Free Mirror Image by Danielle Steel Page A

her when they left, and showed no particular recognition, which was a great relief to her, although Victoria said she wouldn't have cared, when Olivia told her.
    "Father would go right through the roof, " Olivia warned her, bringing her back to earth rapidly, "and you know it. You'd be on the next train back to Croton."
    "Maybe you're right." Victoria grinned at her. She was enjoying New York too much to take that chance again.
    She wanted to go to meetings of the National American Women's Suffrage Association, but she had promised to stay well away from all their demonstrations.
    They went to the theater again that night, and to dinner with friends of her father's later that week, and Victoria had been amused to listen to them talking about some utterly scandalous man named Tobi Whitticomb, who had apparently made a vast fortune in somewhat speculative banking, and an even larger one by marrying an Astor.
    He was supposedly a very good-looking young man and had quite a reputation with the ladies. Every one in town was said to be talking about him after some recent, scandalous liaison which no one would explain in any detail to either Victoria or her sister. And then their father shocked everyone by saying that he had recently done business with him, and found him both civilized and pleasant. In fact, they had concluded some very profitable dealings, and he had found him to be nothing but honest and very decent.
    After that, everyone argued with him, and there was a great outcry and exchange of stories about Whitticomb, and the assembled company had to admit that in spite of his reputation, he was invited to all the best homes and parties. But that, they said, was because he was married to Evangeline Astor. And everyone in the group agreed that she was a sweet girl, and an absolute angel to put up with Toby. But she'd apparently been putting up with him for a while, since they'd been married for five years, and had three children.
    And it was only on the way home that night that Olivia remembered the Whitticombs were invited to her father's party.
    "Is he really as bad as they say? " Olivia asked with curiosity as they rode home in the comfortable Cadillac at the end of the evening.
    Victoria wasn't paying any attention to them, she had had a nice time talking to some woman about politics, and she had seemed to have a great deal to say on the subject.
    But Edward Henderson smiled at the elder of the twins and shrugged in answer to her question. "One has to be careful of men like Tobias Whitticomb, my dear, he's very handsome and very young, and probably very appealing to most women. But in all fairness to him, I gather that most of his conquests are among married women, and they ought to be wise enough to know better. And if not, then more pity to them. I don't think he goes around ravishing young girls, or I wouldn't have had you invite him to our dinner."
    "Who's this? " Victoria asked vaguely, as she turned her attention to their conversation. They were almost home by then, and she wasn't particularly intrigued, as she hadn't heard the earlier conversation.
    "Apparently, Father has invited some terrible libertine to our party, and our hostess tonight was warning us about him."
    "Does he murder women and young children? " Victoria asked, almost without interest.
    "Apparently just the opposite, " Olivia explained to her. "He's supposed to be very charming, and women drop at his feet, like little dogs, waiting for him to love them."
    "How disgusting, " Victoria said with unreserved disapproval, as Olivia and their father laughed at her reaction. "Why are we inviting him? "
    "He has a charming wife as well."
    "And does she wait for men to drop at her feet too? They could create quite a problem at the party, with everyone dropping on the floor around them all evening." They were at the house by then, and the three of them went in, tired, and well pleased with their evening. And the subject of Tobias Whitticomb was quickly