love our child more than her own life once he or she is delivered into her arms.”
He paused, expecting me to say something either to reinforce that or to challenge it, but I was silent. I could almost feel his eyes searching my face for a clue, but I really wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I didn’t know her well enough yet to voice any opinion about that. My hesitation stiffened him a bit.
“It’s, as you British say, ‘early days,’ but any derogatory statements or comments of disapproval, criticism, and disparagement of her for wanting to do this will be, could be, devastating for her. If you’re already carrying and such a thing happens, I might be forced to house you somewhere else until you’ve completed your obligation,” he concluded, his voice tempered but clearly thick with threat.
“I understand,” I said. “I wouldn’t take on something I thought was wrong. Being critical of Samantha for wanting to do this would be the same as criticizing myself.”
His eyes brightened. I wasn’t saying it simply to please him. I really believed that much.
“I was hoping to hear something like that. Well, then, let’s begin your Wyndemere education by us all having something to eat in the dining room. I don’t think you’ve met Mrs. Marlene yet, right?”
“No.”
“She, our estate manager George Stark, my father’s private nurse, and Parker are my most trusted help. There are a variety of