Son of Stone

20

T he following day Stone was working at his desk when Joan buzzed him. “Eduardo Bianchi, on line one,” she said.

Stone picked up the phone. “Hello, Eduardo,” he said.

“Good day, Stone,” Eduardo replied in a voice still youthful, given his great age. “I’m so happy you are joining my family and me for Christmas dinner.”

“Arrington and I are looking forward to it,” Stone replied, “and she’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“I wonder if I may tender an invitation of another kind?”

“Of course.”

“Dino has told me of your plans to marry soon.”

“That’s right, we got a license yesterday.”

“There will be an official present at our Christmas dinner who would be pleased to marry you, I’m sure, if you can come half an hour early.”

“What a lovely thought,” Stone said. “I’d be delighted, and I’m sure I can accept on Arrington’s behalf. You’re acquainted with Bill Eggers, managing partner at Woodman amp; Weld, I know.”

“Of course.”

“I’d like very much to invite Bill to the ceremony,” Stone said.

“Of course you may. I’d be very pleased to have Bill and his wife to dinner, as well, if he doesn’t already have plans.”

“I’ll ask him and let you know.”

“Very well, then, please be here promptly at twelve-thirty on Christmas Day.”

The two men said good-bye, and Stone hung up. Stone called Eggers, told him of their plan, and invited him.

“Marian and I would love to be with you,” Eggers said, speaking of his second wife. “It’s Betty’s year to have the kids for Christmas, so we don’t really have any plans. I’ll call Eduardo myself and accept, and we’ll see you Christmas Day.”

Stone, Arrington, and Peter lunched in the kitchen, and he told Arrington of Eduardo’s invitation.

“How very nice of him,” Arrington said. “I hope you accepted.”

“I did, and I’m glad you’re happy about it.”

“Please tell me more about Eduardo,” she said.

Stone took a deep breath. “He’s a remarkable man. There are rumors that, in his youth, he became an important figure in the old Mafia, and that he may even still be involved in some way, but no one has ever been able to substantiate that, and I’ve never had the courage to ask him for fear of offending. If the rumors are true, then he’s always been able to keep that association buried deep in his background.

“In any case, Eduardo has succeeded brilliantly in a number of fields. He founded an investment bank and became a major shareholder in a couple of big brokerage houses and serves on a number of big corporate boards. He’s also on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Opera, among other nonprofits, and he wields more personal influence in more areas than any man I know or have ever heard of.”

“That’s impressive,” Arrington said.

“Peter, Eduardo is also Ben’s grandfather. His daughter Mary Ann was married to Dino.”

“Didn’t Mary Ann have a sister?” Arrington asked.

“Yes, Dolce, but she’s mentally ill and is in some sort of facility in Sicily.” Stone didn’t mention that he and Dolce had once been married in a civil ceremony in Venice, and that, when Dolce went mad, Eduardo had seen that the marriage document was removed from the city’s records and sent to Stone. He had burned it.

“Where does Eduardo live?” Peter asked.

“Way out in Brooklyn, on the water, in a very impressive house, and you should remember to call him Mr. Bianchi, unless he asks you to do otherwise.”

“Of course,” Peter said. He produced his leather envelope and took out a document. “I want to send in this application to Yale,” he said, “and I’ll need your signature.”

“Good idea to apply now,” Stone said, and Arrington agreed. “Do you think two semesters at Knickerbocker will be enough for you?”

“I think so. There’s always summer school, too.”

“Oh, I’d like you to spend at least some of the summer in Virginia,” Arrington said.

“If that’s what you want, Mother.”

“So nice to have a dutiful son,” she said. “What are your plans for the afternoon, Peter? Will you be working on your film?”

“No, there’s an Orson Welles series at the Film Forum, and Ben and I are going to go. He’s never seen a Welles film.”

“He has a treat in store,” Stone said.

“Yes, he does,” Peter agreed. “He’s gotten very excited about film. I don’t think he’d given it much thought until we met, but now he wants to see everything. ”

“You’re a good influence,” Stone said. “If Ben weren’t seeing so many movies with you, he’d be getting into some sort of mischief. That’s what his father says, anyway. Dino is very happy about your friendship.”

“So am I,” Peter said.