Chapter One
May 1892
Houston Chandler walked the block and a half to her house as sedately as shecould manage, halting before a three-story, red brick French Victorian housethat the town called the Chandler Mansion. Composing herself, smoothing herhair, she mounted the steps.
As she put her parasol in the porcelain holder in the little vestibule, sheheard her stepfather bellowing at her sister.
"I'll not have language like that in my house. You may think that because youcall yourself a doctor you have a right to indecent behavior, but not in myhouse," Duncan Gates shouted.
Blair Chandler, as like her twin sister as another person can be, glared at theman, who was a few inches shorter than she was and built as solidly as a stonebuilding. "Since when is this your house? My father — ."
Houston stepped into the family parlor and put herself between her sister andher stepfather. "Isn't it time for dinner? Perhaps we should go in." With herback to her stepfather, she gave a pleading look to her sister.
Blair turned away from them both, her anger obvious.
Duncan took Houston's arm and led her past the staircase and toward the diningroom. "At least I have one decent daughter."
Houston winced as she heard the often repeated remark. She hated being comparedto Blair, and worse, hated being the winner.
They were barely seated at the big, mahogany table, each setting laid withcrystal, porcelain and sterling, Duncan at the head, Opal Gates at the foot, thetwins across from each other, when he started again.
"You'd think you'd want to do something to please your mother," Duncan said,glaring at Blair, as an eleven-pound roast was set before him. He picked upcarving utensils. "Are you too selfish to care about anybody else? Doesn't yourmother mean anything to you?"
Blair, her jaw clenched, looked at her mother. Opal was like a faded copy of herbeautiful daughters. It was obvious that what spirit she'd ever had was eithergone or deeply buried. "Mother," Blair said, "do you want me to return toChandler, marry some fat banker, have a dozen children and give up medicine?"
Opal smiled fondly at her daughter as she took a small helping of eggplant fromthe platter held by a maid. "I want you to be happy, dear, and I believe it'srather noble of you to want to save people's lives."
Blair turned triumphant eyes toward her stepfather. "Houston's given up her lifein order to please you. Isn't that enough for you? Do you have to see me brokentoo?"
"Houston!" Duncan thundered, clutching the big carving knife until his knuckleswere white. "Are you going to allow your sister to say such things?"
Houston looked from her sister to her stepfather. Under no circumstances did shewant to side with either one of them. When Blair returned to Pennsylvania afterthe wedding, Houston'd still be in the same town with her stepfather. With joy,she heard the downstairs maid announce Dr. Leander Westfield.
Quickly, Houston stood. "Susan," she said to the serving maid, "set anotherplace."
Leander walked into the room with long, confident strides. He was tall, slim,dark, extremely good-looking — with green eyes to die for, as a friend ofHouston's once said — and exuded an air of self-assurance that made women stopon the street and stare. He greeted Mr. and Mrs. Gates.
Leander leaned across the edge of the table and gave Houston a quick kiss on thecheek. Kissing a woman, even your wife, and certainly your flanc6e, so publiclywas outrageous, but Leander had an air about him that allowed him to get awaywith things other men couldn't.
"Will you have dinner with us?" Houston asked politely, indicating the place setnext to her.
"I've eaten, but maybe I'll join you for a cup of coffee. Good evening, Blair,"he said as he sat down across from her.
Blair only glanced at him in answer as she poked at the food on her plate.
"Blair, you'll speak to Leander properly," Duncan commanded.
"That's all right, Mr. Gates," Leander replied pleasantly, but looking at Blairin puzzlement. He smiled at Houston. "You're as pretty as a bride today."
"Bride!" Blair gasped, standing and nearly upsetting her chair before she ranfrom the room.
"Why, that — ," Duncan began, putting down his fork and starting to rise.
But Houston stopped him. "Please don't. Something's up setting her badly.Perhaps she misses her friends in Pennsylvania. Leander, didn't you want to talkto me about the wedding? Could we go now?"
"Of course." Leander silently escorted her to his waiting buggy, clucked to thehorse and drove her up the steep end of Second Street and parked on one of themany dead ends in Chandler. It was beginning to get dark and the mountain airwas growing cold. Houston moved back into the corner of the carriage.
"Now, tell me what's going on," he said as he tied the horse's reins, put on thebrake, and turned to her. "It seems to me that you're as upset as Blair."
Houston had to blink back tears. It was so good to be alone with Lee. He was sofamiliar, so safe. He was an oasis of sanity in her life. "It's Mr. Gates. He'salways antagonizing Blair, telling her she's no good, reminding her that even asa child he thought there was no hope for her, and he's always demanding that shegive up medicine and remain in Chandler. And, Lee, he keeps telling Blair howperfect I am."
