Woman King Read online

  Not good, I thought to myself. Overconfident FOC—friend of candidate—invites reporter to lavish party in Carmel full of Silicon Valley insiders. I had to wonder who benefitted from that kind of exposure. “If Richard invited you, then we’re done here,” I said. “I assume you’ll keep everything off the record?”

  More laughter. “Yeah, right. Now about dinner, do we have a date?”

  “OK,” I said, “But let’s keep it light. This is more of a casual meal than a date. Deal?”

  “Deal” he said, and collected his notebook and left.

  The next few days whirled by. There were plenty of preparations to make and our tax policy release had managed to get Levi a space on Nightline and CNN. I had been swamped with calls from producers seeking Levi for television interviews. Levi was thrilled with the exposure and Gabriel was excited to see the campaign going so smoothly.

  Gabriel had managed to keep Elsa and Aidan out of my reach, knowing that I wanted to speak with them about what they had found in their search of the videos and media coverage of the robbery. The minute the party in Carmel was over, I had big plans to install myself at the Council’s offices. Meanwhile, I had simply locked my cell phone in a drawer at home to avoid seeing more of William’s texts.

  All of the activity kept me busy, and very quickly I found myself standing in the living room of Richard Lyon’s home, watching the sunset. After all of the buildup and anticipation, I was relieved that the house party was going well. The view from his floor-to-ceiling windows of the Carmel shoreline had never looked more beautiful. Even more glorious, the home was full of Levi’s supporters; the most wealthy and influential families from the region had sent at least one person to attend. The 1950’s ranch-style home was basking in the last rays of the sun and Levi was basking in the acceptance and encouragement of his peers. I was loving the energy buzzing in the room, for these people were truly hopeful that Levi would make a difference, that the government could make a difference. Maybe it was all the wine and sunshine, but the vibe in the room felt right. It felt hopeful. It felt like…victory.

  Out of the corner of my eye I caught JP interviewing some of the guests and sighed. In the days that had passed, I’d grown increasingly uncomfortable with Richard’s decision to invite him, and for that matter, my acceptance of his dinner invitation. He was a thorough, competent reporter, but whether he was suitable as anything more remained to be seen. JP was certainly interested in me, but I was missing in action. It was true that he and I had something in common …we were human, but there was no spark there. I was deeply in love with someone else. Of course, that someone didn’t seem to approve of my choices in life, so from my viewpoint, there was no hope for the three of us.

  Fortunately, I was too busy working the room to reflect more on the futility of the situation. Moving through the dining room, shaking hands and trading business cards, I was relishing being part of a well-funded campaign. I caught Levi’s eye and began to make my way across the room. I gestured with my hands to ask if he would like a drink, and he answered with a subtle nod while holding conversation with someone. I stopped and began to backtrack toward the deck where the bar had been set up. I took a few steps, but ran into JP before I reached the bar.

  “Where would you like to go for dinner?” he asked quietly under his breath.

  “I don’t know,” I said, “Maybe Il Fornaio? It’s sort of old school, but they have a nice deck.”

  JP nodded, “Sounds good. There’s also a café nearby, it’s named after a bicycle in French, I thought maybe you would like that.”

  I nodded. “La Bicyclette. Sounds good,” I said, suddenly distracted by an uncomfortable feeling of pressure against my skull. I turned my head in the direction of the source of my discomfort and saw something I did not expect: standing next to Gabriel in the living room was William. Were it not for his red hair, I might not have recognized him. I had never seen him wear anything but jeans and a T-shirt, but tonight he was dressed in an expensive Italian khaki linen suit that been altered perfectly to fit his frame. He had paired the suit with a striped shirt and a yellow tie bathed in the pale color of the sun at high noon. He looked wealthy, successful and above all, invited.

