“We saw the resemblance between Liam and Theodore when we were in the courtroom,” Frederick said. “We commissioned private detectives to look into his past. I know about his history of brawling.” He turned his attention to Liam. “I know you were arrested for a fistfight with the son of a mill owner.”

“The guy insulted my mother,” Liam said with a shrug.

Frederick continued. “I know you bet on baseball games and that you once got rough with someone who failed to pay what he owed. You are not a man without enemies.”

“There’s a big difference between swinging a fist and swinging a knife,” Liam said. “Oscar Blackstone is the person who stands to lose the most if I show up on the scene.”

Frederick shook his head. “Oscar doesn’t need your shares to control the bank. I’ve got thirty percent, and he has twenty percent. Even if you take half of that, the other partners are loyal to Oscar. They move in lockstep behind him. He has more influence than anyone else, including me. If someone in our family tried to take Liam out of succession, it wasn’t Oscar.”

Frederick stood. “We mustn’t get overly concerned about something that is probably rooted in old Pittsburgh rivalries. We are well protected on this island, and I won’t permit anyone I don’t personally know onto the estate. Everyone will be gathering next week for the annual reunion and lobster bake, and I will use the gathering to welcome my grandson back into the family.”

Gwen beamed at her grandfather, then at Patrick.

“You see?” she said. Maybe it wouldn’t be easy, but in time, the rest of her family would be as welcoming to Liam and Patrick as her grandfather had been.

27

Dinner was a casual affair on the flagstone patio of Frederick Blackstone’s island mansion, but Patrick didn’t think any meal served by uniformed servants was casual. At least Frederick had shed his formal vest and coat in favor of a simple white shirt as they dined. The old man seemed relaxed as he asked Liam a series of congenial questions, nodding in warm approval and allowing Liam plenty of time to answer.

It wasn’t until the last course that Patrick realized Frederick had been neatly and efficiently cutting Liam down to size throughout dinner. Frederick was so elegant as he did it that Liam didn’t even realize what was happening. The young welder was simply too forthright to spot Frederick’s manipulation.

“Tell me about your work in the Philadelphia shipyards,” Frederick said as he stirred cream into his coffee. “I believe that’s where Vanderbilt’s latest steamship with the new screw-propulsion system was built. Did you take part in that?”

“I did!” Liam said proudly. “It was a monster of a job, and the engineers were looking over our shoulder during the entire installation, but it was a thing of beauty.”