Dusky Rose

by Joanna Scott

  Laura wiped her eyes and took her suitcase into the bedroom. She stared at the embossed initials and realized that David had invaded every corner of her life. She emptied her clothing from the suitcase and put it by the door so she would remember to return it tomorrow when she drove the Porsche back to Pacific Heights. Then she showered and prepared for bed, dreading the dawning of the next day.

  Laura spent a restless night. David's face hovered over her melancholy reveries while she drifted in and out of the sleep that continued to elude her. When the gray light of dawn finally came creeping through the window, she dragged herself out of bed and padded wearily toward the shower. She let the gushing stream of warm water envelop her body, hoping it would return some vitality to her weary limbs, but only one thing could ever make her feel whole again, and David's love was something she would never have.

  She walked from the shower to the bedroom and selected a fresh change of clothing from her luggage. The only things she had with her were the jeans and T-shirts she had purchased after her marriage and the dress she had worn to Midge's wedding. Midge had given away all her old clothing, on David's orders, and she was not about to wear any of the clothing Miss Wentworth had purchased for her. She chose jeans and a shirt, thinking that they would be more comfortable than the dress for the trip back to Carmel. She looked dejectedly at the pale, emotionless face reflected in the mirror as she silently combed her hair. All the sparkle had left her eyes and her whole face looked tired and drawn from too many worries and too little sleep. She tried to bring some color into her ashen cheeks by highlighting them with a rosy gloss, but her artificial efforts did little more than emphasize the haunted expression in her eyes.

  It was still too early for her meeting with the judge, so she went into the kitchen and prepared a breakfast of toast and coffee. She sat at the table, picking at the food, finding it difficult to swallow even the smallest morsel of toast. Finally, convinced that nervous tension had made her stomach too queasy to accept any food, she washed the dishes and replaced them in the cupboard. It would be best if she saw the judge immediately and got all the legal aspects of the situation settled as soon as possible. She would always love David and yearn for his touch, but once he had been granted his annulment she would no longer have the right even to dream of him, and in the long run, maybe she could banish even the thought of him from her life just as he had banished her from his.

  She left a brief note for Midge, explaining that she had used the apartment and was planning to return to Carmel to live with Aunt Estelle. Then she gathered her things into the large canvas satchel which she had used during her school days and left the apartment.

  The streets of the city were alive with people going to work, walking their dogs or running mundane errands that occupied their daily lives. Laura envied whatever tasks they had to do because none was as painful as the chore she had to perform today. Straightening her shoulders and sighing deeply, she went to the Porsche, threw in David's luggage, placed her canvas bag next to it and slid behind the wheel. She took the paper from her pocket and doublechecked the address, then started the motor and drove carefully through the steep, winding streets leading toward the water.

  The small car took the hills easily and Laura found it much simpler to maneuver than her own bulky blue van. She stopped at the top of the hill above Pacific Heights and looked at the calm waters below, watching the early morning fog burn off, giving way to a hesitant sun that was peeping over the velvet-ribboned horizon. Then she shifted the car into low gear and descended the steep hill.

  She turned into the judge's street and began checking house numbers. The houses in this area were smaller than David's and their architecture reflected the Victorian style of old San Francisco. Laura finally found the address she was seeking, a stately white house with tall french windows and ornate gingerbread carving along the eaves. She parked the car and walked toward the door, her despondent heart pounding with the uneasy tension of the occasion. She mounted the steep steps leading to the brightly painted front door, contemplated the heavy brass knocker, rang the doorbell instead and waited nervously until the door was opened by a small, elderly woman in a crisp black and white uniform. She eyed Laura dubiously, looking her up and down, obviously disturbed by her casual attire.

  "Yes," she said hesitantly, "what can I do for you?"

  "I'm Laura Lattimer, I have a nine o'clock appointment with Judge Jamison. I'm sure he's expecting me."

