“I had my opportunity to tell her the truth the night of the kitchen fire. And when that didn’t happen, I had planned to tell her the next day. I felt us growing closer and I wanted her to know everything. But she was already gone when I got back to the room. And I didn’t get to see her again until she arrived on the stage with me.”
John stood and paced the room stepping through the shattered glass on the floor. “It's like fate kept putting obstacles in my way. And then her father told her I lied in front of the whole town.” John returned to his desk and looked at his friend hoping to get some relief from this pain deep in his chest.
Will sighed and gave him another sympathetic look.
“I let my guard down, Will. I let Henry Beckett get too close. It was him that day, you know. He was the one lurking outside my office door the day of the town meeting, and he heard us talking. I’ll bet it gave him so much joy to know he had me right where he wanted me.
John stood and paced around the room again. His heart ached. His stomach churned. Not only had he lost his wife, he had lost his best friend. All of his success, his new position with Mr. Scott’s company, this hotel—none of it meant a thing. Not anymore. Nothing mattered except seeing himself—the man he wanted to be—in Regina’s eyes. But if something didn’t give, that opportunity was lost to him forever.
A knock at the door made him want to throw something at it, but he was a businessman and he had an obligation to his staff to keep this hotel running so they had a paycheck at the end of the week. And now the added responsibility of his new job only increased the pressure he felt while he dealt with this life-changing situation.
Seeing John’s control slipping, Will answered for him. “Come in.”
John watched the door to his office open. He just wanted to deal with whatever they needed and send them on their way. Then he could get back to his misery and drowned it in drink. The door opened, and he would swear he had finally lost his sanity. Standing in the doorway was none other than Lila Beckett, Regina’s mother.
He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He wasn't even sure what he was seeing was real. He saw the frown on her face at the unkempt sight of him. He hadn't bathed in two days...possibly three. He hadn't bothered to groom his beard or his hair in weeks, and his clothes were wrinkled as if he had slept in them—which he had.
Will stood and greeted the woman for him. “Mrs. Beckett, what an unexpected pleasure. I apologize for my friend here. He has lost something he loved very much and he's not coping well as you can see.”
John watched his friend approach the lady and bow. Then he offered her his hand. When Regina's mother sort of smiled and gave him her hand in return, he led her to the chair next to the one he had occupied before her arrival.
“Mrs. Beckett, would you care for some tea? Or perhaps coffee?” Will offered while giving him a look that said “Wake up, you idiot. This could be the chance you’ve been waiting for. Don’t screw it up.
“No. Thank you, Judge Baker, I'm fine.” Regina’s mother answered.
Will gave him another look over the woman's large feathered hat and excused himself. Now, John found himself alone with the one woman who might have the answer to his questions. He reminded himself, she could also have a gun in her purse and came here with the sole purpose to put him out of his misery. He wouldn’t fault her for the idea.
John shook the alcohol, fatigue, and fog from his brain, smoothed his wrinkled shirt, and raked his fingers through his unkempt hair. Taking his chair behind his desk, he watched Lila Beckett watching him.
He was nervous as hell. Why on earth would Regina's mother come to visit him? Her parents hated him. A thought punched through his confusion. Something has happened to Regina. The thought made him nearly lose his liquid lunch. He swallowed twice to keep the bile from rising up and embarrassing them both.
“Mrs. Beckett, is Regina alright? Has something happened to her?” John didn't want to know the answer to that question. Not really...who was he kidding? Of course, he did.
“No, Mr. Kingston. The last letter I received from her said she arrived unharmed at her destination.”
Tears burned John's eyes. “Good. That's really good to know. Thank you for telling me that much, Mrs. Beckett. You can’t know how much I appreciate—” The emotions from the last two months leached out between his words. He heard the catch. He knew Regina’s mother had heard it too.
He caught her sympathetic look and tried not to be embarrassed, but then he saw her thoughtful look and good sense returned. “What brings you to see me, Mrs. Beckett? Does Regina need something? Money perhaps. Whatever she needs, all she has to do is ask and it’s hers.”
The woman remained silent for a moment or two longer and then she looked him right in the eye and asked, “Mr. Kingston, do you love my daughter?”
Stunned that she might even consider the possibility of him loving her daughter, he did not hesitate to offer her assurances of his feelings. “I have been in love with your daughter since we were children, Mrs. Beckett. Since that day I walked her home.”
“Yes, I remember that day. It was the day she came home in tears, her dress dirty, and her knees raw and bleeding. Her father was furious with her for not paying attention. I was furious with the lot of you, until…”
John watched the woman hesitate.
“Until?” He had to know where this conversation was going.
“Until I saw the look on Regina's face when she talked about how you stepped in to protect her. You made quite an impression on my little girl that day, Mr. Kingston.”
He remained silent. Mrs. Beckett continued, “Every time you and Regina were together, I could tell. Her eyes would light up and her face glowed with happiness.”
