The chauffeur opened the door of their hired Lincoln, and Florentyna followed her children into the back. Richard took a place in the front. As the car drove slowly through the crowded New York streets Florentyna sat in silence. Richard leaned over the back of his seat and touched her hand. The chauffeur came to a stop outside a small but elegant brownstone on East Sixty-eighth Street.
‘Now, children, remember, you must be on your best behavior,’ said Florentyna.
‘Yes, Mummy,’ they said in unison, unawed by the thought of at last meeting one of their grandfathers.
Before they had even stepped out of the car the front door of the house was opened by an elderly man in a cutaway who bowed slightly.
‘Good evening, ma’am,’ he said. ‘And how nice to see you again, Mr. Richard.’
Kate was waiting in the hall to greet them. Florentyna’s eyes were immediately drawn to an oil painting of a beautiful woman who sat in a crimson leather chair, hands resting in her lap.
‘Richard’s grandmother,’ said Kate. ‘I never knew her, but it’s easy to see why she was considered one of the beauties of her day.’
Florentyna continued to stare.
‘Is something wrong, my dear?’ Kate asked.
‘The ring,’ she said, barely in a whisper.
‘Yes, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ said Kate, holding up her hand to display a diamond and sapphire ring. ‘William gave it to me when he asked me to be his wife.’
‘No, the other one in the portrait,’ said Florentyna.
‘The antique one, yes, quite magnificent. It had been in the family for generations, but I fear it’s been lost for some years. When I remarked on its disappearance to William he said he knew nothing of it.’
Florentyna raised her right hand and Kate stared down at the antique ring in disbelief. They all looked at the oil painting — there was absolutely no doubt.
‘It was a christening present,’ said Florentyna. ‘Only I never knew who gave it to me.’
‘Oh, my God,’ said Richard. ‘It never crossed my mind—’
‘And my father still doesn’t know,’ said Florentyna.
A maid bustled into the hall. ‘Excuse me, ma’am. I’ve told Mr. Kane that everybody has arrived. He asked if Richard and his wife would be kind enough to go up on their own.’
‘You two go on up,’ said Kate. ‘I’ll join you in a few minutes with the children.’
Florentyna took her husband’s arm and climbed the stairs, nervously fingering the antique ring. They entered the room to find William Lowell Kane sitting in the crimson leather chair by the fire. Such a fine-looking man, thought Florentyna, realizing for the first time what her husband would look like when he was old.
‘Father,’ said Richard, ‘I would like you to meet my wife.’
Florentyna stepped forward, to be greeted by a warm and gentle smile on William Kane’s face.
Richard waited for his father’s response, but Florentyna knew that the old man would never speak to her now.
Chapter twenty-two
Abel picked up the phone by the side of his bed. ‘Find George for me. I need to get dressed.’ Abel read the letter again. He couldn’t believe that William Kane had been his backer.
When George arrived, Abel didn’t speak. He just handed over the letter. George read it slowly. ‘Oh, my God,’ he said.
‘I must attend the funeral.’
George and Abel arrived at Trinity Church in Boston a few minutes after the service had begun. They remained behind the last row of respectful mourners. Richard and Florentyna stood on each side of Kate. Three senators, five congressmen, two bishops, most of the chairmen of the leading banks and the publisher of The Wall Street Journal were all there. The chairman and every director of the Lester’s board were also present.
‘Do you think they can forgive me?’ asked Abel.
George did not reply.
‘Will you go and see them?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Thank you, George. I hope William Kane had a friend as good as you.’
Abel sat up in bed looking toward the door every few moments. When it eventually opened he hardly recognized the beautiful lady who had once been his ‘little one.’ He smiled defiantly as he stared over the top of his half-moon spectacles. George remained by the door as Florentyna ran to the side of the bed and threw her arms around her father — a long hug that couldn’t make up for eleven wasted years, he told her.
‘So much to talk about,’ he continued. ‘Chicago, Poland, politics, the stores... But first, Richard. Can he ever believe I didn’t know until yesterday that his father was my backer?’
‘Yes, Papa, because he only discovered it himself a day before you, and we are still not sure how you found out.’
‘A letter from the lawyers of the First National Bank of Chicago who had been instructed not to inform me until after his death. What a fool I’ve been,’ Abel added. ‘Will Richard see me?’ he asked, his voice sounding very frail.
‘He wants to meet you so much. He and the children are waiting downstairs.’
‘Send for them, send for them,’ Abel said, his voice rising. George smiled and disappeared.
‘And do you still want to be President?’ Abel asked.
‘Of the Baron Group?’
‘No, of the United States. Because if you do, I well remember my end of the bargain. If the result of the New Hampshire primary turns out to be satisfactory...’
Florentyna smiled but made no comment.
A few moments later there was a knock at the door. Abel tried to push himself up as Richard came into the room, followed by the children. The head of the Kane family walked forward and shook hands warmly with his father-in-law.
‘Good morning, sir,’ he said. ‘It’s an honor to meet you.’
Abel couldn’t get any words out, so Florentyna introduced him to Annabel and his grandson.
‘And what is your name?’ demanded the old man.
‘William Abel Kane.’
Abel gripped the boy’s hand. ‘I am proud to have my name linked with that of your other grandfather. You will never begin to know how sad I am about your father,’ he said, turning to Richard. ‘I never realized. So many mistakes over so many years. It didn’t cross my mind, even for a moment, that your father could have been my benefactor. God knows, I wish I could have been given one chance to thank him personally.’
‘He would have understood,’ said Richard. ‘But there was a clause in the deed of the family trust which didn’t allow him to reveal his identity because of the potential conflict between his professional and private interests. He would never have considered making an exception to any rule. That’s why his customers trusted him with their life savings.’
‘Even if it resulted in his own death?’ asked Florentyna.
‘I’ve been just as obdurate,’ said Abel.
‘That’s hindsight,’ said Richard. ‘None of us could have known that Henry Osborne would cross our paths.’
‘Your father and I met, you know, the day he died,’ said Abel.
Florentyna and Richard stared at him in disbelief.
‘Oh, yes,’ said Abel. ‘We passed each other on Fifth Avenue — he had come to watch the opening of your new store. He raised his hat to me. It was enough, quite enough.’
Soon they were talking of happier days; both Abel and Florentyna laughed a little and cried a lot.
‘You must forgive us, Richard,’ said Abel. ‘The Polish are a sentimental race.’
‘I know,’ he replied. ‘My children are half-Polish.’
‘Can you join me for dinner tonight?’