"Ah, sweetheart," Lee said, pulling her into his arms, "you are perfect.You're sweet and kind and pliable and — ."
She pulled away from him. "Pliable! You mean like taffy?"
"No," Lee smiled at her, "I just meant that you're a pretty, sweet woman, and Ithink it's good of you to be so worried about your sister, but I also thinkBlair should have been prepared for some criticism when she became a doctor."
"You don't think she should give up medicine, do you?"
"I have no idea what your sister should do. She's not my responsibility." Hereached for her again. "What are we talking about Blair for? We have our ownlives to live."
As he spoke, his arms tightened around her and he began to nuzzle her ear.
This was the part of their courtship Houston always hated. Lee was so easy to bearound, someone she knew so well. After all, they'd been a "couple" since shewas six and he was twelve. Now, at twenty-two, she'd spent a great deal of timenear Leander Westfield, had known forever that she was going to be Mrs.Westfield, All her schooling, everything she'd ever learned was in preparationfor the day she'd be Lee's wife.
But a few months ago, after he'd returned from studying in Europe, he'd startedthis kissing, pushing her into the buggy seat, groping at her clothes, and allshe'd felt was that she wished he'd stop fumbling at her. Then Lee'd get angry,once again call her an ice princess, and take her home.
Houston knew how she was supposed to react to Lee's touch. For all itsappearance of staidness, Chandler, Colorado, was an enlightened town — at leastits women were — but for the life of her Houston felt nothing when Lee touchedher. She'd cried herself to sleep with worry many times. She couldn't imagineloving anyone more than she loved Leander, but she was just not excited by histouch.
He seemed to sense what Houston was thinking and drew away from her, his angershowing in his eyes.
"It's fewer than three weeks," she said with hope in her voice. "In a short timewe'll be married and then..."
"And then what?" he said, looking at her sideways. "The ice princess melts?"
"I hope so," she whispered, mostly to herself. "No one hopes so more than I do."
They were silent for a moment.
"Are you ready for the governor's reception tomorrow?" Lee asked, pulling a longcheroot from his pocket and lighting it.
Houston gave him a trembling smile. These few minutes after she'd turned himdown were always the worst. "My Worth gown's steamed and ready."
"The governor will love you, you know that?" He smiled at her, but she sensed hewas forcing the smile. "Someday I'll have the most beautiful wife in the stateat my side."
She tried to relax. A governor's reception was a place she felt confident. Thiswas something she was trained for. Perhaps she should have taken a course in hownot to be a cold, sexless wife. She knew that some men thought their wivesshouldn't enjoy sex, but she also knew Leander was like no one else. He'dexplained to her that he expected her to enjoy him and Houston'd told herselfshe would, but mostly she felt annoyed when Leander kissed her.
"I have to go to town tomorrow," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "Want tocome along?"
"I'd love to. Oh! Blair wanted to stop by the newspaper office. I believesomeone sent her a new medical journal from New York."
Houston leaned back in the carriage as Leander clucked to the horse and wonderedwhat he'd say if he knew his "pliable" intended was, once a week, doingsomething that was quite illegal.
Blair lounged against the end of the ornate, canopied, walnut bed, one kneebent, showing the separation of her Turkish pants. Her big blue and white roomwas on the third floor, with a beautiful view of Ayers Peak out the west window.She'd had a room on the second floor with the rest of the family, but aftershe'd left Chandler when she was twelve, Opal'd become pregnant and Mr. Gateshad made her room into a bath and a nursery. Opal lost the child and the littleroom stood unused now, filled with dolls and toy soldiers Mr. Gates had bought.
"I really don't see why we have to go with Leander," Blair said to Houston whosat quite straight on a white brocade chair. "I haven't seen you in years andnow I have to share YOU."
Houston gave her sister a little smile. "Leander asked us to accompany him, notthe other way around. Sometimes I think you don't like him. But I can't see howthat could be possible. He's kind, considerate, he has position in the communityand he — ."
"And he completely owns you!" Blair exploded, jumping up from the bed, startlingHouston with the strength of her outburst. "Don't you realize that in school Iworked with women like you, women who were so unhappy they repeatedly attemptedsuicide?"
"Suicide? Blair, I have no idea what you're talking about. I have no intentionof killing myself." Houston couldn't help drawing away from her sister'svehemence.
