Full Bloom

shares, Emily?" Drake finally asked.
    Emily smiled grimly. "Grandmother gave me those shares on her deathbed, but what no one here knew was that there were a few strings attached. Remember how she called me in and spoke to me alone the night before she died?"
    "I remember," Catherine said with a small frown.
    "She told me then that one day I would assume the role she was relinquishing."
    "She saw herself as the company's corporate conscience," Gifford said slowly. "She didn't interfere often, but when she did she was as stubborn as all hell."
    "Exactly," Emily agreed. "I hate to break this to all of you, but I'm afraid she selected me to take her place. She said I would eventually have to become RI's conscience. Ravenscrofts were born hunters, she said, and they were very good at what they did. They knew how to survive. But she felt they occasionally needed someone to pull on the leash. She gave me enough shares and enough potential power in RI to do that if it ever became necessary. I told her I didn't think I could handle it. I reminded her that I always seem to lose when I go up against the rest of you. But she said that someday things would be different. She said I was her granddaughter and she knew me. She said I just needed time."
    "Emily," Catherine said weakly, "this is incredible. Why haven't you ever said anything about this before?"
    Emily shrugged. "She told me to bide my time and wait until I felt confident before I tried flexing any muscle. She said I needed to grow and mature but that at some point in the future I would be ready to handle the job. She made me promise never to sell or give away my shares unless the family sold the firm outright. As long as Ravenscrofts run RI, I have to retain possession of those shares and I have to keep my seat on the board. She said she was entrusting the future of the family and the firm to me."
    Gifford shook his head in wry disgust. "The incredible part is I can just see her doing something like that. She was a magnificent, interfering, arrogant old lady."
    "Someday I hope to be just like her," Emily said complacently.
    Jacob groaned but there was laughter in his eyes. "I have a feeling we've all just seen a vision of the future."
    "What about the night you threatened us with those shares if we didn't leave Jacob alone, Emily?" Catherine asked.
    "A bluff, I'm afraid," Emily said with a sigh. "I could never get rid of those damned shares. I gave Grandmother my word of honor. But I thought I'd try pulling off a true Ravenscroft maneuver with them. Unfortunately," she added with a sidelong glance at Jacob, "someone else stepped in and nipped my big plans in the bud."
    "Who was that?" Gifford demanded.
    "Jacob. He didn't like the idea of me trying to protect him."
    "Do you mean to say that you are now going to start taking an active interest in the day-to-day operations of RI?" Drake asked without undue concern.
    "Nope. I have absolutely no interest in the day-to-day running of the company," Emily assured him. "I'll just be keeping tabs on things from afar. Grandmother made it clear that she considered you the best candidate for the job of actually directing RI's daily activities. She said you had the necessary predatory qualities to keep the firm alive and aggressive."
    "I wonder if she meant that as a compliment," Drake said wryly.
    "Oh, yes, she did," Emily said quite earnestly, remembering her grandmother's final words. "She said you had inherited all the necessary traits to make the firm thrive and grow and to protect it for the next generation. But she felt strongly that the company needed someone in the background who could step in occasionally and remind the board of directors about the difference between right and wrong. It was Grandmother's opinion that just knowing there was someone ready to interfere at a moment's notice would be enough to keep the firm from straying too far into the shadows. She recognized the fine line between good business and what was morally wrong even if it was legal."
    "And she expected you to monitor that line?" Gifford asked bluntly.
    "I'm afraid so," Emily said cheerfully, beginning to enjoy herself.
    Drake stared at his sister for a long moment. Then he turned to Jacob. "Did you know what you were getting into when you carried her off to Reno?"
    Jacob's teeth flashed briefly in a dangerous grin, but his eyes were warm and indulgent when he looked at Emily. "I've told Emily more than once that she needs a keeper. But now I'm