Джеффри Арчер - The Prodigal Daughter

On the day of the election, Florentyna and her fellow workers were halfhearted about both of their candidates, and those feelings were reflected at the polls. Eisenhower won the election by the largest popular vote in American history, 33,936,234 to 27,314,992. Among the casualties removed in the Republican landslide was Representative Osborne.

Disenchanted with politics, Florentyna returned to Radcliffe for her sophomore year and put all her energy into her studies. Bella had been elected captain of hockey, the first sophomore to be so honored. Wendy claimed to have fallen in love with a Dartmouth tennis player named Roger and, taking fashion advice from Florentyna, started studying bridal gowns in Vogue . Although they now all had single rooms in Whitman, the three girls saw each other regularly. Florentyna never missed a hockey game, come rain or snow, both of which Cambridge frequently endured, while Wendy introduced her to several men who never quite seemed worthy of the third or fourth steak.

It was halfway through the spring semester that Florentyna returned to her room to find Wendy sitting on the floor in tears.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Florentyna. ‘The midterms? You haven’t flunked them?’

‘No, it’s much worse than that.’

‘What could be worse than that?’

‘I’m pregnant.’

‘What?’ said Florentyna, kneeling down and putting an arm around her. ‘How can you be so sure?’

‘This is the second month I’ve missed my period.’

‘Well, that’s not conclusive, and if the worse comes to the worst, we know Roger wants to marry you.’

‘He may not be the father.’

‘Oh, my God,’ said Florentyna. ‘Who is?’

‘I think it must have been Bob. The football player from Princeton. You met him, remember?’

Florentyna didn’t. There had been quite a few during the year, and she wasn’t sure what to do next when Wendy couldn’t even be certain of the father’s name. All three girls sat up late into the night with Bella displaying a gentleness and understanding Florentyna would never have thought possible. It was decided that if Wendy missed her next period she would have to make an appointment to see the university gynecologist, Dr. MacLeod.

Wendy did miss her next period, and asked Bella and Florentyna to accompany her when she went to Dr. MacLeod’s office on Brattle Street. The doctor informed Wendy’s class dean of her pregnancy that night and no one was surprised by her decision. Wendy’s father arrived the next day and thanked them both for all they had done before taking his daughter back to Nashville. It all happened so suddenly that neither of the two other girls could believe they wouldn’t see Wendy again. Florentyna felt helpless and wondered if she could have done more.

At the end of her sophomore year, Florentyna began to believe she could win a coveted Phi Beta Kappa Key. She was fast losing her interest in university politics; a combination of McCarthy and Nixon was not inspiring, and she became even more disillusioned by an incident that occurred at the end of the summer vacation.

Florentyna had returned to work for her father in New York. She had learned a lot since the ‘Jessie Kovats’ incident. In fact, Abel was now happy to leave her in charge of various Baron shops when their managers were on vacation.

During one lunch break she tried to avoid a smartly dressed middle-aged man who was passing through the hotel lobby at the same time, but he spotted her, and shouted:

‘Hi, Florentyna.’

‘Hello, Henry,’ she said with little enthusiasm.

He learned forward and gripped her on both arms before kissing her on the cheek.

‘It’s your lucky day, my dear,’ he said.

‘Why?’ asked Florentyna, genuinely puzzled.

‘I have been stood up by my date tonight and I’m going to give you the chance to take her place.’

‘Get lost,’ is what she would have said if Henry Osborne had not been a director of the Baron Group, and she was about to make some suitable excuse when he added, ‘I’ve got tickets for Can-Can .’

Since her arrival in New York, Florentyna had been trying to get seats for Broadway’s latest smash hit and had been told they were sold out for eight weeks, by which time she would have returned to Radcliffe. She hesitated for a moment and then said, ‘Thank you, Henry.’

They agreed to meet at Sardi’s, where they had a drink before walking over to the Shubert Theater. The show lived up to Florentyna’s expectations and she decided it would have been churlish of her not to accept Henry’s invitation to supper afterward. He took her to the Rainbow Room and it was there that the trouble started. He had three double scotches before the first course arrived and although he was not the first person to put a hand on her knee he was the first of her father’s friends to do so. By the time they came to the end of the meal Henry had drunk so much he was barely coherent.

In the cab on the way back to the Baron, he stubbed out his cigarette and tried to kiss her. She squeezed herself into the corner of the cab, but it didn’t deter him. She had no idea how to handle a drunk and didn’t know until then how persistent they could be. When they reached the Baron, he insisted on accompanying Florentyna to her room, and she felt unable to refuse his overtures, fearing that any public row would reflect badly on her father. Once they were in the private elevator he tried to kiss her again, and when they reached her small apartment on the forty-second floor Henry forced his way inside as she opened the door. He immediately went over to the small bar and poured himself another large scotch. Florentyna regretted that her father was in France and that George would have left the hotel to go home long ago. She wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

‘Don’t you think you should leave now, Henry?’

‘What?’ slurred Henry. ‘Before the fun has begun?’ He lurched toward her. ‘A girl ought to show how grateful she is when a fellow has taken her to the best show in town and given her a first-class meal.’

‘I am grateful, Henry, but I am also tired and I would like to go to bed.’

‘Exactly what I had in mind.’

Florentyna felt quite sick as he almost fell on her and ran his hands down her back, stopping only when he reached her buttocks.

‘Henry, you had better leave before you do something you’ll regret,’ Florentyna said, feeling she sounded a little absurd.

‘I’m not gonna regret anything,’ he said as he tried to force down the zipper on the back of her dress. ‘And neither will you.’

Florentyna tried to push him away, but he was far too strong for her, so she began hitting him on the side of the arms.

‘Don’t put up too much of a fight, my dear,’ he panted. ‘I know you really want it, and I’ll show you a thing or two those college boys won’t know about.’

Florentyna’s knees gave way and she collapsed onto the carpet with Henry on top of her, knocking the phone from a table onto the floor.

‘That’s better,’ he said, ‘although I like a bit of spirit.’

He grabbed at her again, pinioning her arms above her head with one hand. He started moving his other hand up her thigh. With all the force she could muster she freed an arm and slapped Henry across the face, but he only grabbed her hair tightly and pushed her dress above her waist. There was a rip, and Henry laughed drunkenly.

‘It would have been easier... if you had taken the damned thing off... in the first place,’ he said in breathless grunts as he extended the tear.

Florentyna stared helplessly backward and saw a heavy crystal vase holding some roses next to where the phone had stood. With her free arm she pulled Henry toward her and started kissing him passionately on the face and neck.