Eternity

by Jude Deveraux

  “A bit of Warbrooke Shipping.”

  Josh opened his mouth to tell her that he didn’t know what she was talking about, but then he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Carrie seemed to have limitless access to money and she came from Warbrooke, Maine. He had known she was wealthy, but he’d had no idea she was that wealthy. Warbrooke Shipping’s motto, We Carry the World, was known everywhere, from China to India to the wilds of America and Australia.

  “Josh, my love,” Nora purred. “I do believe you’ve been away from the stage too long. Your face is as readable as a child’s. So, you didn’t know that she was part of Warbrooke Shipping.” Smiling in triumph, Nora sat down at the table.

  Josh turned to Carrie, ready to tell her what he thought of her not telling him that her family was so very, very rich, but then he smiled at her. Carrie hadn’t kept that fact a secret from him; it just hadn’t occurred to her that her wealth was of any consequence.

  On impulse, he kissed her, not a kiss of passion, but a kiss of thanks, thanks to her for coming into his life. With her by his side, with a wife who had her feet so firmly on the ground that she didn’t consider “who” her family was to be of any importance, he didn’t think she’d ever allow his vanity as an actor to rule his life. Carrie would never let him forget what was really important in life.

  Having no idea what Josh was thinking as he looked at her with so much love in his eyes, Carrie smiled and stepped closer to him.

  “How did you find out about Warbrooke Shipping?” Josh asked Nora, stalling for time while he tried to figure out what to do. He could not, under any conditions, allow Carrie’s family to buy his freedom.

  “Your dear brother Hiram. Really, Josh, you shouldn’t treat that man so badly. He has given you this darling farm.” Nora looked around the house with a sneer. “I would never have believed you could have lived this way. Tem says you cook.”

  As Josh held Carrie’s hand and looked at his former wife, he wondered how he’d ever thought her beautiful. Maybe he’d been drunk. “So Hiram told you I had married into wealth.”

  “Yes. It seems your little—” She looked Carrie up and down. “Your little mistress did something to displease Hiram and he investigated her.” She looked up at Josh. “Did you know that her adorable brother has spent the morning buying large pieces of Eternity?”

  Josh looked at Carrie in question, but she just shrugged. “ ’Ring does that wherever he goes.”

  Josh blinked a couple of times at her nonchalance, both at her acceptance of the amount of money her family had and of her brother’s buying habits. Everyone needed a hobby.

  “I want fifty grand,” Nora said. “When you put fifty thousand dollars in my hands, the paper is yours.” After giving them both a smile, she left the house.

  Carrie gave a sigh. “An odious woman. Really odious. I am disappointed in you for marrying someone like her.”

  “That’s odd,” Josh said sarcastically. “Most second wives like the first wives. Where are you going?”

  “To tell ’Ring I need fifty thousand dollars,” Carrie said.

  Josh caught her arm. “Just like that? You’re going to ask your brother for that fabulous amount of money? What are you going to tell him you need it for? To purchase a divorce paper? Yesterday and this morning all you’ve talked about is how ’Ring is of such high moral character that he’ll be furious if he finds out we’re not actually married.”

  “Then I won’t tell him.”

  “You’ll just ask him for fifty thousand, and he’ll give it to you with no questions as to why you want it?”

  “Of course. Families help each other. Money doesn’t matter. Your being married to someone else is much more important than money.”

  At that Josh had to sit down at the table and put his face in his hands. He’d never met anyone with the philosophy of life that Carrie had. He wanted to rage at her that she was too naive to realize that money meant everything, that people lied, cheated, stole, and killed for money. He’d like to be able to tell her that she didn’t understand because she’d never had to earn money, had never had the responsibility of having to support herself, much less a family. But she’d left him for a mere six weeks, and during that time, she’d not only supported herself, she’d changed the economy of an entire town.

  “Carrie,” he said softly. “I’ve never met people like your family. If money isn’t important to you Montgomerys, what is?”

  “Oh, money is very important to us. It’s just that love is more important. Love and money in that order. We’ll give up money for love, but not love for money. But then, money isn’t usually a problem for my family. Our major talents seem to be marrying well and earning money.”

  Laughing at what she’d said, he stood and hugged her. “Well, my talents lie elsewhere. And one of my talents is that I do take care of my own family. Maybe at times I don’t do it as well as I should, but I take care of them. You are not going to ask your brother for a dime. You’re not going to depend on him to get you out of this. This is my problem and I’ll solve it. Do you understand me?”

  “But it would be so easy to have ’Ring write her a check. Then—”

  He kissed her to silence. “Do you want to tell your brother the truth about us? That you’re carrying my child and we’re not married?”