  "Yes, of course, Mrs. Lattimer. The judge is waiting for you in his library. Please come in; I'll tell him you're here." She motioned Laura toward a bench in the entryway and disappeared down the paneled hallway.

  In a short while, the maid reappeared. "The judge will see you now. Please follow me."

  Laura followed her down a narrow hallway, stopping at a heavily carved oak double door. She waited while the maid tapped on the door before inching it open. "Mrs. Lattimer to see you, Judge Jamison," she said, and ushered Laura into the room before backing away and closing the door silently behind her.

  The heavyset gray-haired man came from behind the desk and took Laura's hands in his. "Well, Laura, this is a pleasant surprise. I thought you and David would be away on a honeymoon. Don't tell me that foolish boy is letting his dull business keep him in the city when he should be off relaxing with his charming wife?"

  Laura looked carefully at the judge as he spoke to her. She was sure that she had seen him before, his low soothing voice had a strangely familiar quality to it, but try as she might, she just couldn't recall where she had met him. Then suddenly it came to her; he was the director of the play she and David had taken part in. Only he wasn't a director, he was a judge, and the play wasn't a skit, it was a wedding—hers and David's. Her mind was still going in circles, trying to cope with this startling realization, when he addressed her again.

  "Come now, sit down and tell me what brings you here so soon after your marriage." He motioned Laura toward a black leather chair and settled himself behind the desk once more.

  Laura looked at him in confusion. "Didn't David call you?"

  Now it was the judge's turn to be confused. "No, I haven't heard from David since the night he asked me to marry the two of you." Then he looked at Laura's desperate face. "Is something wrong?" he said, leaning forward in his seat.

  Laura's face dropped and she squirmed in her chair. "I expected that David would have been in touch with you before this. I thought you would know all about it."

  "About what? You're talking in riddles, young lady! What is it you've come here to speak to me about?"

  Laura took a deep breath and blurted out the word. "An annulment; I've come to get the marriage annulled." She looked down at her tightly clenched hands where they rested uneasily in her lap.

  "An annulment. Good Heaven's, you've just been married. What on earth is going on?" He leaned forward in his seat, placed his elbows on the desk and removed his horn rimmed glasses. "You'd better have a good explanation for this ridiculous request. I've got a good mind to get David in here and have him clarify all this nonsense."

  Laura strained forward, her eyes pleading with the judge. "No, please don't call David. I don't ever want to see him again. If you must speak to him, do it after I've gone."

  "Don't you tell me what to do, young lady! I've had about as much of this ridiculous situation as I care to take and I intend to get to the bottom of it right now! First you and David come storming into my house, unable to tear yourselves out of each others' arms. He tells me that you're madly in love and asks me to marry you two immediately without waiting for the usual medical tests and legal forms. In all the years I've been a judge, I've never had such an unusual request and I don't mind telling you, I had my doubts about doing as David asked. I don't like marrying people in such a rush, but you two seemed to be so much in love that I didn't see what else I could do. You looked like an entirely different person that night, laughing and kissing David as if you were the happiest woman in the world."
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br />   "Now, I've known David all his life. His father was a very good friend of mine. We were roommates at college and I was best man at his wedding. Ever since his death I've looked upon myself as a second father to David. He's my godson, you know. He's always seemed to be level-headed, with his feet firmly planted on the ground, so I had no reason to doubt the wisdom of his decision to marry you, sudden as it might seem. David's never given me any cause for concern—until he met you." The judge left his chair and went to the window.

  Laura spoke hesitantly. "I'm sorry to be the cause of this problem, but David and I both believe that the marriage was a mistake and that this annulment is necessary. If you will just take care of it, I'll get out of David's life and things will return to normal. I promise you," her voice broke, "David wants this just as much as I do."

