Twin of Ice Read online

  Blair looked up in horror. “No! Never! That’s the last thing I am. Did . . . did he say much about me today?”

  Houston ground her teeth together, remembering how he had said Houston was usually so frigid, but last night . . . “Let’s forget this if we can. I’ll talk to Lee when he’s over his anger and we’ll keep it between the three of us. This may make things awkward for a while, but I’m sure we can work out a satisfactory solution. Let’s not allow something like this to come between us. Our sisterhood is more important than this.”

  “Thank you,” Blair said, impulsively hugging her sister. “No one ever had a sister like you. I love you.”

  Blair seemed to feel better, but Houston had some nagging doubts which she told herself were absurd. She loved Lee, had always loved him, had planned to marry him since she was a child. This one little thing, this one night with the wrong sister wouldn’t change anything, would it?

  “Of course not,” she said aloud, smoothed her skirt and went toward the house. One night wasn’t going to erase years together.

  Chapter 5

  At four o’clock, Houston, Blair and their mother were sitting in the parlor, Blair reading her medical journal, the other two women sewing, when the front door was opened, followed by a jamb-jarring slam.

  “Where is she?” Duncan Gates bellowed, making the chandelier above their heads rattle. “Where is that immoral harlot? Where is the Jezebel?”

  Mr. Gates burst into the room, his stout body puffed with fury. He grabbed Blair’s arm, pulled her out of her chair, dragging her toward the door.

  “Mr. Gates!” Opal said, on her feet at once. “What is the meaning of this?”

  “This . . . this daughter of Satan has spent the night with Leander and, in spite of the fact that she’s unclean, he plans to make an honest woman of her.”

  “What?!” the three women gasped.

  “Leander is going to marry the harlot, I said.” With that he half-dragged a protesting Blair out of the house.

  Houston sat down heavily, not able to comprehend what was happening around her.

  “Houston,” her mother said. “You and Blair traded places last night, didn’t you?”

  Houston only nodded silently and picked up her sewing as if nothing had happened.

  The sun set, the room darkened, and the maid switched on the electric lights, but still mother and daughter didn’t speak.

  Only one thought went through Houston’s mind: It’s over. Everything is over.

  At midnight, the front door opened and Duncan pushed Blair into the parlor ahead of him.

  “It’s settled,” he said in a voice hoarse with overuse. “Blair and Leander will be married in two weeks. It will be announced in church on Sunday.”

  Quietly, Houston stood.

  “Daughter,” Duncan said with feeling, “I’m sorry about this.”

  Houston merely nodded as she started toward the stairs.

  “Houston,” Blair said from the foot of the staircase. “Please,” she whispered.

  But at the moment, Houston had no compassion to give her sister and, even when she heard Blair at last break into weeping, she didn’t look back.

  In her room, she still seemed to be numb. Her whole life over, turned around in one single night. Everything lost.

  On the wall hung a framed diploma from Miss Jones’s School for Young Ladies. With violence, she tore the diploma from the wall and flung it across the room, feeling no relief when the glass shattered.

  With steady fingers, she began to unbutton her dress. Moments later she was standing in her nightgown, just standing, not moving, not aware of when her mother entered the room.

  “Houston?” Opal said, her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

  “Go to her,” Houston said. “Blair needs you. If she stays here and marries Leander, she’s going to give up a great deal.”

  “But you have, too. You’ve lost a lot tonight.”

  “I lost it long before tonight. Really, go to her. I’ll be all right.”

  Opal picked up the broken diploma. “Let me see you in bed.”

  Obediently, Houston climbed into bed. “Always obedient, aren’t I, Mother? I always obey. If not my parents, then Leander. I’ve always been such a good little girl and what has it gotten me? I’m a true, deep-down lady and my sister with her knickers and her kisses is getting everything I’ve worked for since the first grade.”

  “Houston,” Opal pleaded.

  “Leave me alone!” Houston screamed. “Just leave me alone.”

  With a shocked look on her face, Opal left the room.

  * * *

  Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, the sun highlighting Ayers Peak that graced the western side of Chandler. There were many churches in town, covering every denomination, and nearly all were full of people.

  But even the sun couldn’t melt the coldness inside the Chandler twins, who walked on opposite sides of their stepfather. Their mother had suddenly been attacked with a mysterious ailment that kept her from witnessing her daughters’ public humiliation.

  Leander waited in the pew for them, his eyes looking toward Houston, and when they neared the bench, he put his hand out to her. “Houston,” he whispered.

  Now he can tell us apart, she thought, but said nothing as she moved aside to keep from touching him.

  Duncan nearly pushed Blair toward Lee and at last they were seated, Blair beside Lee, then Duncan and Houston on the end.

  The service seemed to pass in seconds because Houston knew that at the end of it the announcement was going to be made.

  It came much too soon.

  Unfortunately, Reverend Thomas wasn’t conducting the service today but was replaced by Reverend Smithson who could have been more tactful.

  “Now I have an announcement to make,” he said with an amused tone. “It seems that our own Leander has changed his mind about which twin to marry and is now engaged to Blair. I don’t believe I could make up my mind between them, either. Congratulations again, Lee.”

  For a moment the church was thunderstruck. Then, men began to chuckle, and women gasped in astonishment. Every, one rose to leave.

  “Houston, you must listen to me,” Lee said, catching her arm “I must explain.”

  “You have explained,” she hissed at him. “When you told me how wonderful Blair was, and how you hoped the ice princess would never return, that’s when you did your explaining. Good morning,” she smiled at a passerby.

  “Hello, Houston, or are you Blair?” someone asked.

  “Congratulations, Lee.” A man slapped him on the shoulder and went away laughing.

  “Houston, let’s go somewhere.”

  “You can go to . . . your bride.” She glared at him in anger.

  “Houston,” Lee pleaded. “Please.”

  “If you don’t take your hand off me I’ll scream, for surely I can suffer no more embarrassment than you have caused me already.”

  “Leander!” Duncan said. “Blair is waiting for you.”

  Lee reluctantly turned away from Houston, clutched Blair’s arm, shoved her into his buggy and drove away much too fast.

  The minute Houston was alone, women descended on her, edging her away from Duncan’s protection. The many faces were concerned, curious, some sympathetic. Mostly, the women seemed to be puzzled.

  “Houston, what happened? I thought you and Lee were so happy.”

  “How could Leander want Blair? They argue constantly.”

  “When was the decision made?”

  “Houston, is there someone else?”

  “You’re damned right there is, ladies,” came a booming voice from behind them, and they all turned to look up at Kane Taggert. No one in town had ever heard him say much and he had certainly never seemed to be aware of what any of the townspeople were doing.

  The women gaped openly at this big man in his rough clothes, with his unkempt beard, as he made his way through them. No one was more surprised than Houston.