Regrets Only
Page 67
Just as he began to speak, he found her in the family box and nodded just the slightest secret smile to her.
His speech was electrifying. He had always been an effective speaker, but this was the best speech she had ever heard him give, and she was truly mesmerized by his words. As he was concluding, he remarked on the importance in America of the stability and the viability of the family.
“And nowhere is that more true than in my own life. I readily admit to you that the support and love of those around us is of utmost importance. Without the love and support of my own family and particularly of my wife, Sadie, I would not be able to carry on.”
By the time he finished, the crowds were on their feet, some clapping and cheering, others sobbing at the emotionally charged tenor of his speech.
Rosey summoned Sadie to join him, and she walked quickly toward the lectern where he was standing, followed by the family. As she was approaching her husband, Toby Waselewski, her Secret Service agent, pressed something into her hand.
“Jenny asked me to give you this,” he whispered.
She walked into Rosey’s embrace, and as she did he leaned down and kissed her on the lips, and the crowd went even wilder.
They stood for several minutes smiling and waving, Rosey’s arm continuously around her.
It was only when he reached over to embrace Freddy and Blanche Osgood that she was able to glance down at the tiny note folded in her hand. As she opened it up and read it, she could feel the tears well up in her eyes and the dizziness come over her. The note was very simple. It said:
“Regrets Only.”
She glanced over to her left, to where the press was sitting, not having dared before. He was there in The Weekly’s section, looking directly at her. Several feet away in The Daily’s section stood Allison Sterling. She was watching Des.
Sadie stared at Des. She could feel his dark eyes boring into hers and still she couldn’t take hers away. She was only vaguely aware that the noise was dying down as the two of them continued to look at each other as though if they let go of their gaze, like one person holding another from falling off a ledge, they would both plunge to their deaths.
Finally Des moved, and with the subtlest of motions, unable to hide his apprehension, he raised his shoulders in a questioning gesture.
She looked at him for what seemed an eternity before she shook her head back and forth slowly, unable to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks.
She watched Des’s face as anguish engulfed him, watched him pick up his jacket and quickly make his way to the exit.
Allison’s eyes met Sadie’s and Sadie could see that Allison understood.
“Oh, look at Sadie, poor darlin’,” she heard her mother say. “She gets so emotional. She always cries when she’s happy.”
Rosey turned back to where Sadie was standing and put his arm around her again, giving her a reassuring squeeze as he waved to the adoring crowds and sparked a new round of applause and cheering.
Sadie took that opportunity to glance back to the press section.
She saw Des at the exit. And as he was turning to walk out, following him with her eyes, was Allison.
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Copyright © 1986 by Sally Quinn
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form
Published by Simon and Schuster
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Designed by Levavi & Levavi
Cover design by Ryan Raphael
Cover art by CSA-Images/Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Quinn, Sally.
Regrets only.
I. Title.
PS3567.U349R44 1986 813′.54 86-6705
ISBN: 0-671-24973-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-9821-7724-9 (eBook)
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.