  The judge whirled around and confronted Laura, his distinguished face flushed with anger. "Is that so? Is that all you people think there is to marriage? Well, I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken. There are other people involved, you know. There's David's mother to consider. She called me just before she left for Europe; you had been to her house for dinner and she was enchanted with you. She's planning a big wedding reception when she gets back from Europe. She's even talking about grandchildren! David is the light of her life, and she's waited a long time for him to find someone he wanted to marry. Now you come here and tell me it was all a mistake and you want to annul it. Well let me tell you something, young lady, nothing gets done about this marriage until I get both you and David in this room at one time and we discuss this situation like rational adults."

  "But judge, David and I have discussed it. We want an annulment."

  "Nonsense, my girl! I meant what I said! I want you both in here—together." Then he reached for the telephone.

  Laura watched, panic stricken, as he dialed David's number. She didn't want to face David again and give him the chance to discover that she loved him. And she knew that the judge was shrewd enough to detect her true feelings if he saw her in the same room with David. Clasping her hands tightly together, she burrowed them deeper into her lap.

  The judge slammed down the receiver. "Damn, that young idiot has taken off for Stinson Beach. He apparently said he needed some time to 'think things out.' I knew there was more to this whole thing than what you've been telling me. Anyway, Miss Wentworth said he can't be reached because the beach house has no telephone. She offered to send Dan up if it was an emergency. However, I see no reason to involve Dan in this situation, it's entirely too personal. Do you know where the beach house is?"

  Laura thought quickly. She remembered how familiar David was with the chalet at Stinson Beach that was supposed to belong to his friend. Of course, she thought, he knew it so well because he owned it. It was his beach house. She nodded her head. "Yes, Judge Jamison, I think I do."

  "Well, young lady, get in your car, drive up there and bring David back here. You tell him I want to see him immediately. And then we'll get all this annulment nonsense straightened out once and for all."

  Laura was dumbfounded. How could she face David and speak to him about an annulment when all she wanted was his love? Yet one look at the judge's determined expression told her that he meant every word he said. She rose wearily from her chair. "I'll go and speak to David. But I can't promise that he'll come back with me."

  The judge led her to the front door. "He'd better come back with you. I'll be waiting for you, so you'd both better get here as soon as you can. I am not used to being kept waiting, and I don't intend to start changing my habits at this late stage in my life." He shut the door and left Laura to walk down the steps by herself.

  Chapter 13

  The wind blowing off the bay whipped across Laura's face, drying the tears that were spilling from her eyes. She walked to the car and slid behind the wheel, resting her head against the backrest as she closed her eyes and sought a few moments' peace. In just a little while she would have to face David and she would need all her strength for that encounter.

  She steeled herself for the trip to Stinson Beach and started the engine. The traffic in the city was fairly light at this hour of the morning and Laura made good time as she headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. As she mounted the ramp leading to the bridge, she noticed the fog deepening more than was usual for this time of morning. She frowned as she looked up and saw the threatening rain clouds hovering over the horizon. A deafening clap of thunder caught her attention and she stepped harder on the gas pedal in a futile attempt to outrun the storm. The clouds were still some distance away, but they were moving rapidly in the same direction that Laura was heading, and she hoped she would arrive at Stinson Beach before the storm units full violence on the waiting earth.

  As she left the bridge and drove onto the highway leading to Sausalito, a light patter of raindrops began beating against the windshield and Laura finally turned on the wipers as the chilling rain began to increase in intensity. She was glad that she didn't have too far to travel because the rain promised to be heavy and long. As she passed the usually calm inlets, she saw the small boats moored in the marinas bobbing madly about, buffeted by the blustery wind. Shopkeepers and boat owners alike scurried about, gathering their belongings and securing them against the fearsome force of the rampaging storm.

  Laura sighed with relief as she turned into the narrow private road leading to the beach house. Suddenly, the car jerked forward and began to sputter, then sighed and died out. Laura pressed the gas pedal nervously, her insistent foot demanding that the car start again and carry her to her destination, but although the engine turned over the car made no move to start. Her eye flew to the gas gauge and saw that it registered empty. "Oh, no," she groaned as she looked out at the pouring rain and considered what she could do.

