Frederick Hoffman was Charlie Wyatt’s opposite. He was a handsome man, with an aristocratic face and soft brown hair tinged with gray at the temples. He was punctiliously correct and filled with a sense of old-fashioned courtesy. On the surface, Frederick Hoffman was pleasant and debonair; on the inside Kate sensed a core of steel.
The conference in Washington lasted three days, and it went well. The meetings were chaired by the Vice-President, and the President made a brief appearance. Everyone there was impressed with Kate Blackwell. She was an attractive, charismatic woman, head of a corporate empire she had helped build, and they were fascinated, as Kate meant them to be.
When Kate got Charlie Wyatt alone for a moment, she asked innocently, “Is your family with you, Mr. Wyatt?”
“I brought my daughter along. She has a little shoppin’ to do.”
“Oh, really? How nice.” No one would have suspected that Kate not only knew his daughter was with him, but what kind of dress she had bought at Garfinckel’s that morning. “I’m giving a little dinner party at Dark Harbor Friday. I’d be pleased if you and your daughter would join us for the weekend.”
Wyatt did not hesitate. “I’ve heard a lot about your spread, Mrs. Blackwell. I’d sure like to see it.”
Kate smiled. “Good. I’ll make arrangements for you to be flown up there tomorrow night.”
Ten minutes later, Kate was speaking to Frederick Hoffman. “Are you alone in Washington, Mr. Hoffman?” she asked. “Or is your wife with you?”
“My wife died a few years ago,” Frederick Hoffman told her. “I’m here with my daughter.”
Kate knew they were staying at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Suite 418. “I’m giving a little dinner party at Dark Harbor. I would be delighted if you and your daughter could join us tomorrow for the weekend.”
“I should be getting back to Germany,” Hoffman replied. He studied her a moment, and smiled. “I suppose another day or two won’t make much difference.”
“Wonderful. I’ll arrange transportation for you.”
It was Kate’s custom to give a party at the Dark Harbor estate once every two months. Some of the most interesting and powerful people in the world came to these gatherings, and the get-togethers were always fruitful. Kate intended to see to it that this one was a very special party. Her problem was to make sure Tony attended. During the past year, he had seldom bothered to show up, and when he did he had made a perfunctory appearance and left. This time it was imperative that he come and that he stay.
When Kate mentioned the weekend to Tony, he said curtly, “I c-can’t make it. I’m leaving for C-canada Monday and I have a lot of w-work to clean up before I go.”
“This is important,” Kate told him. “Charlie Wyatt and Count Hoffman are going to be there and they’re—”
“I know who they are,” he interrupted. “I t-talked to Brad Rogers. We haven’t got a p-prayer of acquiring either one of those companies.”
“I want to give it a try.”
He looked at her and asked, “W-which one are you after?”
“Wyatt Oil and Tool. It could increase our profits as much as fifteen percent, perhaps more. When the Arab countries realize they have the world by the throat, they’re going to form a cartel, and oil prices will skyrocket. Oil is going to turn into liquid gold.”
“What about International T-t-technology?”
Kate shrugged. “It’s a good company, but the plum is Wyatt Oil and Tool. It’s a perfect acquisition for us. I need you there, Tony. Canada can wait a few days.”
Tony loathed parties. He hated the endless, boring conversations, the boastful men and the predatory women. But this was business. “All right.”
All the pieces were in place.
The Wyatts were flown to Maine in a company Cessna, and from the ferry were driven to Cedar Hill House in a limousine. Kate was at the door to greet them. Brad Rogers had been right about Charlie Wyatt’s daughter, Lucy. She was strikingly beautiful. She was tall, with black hair and gold-flecked brown eyes, set in almost perfect features. Her sleek Galanos dress outlined a firm, stunning figure. She had, Brad informed Kate, been divorced from a wealthy Italian playboy two years earlier. Kate introduced Lucy to Tony and watched for her son’s reaction. There was none. He greeted both the Wyatts with equal courtesy and led them into the bar, where a bartender was waiting to mix drinks.