It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
Judge Robertson paused for a moment before he committed his vote to paper. Part of him wanted the hospital but another part of him didn't want a Steelgrave running. Even if Leah was telling the truth and that her father had nothing to do with it, Ben knew that Elias would find a way to get control. So, not sure of what to do, he voted the only way he could and wrote down Abstain on his ballot paper and placed it in Wigfall's cap.
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Matt, for his part, decided his vote would be yes. In theory, it was a good project and he hoped Leah could carry it out without interference from her father. Whatever happened, it would bring Elias Steelgrave into town and maybe an opportunity to gather more evidence on the man for his superiors to present to those who were interested.
After writing down, Yes on his paper and putting into the cap, Matt leaned back in his chair to watch the rest of the proceedings.
Once the anodyne Anderson had made his henpecked vote, in the affirmative, it would turn out, Hector Wigfall stood there with a hatful of paper slips, not really sure what to do with them, smiling at Miriam Kaufmann until Orr's stentorian voice sounded.
"You will please count them out for the assemblage to see, Mr. Wigfall!" the bearded man commanded.
"Oh, o' course!" grinned Hector, who usually craved the limelight, but was still a bit taken aback by the official role he seemed to be taking in all of this all of a sudden.
"Ahem, er, well, I got a Yes, another Yes, Yes again and, oh..." he finally held up the final slip for all to see "... someone who's either abstemious or abstaining!" Indeed, Matt's writing was a little squiggly and hard to read. This last joke got a weak chuckle from the easily amused and, of course, a wild cackle from Arabella.
"Ahem, this is no place for levity!" warned Orr, but looked overall immensely pleased with himself. "It is with great pleasure and pride that I thereby announce that the Council's Plans for the Building of the first Kalispell hospital will go ahead!! A Hospital Board to be appointed and meet at a time and place to be decided!" It all sounded very grand and he made absolutely no mention of those who had gamely pushed for and raised funds for the project against all opposition over the last few months.
"Congratulations, gentlemen!" he beamed, looking not at those who deserved any praise, but to his fellow Town Council members as Hector realised he'd better make a note of all this in the minutes and scrambled back to the table.
"A hospital board?" Leah asked rising to her feet. "You plan to form a hospital board? With these men? Your cronies, Mister Orr? I have waited precious months to begin construction of this project, not because of weather, not for lack of building supplies, not for lack of men that will build it, not for lack of the necessary equipment, nor for the necessary funds to see it through to completion. No I've lost precious time, this community has lost precious time, because you and these other self-absorbed, small time politicians had decided to do what you could to derail the project altogether, and maybe, I would just go away. Well, that can certainly be arranged."
Months of pent up anger with how this situation had been avoided was beginning to seep out. "It appears that now that you have the right of ways for the railroad, for which you did nothing to obtain but hold out your grubby little hands, you see no need to honor a simple trade request without thinking you will lord over, and delay the project for as long as you can. You didn't vote yes for a hospital, no gentlemen, you voted to take control of the project. And that is just not going to happen." With that she stepped out into the aisle and straight to the doors, then through them, with out looking back.
Dutton Peabody followed, but just into the aisle where he turned and faced the dais, a wide grin on his face. "I'm afraid gentlemen, you may well have just lost the hospital, the orphanage, and perhaps, come the election, your seats on Kalispell Town Council. Nice work Dick, gentlemen." And with that, he turned, and strode out of the meeting room, whistling.
Matilda sighed at the board's manuverings, they would make corrupt Chicago ward bosses proud. She stood up and eyed Orr especially.
"Peabody is right. This little stunt is going to backfire on you. I and many others are going to do all we can to see you lose the next election which is coming up this fall. This isn't over yet, you slimy bastard."
Then she was about to turn and leave but paused to then glare at the rest of the lot, "And as for you gentlemen, especially you Mr. Wentworth, if you simply are gonna sit here and let Orr get away with this then I was wrong about you, I thought you an upright honorable man. "
Jonah was a little slow on the uptake -- he despised politics, for this very reason -- and it wasn't until Leah pointed out that forming a 'board' was indeed a way of usurping control, sneaky bastards!
Hell, he hadn't even considered that there would be a call for a governing board, but if there was, it would have to be comprised of people who knew what they were doing, and most of these men assuredly didn't!
Standing, he shook his head as he followed Leah and Dutton out the door, stopping close to them.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, although he knew this wasn't over.
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
A look of disbelief graced Matt's face as Orr mentioned something about a hospital board. This was the first time that anything like this was suggested and Matt knew he didn't want to play Orr's game, whatever it was.
He was about to voice his objection, when Leah stood up and said her peace. She was quickly followed by Dutton Peabody and then by Matilda Devereau...
Then she was about to turn and leave but paused to then glare at the rest of the lot, "And as for you gentlemen, especially you Mr. Wentworth, if you simply are gonna sit here and let Orr get away with this then I was wrong about you, I thought you an upright honorable man."