  It was ridiculous to remain in the car. This was a small private road and very few cars traveled down it even in good weather. At this time of the year, and in a rain storm, Laura doubted that there would be any other car on the road before nightfall. The Porsche's interior was already growing cold and Laura shivered beneath the flimsy protection of her light woolen sweater. She gathered her strength and determined that there was only one thing to do; she would have to walk to the cottage. The distance was not too great and on a sunny, summer day it would be a pleasant walk. Today, however, Laura knew she would be soaked to the skin before she reached the house. She only hoped that this was David's beach house and that he was still there.

  She opened the car door and the full force of the driving rain assaulted her. She almost returned to the car but an inner determination drove her on and she ran in the direction of the beach house. The wind whipped itself into a frenzy and whirled about, looking for a place to exercise its destructive violence. Tall pine trees swayed to the tune the wind was singing and punishing branches dipped to lash Laura's face as she raced toward the comforting safety of the cabin. The pine needles covering the sodden earth had become slippery beneath her feet, and she fell several times as she ran. At last she was able to see the outline of the house. It was completely dark and there was no welcoming light to greet her as she crawled up the few steps leading to the cottage door. With her last bit of strength, she pushed the door open and fell on a dry, warm rug. The house was apparently deserted; she had made the trip for nothing. David was nowhere in sight. As she lay there, she began to cry, her salty tears mingling with the water streaming from her clothes and hair to form a pool on the rug.

  The calm was suddenly shattered by the sound of footsteps echoing across the large room. A light switched on and David's shadow fell across Laura's crumpled body.

  "Laura! What are you doing here? What's happened to you? You're a mess!"

  The bristling anger in David's voice was replaced by concern as he lifted her and carried her upstairs. He placed her in a chair and then left momentarily. When he returned, Laura could hear the sound of running water. She felt her sodden clothing being stripped from her body as she was carried into the bathroom and de
posited in a steaming bath. David's patient hands moved over her body, soaping away the clinging dirt of the muddy road. He lowered her back into the water, foaming the soap through her hair and then rinsing it in the blissfully warm water. He kept draining the water as it cooled and grew muddy, allowing clean, warm water to flow in and rinse every speck of mud from Laura's aching body.

  Finally, he lifted her out of the tub and wrapped her in a thick turkish towel. He carried her to the huge bed and, after depositing her on it, began rubbing her body vigorously to dry her off. When she was dry, he placed her beneath the heavy down comforter. In a short while he had a fire blazing in the fireplace and had left the room.

  The orange flames cast erratic, dancing shadows along the somber redwood walls. They illuminated David's face as he reentered the room bearing a tray with a steaming pot of coffee. He placed the tray on a low table and poured some of the simmering liquid into the cup. Then he approached the bed and knelt beside it, gently raising Laura with his free arm. She was shivering uncontrollably as he placed the cup against her trembling lips.

  "Here, drink this before you catch pneumonia. It's only hot coffee laced with a spot of brandy. I know you don't like alcohol, but if you don't get something warm into you, you'll shiver to death." As he continued to hold the cup to her lips, his arms tightened about her quivering shoulders, drawing her closer to the warmth of his chest.

  Laura sipped the liquid slowly, savoring its fiery warmth as it burned its way down her throat and into the depths of her body. She rested her head against David's broad chest and listened to the softly beating rhythm of his heart. Even through her total exhaustion, Laura knew that she never wanted to leave the cozy circle of David's firm embrace. She finished her drink and snuggled closer into his arms as he placed the empty cup on the bedside table. She would have remained there, nestled in his strong hold, but he gently removed her and placed her head on the downy softness of the pillow. He tucked the comforter securely about her and felt her forehead with his hand, tenderly pushing the tousled hair away from her face. The last thing Laura remembered before falling asleep was the soft kiss he placed upon her forehead.