John was trying to grasp what the woman was telling him. “So, you knew about our weekly visits by the lake outside of town?” He couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, I always knew Regina wasn’t at piano lessons. Goodness, I hope not. If that girl had spent that much time at the piano, and still couldn’t play a lick, I’d be sorely disappointed and demanding my money back.” The woman was actually teasing him.
“Then please, tell me where she is, Mrs. Beckett. Tell me how I can find her so I can fix this,” John begged.
“Is it true Regina asked you to marry her first?”
“Yes.”
“And is it also true that Mr. Scott promised to hire you for the position of his financial overseer here in Durango, if you were a married man?” she pushed.
The time for lies had passed. John answered without hesitation.
“Yes, that is true, but Regina had already asked me to marry her before Mr. Scott made his promise to support me instead of your husband.”
“And did you marry Regina because of Mr. Scott's job?”
“Hell, no. Excuse me, Mrs. Beckett. I apologize for my language, but I would have married Regina on the spot, job or no job. I told Regina I wanted to think about it, and if I felt her idea wasn’t going to benefit her, then my answer would be no.”
“But you didn’t tell her no, did you, Mr. Kingston?”
“I did not. After Mr. Scott made his offer with its stipulation, I admit, I jumped at the chance to have the two things I wanted most in this world. They were right in front of me and there for the taking.” He hesitated for another second and then added. “It wasn’t just the job. I wanted Regina. I love her, and I wanted her to be my wife. I would have asked years ago, but I know how you and your husband feel about me, so...I just never wanted to put her through that kind of stress or upset her in anyway.”
Mrs. Beckett nodded, the feather in her hat fluttering in the stale air of his office. “I know this may be hard for you to believe, considering my part in my daughter’s unhappiness, but all I’ve ever wanted was for Regina was what I thought best for her, regardless of what my husband thinks.
“I had hoped she and Mr. Scott’s son might suit one another and fall in love. Then Henry would get what he wanted, and my daug
hter could finally be happy in her own life out from under Henry’s thumb.” Lila Beckett shot him a knowing look. “But I can see now that would never have happened because, it would seem, her heart was already taken.”
John couldn’t believe his ears. Regina’s mother, Henry Beckett’s wife, was actually admitting to him that Regina had feelings for him. He wished he had known a few months back. It would have made all the different in his life right about now instead of this hollow misery he felt deep in his soul.
“I can tell by your expression you are shocked by my revelation, but I can assure you, Mr. Kingston, my daughter is in love with you. She may not know it yet, but I do. And right now, she is miserable. I’m here to find out whether or not you love her, and if you wish to make her happy. If you do, then it is up to you to make that happen.”
“I’ll do anything you ask. Anything at all. Name it.”
“It’s not up to me to ask. All I can do is give you an address where you can write to her.” Regina’s mother handed him a piece of paper with an address on it. Boston. So, Regina was in Boston.
“Don't bother trying to find her at this address. You will be wasting your time. The people who live there will thwart your every move if you try to see Regina against her wishes. You must make her want to come to you, Mr. Kingston. It is the only hope you have if you wish to win my daughter’s trust again.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Beckett. Thank you. I don’t know what to say—how to thank you—”
“Mr. Kingston, despite what people think, I love my daughter immensely. I was young when I married Henry. He was so handsome and dashing in those days. He was quite the catch, at least that’s what I was led to believe by my father.
“It was only after we were married, that I learned what an arrogant selfish heartless man he was. I've not always been the best mother to Regina. I can admit that now that she’s grown. But I also see now that my actions…or rather inactions…were motivated more by self-preservation than by choice.”
John watched tears pool in her dark eyes, so much like Regina's. He suddenly felt sorry for the woman. “I have done the best I could to protect Regina from Henry's machinations. I would never have pushed her into a marriage not of her choosing, even if I had to steal her away in the dead of night. I'm glad you love her, Mr. Kingston. I've watched you grow into the man you are now and,” the woman paused and looked him in the eyes, “I like what I see.”
Speechless, John stood staring at Regina's mother. Small crinkles appeared at the outside corners of her eyes and John realized she was smiling at him.
The woman stood and turned to leave. He rushed to the door to open it for her. His hand on the doorknob, she placed her hand on his arm. He raised his eyes in question.
“Win my daughter back, Mr. Kingston. Make her happy.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m going to win your daughter back, starting right this minute.”
Chapter 14
Regina sat on her bed in her Aunt Latisha’s second-story guest room and rationalized her anger at John. She had been in Boston for nearly two months, and every time her heart tried to convince her to see reason, thoughts of John’s betrayal reminded her how angry she should be.
And as helpful and welcoming as her mother’s sister, Aunt Latisha, and her twin cousins, Roxanne and Marianne were, they were starting to get on her last nerve.
It wasn't that they hadn't welcomed her into their home with open arms, it was just that she missed home. Well, maybe not home exactly, and they wouldn’t stop talking about John.
She closed her eyes and thought back to that night at the town hall meeting when she had been so deliriously happy to stand by John's side. She had been so proud of her long-time friend and his success. She had even wondered what it would be like to have a real marriage to John, but when she learned of his deception and that he had played her for a fool, she had been devastated. Her heart, along with her trust, had been broken. She had played right into his hands when she asked him to marry her. Was she really supposed to believe it was just a coincidence that he needed a wife at the same time she needed a husband?
