Page 58 of Irish Rose
But he didn’t pick up the phone when she left. It was more than being unused to having someone stand beside him, more than his own penchant for handling his own in his own way. He’d wanted her to go, away from the murmurs and sly looks. He didn’t want her to be a part of the suspicion that had already fallen over him and his.
She’d never even asked. Burke scrubbed his hands over his face and tried to get beyond his own fury. It wasn’t losing the purse or the race so much as knowing that someone had violated what was his. And she’d never asked if he’d arranged it himself. Could she really believe so blindly in him, or was it a matter of her not caring how he won?
However she felt, he couldn’t shield her from the gossip. And gossip there would be, he thought grimly. Once she had a taste of it, he figured she’d be happy enough to go back to the quiet of Three Aces. In the meantime, he was going to find out who’d messed with him. Pushing the bottle aside, Burke picked up the phone.
The action moved to Churchill Downs and Derby week. Erin made certain she attended each function and every qualifying race. She held her head up and, when she heard a whisper, only held it higher.
Not everyone seemed inclined to believe that Burke had had a hand in the drugging of his horse. For every snub and murmur there was someone else to offer support. But the only one who mattered had closed himself off from her. She didn’t try to break through the barrier. It took all the energy she had to hold up the pretense of a united couple. The strain was taking its toll, all the more because she worked hard to make sure Burke didn’t see it.
He rose early, so she rose early. He went to the track to oversee Double Bluff’s morning exercise, so she spent her mornings at the track. There were days when by noon she was so weary she wanted to crawl off into a corner and sleep. But there were races and luncheons and functions, often back-to-back. She refused to miss even one.
Erin McKinnon Logan wasn’t hiding in some dim corner until the trouble passed. She would face it, shoulders straight, and dare even one person to look her in the eye and make an accusation. It was hard, and grew harder, so that every day she had to force herself to put in an appearance. There were whispers and knowing looks behind smiles. There were eyes that turned away rather than meet hers. And there were a few who preferred to cloak their insults in manners.
She dressed carefully for a formal dinner party near the end of Derby week. Erin had always felt that a strong outer appearance helped tap the inner strength. Attending alone was only more difficult, but Burke had been called to a meeting at the last minute.
She could have stayed at the hotel, just as Burke had asked. The truth was that a quiet evening, a tray in bed and a good book was exactly what she would have preferred. But that would have been cowardly. So she wore her midnight-blue silk and hung her sapphire around her neck like a badge.
While others sipped cocktails, she nursed orange juice and made conversation. More than ever she was grateful for Paddy. He stayed close, keeping her spirits up and her mind busy with stories of Ireland. But he couldn’t shield her from everything, nor from everyone.
“My dear, what a pretty dress.” Dorothy Gainsfield swept toward her, her eyes as cold as her diamonds.
“Good evening, Mrs. Gainsfield.”
“Tell me, are you enjoying your first Derby week? It is your first, isn’t it?”
“Aye, it’s my first.” If Erin had learned one thing, it was how to return a meaningless smile. “I’m sure you’ve been coming here for many years.”
“Indeed,” she said repressively, refusing to be insulted by one so beneath her station. “I don’t see your husband.”
“He couldn’t make it.”
“That’s understandable, isn’t it?”
Erin felt Paddy start forward, and laid a hand on his arm. “With the race only a couple of days away, Burke is busy.”
“I’m sure he is.” The older woman gave a dry laugh and sipped her champagne. “You know, I’m rather surprised he’s being allowed to enter after that... mishap, shall we say, at the Bluegrass Stakes.”
“The racing commission feels Double Bluff’s record speaks for itself and for Burke. Once the investigation’s complete, that, too, will speak for itself.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it, my dear, not for a minute. It isn’t unusual for someone to get a bit too enthusiastic about winning. This wouldn’t be the first time the method’s been used to lower the odds.”
“Burke doesn’t cheat. He doesn’t have to.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Mrs. Gainsfield smiled again. “But then, I wasn’t speaking of your husband... Mrs. Logan.” Satisfied with the dig, Mrs. Gainsfield moved away.
“That dough-faced old cow,” Paddy began as he fired up. “I’ll give her a piece of my mind.”
“No.” Again Erin put a hand on his arm. “She’s not worth it.” Erin watched her mingle with the crowd. “When Double Bluff wins, it’ll be enough.”
Erin was determined that by the end of the week they would have discovered who was responsible for Double Bluff’s disqualification and the cloud on Burke’s reputation would be gone. She was even more determined that on Sunday, when Churchill Downs opened for the Derby, Burke would win what was rightfully his.
Once that was done, she would face the cracks and scars on her marriage. Perhaps Burke had been wrong when he’d said most marriages didn’t work because one person tried to change the other. She knew now that if changes weren’t made—in both of them—their marriage would never survive.
She watched him now as he stood near the oval with his trainer. It was barely dawn, with a light so sweet and fragile that it turned the white steeples pink. The air was cool, quiet enough to carry voices to her, if not the words. All around her the stands were empty. In twenty-four hours they would be filling, section by section, until they and the infield grass were packed with bodies. The race would last only a matter of minutes, but for those few minutes, every square inch would be crammed with excitement, with pumping hearts and with hope.
“It has its own magic, this time of day.”
“Travis.” Erin was up and swinging her arms around him. She hadn’t realized until that moment how badly she’d needed someone to hold on to. “Oh, it’s so glad I am to see you. But you shouldn’t be here.” She drew away just as quickly. “What about Dee? Is she all right?”