  Although I was dismayed at his presence, William’s cleverness tickled me. For him, fitting in here this evening was likely no different than infiltrating one of the Vichy cocktail parties he’d described. He understood the dynamics of political theater well, and had managed to stroll into the room as if he had been on the guest list to begin with. There was not a single woman in the room whose gaze wasn’t fixed on him. I felt a deep twinge of regret for refusing to speak with him, for avoiding him. But really, what choice did I have in the matter?

  At the moment, however, he was impossible to ignore. I smiled at JP, trying to find a way to make a graceful exit.

  “I’m sorry to run out, but I see someone over there I need to speak with.”

  JP turned his gaze to William and locked on. It was just my luck to have an intrepid reporter and a stubborn vampire sharing the same room. What were the odds?

  “Who is that?” he asked, no doubt noticing William was an unfamiliar face in a sea of insiders.

  “No one,” I answered casually, “A friend of a friend. But I do need to go and say hello.”

  I walked across the room, trying to keep my face as blank as possible, my body relaxed, my head held high. I acted as though I didn’t have a care in the world. JP’s curiosity was burning a hole in my back, his uncertainty about my truthfulness palpable

  “Gabriel,” I said, offering a relaxed smile for the room to observe.

  “Olivia,” Gabriel said. “As you can see, that is to say, I invited William. I believe the two of you need to speak,” he said, raising his eyebrows in a sympathetic expression.

  I looked at Gabriel and then back at William. He had the advantage, as they say, of the element of surprise. I was on the clock, being watched by a prominent reporter and a room full of wealthy donors. While I was tempted to be petulant, I couldn’t afford to make a scene or express even the slightest emotion in front of this audience. William was the one who had made my life sound so unworkable. But here, there was no opportunity to rebuke him, and to be honest, I’d missed him.

  “I don’t believe there is anything to discuss,” I said lightly. “We seem to have reached an impasse.”

  Gabriel smiled nervously, “Pas grave. I think I may have softened the beaches in that area.”

  I was on alert now. “Vraiment? I hope you didn’t promise anything on my behalf, Gabriel,” I said in hushed tones. “I must be free to make my own decisions.”

  “I only promised that the Council would not let you do anything alone,” Gabriel said, sounding a tad defensive. “And we won’t. The robbery is a matter of concern for the organization. There is no need for you to investigate this by yourself, or take any unnecessary risks.”

  I looked at Gabriel and then at William, who had been standing silently during this exchange. My focus had been about managing my emotions, so much so that I had failed to read his. He was quite angry. Apparently, looking on silently while I restated my position was not what he had in mind.

  “Gabriel,” William said crisply. “Olivia is leaving with me. Can you please make her excuses?”

  Kidnapping may not have been what Gabriel expected as the outcome of the evening, but the French are never vexed for long.

  “I suppose that will be OK. The event is almost over, and has been a tremendous success. I will tell Levi that you caught a ride with a friend.”

  I let the two men enjoy plotting my exit for a moment, before I made it clear I would not be cutting out early unless it was on my own terms.

  “If you fellows don’t mind, I will make my own exit from the party.” I glanced at my watch. It was 7:30. The event was set to end in a half hour. I didn’t think it would harm things too much if I left in the next ten minutes. But first I had to think of how I was going to break my dinner date with
JP.

  “William,” I said, a terse smile on my face. “I am going to make another pass through the room and check in with Levi, then I will be ready to leave. I will meet you at the front door in ten minutes.”

  He nodded, fixing me with a stare that was unfamiliar. His eyes revealed a look of profound exasperation. Clearly, I had pushed my luck by avoiding him for so long.

  I came up behind Levi, his long-ago requested drink in my hand.

  “I am going to leave in the next ten minutes,” I whispered into his ear. “A mutual friend of Gabriel’s has offered to give me a lift back to San Francisco.”

  “Tonight has been fantastic,” Levi said, beaming. “This thing is in the bag.”

  His remark spooked me. Even without the supernatural connection, campaign consultants are a superstitious lot. We don’t believe in tempting the gods by calling a race too soon.