"Houston," Blair said quietly, "I wish you could see how much you've changed.You used to laugh, but now you're so distant. I understand that you've had toadjust to Gates, but why would you choose to marry a man just like him?"
Houston stood, putting her hand on the walnut dresser and idly touching Blair'ssilver-backed hairbrush. "Leander isn't like Mr. Gates. He's really verydifferent. Blair" — she looked at her sister in the big mirror — "I loveLeander," she said softly. "I have for years, and all I've ever wanted to do isget married, have children and raise my family. I never wanted to do anythinggreat or noble like you seem to want to do. Can't you see that I'm happy?"
"I wish I could believe you," Blair said sincerely. "But something keeps me fromit. I guess I hate the way Leander treats you, as if you were already his. I seethe two of you together and you're like a couple who've lived together fortwenty years."
"We have been together a long time." Houston turned back to face her sister."What should I look for in a husband if it isn't compatibility?"
"It seems to me that the best marriages are between people who find each otherinteresting. You and Leander are too much alike. If he were a woman, he'd be aperfect lady."
"Like me," Houston whispered. "But I'm not always a lady. There arethings I do — ."
"Like Sadie?"
"How did you know about that?" Houston asked.
"Meredith told me. Now, what do you think your darling Leander is going to saywhen he finds out that you're putting yourself in danger every Wednesday? Andhow will it look for a surgeon of his stature to be married to a practicingcriminal?"
"I'm not a criminal. I'm doing something that's good for the whole town,"Houston said with fire, then quieted. She slipped another hairpin invisibly intothe neat chignon at the back of her head. Carefully arranged curls framed herforehead beneath a hat decorated with a spray of iridescent blue feathers. "Idon't know what Leander will say. Perhaps he won't find out."
"Hah! That pompous, spoiled man will forbid you to participate in anythingdealing with the coal miners and, Houston, you're so used to obeying that you'lldo exactly what he says."
"Perhaps I should give up being Sadie after I'm married," she said with a sigh.
Suddenly, Blair dropped to her knees on the carpet and took Houston's hands."I'm worried about you. You're not the sister I grew up with. Gates andWestfield are eating away at your spirit. When we were children, you used tothrow snowballs with the best of them but now it's as if you're afraid of theworld. Even when you do something wonderful like drive a huckster wagon, you doit in secret. Oh, Houston — ."
She broke off at a knock on the door. "Miss Houston, Dr. Leander is here."
"Yes, Susan, I'll be right down." Houston smoothed her skirt. "I'm sorry youfind me so much to your distaste," she said primly, "but I do know myown mind. I want to marry Leander because I love him." With that, she swept outof the room, and went downstairs.
Houston tried her best to push Blair's words from her mind but she couldn't. Shegreeted Leander absently and was vaguely aware of a quarrel going on between Leeand Blair, but she really heard nothing except her own thoughts.
Blair was her twin, they were closer than ordinary sisters and Blair's concernwas genuine. Yet, how could Houston even think of not marrying Leander? WhenLeander was eight years old, he'd decided he was going to be a doctor, a surgeonwho saved people's lives, and by the time Houston met him, when he was twelve,Lee was already studying textbooks borrowed from a distant cousin. Houstondecided to find out how to be a doctor's wife.
Neither wavered from his decision. Lee went to Harvard to study medicine, thento Vienna for further study, and Houston went to finishing schools in Virginiaand Switzerland.
Houston still winced whenever she thought of the argument she and Blair'd hadabout her choice of schools. "You're going to give up an education just so youcan learn to set a table, so you can learn how to walk into a room wearing fiftyyards of heavy satin and not fall on your face?"
Blair went to Vassar, then medical school, while Houston went to Miss Jones'sSchool for Young Ladies where she was put through years of rigorous training ineverything from how to arrange flowers to how to stop men from arguing at thedinner table.
Now, Lee took her arm as he helped her into the buggy. "You look as good asalways," he said close to her ear.
"Lee," Houston said, "do you think we find each other...interesting?"
With a smile, his eyes raked down her body, over the dress that glued itself toher tightly corseted, exaggerated hourglass figure. "Houston, I find youfascinating."
"No, I mean, do we have enough to talk about?"
He raised one eyebrow. "It's a wonder I can remember how to talk when I'm aroundyou," he answered as he helped her into his; buggy, and drove them the sixblocks into the heart of Chandler.
Excerpted from Twin of Ice; Twin of Fire by Jude Deveraux. Copyright © 1985 by Deveraux Inc.. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Copyright © 1985 by Deveraux Inc.. All rights reserved.