The Cold Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “I’d love one.” He smiled as the man handed him a plate. “I hadn’t had any pizzas until you arrived. I must admit that they’re not as poor in quality as Louis makes them sound.”

  The gardener knocked on the kitchen door and motioned for Geoffrey to come outside.

  Geoffrey sighed. “Duty calls. I shall return.”

  Carrie chuckled as he left. “I love the way he talks.”

  “He’s from England. I often wonder if we sound strange to him.”

  “Probably so,” she said. “Have you come up with any other dessert ideas?”

  While Jim told her his ideas, she finished the rest of her slice and sipped her glass of wine. To her surprise, her brother entered the kitchen just as she accepted a second slice of pizza.

  “What are you doing here again?” she asked him. “Didn’t you just come by earlier this week?”

  “Is it a crime for me to see my sister?” Brad replied.

  “No. It’s just that you never visited me two times in a week before.”

  “I wanted to see how you’re adjusting to married life.”

  “You’re checking to make sure I’m not packing a suitcase and trying to run off?” He didn’t comment, but she knew that was the real reason. “You’re amazingly loyal to Mr. Monroe.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you calling him by his first name yet?”

  She was but she was having fun watching her brother squirm. It served him right for taking part in forcing her into this marriage. Ignoring his question, she asked, “Would you like a slice of Jim’s pizza? It’s really good. I’m having a second slice.”

  “I would but I need to talk to you alone. I hope you don’t mind, Jim.”

  Jim shook his head. “I’ll get some groceries. Will you tell Louis that I will be back in half an hour?”

  “I will,” she assured him. After he left and they were alone, she turned to her brother. “What is the problem now?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone with Jim. People might get the wrong idea.” He paused. “They would be getting the wrong idea, wouldn’t they?”

  She was tempted to give into her brother’s fears that she was falling in love with the cook, but she respected Jim too much to involve him in her desire to mess with her sibling. “Yes, Brad. They would be getting the wrong idea.”

  He was noticeably relieved.

  “Is this why you paid me a visit? You wanted to bother me?”

  “I just wanted to see how things are going.”

  “They’re the same as they were yesterday when you came over. What do you expect?” She ate more of the pizza. “You really should try this. It’s excellent. I’ve been trying all of Jim’s pizzas in the afternoon and I eat so much that I don’t have much room for dinner. I hope Louis doesn’t think I’m being rude. His meals are good too.”

  “Will you listen to yourself?”

  “What?” She couldn’t believe that Brad had a problem that she chose to compliment someone.

  “I wish you would take the time to praise Justin like you praise the cook.”

  “Are we back to that? I told you that there’s nothing going on between me and Jim.”

  “Is there something going on between you and Justin?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Do you realize the whole town is calling you The Cold Wife?”

  “There’s nothing I can do to stop people from talking.” She was quickly losing her appetite. She forced herself to finish her second slice of pizza before swallowing the rest of the wine. Her brother could drive anyone to drink with his insistent nagging.

  “There is plenty you can do to stop them from calling you that.”

  “I can’t believe we’re having this discussion.” She turned to face him and set one elbow on the table and one hand on her hip. “Do you want me to make love to him in the middle of town?”

  “You don’t have to be sarcastic.”

  “I wish you would give up on pestering me. Now, do you want to see what I did with the parlor so far?”

  He sighed. “Do you care for Justin at all?”

  “I’ll answer that question when I’m ready to. I won’t tell you anything just because you try to force it out of me.”

  He grumbled but reluctantly stood up to follow her to the parlor. She knew that her new curtains and display case with the cute figurines would bore him to tears, so she intentionally went into detail about all of them until he couldn’t take it anymore and politely left the house. She smiled in satisfaction. That will teach him to bother me.

  ***

  The next afternoon, she went to the orphanage with two of Jim’s pizzas. She thought the children might like to try something different for lunch. She noticed that Ryan didn’t eat his food though Mrs. Tobias tried to feed him.