  “Shhh,” I said. “You’ll jinx us. You have to knock on wood and hope for the best.”

  Levi laughed. “Next thing I know, you’ll be reading my horoscope. Now go on, I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.”

  I smiled and walked away, tapping a wooden chair as I passed, hoping the gods would accept the gesture. Moments later JP caught my eye and walked over. I was working furiously to maintain a neutral expression as I tried to concoct a story that would sound even vaguely convincing.

  “Listen,” I said, trying to sound serious, but not too grave. “I hate to do this, but it turns out I need to return to San Francisco to deal with a few things this evening. I’m really sorry. Can I take a rain check?”

  JP didn’t believe a word I was saying. I could feel his skepticism as he gripped his reporter’s notepad.

  “What could be so pressing that he would ask his campaign manager to leave a fundraiser early?”

  Ouch, it looked like we might not be able to be friends after all. Again, I strived to keep my face relaxed. I managed to laugh and placed my hand on his arm. “He didn’t ask me to leave,” I said. “I remembered something I need to work on before tomorrow. That’s the nature of campaigns, I’m afraid. Things like this happen. But I don’t have to tell you that, right?”

  JP was debating. He was scanning the room for William. William, meanwhile, was waiting in the corner, his eyes locked onto me. My excuse seemed thinner in the harsh light of the living room, and for a moment I thought JP was going to take another pass at breaking me down, but he didn’t.

  “Rain check, then,” he said smiling.

  “Rain check,” I agreed, and headed for the door.

  ****

  CHAPTER 26

  William and I walked out of the house in silence. I don’t think either of us knew where to begin. I’d been ignoring his texts and emails for more than two weeks. After our last conversation, it was apparent we had no way to break our impasse. For now though, Gabriel seemed to have smoothed things over. I wondered why he cared if William and I were together; then again, it was hard to know what Gabriel’s motivations were when it came to me.

  William opened the door to his car for me and I slid inside. He closed the door wordlessly and then walked to the driver’s side to get in. Once inside, he slowly fastened his seat belt and started the engine, all without saying a word. The silence was oppressive. Our anger and hurt feelings were rising up inside the car until it was difficult to breath.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I thought we would take a drive to a friend’s house,” he said, offering nothing more. I leaned back against the car’s leather seat and looked out the window. There was no use in forcing him to speak. He would say something when he was good and ready. I’m not sure if it was the intense silence, or the fact that I had been working long hours, but within minutes I fell into a deep sleep. Sometime later I awoke, propelling myself forward toward the dashboard as I came out of my stupor.

  “Oh my God,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I am sorry.”

  William smiled, his normal happy demeanor back in place. “It’s OK,” he said. “It gave me time to calm down.”

  I looked out my window but didn’t recognize the landscape. “Where are we?” I asked, rubbing my eyes again.

  “We’re about to enter Hearst Castle,” he said calmly.

  “This is an old friend’s house?” We were nearly a hundred miles from Carmel, heading in the opposite direction from home. “Now you’re going to tell me that you knew William Randolph Hearst?”

  “We were acquainted,” he said. “But it’s his grounds keeper that I’m close with. Frank is a vampire and a former ambulance driver; he took this job after the war. Over the years, he’s taught me every inch of this place. I thought you might like to go for a swim.”

  “You thought I might like to go for a swim? We haven’t spoken in two weeks, and the first idea out of the gate is to kidnap me and take me to another castle?”

  “I told you…you belong in a castle,” William said, as he pulled the car into a darkened spot along an entrance road and turned off the ignition. “Besides, you needed a nap and I needed a private place to speak with you. You’ve been avoiding me, Olivia, and that won’t do at all. I was willing to wait only so long before I came for you.”

  As I was about to give him my opinion of the situation, he took my hand and admonished me to stay silent until we were inside the castle.

