by Judy Angelo
The last thing she wanted was for Manchester to find Reed on his doorstep. If given the chance her stepfather would draw him in and ply him with questions and, knowing how manipulative the older man was, he would soon have Reed on his side.
She was hurrying with Reed to his car when she remembered what she was wearing. Her face colored as she realized the picture she must have made when she opened the door to the unexpected visitor. Sweat pants and an old T-shirt? She was still wearing bedroom slippers, for goodness sake. It was a good thing they were out in the country, in a region remote enough where they could drive along a tiny road and not see anyone. She would make him pull over at the most convenient point, let him say his piece and then he could be on his way. And that would be that. She would never see Reed again.
At that thought the bravado seeped out of her and her heart began to slide from its resting place down to the bottom of her stomach. She would never see Reed again. She almost came to a halt. She knew he was lost to her, he could never be hers, but still...the thought made her lift her fingers to her lips. She could feel a sob rising and she could not let it escape.
Head down, Golden slid into the passenger’s seat and watched as Reed walked around to the driver’s side. She drew in a few surreptitious breaths and by the time he got in and started the car she’d regained a tentative hold on her emotions.
He glanced at her. “Where to?”
“Just drive along there,” she said, jerking her chin toward the small road that branched off from theirs. “If you need to talk to me you can do it there.” He set off and when they got to a grassy bank shaded by trees she told him to stop.
Even after the car had rolled to a halt Reed said nothing. He just sat there, his hands still on the wheel, staring at the foliage in front of him.
Golden glanced over at Reed, waiting for him to speak. When nothing came she twisted in the seat, her body turned toward him. “Why did you come to see me?” she asked, her voice surprisingly calm. “You know I can’t work for you anymore.”
“I came here,” he said, his voice heavy, “to explain.”
“What’s there to explain? You’re married and that’s all that counts in this conversation.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I have to make you understand. It’s not the way you think.”
“Not the way I think?”
“No, I...was drunk. My buddies and I were in Vegas for Spring Break. I met this girl and...” he looked away, out onto the deserted road, “I...got hitched. I hardly even knew who she was. I just met her that night.”
He sighed then turned to Golden. “I’ve been trying to find the girl but I’ve got next to nothing to go on. All I know is, her name is Carrie.”
Golden frowned. Was this man serious? “Do you expect me to believe that?” She looked at him askance.
“Whether you believe it or not it’s true.” Reed’s voice was an exasperated growl. “I’m trying to find her to ask her for a divorce. I have to get out of that before I even consider anyone else.”
Golden tilted her head to one side as she peered into his face, trying to read his eyes. “And you were how old when this happened?”
Reed’s lips twisted and his fists tightened on the steering wheel. “All of twenty-two. Old enough to know better.”
“So you’ve been in this situation all these years and you’re just trying to remedy it? Why now?”
“I was a fool. When I couldn’t find her next day and a week after that and then a month after that I just pushed it to the back of my mind, pretended it didn’t exist.” He drew in his breath then slowly expelled it. “I just moved on with my life, acting like it never happened.”
For a moment Golden did nothing but stare at him, incredulous. “You’ve been keeping this a secret all this time? You spoke to no-one about this? What about your lawyer?”
He glanced over at her, probably to check if she was buying his story, but she was having a hard time swallowing what he was dishing out. “My older brother knows about it. I told him about it a year after it happened. He said I should deal with it but I ignored him.”
“And your lawyer?”
“It was stupid but I just wanted to handle it myself. When I was ready.” He shrugged. “I guess it was the embarrassment...the shame. I didn’t want anybody to know what a goddamn bozo I’ve been.” His jaw clenched and his frown deepened. “And then there was the denial. I was living like it never happened. I never even stopped to consider the seriousness of what I’d done. It wasn’t that important. Until now.”
Until now. His words reverberated in her mind. Did those words have anything to do with her?
But she would never know because Reed’s lips tightened and he said no more. And she would never ask.
Finally, Reed released his fingers and let his hands slide away from the steering wheel. He turned his face to look at her with dismal eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice dead and flat.
Golden felt her heart tremble. “I’m sorry, too,” she said as the clouds of despair gathered around her. His tone was so final, so cold.
But maybe it was a good thing. It would make things easier for her, easier to do what she had to do.
She knew without a doubt that she would never return to Davidoff Fashions. She also knew it was time to accept the inevitable.
Before the day was over she would contact Lord Mountbatten.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Just do what you have to do, Golden. Do what you have to do.
Golden shook her head. Her pep talk was not working. Her stomach was still churning as she sat in the car staring at Lord Mountbatten’s manor house, trying to work up the courage to get out.
She’d called him the day Reed had made his surprise visit. Now, as they’d arranged on the phone, she was here to meet him to discuss arrangements for their marriage. She knew this was the right thing to do, the only thing. She just wished her heart would lift itself out of the depths of despair and help her face her fate without fear. Calling on every ounce of courage she possessed, Golden got out of the car and walked up the cobbled pathway to the front door. There she lifted the knocker to announce her arrival and with each bang she imagined the hammer coming down, driving the nails into the lid of the coffin that would be her life from here on.
