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* * *
Edward's father would not stop talking. After a half hour of listening to him ramble on about Mr. Waterson and their upcoming meeting, Edward was certain he would lose his mind. He glanced up from his dinner plate.
Through gritted teeth, Edward said, "I'm certain that Mr. Waterson and his daughter will find our factory more than to their liking. If they do not, then they may return where they came from and shall not be missed. I, for one, find him a blustery old fool and cannot help but feel we are making a mistake in merging with them."
Edward's father set his fork down and looked at him as though he were a stranger. "You've never spoken to me of these feelings before."
"You've never asked before."
His father continued to look at him dumbfounded, causing Edward's irritation to rise.
"Is it so difficult to believe I prefer to keep our factories separate? After all, you've spent a lifetime building them up, did you not? Would you really part with them so easily?"
"I'm not parting with them," his father said. "I'm merely adding others to those that already exist."
"By merging, we give up control."
"We do not give up control; we simply share it."
Edward threw his fork down. It clinked loudly against the plate. "If you want to go forward with this, you had better do it without me. I do not like Mr. Waterson, I never have. I find him a disgusting man who cares little for his workers and only for himself. His daughter is even worse."
His father scratched his head. "I've never gotten that impression from Mr. Waterson or his daughter."
"That's because you are blind to the deceptions of others."
His father grunted. "All right, Edward. What is going on here?"
"What do you mean? I'm telling you my true feelings. If you cannot handle them, then perhaps it is better that I return to New York."
His father's eyes widened. "Is that what this is about? Are you unhappy in Blisspeak? I know you prefer a larger city, but I thought you'd rather come to like it here. Especially certain people who reside here," he said, a wink in his voice.
"If you are referring to Mrs. Dickinson, then I have nothing to say on the subject other than you are quite mistaken in regards to my feelings toward her."
Charles Saunders leaned back in his chair. "Ah, now we're getting to the heart of the matter. Your attitude this evening has nothing to do with Mr. Waterson or his daughter and everything to do with Lily."
Edward looked up, his cheeks coloring. He knew he was acting the fool but could not seem to help himself.
His father stroked the beard he was growing. Apparently, Myra liked beards. "I'd wondered where Lily was today at work." He paused then narrowed his eyes and leaned forward again. "What have you done?"
Edward scoffed. "What makes you think it's me who's done anything? How do you know it's not her?"
"Because I've seen the way she looks at you."
"How does she look at me?"
"Like you're a glass of water in the Sahara Desert." He paused. "That woman loves you to her core; I'd bet money on it. If anything's gone wrong between you two, that I'm certain the fault lies with you. You've always had a hard head. Sometimes I think it's so hard you might crush diamonds with it."
Edward would not let his father's attempt at humor displace his anger. He drew in a deep breath and let it out.
"Lily's with child," he said, so quietly his father had to ask him to repeat himself. "Lily's with child."
He met his father's eyes and comprehension passed between them.
"How long has she known?"
"Since the day I was arrested."
He saw the consideration on his father's face as he took in this news. "It must've been quite difficult for her to keep this from you."
Edward's jaw fell open. "Difficult for her? Imagine how difficult it was for me when she told me the news yesterday evening... after I'd formally proposed."
"Did you offer her a ring?"
"Yes, of course."
"And what was her response?"
Edward could not believe the level of irritation his father was capable of producing within him.
"Her response was to finally tell me the truth. That she could not marry me and everything between us had been a lie."
His father picked up his dinner napkin, balled it up, and threw it at Edward. It bounced off his head and landed on the floor.
"What is the matter with you?" Edward demanded.
"You did not even give the poor girl a chance to answer, did you?"
"Her answer was obvious once the truth became clear."
"If that is your attitude, then you don't deserve her."
Edward couldn't understand how his father could take Lily's side in this.
"She hid her condition from me," Edward said.
"She was scared."
Edward noted that his father used the same word Lily had used—scared. She'd been scared, she'd said, and instead of comforting her, he had abandoned her. His heart crashed against his ribcage. Had he made a mistake?
"If you don't fix this now," his father said, "you'll never forgive yourself. Don't let a good woman go because you prefer to act the fool."
"What do you know about it?" Edward shouted, frustrated.
When his father spoke again, his tone had softened. "I've been a fool myself, for many years. Myra's been under my nose this whole time, and yet I've thought I was alone." He paused and looked toward the kitchen where Myra's voice suddenly trailed out as she hummed a soft melody. "Take my advice, son, from one old fool to a young one. Get Lily back before it's too late. Love doesn't come around every day, and when it does, you must seize it."
He left the room, and Edward heard Myra let out a squeal of delight. A moment later, she and his father were humming together.
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