  Hearst Castle is not just any castle. Conceived and built during an almost 30-year period beginning in 1919, the sprawling complex was designed by architect Julia Morgan for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The Hearst family donated the property to the state and it’s been run as a historic park since the late 1950’s. Hearst had an appetite for big things and he spared no expense for his so-called country house, which by my calculations was about 250 miles from San Francisco, give or take a mile.

  William led me along a darkened path to a small cottage at the end of the service road we’d parked on. He fished in his pocket for a key and opened the door. It swung open into a hallway. The hallway became a long tunnel that led to the main complex of the castle. Once inside, we walked along the well-lit interior of a secret passageway that crisscrossed the property.

  As we walked, I tried to stay calm, overcome by a series of emotions. I was angry with William for showing up at the party, but also happy that he came. I was nervous about trespassing in the middle of the night, but secretly pleased that this time he had found a way to keep me out of the darkness. Using the hidden system of tunnels beneath the castle that Hearst had built so his guests could swap lovers discreetly, William and I made our way slowly to a subterranean pool built at the east end of the castle.

  I stood in awe as we entered. William bowed at the waist and waved his arms in a sweeping gesture.

  “Welcome to the Roman Pool,” he said.

  I scanned the room, watching the light bounce off of what seemed to be one million small, square blue glass tiles. The blue seemed a shade deeper juxtaposed against similar sized gold tiles that formed a border on the walls. The tiles shimmered in the dim light of the lamps that illuminated the room. The blue also made the water of the pool look deep, endless.

  As I walked further into the room, I noticed a tray sitting in one corner; it held a small bowl of fruit, a bottle of Champagne and two glasses.

  “Would you like a drink?” he asked, stepping in close to whisper in my ear. I nodded and soon had a flute of Champagne in my hands.

  “What did you mean about waiting for me?” I asked. “The last time we spoke you made it clear you didn’t approve of what I was doing.”

  William crossed the room, returning the champagne bottle to the tray.

  “I may have mixed feeling about you chasing after gangsters and meddling in the affairs of humans, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you. You were injured in the robbery, almost blinded. Did you really think I wouldn’t have an opinion?” he asked, taking a bottle of Jack Daniel’s from a small backpack he had carried into the castle with him. “You seem to think I’m
not entitled to have a view on things, and then, as usual, before we could really discuss it, you just gave up and threw me out.”

  “I didn’t see the point,” I said, trying to hold my quivering chin up high. “How can I be with a man who won’t support my work?”

  “Darlin, that is overly dramatic, even for you,” he said, laughing. “And of course untrue. But I am curious, is that why you were planning to have dinner with that reporter?”

  William, it seemed, knew more about my activities then I realized.

  “Why not?” I said, but with half the defiance I intended. “He’s human. He likes politics. Seemed like a good start to me.”

  If a rulebook existed for how to deal with vampires, the first piece of advice would probably be not to provoke one when they’re feeling possessive. William quickly came to stand in front of me and grabbed my chin in his hand.

  “Yes, but does he know you and Gabriel like to fix the races?” he asked, his voice low and angry. “Were you going to tell him what you do for a living, or would you have him believe you are especially lucky in your career?”

  He was right, of course. I would not have shared my secrets with JP, at least not right away. The truth was that I had no interest in having a relationship with him. I wanted to say as much, but found myself mute, unable to reply.

  “Were you planning on leaving with him tonight?”

  I nodded.

  “Did you plan on sleeping with him?”

  Without thinking, my hand came around and slapped William square in the face.

  “You bastard,” I said. “Why would you ask me something so insulting?”

  William rubbed his cheek, a look of satisfaction on his face.

  “I warned you about friendships with vampires. Did you really think that I would let you into my life, my inner circle, and then let some human man come in and walk away with you?”

  I didn’t reply. Instead I scanned the room for a ladder to get into the pool. I needed to cool down. Unfortunately, Hearst’s pool was ten feet deep everywhere but at the far end, where a small wading area had been created. I turned toward the shallow end.