The door opened and a plump, cheery-faced woman smiled at her. “Good day, Miss Browne. Please come in. Lord Mountbatten is expecting you.” The woman, who could only be the housekeeper, ushered her in and led her into the stately home. Golden looked around the spacious entrance hall, her eyes roaming over the elegant furniture there, all obviously antiques, probably dating back a couple of centuries. Her eyes lingered on the portrait on the far wall, a man of exceptional height, noble-looking, with a severe mustache framing his upper lip, a patrician nose and black eyes that seemed to see right through her. Lord Mountbatten himself.
“Please follow me.”
Golden tore her gaze from the formidable portrait and hurried to catch up to the woman who had set off down the hallway without her. The housekeeper took her through a maze of corridors until finally they stopped at a set of wooden double doors.
The housekeeper turned to her. “Lord Mountbatten will see you in his office.” She turned away, grasped the handles of the heavy doors and pushed them open then with a tilt of her head she beckoned to Golden to enter.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, Golden stepped in. The ‘office’ was more like an enormous library, the walls lined with books from top to bottom. She took another step forward, eyes wide as she took in the opulent furnishings, the obviously expensive paintings on the walls. They couldn’t be originals, could they?
There was a sudden movement and Golden’s eyes jerked away from the paintings, her gaze drawn to the massive desk at the end of the room. The big black chair swiveled around and there she saw the stern-looking man, the living manifestation of the portrait she’d seen moments before. This man, though, was older, with strands of gray streaking his oth
erwise dark-brown hair.
“Golden, welcome,” he said as if they were old friends, the rigid mask of his face relaxing into a smile. He got up from the chair and came forward to greet her, his hand outstretched.
Golden did not take another step. She just stood there, her eyes sliding up the height of him until she was gazing at his face. She’d known the man was tall but now, standing in the same room with him, she realized that he was taller than any man she knew, maybe as tall as six foot five.
She hadn’t yet recovered from the shock when Lord Mountbatten took her hand in both of his, clasping it warmly like he was happy to see her.
“Please. Have a seat so we can talk.”
Golden’s lips twisted but she said nothing, letting him lead her to the Chippendale chair in front of his desk. Of course he was happy to see her. To him her face probably looked like the symbol of the pound sterling.
As she sank down onto the chair he stood back to regard her with a satisfied smile. “As soon as you turned twenty I started reaching out to you but you’ve been avoiding me all this time. You like to play games, saving things for the last minute.” He chuckled. “Jeffrey warned me you could be stubborn but I’m glad you’ve finally decided to come around. Your father only had your best interest at heart.”
Rubbing his hands together, Mountbatten stepped away and headed back to his chair.
As he did, a sullen thought crept into Golden’s mind. Yes, when it came to her father she knew he’d had her best interest at heart. But Lord Mountbatten? The interest he had in this affair was most certainly his own.
Mountbatten planted his long-fingered hands on top of the desk and pulled his chair closer. A look of eager anticipation on his face, he gave her a Cheshire Cat smile.
“Now where do we begin?”
***
“What’s the word, Max? Tell me you have something for me.”
All Reed heard was a sigh on the other end of the line. Finally, his brother spoke. “Sorry, nothing yet.”
“It’s been two weeks, man. What’s holding things up?” Reed couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice. There was something he needed to do and time was running out. “I thought you said this P.I. was one of the best.”
“He is,” Max, said with a grunt, “but what do you expect when all he’s got to go on is a first name and a Spring Break location? You’ve got to give the man time to do his job.”
“I don’t have time,” Reed said through gritted teeth. “That’s a luxury I can’t afford.”
The response he got was silence. When Max spoke, his tone was one of annoyance. “So what’s your rush all of a sudden? We’re talking about something that happened more than three years ago. You let it sit all this time and now suddenly you can’t resolve this fast enough?”
Reed knew his brother had a point but it didn’t matter. He had to do what he had to do. “I told you, Max. I met a girl. I think...she’s the one.”
“A girl you met a month ago? Maybe two?” Max’s voice said he was not impressed. “Sounds to me like this is another of your rush job love affairs.”
“This one is different-”
“Grow up, Reed. It’s time you took life seriously. You can’t keep running around controlled by your dick-”
“Max.” Reed cut him off. His brother was beginning to piss him off and right now he didn’t want to go there. There were more important issues on the table. Urgent issues. “She’s the one. I love her and I’ll do anything to get her. But we have to do this fast. I’ve only got two weeks. Will you help me?”
Max gave a snort but then he went silent. Finally, he spoke. “All right. I’m taking Banner off the case. I’ll be putting this in the hands of the best P.I. firm in the country. They’ll get the job done. I’m sure of it.”
At his brother’s reassurance the tension in Reed’s body eased. “Thanks, bro,” he said. “This means a lot to me.”
It meant more than a lot. If he could resolve this problem it could change the rest of his life. He would do everything in his power to make it happen...before it was too late.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“But you don’t even like him. Why in the world would you want to do that?” Eyes wide, Eugenia regarded Golden with a look that said she was convinced her daughter was off her rocker.
