It was now their final Christmas holiday while in college, and, as per usual, some distant cousin and her brood were staying at the house. Eleanor hired professionals to handle the holiday decorating, the results of which always generated many disapproving looks. Nothing ever seemed to satisfy her.
It was late in the evening, and Liam had a craving for ice cream. He didn’t want to bother the staff. They deserved some peace, especially since Eleanor was on her customary pre-party rampage. As Liam made his way down the long corridor, he overheard his mother hissing at his father. But the heavy oak door that separated the master bedroom suite from the hallway made it difficult to hear his father’s reply. Sidney never raised his voice, something that invariably infuriated Eleanor. But rather than add fuel to her own fire, Eleanor would stop talking and leave the room, banging the door in her usual manner of expressing her discontent. She barely noticed Liam standing in the hallway and breezed right past him. Not a look. Not a word. She cruised her way to the guest bedroom suite, which was usually occupied by Sidney. But that night, she was hell-bent on making a dramatic grand exit, and that was the only other available bedroom.
The next morning, she was absent from the breakfast table. Nothing new there. She usually took her morning coffee with her dry wheat toast in her bedroom. Most of the time she never ate or drank either of them. She simply liked the idea that she had someone who could fix it and bring it to her. Margaret Drew, the family cook and head housekeeper, would scrape the uneaten toast into a small bowl. She would then break it into pieces and leave it outside the windowsill for the birds. Once Noah had spotted her recycling his mother’s discarded breakfast and was happy to see it hadn’t gone to waste. He gave her a nod of approval, which made Margaret smile.
With their college graduation a few months away, the pressure was on for the twins to decide what their next moves would be. Sidney had arranged for the family financial planner to meet with them before they returned to school.
Lately, when it came to money, Sidney’s hands would tremble, and any discussion was immediately terminated. It wasn’t as if the boys asked for cash on a regular basis, but conversations with their father tended to center on their making plans for gainful employment. And it was their impression that Father seemed to feel some urgency about their entering the workforce.
Edward Coulson had been the family’s financial planner for decades. Even though Sidney earned well over seven figures managing other people’s money, it was important for them, he said, to have someone impartial advising them.
Eleanor came from old money, and with her came a sizeable dowry that had helped Sidney buy his seat on the Chicago Board of Trade and launch his career as a money manager. In the years that followed, Sidney’s income was used to pay the family’s living expenses, including the various homes, the boys’ education, and Eleanor’s sumptuous lifestyle. He felt that he had paid his dues but knew Eleanor would never view it the same way. She believed she owned half of everything, and, legally, she did. But things were getting dicey with the market, he said, and he was becoming increasingly agitated. He tried to get Eleanor to cancel her annual New Year’s extravaganza, but she threatened to leave him. She didn’t have to spell out the grounds for divorce and the high price he would pay. They finally agreed on what Eleanor considered a reasonable budget for her party—one hundred thousand dollars. She was determined to get Yo-Yo Ma to play for her guests, but he came with a price tag of forty-five thousand dollars an hour. Still, she couldn’t resist hiring the world-famous cellist. It would be the talk of the town. She would figure out the rest of the budget later, including buying just enough Dom Pérignon for the first round of champagne. Then she would have the staff pour cheaper champagne into the empty Dom bottles. No one would know the difference. Tipping the staff more than usual would keep it her little secret. Eleanor had no shame when it came to pretenses. Neither did anyone else in her circle, for that matter.
Liam and Noah dreaded those social events. They were much more down-to-earth. Some people think that attending a boarding school causes people to be emotionally distant. In their case, “emotionally distant” described their home life. Only away from their home did they receive any positive attention. At home, callous disregard on the part of their parents was the norm.
Christmas was a flurry of visitors coming and going. It was controlled pandemonium. Why people went through the exercise of buying gifts no one needed or even wanted had always puzzled them. The only explanation was to see who could outdo everyone else. It was over the top.
When it came to Eleanor’s gift from the boys, she would pause very briefly and give the obligatory “Thank you. It was very thoughtful,” knowing full well it was something she had ordered for herself. The only participation from Liam and Noah was to pick it up from either Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s, or one of the 900 North Michigan Shops.
The holidays were nothing more than another opportunity to show off. Liam and Noah were counting down the days to when they could return to palm trees, autonomy, and not having to hold their breath while navigating Eleanor’s stringent schedule. One more night of feigning enjoyment was up next: the big New Year’s Eve gala, hosted by the social elitist Eleanor Adams Westlake.
Fortunately, most of the guests would be Sidney’s and Eleanor’s age, and the boys could weave their way through the crowd of more than a hundred without too much interaction. Saying “Hello,” “Nice to see you,” and “Happy Holidays” a few times would suffice. They referred to it as their “cameo appearance.”
As soon as the musical entertainment was over, the boys disappeared into the kitchen, where they knew they could find the real champagne. A wink was all it took for Margaret to pull out one of the few remaining bottles of “the good stuff.”
Liam gave Margaret a peck on the cheek. “You’re the best.” And to Liam, she was. Margaret had been with the family since the boys were infants. She had started out as one of the nannies and become head housekeeper once the boys went off to boarding school. She was reserved and efficient, qualities that Eleanor appreciated. And Eleanor appreciated very little. It was in Eleanor’s best interest to keep Margaret rather than have to train someone in the family protocol. Eleanor had a way of losing staff in the same way Sidney was losing his hair. Fortunately for Margaret, she didn’t have to be concerned with finding another job. She knew how to navigate the personalities, was very fond of the boys, and treated them royally when they were home. Margaret had never married or had children, and she nurtured the twins as if they were her own.
Noah grabbed the bottle from Margaret’s hand. He didn’t bother to pour it in a glass and took a big swig from the hundred-and-fifty-dollar bottle of bubbly. Margaret gave him a look of disapproval and motioned for the boys to scram before they got caught.
Liam and Noah headed out the back entrance and made their way to the pool house, which also served as their hangout when the house was jammed with people.
The fifteen-hundred-square-foot pool house was decked out with all the amenities. It had a vaulted ceiling, and a freestanding fireplace divided the living room and kitchen area from the king-sized-bed sleeping alcove. The bathroom suite contained a sauna and a steam room. It was big enough for a small family but also served as a guesthouse if the five other additional bedrooms were occupied.