  “He’s been this way ever since he came here,” Mrs. Tobias informed her. “He barely eats or drinks anything. He spends most of his time sucking his thumb and sitting with his blanket. It’s not easy to watch.”

  Something about Ryan tugged at Carrie’s heart. When she looked at the blond haired, brown-eyed boy, she couldn’t help but recall how Justin’s parents died when he was two. Unlike Ryan, Justin had an uncle who was willing to take him into his home and raise him. She didn’t know much about children since she had only made treats for the children at the orphanage.

  She smiled at the boy. “Hello, Ryan.”

  He looked up but didn’t respond. His eyes were filled with sorrow.

  Mrs. Tobias lifted the spoon full of applesauce to his mouth but he turned his head away. She sighed. “This is pointless. If he’s not going to eat, he’s not going to eat.”

  Carrie helped her clean the high chair. After Ryan was out, he began to cry. At the same moment he cried, Mrs. Creighton came to talk to Mrs. Tobias about possibly adopting one of the little girls. Since the other adults were too busy to watch Ryan, Carrie volunteered to sit and play with him. Mrs. Tobias was relieved and went to talk to the other woman.

  Carrie sat across from him on the floor in the playroom and offered him a stuffed animal and a toy train to play with, but he wasn’t interested in them. He held tightly onto his blanket and sat in her lap. She didn’t know what else to do but pick him up and take him to the rocking chair where he shortly fell asleep in her arms. Her heart swelled with warmth and joy in holding the small child. He seemed so fragile and lonely. She wondered who his parents were and why they left him. Then she considered it may have just been the mother or father who dropped him off. Even then, there was the possibility it was another relative or a friend of the parents. He seemed to have come out of nowhere. She couldn’t begin to imagine what he was going through.

  An hour later as she walked back home, she happened to see Julie. “Good afternoon,” she greeted uncertainly. They hadn’t talked since last Saturday, so Carrie wasn’t sure what to expect from the encounter.

  “Hello, Carrie,” Julie stiffly replied.

  Carrie refrained from frowning. She didn’t understand why the other woman should be upset with her. She hadn’t known that Harrison was secretly courting Julie when she entertained romantic thoughts of him. She glanced down the street where several people walked down the sidewalk. Turning back to Julie, she asked, “How are the wedding plans coming along?”

  “Fine. Does that upset you?”

  “No. I don’t harbor feelings for Harrison. Justin has turned out to be quite likeable.”

  “So you’re no longer insisting on the annulment?”

  She shrugged. “I hadn’t given it further thought.”

  “He’s not as bad as you feared then?”

  “No, he’s not.”

  Julie relaxed and smiled. “That’s actually a relief. I had worried that Harrison would come between us.”

  As much as Carrie wanted to be happy for her friend, Harrison did hold her back, though not for the reason Julie assumed he did. “Julie, I have recently discovered some unpleasant
things regarding Harrison. I had debated whether or not to warn you about him.”

  Her friend frowned.

  “I have reason to believe that Harrison is using unethical means to gain clients for his business,” she finally said.

  “I thought you didn’t care about Harrison anymore.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then why are you trying to turn me against him?”

  Carrie struggled to find the right words. “Well, if Justin were behaving unprofessionally, I’d want to know about it.”

  “And of course, Justin is perfect.”

  “No one is perfect. It’s just that he doesn’t financially destroy people.”

  “And Harrison does?”

  “I believe he is responsible for my father’s bankruptcy.”

  Julie frowned. “I don’t like where you’re going with this. Carrie, your father should have been careful if he didn’t want to go bankrupt. I am sorry that it happened, but I don’t see how Harrison is to blame for it.”

  “I think he used me to gain access to my father’s business records.”

  “Do you have any proof to these allegations?”

