Golden Desire Ch. 02

"Would you care for a glass of wine with lunch?" he asked.

She recalled how he had continually filled her glass last time. If she drank very slowly he wouldn't need to keep filling it, so she agreed. "It's a bit decadent, having wine with lunch, but I suppose it's alright," she said.

He bit back a comment and only smiled as he filled her glass.

The butler served their lunches and departed. After a few moments of silence, Victoria ventured, "Mr. Andrews, I've been wondering something."

Intrigued, Nicholas looked at her. "About what?" he asked.

"Well, you seem to have a trace of an accent, and I was wondering if you were born in America or if you come from somewhere else."

She saw a flicker of pain flash through his eyes as he lowered them to his plate. "You're correct Mrs. Somerset. I am originally from Poland. After Russia invaded in '31 my parents and I fled the country. We went to England with the intention of coming to America. I sailed out of Liverpool, England with my parents but landed in New York alone. They both died during the crossing. I was thirteen years old and alone. I couldn't speak any English. I was terrified at first but I quickly found other Polish immigrants and was able to get work and survive. A few years ago I began hearing good things about California so I decided to head out here. It was during that trip that gold was found, so San Francisco became my ultimate destination." He paused and looked at Victoria. "Well, you know the rest. I saw the opportunity to stay in town and make money, so I did."

She was gazing at him with wonder. "You said you had been very poor but I had no idea. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"Well, I survived and I learned a great deal about life and human nature in a very short time. I also know that almost nothing is beyond my grasp." He locked eyes with her and stated, "If I want something badly enough, I usually get it." His voice dipped to a lower tone on his last statement and caused Victoria's heart to skip a beat. She tried to tear her eyes away but was held fast. It was Nicholas who finally looked away first. She realized she had been holding her breath and slowly released it.

"What about you? Are you native born or one of the teaming masses of immigrants?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh, my story isn't quite as interesting as yours, although unfortunately one element is the same."

When she didn't continue he urged her, "Gone on."

"My parents came over from England and settled in Albany, New York, which is where I was born. I met Henry when I was nineteen. He wanted to marry me and since no other man had shown any interest I decided I might as well. He owned a successful bakery and was a nice enough man, so I married him. My parents were delighted. The wedding was a small affair and we quickly settled into a quiet routine."

She dropped her eyes to the table and continued on quietly, "Six months later during an influenza outbreak both my parents succumbed and died. It was the darkest part of my life. Henry didn't know what to do, he couldn't help me, no one could. I eventually came out of it, but it's still painful." She wiped at her eyes and continued on, trying to brighten up. "Six months ago, reports started showing up in the papers about the gold out here and Henry was obsessed from the very first story. The tale he told you about how we got here was a great deal nicer than what actually happened. But that's generally how the voyage went. And now here we are."

"Yes, here you are," he said quietly. "I'm very sorry about your parents."

"Thank you," she replied, glancing back again at the table.

"You said no other man had shown any interest in marrying you?" he asked, obviously surprised.

"Well, a few had, but nothing serious. They all gave up quickly. I was too serious, too reserved, too bookish...too tall," she said with a laugh. "Henry is tall himself so he didn't mind."

Nicholas hesitated slightly and then asked, "May I ask you a very personal question?"

Victoria's nerves stood on end but she managed to calmly reply, "You may."

"I'm sure it's none of my business and certainly feel free to say so, but do you love Henry?"

She was thoughtful for a moment before responding slowly, "I'm very fond of Henry, but no, I don't love him. I keep hoping that one day we'll have children and then I'll have love in my life again."

"But he loves you, that I know for certain. It's plain as day. Doesn't that count as love in your life?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I suppose so. Maybe you can see it, but he doesn't demonstrate it to me. He never says it. The love I would receive from my children would be joyful and boundless. That's what I'm looking forward to," she said with a smile.

"You didn't want to wait for a man who loved you whole heartedly that you loved as well?"

"I was nineteen, it was time I was married. I didn't want to become an old maid," she said with a laugh. "Besides Henry's not so bad. So he's not very exciting or romantic. He's solid and dependable and sometimes that's more important in building a life together."

"How many times have you told yourself that?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"It sounds more like you're trying to convince yourself, not me," he replied.