She thought he was her friend. A loyal friend. A trusted friend. Instead, he turned out to be just another male manipulating a female to get what he wanted. He was as bad as her father. No. That wasn’t true. He was worse than her father. At least her father had been upfront about his intentions. John had pretended to be her friend. A long sad sigh escaped her lips as she struggled to come to grips with her feelings once more.
“Regina, are you pining again for that handsome husband of yours?” Her cousin, Roxanne, asked over the top of the latest book she was reading. Roxi was her adventurous romantic cousin, always reading about some faraway place, imagining herself there, falling in love with a handsome stranger.
“No, I mean…yes. Oh, I don’t know what I’m feeling.” She mumbled more to herself than in answer to her cousin’s question.
“Well, it’s obvious you are. And my advice to you is that if you are so miserable without the man, then why not go home and straighten things out?” Marianne, ever the practical one, pointed out.
“I can’t go home,” Regina insisted.
“Why? Because he treated you with respect and valued your opinion? You said so yourself how kind he was. How dare the man treat you in such a manner?” Her cousin’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on Regina.
“No, Marianne. I can’t go back because he lied to me and I no longer trust him,” she snapped. They’d been over this many times. Many, many times, in fact. Why must she keep repeating herself.
Marianne sat next to Regina on the bed and threw an arm of comfort around her shoulders. “Now, don’t get mad at me. Just hear me out first, alright?”
Marianne’s questioning gaze had Regina nodding in agreement to listen, but just to listen.
“Now, the way I see things, John is in a no-win position.”
Regina took exception to that remark and started to speak when Mari silenced her. “Now, wait. You promised to listen.”
Regina clamped her jaws tight and did her best to remain silent.
“Think about your situation this way. You asked him to marry you, which he did. You told me and Roxi that you had feelings for your friend turned husband, and you were secretly hoping he had feelings for you. Have I got the facts straight so far?”
Regina cut a sharp look to her cousin but remained silent. Mari continued. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Roxi jumped into the conversation next. “Then, when you were hoping he would bed you, he didn’t. That sounds very honorable to me, but let’s continue, shall we? You found out that he had married you, as you had asked him to do, because of a life-changing opportunity he was offered if he married you, which again, you asked him to do—”
Regina sent her cousin a dirty look, “Will you please stop saying that,” she insisted.
“—and before he could explain himself, you stole away and bought a ticket under someone else’s name so he couldn’t follow you. He couldn’t even send you a letter of explanation. And, if your mother’s report of the events are correct in the letter she sent to our mother, he dared to incur your father’s wrath by going to your house and begging them to tell him where you had gone. Not just once, but time and time again.”
Regina knew that her mother had written to Aunt Latisha because her aunt had shared the letter with her and her cousins.
“Now, we ask you. Is that truly fair to the man?” Mari asked.
She knew there was a grain of truth to her cousins’ comments. She had snuck away while John was giving his speech and she had bought a train ticket in someone else's name so he couldn’t find her. She knew John would try to explain, but she hadn't wanted to listen then. Was she ready now?
“Regina, are you listening to us?”
“No. Yes. I’m thinking…about what you’ve said.”
“And what are you thinking? Are you ready to go home?” Roxi asked.
Regina thought about her cousins�
� point of view on the matter. They had some valid points, but—
“No, I can’t go home. I just can’t be sure whether he married me because he loved me or because someone promised him something.” It was a feeble excuse, even to her own ears.
Roxi and Mari both shook their heads in exasperation. Her twin cousins were perfect mirror images of each other.
Roxi spoke up. “Or because he was doing a friend a favor? Regina, how can you be so blind? The man has been in love with you since we were children. Every summer when we visited you in Durango, John was always nearby. He wore his heart on his sleeve...for you.”
Regina shook her head at her romantic cousin’s notions, but her heart took notice and held on tight.
Mari chimed in, “Regina, you must know he cares for you.”
“But he lied to me…” Regina persisted in hanging on to as much anger as possible. Reasonable or not.
“Did he?” her cousins asked in unison.
“I told you what happened. Of course, he did.”
“You asked him to marry you and save you from your father’s schemes, and he did. I don’t see the problem,” Mari stated.
“I asked him to pretend to marry me and he married me for real.” Regina couldn’t see why her cousins were being so thick-headed about the matter.
“So, let me get this straight. You wanted a temporary fake marriage that would ruin your reputation, and instead, John Kingston gave you a real marriage that was legally binding. He gave you his name. He gave you a home of your own. He invited you to help him run his business. He put you in charge of a project that was near, and dear, to his heart all the while paying the bills.” Mari shook her head. “I’m just not seeing him as the problem, Regina.”
“The problem is he tricked me. He lied to me. I thought he was the one person I could trust, but he used me just like my father did.”
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. “Come in,” Mari said.
Aunt Latisha opened the door and entered the room.
The Debutante's Escape Page 15
