“Tea is the beverage over which empires and alliances have been forged for centuries,” he said calmly. Actually, strong drink and cigars probably facilitated more of those deals, but Mrs. Carnegie was calling the shots, and tea was probably her thing.

Gwen gestured to the table nestled in the alcove of a bay window. They sat, everyone so stiff that the air practically crackled. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Gwen poured tea and passed cups to each person at the table. Every clink of china sounded harsh.

Mrs. Carnegie left her tea untouched but looked directly at Liam. “I will waste no time on polite conversation when the well-being of my family is at stake,” she said. “My husband has an unhealthy obsession with the steel company he founded, but it is past time for him to retire and enjoy his golden years. That will only happen if he sells the company, and I intend to be sure it happens.”

Gwen passed a bowl of sugar cubes to Mrs. Carnegie. “A commendable wish. My father gave all his waking hours to Blackstone College. He died in his desk chair. When a man loves something that much, it can be hard for him to step away.”

Patrick watched the two women carefully. Gwen would probably give her eyeteeth to rip the discussion away from U.S. Steel, but her gentle attempt to steer the conversation back to the college did not work. Mrs. Carnegie kept her stare fixed on Liam.

“You don’t have the power to block the merger, but I don’t want any Blackstone polluting the air with hostility against it,” Mrs. Carnegie said. “In the last week alone there has been picketing by union miners all the way from West Virginia to bellyache against this deal.”

Liam snickered. “I figured the Mingo County guys would show up again. All we’ve ever wanted from Carnegie Steel is a fair shake for the workers, and you won’t give it to us.”

Mrs. Carnegie leaned down to unbuckle the straps on the attaché case. There was only a single item inside, a fat stack of pages held together with a metal fastener. She set it in front of Liam. “Please see page 82, section 12.”

Liam shifted uneasily. “Um, I’ve got my lawyer here to help with this.”

Patrick grabbed the document and flipped to the designated section. It was a dense and complicated contract. He’d never heard of some of these terms before, so he read the passage several times, trying to parse the words because they sounded too good for him to trust.

He glanced up at Mrs. Carnegie. “What does profit-sharing mean?”

Mrs. Carnegie’s expression was calculating and knowing. “Exactly as it sounds. Any employee of U.S. Steel who is loyal and works hard can earn stock in the company.”

“Loyal?” Liam scoffed. “That sounds like a code word for no unions.”