“Mother, I have to. You know what will happen if I don’t marry now. My inheritance goes to you and you know what that means.”
“But dear, that doesn’t matter.” Eugenia put a hand on Golden’s shoulder. “It would still be our money, mine and yours. The good thing is, Dunstan would give us advice on how to invest it. He’s a man. He knows about these things.”
Golden almost laughed but it would have been a sad laugh, reflective of the sorry situation she was in. How could her mother be so clueless? He was a man so that qualified him as an investment adviser? And why was Eugenia in denial? The man already had control of her assets. What made her think he wouldn’t take control of this new access to even more cash?
Gently, she reached out and lifted Eugenia’s hand from her shoulder and got up from the kitchen table. “I have to go now, Mother.”
“Where?” she asked as her eyes searched Golden’s face. “You haven’t made a final decision, have you? You will think about what I said?”
Golden forced a smile. “Yes, mother, I’ll think about it.”
“Please, dear, don’t hurry into marriage with Lord Mountbatten just because of the will. There’s really no need to rush.” She stood up, her face earnest. “Dunstan is a good man. He will take care of you. I promise.”
Golden could only nod, words failing her. She’d thought the situation was sad but it was past that. It was pathetic. She had a mother who was so blind to the truth, so brainwashed by her husband, she couldn’t even think straight.
The realization only strengthened her resolve. If she was to save her mother she had to get her hand on that money.
And whatever it took, she would do it.
***
“Thank God.” Reed dropped his forehead onto his palm and his body sagged with relief. “I thought it would never happen.”
“Well it did, so get your tail out here first thing tomorrow and deal with your business.’
“I’ll be there tonight,” Reed told Max. “I haven’t got a moment to lose.”
Within hours he was in the air, his private jet on its way to the United States. The firm Max had put on the case, Accelerated Investigation Services, had delivered as promised, tracking Carrie down in Massachusetts. Carrie Kingston, now a registered nurse at Mount Auburn Hospital. She’d been a junior when he’d met her in Las Vegas. He could thank his lucky stars that he’d finally remembered, or at least come close, to the name of the college she’d been attending when they met. She’d mentioned it in passing but it had totally slipped his memory until four days earlier. He’d been in the bathroom shaving, the TV on in the bedroom, when he’d heard a commercial that made him snap to attention. Hershey’s Chocolate. Hershey? Hershey College.
Face covered in foam he’d shot to the phone and called Max immediately. That, it turned out, had been exactly what they’d needed, a piece of the puzzle that gave them a location and, better yet, an institution to which to tie the mystery woman.
And now he would see her again. All he had to do was get her to free him from the prison he’d locked himself in.
Next morning, drained by jetlag but not letting that stop him, Reed was on his way to the Cambridge address provided by the P.I. firm. They’d already made contact with Carrie Kingston and she was expecting him at nine o’clock.
He got to Lowell Street with fifteen minutes to spare. He parked on the street a short distance from the house and sat in the car, anxious to hop out and ring the doorbell but loathe to disturb her before the appointed time.
When it finally came around to nine o’clock Reed was already standing on the front porch, ringing the doorbell. It opened immediately and there in the doorway stood the g
irl he remembered, not looking a day older than when he’d last seen her, and she was smiling.
“Reed. I never thought I’d see you again. Come on in.” Still smiling, she stepped back. “I was in shock when I heard you were trying to track me down.”
Reed was in shock, too, at such a warm reception. He’d expected confusion or resentment and even anger. After all, he’d married the woman and then abandoned her. But this?
Carrie ushered him into her comfortably furnished living room where she directed him to a fat plaid sofa. “Have a seat. I’ll get you something to drink. Coffee? Tea?” She gave him an alluring smile. “I guess it’s too early for a beer.”
“Uh, I’m good, thanks. I don’t need anything right now.” Reed could feel a bead of sweat running down his back. This was too easy. Too good to be true. Why was she being so friendly? He had the uneasy feeling that things would soon take a turn for the worse.
Carrie shrugged. “All right.” Then to Reed’s surprise she bypassed the armchair and came to sit on the sofa beside him. “So,” she said, turning to him, still smiling, “why did you hunt me down? I’m dying to know.”
That made Reed freeze. Eyes narrowed, he searched her face. How could she not know? They’d gotten married in a drunken stupor and now, years later, he’d come to find her. That could only mean one thing. He wanted a divorce.
He was opening his mouth to say just that when her next words knocked the wind out of him.
“Are you here to ask me to marry you for real this time?”
Carrie Kingston was staring right at him, looking like she meant every word. “I’m glad you found me,” she continued. “I never forgot you but I thought there was no hope. When I got the call that you were looking for me, I knew. I’ve been on your mind all this time, haven’t I?”
For a moment all Reed could do was stare. Words failed him. How the hell was he going to dig himself out of this mess?
Obviously, the girl had feelings for him or she’d convinced herself that she did. She’d assumed he’d come looking for her to rekindle whatever it was they had that one night in Vegas. What the heck was she going to do when she found out his reason for hunting her down was the very opposite?
