Guilt could drive a man to horrible acts. It certainly gave Niall reason to regard his sister as a fragile China doll, an heirloom kept high on a shelf, admired but never touched.
And perhaps it even explained why he had been moved to agree to Athena’s scheme, and came to see Caitlin now. Her injury reminded him too much of his sister’s, but this time he had a chance to make it come out right.
Caitlin had a very strong desire to reach out and touch him. She knew it would be a mistake. Pity, even sympathy, he would tolerate no better than Morgan. Were they so much alike, after all?
What sort of guilt made Morgan doubt his own worth, and drove him away from Athena?
“I am sorry,” she said, meaning it. “But Athena is stronger than you know. She does not blame you, I am certain of it.”
“Her heart is generous by nature. And that is why she is in that chair.” Niall snatched up his hat and got to his feet. “Now you understand why Morgan Holt must stay away from her.”
No, I do not understand, she thought. There is something you are leaving out, my friend. Something more you will not admit.
“I think you’re wrong,” she said. “I know you are.”
He pushed his hat onto his head with unnecessary force. “The decision has been made. You and the circus will go to Long Park, and Athena will remain here. She has plenty to keep her busy all winter.”
“And you?”
He glanced back at her from the tent door. “I will see that you have everything you require. Good-bye, Miss Hughes.”
Caitlin closed her eyes and listened to him stride away. Well, now it was in the open. Her feelings had proven correct once again—about Morgan, and Athena, and Niall Munroe.
The only opinion she had not yet heard was Athena’s. And that wouldn’t be easy, if Niall resolved to keep his sister in Denver.
If there was one thing Caitlin loved dearly, it was a challenge. Niall was the biggest challenge she had ever faced. Doubtless he was rich because he was ruthless, and seldom failed to get his way. He was the kind of man who wouldn’t hesitate to crush a rival.
But he was only human. He had weaknesses. And Caitlin Hughes, once her mind was made up, could be a very formidable opponent.
I give you fair warning, my stubborn friend. This is a game I intend to win.
The next five weeks were the longest of Athena’s life. It should have been a busy time, far too busy to allow for loneliness or daydreaming. The Winter Ball was drawing closer, and she was bound and determined that this second annual ball would be the finest and most well-attended of any in Denver that year.
Athena had frequently seen Cecily Hockensmith, but a good deal less of her own brother. Niall was constantly off on some business or other; currently he was in Chicago and had telegraphed to say that he expected to remain there through the end of the month. Caitlin’s prediction that he would relent and allow Athena to visit the ranch did not come true.
Nevertheless, she took advantage of his absence by throwing herself with even more energy into the work he had disapproved: visiting the slums and tenements with clothing and coal, personally speaking to the forgotten girls with their fatherless babes, purchasing beds and school supplies for the orphans, and devising new charitable schemes that would reach far into the future. She drove the other ladies of her several philanthropic organizations almost as ruthlessly as she did herself.
It was never quite enough. Any stray, quiet moment, and her thoughts fled across the Front Range and to the ranch where she had spent every summer as a girl. Before she fell asleep each night, the image of a certain face seemed to shimmer in the air above her: thick black hair, golden eyes that sang to her of wild dashes by moonlight, a sensuous mouth promising more forbidden kisses.
At such times, she felt strange, phantom sensations below her waist, just as she had when Morgan visited her room. But she always managed to banish such fantasies, and remind herself that she missed all of the troupers: Harry, Caitlin, Ulysses, even those men and women she hardly knew. Morgan had no solitary claim on her affection.