  Carrie sighed. “No, I don’t. Oh, Josh, I don’t understand it. Everyone else in my family has such easy love affairs. ’Ring says that when he and his wife met they fell in love at first sight and they had no problems at all.” She gave Josh a hurt look. “You didn’t even know that you loved me when you first saw me.”

  Josh laughed. “True, I didn’t, so how about if I spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you?” Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her. “You love me, but do you trust me enough to solve our problems?”

  “Of course I trust you.”

  “Then do what I tell you, no questions asked.”

  “But—”

  He kissed her again. “I take care of my own family, understand? You’re not a Montgomery anymore, you’re a Templeton.”

  Carrie smiled. “I like that better than Greene. Carrie Templeton.” As she looked up at Josh, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to prevent herself from going to ’Ring. All her life she’d gone to her brothers or father when she needed anything. “All right,” she said at last, kissing him again. “I’ll do what you say.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Carrie knew that the most difficult thing she’d ever done in her life was to lie to her brother. ’Ring had arranged for the wedding to take place at five o’clock that day, and when ’Ring made plans, he expected them to take place. Only his wife was able to laugh at his schedules and get away with it. As for Carrie, if ’Ring told her there was to be a meeting at six in the morning, she would be at that meeting and on time.

  Now she had to lie to him. She had to tell him that she couldn’t be remarried until the next morning at ten. The worst part of lying was that she didn’t know what was going to happen between today and tomorrow. She didn’t know what Josh had in mind to do about Nora and the unsigned paper. Carrie had visions of Josh wrestling with Nora to get the paper, and above all, she was sure that ’Ring would find out about Josh being married to another woman. Would he do something primitive like draw a gun on Josh? Her brothers had often hit men who had been too forward with their precious little sister, so what would ’Ring do if he found out a man had impregnated his sister while not being married to her? Oh, how she wished her perfect older brother had experienced problems and obstacles in his own marriage.

  She was shaking when she went outside to tell ’Ring that the wedding would have to be postponed.

  To her utter bewilderment, ’Ring smiled at her, then offered to ride back into town with Nora and Eric. He was disgustingly pleased with Nora and asked her if she’d perform a few scenes from Romeo and Juliet for him during the short journey.

  Nora preened and, to Carrie’s way of t
hinking, made a fool of herself in front of the three men. Carrie knew it might be her imagination, but it seemed to her that all of them were looking at Nora with big eyes. Carrie kicked Josh’s shin, then smiled at him when he yelped in pain.

  When the carriage was out of sight, with ’Ring riding beside it on his horse, Josh turned to Carrie. “Could you rustle us up some food? The kids and I have some work to do.”

  “Rustle—?” Carrie began. “Food? I am being sent to the kitchen? What are you three going to do? I want to participate.”

  Josh kissed her cheek in an absentminded way. “What I have planned is for actors—professional liars, as it were. You, my dear, couldn’t lie well enough to convince a chicken.”

  “I just lied to my brother!” She was insulted by what he was saying.

  “Yes, you did, and he didn’t believe a word you said.”

  “Of course he did. If he hadn’t believed me, he wouldn’t have gone away. He would—”

  “I think you underestimate your brother. I don’t think he’s the stern moralist you think he is. In fact, I think he’s enjoying everything, and it’s my guess that tonight he’ll flatter Nora enough that he gets most of the story from her. Nora is very susceptible to flattery.”

  “You should talk,” Carrie said under her breath.

  Josh pretended he hadn’t heard her. There were disadvantages to living with someone who knew so much about you, about the real you, not the person you wanted the world to think you were. “Now, make us something to eat while I talk to the kids.”

  “Is Carrie going to cook eggs?” Dallas asked, sounding as though she might cry.

  Josh ushered his children outside.

  “Just follow my lead and say nothing, you understand?” Josh said to Carrie. Carrie, Josh, and the children were standing outside Nora’s room in the hotel, and it was about six o’clock, an hour after she and Josh were to have been married.

  “D’uh,” Carrie said, mocking an idiot. “I think I can do that.” She was still smarting over the fact that Josh had felt it safe to tell two children what he was planning, but he had left her out.

  Winking at her, he knocked on the door.

  Nora, wearing a red silk gown that was—how could this be possible?—lower than the one she’d worn during the day, opened the door.

  Carrie was still gaping at Nora’s dress as Josh pulled her into the room, the children close behind them, and shut the door.

  “You win, Nora,” he said.

  She smiled. “So, you have the fifty thousand?”

  “No, I don’t have it, at least I don’t have that much money to give to you. I plan to keep every penny for myself.”

  For a second Nora looked puzzled, then recovered herself. “But, darling, no money, no paper. You’ll never get your divorce if I don’t get the money, and you’ll never get to marry your little heiress.” She made it sound as though the only reason Josh would want to marry Carrie was for her money.