She stared at him wordlessly, trying to figure out if what he had said was true or not. It had never been put to her so plainly before. Looking down at her hands, she said quietly, "Well, it doesn't much matter, he's my husband and that's it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He reached for the wine bottle and began to fill their emptied glasses. "Why don't we each take a glass and go see my art collection? What do you say?" he said, trying to brighten the mood.

Victoria estimated that she had had a glass and a half during lunch. If she sipped this one slowly, she should be fine. "That sounds wonderful," she replied standing and picking up her glass, ready to follow him.

As they walked down the hallway she noticed that he had brought the bottle with him. She would just have to make sure he didn't refill her glass. He could have as much as he wanted but she was going to keep a clear head. A thought suddenly struck her and she stopped, placing a hand on Nicholas' arm. When he looked at her inquiringly, she said, "You said that you're originally from Poland?"

He turned to face her and confirmed, "Yes, that's right."

She smiled slightly, "But your name is Nicholas Andrews. I'm guessing that's not the name you were born with?"

He smiled widely and replied, "You are correct. My name is actually Mikolaj Andruskiewicz."

"Did you change it, or was it the immigration officials?"

"A little of both. They changed it when I arrived, however, since I was quickly absorbed into the Polish community, I didn't use it until I got older and began venturing out into other parts of the city and then country. Nicholas Andrews took a little getting used to but it's far easier for people to pronounce and remember."

Trying out the name, she said softly, "Mikolaj."

She heard Nicholas suck in a shaky breath. "Say that again," he asked with wide eyes.

"Mikolaj," she stated.

"No, the way you said it before, softly," he said urgently.

Unsure if she should comply, she hesitated before repeating, in a soft voice, "Mikolaj."

He sighed and briefly closed his eyes. "It reminds me of the way my mother would say it, when she was tucking me into bed at night." He stared at a spot on the wall over her shoulder for a few moments, before blinking and coming out of his reverie.

Indicating a doorway down the hall, he said, "Shall we? It's just in here."

They spent the remainder of the afternoon, examining and discussing the paintings. He explained to her how he had often found himself in the company of struggling artists and that was where he learned so much about art and that he was sometimes paid for work that he did for them with their pieces. He eventually developed an eye for real talent and once he started making money in San Francisco he began to purchase seriously and build his collection.

When it was eventually time for her to go, she stood at his front door, waiting for the carriage to take her back to the hotel. She faced him, "Thank you for a truly wonderful afternoon, I enjoyed it immensely," she enthused.

"As did I. Am I forgiven for all my transgressions?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, you are," she said smiling.

"I'm glad. I hope you'll come back again."

"I'd be delighted." She turned as she heard the horses out front. "Good afternoon, Mr. Andrews."

He stood in the doorway, watching the carriage pull away. I played that just right, he thought to himself. He had realized that scaring her off was the wrong way to go about it. He couldn't seduce her if she wouldn't go near him. It was clear that she had been on her guard all day but he kept turning possibly seductive moments into benign ones, slowly winning her trust. It was going to be a long time until Henry came back and he vowed he would have her before then.

It was a common game of his, seducing the wives of the mining men. Vulnerable, lonely and often scared women coming to San Francisco with their husbands and staying in one of his hotels. He always "promised to look after them" while their husbands were gone and that's when his seduction would begin. It usually didn't take very long, a few well placed compliments and suggestive whispers and they were his. He had rushed things with Victoria, thinking she would be easy prey. But even though she didn't love her husband she had great respect for her vows and her own morals. Yes, backing off was the right thing to do. He smiled to himself as he walked back to the sitting room to enjoy a cigar. This chase may well prove to be the most enjoyable yet.

Victoria smiled to herself in the carriage on the way back to the hotel. The afternoon had been very pleasant. She had been worried that he would again behave inappropriately but nothing of the sort had happened. However, she had to admit that deep inside, she was slightly disappointed. The thrilling sensations he could create within her, although confusing, were also scintillating. She shook her head, annoyed at her thoughts. It was just vanity getting the best of her. Yes, she liked the fact that a man found her attractive, but it was thoroughly inappropriate and she refused to lose her head over it. She was going to be friends with Nicholas and that is all. Despite her resolutions, she couldn't help her subconscious and that night, as she slept, her dreams took a much different turn, causing her to awaken in a breathless sweat.