"I have no intention of letting Orr get away with this," he answered before turning to Hector, "I want it noted in the minutes that I object to Mr. Orr's suggestion that a hospital board should not be convened before all parties concerned have had a chance to meet and discuss the matter to the satisfaction of all."
Judge Robertson, quickly seconded Matt's suggestion, "Wigfall, make sure you note my objection to this as well. I wanted to put forward a motion that we approach Miss Steelgrave with an offer before we had the final vote but it seems that Mr. Orr had other ideas that he failed to mention to his fellow town council members." The look of disgust he gave Orr was evident to all those who were near.
Matt sighed as he listened to others mention the upcoming election. His position on the town council only came about due to the sudden death of one of the councillors. He knew that it was only a temporary position and it didn't matter to him whether he got voted in or not. What matter was that Orr, if left unchecked, could be more of a threat to Kalispell then Elias Steelgrave could ever be.
For his part, Mr. Orr rose and bowed gracefully as both Miss Steelgrave and then Mrs Devereaux gave him a mouthful of invective and stormed out. He did not pay Leah's creatures, Dutton and Danforth, any such consideration. Leah was young, graceful and beautiful, but it was on the tinderbox Matida's slightly plumper frame that his eyes rested as she stalked toward the door. Rumour was she had temper enough to have shot a man before now: she was just the sort of woman that Dick liked to tangle with... and it so happened that he had an opening for a mistress. Sure, he still gave Mary Wigfall a tumble now and again, for old time's sake, but Matilda was a younger woman with a lot more fire. As for his wife! Well, she didn't enter into his calculations one jot or iota.
He sat back down chuckling as Hector Wigfall dutifully scribbled down Matt Wentworth and Judge Robertson's caveats to the decision made. "Oh, you boys pay too much attention to the hysterical ravings of these women!" he laughed, unheard by the now chattering public crowd.
"Why, the Hospital Board isn't there to stop your 'all parties concerned' having an opportunity to meet and discuss the matter, it is wholly there to expedite such discussions, and to ensure that the plans of the sponsors and the expectations of the Council are running along roughly parallel lines." he oozed smoothly, in no way letting Matt's harsh words rumple his benign exterior manner.
"In fact, I was going to suggest that you two gentlemen head the board: I think I'd better keep out of it. For some reason the 'Hospital Faction' don't seem to trust me entirely!" he said, with a faint air of sad surprise.
"So Mr. Wentworth and Judge Robertson to convene the Hospital Board?" checked Hector, before he committed it to paper.
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
Matt raised an eyebrow at Orr's suggestion that he and Judge Robertson should head the board. Grabbing Hector's arm just as he was about to write it down, "Since this was our esteemed colleague's idea it should be noted there will be no hospital board until one can be voted in. Until then, Miss Steelgrave is in charge, since this is for all intents, her project. As for me, I decline the offer."
Judge Robertson piped up, "Agreed. I also decline the offer of heading the hospital board. There's no way you're going to saddle me with this Orr."
Letting go of Hector's arm, he turned to Orr, "You can have the honour of dealing with Miss Steelgrave and informing her that the idea of a hospital board is something that is not set in stone. Tell her the town council is willing to co-operate and discuss this matter further."
Since he knew from his various sources about Orr's dalliances with a number of women, as well some other shady deals he was involved in, Matt decided that a veiled threat might be the only way to make the man more than willing to help. Being a Secret Service agent had its advantages at times.
He leaned forward a little, so that Orr could hear what he had to say. "And you will convey our wishes because if you don't certain parties will hear about your certain dealings with the fairer sex and others."
Wentworth, along with Robertson, turned down the positions on the Hospital Board flat.
Letting go of Hector's arm, he turned to Orr, "You can have the honour of dealing with Miss Steelgrave and informing her that the idea of a hospital board is something that is not set in stone. Tell her the town council is willing to co-operate and discuss this matter further."
"Why! Me?! But gentlemen...!" protested Orr.
He leaned forward a little, so that Orr could hear what he had to say. "And you will convey our wishes because if you don't certain parties will hear about your certain dealings with the fairer sex and others."
"So, it's blackmail, then!" grumbled Orr in his basso profundo voice. "Very well Wentworth, you leave me no choice. And here I thought you to be gentleman!!" he complained, before turning to Hector.
"Very well, Hector, put me down for Commissioner of Hospitals and I shall convey to Miss Steelgrave the Council's 'ardent desire to aid her in her project'. Is that message supine and saccharine enough for you Wentworth?" he asked bitterly. "And don't blame me if she refuses to meet me to talk it over, though. Remember I take the mantle of this responsibility on through duress!" he said, exuding an air of hard-done-to martyrdom.
We may think we leave the past behind but it has a habit of catching up with us
Before Hector could write anything, Judge Robertson put up his hand. "Now hang on a minute, Orr. Need I remind of the ordinance that states only the mayor can appoint commissioners. You'll be our representative for the time being but you're not giving yourself a grand title."
As the judge waited for Orr's response, an idea began to form. The elections were coming up and what they needed was a good man to be mayor...someone who would keep people like Orr in check. He glanced over at Matt and made a mental note to talk to him later about it.