  Carrie’s cheeks flushed. “No but-”

  ”Then I don’t care to hear anything else. It’s obvious what’s going on here. You’re upset because Harrison wants to marry me instead of you. I know that you went to see him last week around this time to ask him to marry you and he said no. I think you want to annul your marriage and break me and Harrison up so that you can have him for yourself.”

  “That’s not true!” Carrie immediately paused, realizing that her sudden outburst had attracted some attention. Great. More gossip for the people to dwell on! In a lower voice, she continued, “You are my friend, Julie. I want what’s best for you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Last time you talked to me, you made it clear that I betrayed you, and since then, you and Mary have made it a point to ignore me.”

  “Perhaps we have been hasty to shut you out.”

  “Perhaps?” she snapped. “I won’t have my two closest friends with me on the biggest day of my life, and not only will you and Mary not be there, but it’s clear that if you two were, you would object to the marriage when the preacher asks if anyone has any reason that Harrison and I shouldn’t be married. I know Harrison well enough to assure you that deep down, he is a decent person. I believe in him, Carrie.”

  “But you don’t have all the facts,” Carrie insisted, tears forming in her eyes despite her best effort to not break down in front of the onlookers.

  “You said you have no proof.”

  She didn’t respond. It was true. There was no proof. There were only speculations, and speculations weren’t enough to condemn him.

  “I don’t need this before my wedding,” Julie stated. “I am trying to enjoy the process of planning my wedding and I won’t let you hinder that for another moment. Good day, Carrie.”

  Carrie watched as Julie walked down the sidewalk and entered the flower shop. That couldn’t have gone any worse if she tried.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Justin didn’t bother to glance up from the stock reports on his desk as Mr. Tyndall entered the building. He could see the man from where he sat in his office but knew the receptionist would take care of the situation. Whatever the older man wanted, his uncle could take care of it. Being around the man the previous day had been a test in patience and being quiet. The man spouted off his mouth about everything and it seemed that nothing made him happy. He was miserable and seemed to drag other people under his cloud of doom and gloom. If the sun was out, he complained that it was too bright. If it was raining, he complained that he got wet. If it was cloudy, he whined that it looked too dark for the daytime. With him, nothing was right. His son, Paul, had a better disposition and even ventured to look on the bright side of things, but his father quickly gave him reasons not to. Paul simply ignored him, which Justin had to admit was the best course of action.

  Justin heard his uncle so he glanced back up from the stock report in his hand and saw Jonathan smile and shake the client’s hand. How does Uncle do it? He honestly looks happy to see Tyndall.

  Mr. Tyndall was loud enough for everyone to hear. “I am having a dinner party tonight. You and your nephew need to bring Miss Duff by. I plan to play some friendly games against Stan Beaterman. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he loses. I wouldn’t have thought it possible to look at her, but that young lady is one of the best billiard players I’ve ever seen. She may not be as attractive as other women, but I suppose her looks don’t matter when it comes to making me money.”

  “Miss Duff is actually a beautiful young lady,” Jonathan quickly interrupted.

  Justin raised an eyebrow. Since when did his uncle notice a woman’s looks?

  “Really? I hadn’t noticed—perhaps because of her dreadful clothing,” Mr. Tyndall replied.

  “I already explained that the dress she was wearing is for the upcoming play,” his uncle smoothly stated.

  “Still, to wear it in public? People are apt to believe the Duff family is a pack of vagabonds.”

  “Mr. Tyndall, please refrain from talking about her that way. A woman is to be treated with respect.”

  “Are you telling me what to do?” The man clearly looked offended.

  “I’m just saying that if you wish for her to help you win the game, then it’s a good idea to be polite. You are welcome to your opinion, but I would rather not hear it when it concerns her.”

  “Yes, about the game. The dinner party is at six. I expect you all to be there.”

  “My nephew may have plans with his wife.”

  “Tell him to cancel them. I understand that the Duff woman likes to be with your nephew’s wife at dinner parties. She will be happy to attend with Clare there.”

  “Carrie,” Jonathan corrected him. “My nephew’s wife is Carrie.”

  “Whatever. It doesn’t really matter, does it? I mean, she’s just a woman.”

  Justin decided it was time to get up and join them. “Good afternoon, Mr. Tyndall.”

  “Boy,” the man greeted.

  “My wife and I are hosting a dinner party tonight,” Justin said. “We planned it earlier this week. She wanted to invite some close friends over.” He took it as a good sign that she was warming up to him since she was willing to openly acknowledge him as her husband to the people she cared about the most.

  “Well, there you have it.” Jonathan clapped his hands together. “I’m sorry, Mr. Tyndall but tonight will not work.”

  Mr. Tyndall looked sourly at Justin. “Surely, you cannot let a woman dictate how you run your life.”

  “Don’t you remember what it was like to be a newlywed?” Jonathan asked the man. “Justin already gave up his lunch date with his wife to join us and your son to a business lunch and for some friendly games of billiards afterwards. You received a sizable profit that day, thanks to Miss Duff. I suggest we let Justin and Carrie settle into their routine together before making any more demands on their time.”

  “I won’t protest if your nephew and his wife don’t attend, but I am very much interested in having Miss Duff there.”

  “Miss Duff is Carrie’s closest friend,” Justin informed him. “I can’t have the dinner party without her there.”

  “Harrison Jr. stopped by today and assured me that he can get Miss Duff to my dinner party if I wish. His fiancée and Miss Duff are close friends as well.”

  Jonathan glanced at Justin.

  “Carrie has already invited Miss Duff to our house tonight,” Justin argued, though he had the sinking feeling that it wasn’t going to make a difference to Mr. Tyndall.

  He was right, for the man replied, “Apparently, her plans will change. Mr. Grant has assured me that Miss Duff will be available if I wish.”

  “With all due respect, wouldn’t it be wise to ask Miss Duff if she wishes to attend your dinner party?” Jonathan asked.

  “I don’t see how a wom
an’s opinion matters in a situation like this.”

  Justin raised an eyebrow at his uncle as he recalled Carrie’s feelings about marrying him. “That sounds oddly familiar,” he muttered so only his uncle would hear him.

  Jonathan ignored the comment. “I disagree. A woman is a person, not an object. You will not be getting my assistance in this unless she agrees to it, and Justin and his wife will hold their dinner party for their friends.”

  “I suppose I can take my business to Mr. Grant,” Mr. Tyndall warned.

  “Then do so. I will not force a woman into something that’s not in her best interest.”

  “I’m disappointed. Withdraw my accounts immediately.” The man sniffed and left the building.

  “I smell a hypocrite in the room,” Justin remarked.

  “Oh, you can’t compare this to what I did to get you and Carrie together. I only did what was best for the two of you. Besides, she was upset yesterday when I saw her at lunch. She really wanted to have lunch with you. Obviously, things are going well with her.”

  “She was at the restaurant?”

  “Yes. Once I explained the situation with Mr. Tyndall, she felt much better. I couldn’t let her be upset with you after seeing you talking to Paul Tyndall. I mean, she assumed you abandoned her to have fun. I assured her that you weren’t having fun.”

  “So how is this different from Miss Duff?”

  “Mr. Tyndall wants to use her to further his own gain. Mr. Allen and I arranged for you and Carrie to marry for her benefit. She’s already happy with you and it’s only been six days. I suspect by this time next week, the annulment won’t be a possibility.”

  “It’s amazing how you rationalize things.”

  Jonathan didn’t comment on his nephew’s statement. Instead, he grabbed his hat.

  “Where are you going?” Justin asked.

  “To explain the situation to Miss Duff and let her know that she has the freedom to say no. I’ll see you later.”

  Justin sighed and returned to his work.

  ***

  When Justin came home that night, he was pleasantly surprised to see Carrie leave the parlor to walk to the front door to welcome him. “I got your flowers.”