  Josh put his arm around Carrie’s shoulders. “You know, Nora, I’ve been on my brother’s farm for one whole year now, and I can tell you that it’s been hell. I have to get up before dawn and spend the day hoeing weeds or burning fields or other disgusting things. I’ve hated every minute of it.”

  “Of course you have, darling. I knew you would. Don’t you remember how hard I laughed when I heard the judge’s sentence?”

  “Well, you were right, therefore I’ve decided to give up farming.”

  Nora raised one eyebrow. “But the judge said the children would be taken from you if you didn’t live on Hiram’s farm for four years.”

  “That’s another thing,” Josh said. “Come out here, you brats,” he said.

  Carrie looked at him in disbelief as he grabbed an arm of each child and pulled them forward. Carrie’s disbelief intensified as she looked at the children. Minutes before, while standing outside the door, they had been clean and presentable, but now their hair was mussed, there was a streak of dirt on Dallas’s dress, and they both had tears running down their cheeks.

  “When I told the judge I wanted them, I had no idea what I was saying. I guess I thought raising children would be easy, but they’re brats. They take all my time, they whine and complain, and they’re dirty little creatures. So, Nora, my dear, they are yours.”

  Josh pushed the children toward Nora.

  Thank heaven Carrie was in too great a state of shock to say anything.

  “Papa,” Dallas screamed. “No, no, we want to stay with you. We’ll be good, we promise.”

  “Josh, you can’t mean—” Nora began.

  “Of course I can. The judge said that the children would go to you if I defaulted on my sentence, and I am going to default. I’m going back to the stage where I belong.”

  “B…but what about her?” Nora asked, looking at Carrie. “What about the little love of your life?”

  Before Josh could open his mouth, Carrie spoke up. She wasn’t going to be left out of this. “We are going to live in sin,” she said brightly. “We decided that sin was much more exciting than boring old marriage.” She gave Josh an adoring look. “As soon as we’re free of the children we’re going…Where was it, dear?”

  “Venice,” Josh said, and there was admiration in his eyes.

  “Yes, Venice. We shall use the thousands I receive from Warbrooke Shipping and go to Venice. Or would you rather go to Paris first? I do need some new clothes.”

  “Wherever you want, my dearest.” Josh kissed her hand.

  Josh turned back to Nora. “You see, my dear, it doesn’t matter if you and I are married or not. I have Carrie and her money and I no longer have the burden of those brats. Au revoir.” With that, he tucked Carrie’s arm in his and started for the door.

  Behind them Dallas screamed, “Papa, don’t leave us. Please, please don’t leave us. We’ll do anything if you’ll let us stay with you. Anything.”

  Josh had to hold Carrie’s arm firmly to keep her from turning back to the child. When they were outside the door, Carrie looked at Josh. “Is Dallas all right?” she whispered.

  “No,” Josh replied. “She has a serious case of overacting, and I plan to talk to her about it. No child of mine is going to get away with that.” He smiled at Carrie. “You were excellent. Maybe we’ll make a liar out of you yet.”

  “Josh,” Carrie said slowly, “the children were acting, weren’t they? And you were, too, weren’t you? You’re not going to leave them with her, are you?”

  He looked at her. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’d kill before you gave them up.”

  Smiling, he kissed her hand. “Let’s go get something to eat. I missed lunch.” His eyes were twinkling, because it was Carrie who had served the inedible lunch.

  In spite of Josh’s reassurances, Carrie was still nervous. She picked at her food at dinner and, later, when Josh took her to her dress shop, she wasn’t interested in it. Her employees had a hundred questions to ask her, but Carrie couldn’t think of the answers. Instead, she turned to Josh and said, “What if she wants to keep them?”

  “You don’t know Nora.”

  “Not as well as you do,” she snapped at him. “And at one time you thought she was a good mother.”

  “I was younger and dumber,” he answered, trying to make her smile, or make her angry—anything but as scared as she was. Even when he told her that he wasn’t going to allow her to name their child, what with her propensity for names like Choo-choo and Paris in the Desert, he got no reaction from her.

  When they went back to the farm, it was dark, and Josh told Carrie he was sleeping with her. The truth of the matter was, he wanted to hold her, wanted to be near the woman he loved tonight.

  “You just gave your children away and you expect me to sleep with you?” Carrie said.

  He kissed her hand, trying, and succeeding, to sound lighthearted. “At last my acting has received a compliment from you.”

  She glared at him. “You don’t touch me until
you get those children back.” When she slammed the bedroom door in his face, she heard a sound from him that was half whimper, half smug laughter. And there was something else in the sound that almost made her open the door again, but she didn’t.

  For the first time in her life, Carrie didn’t sleep for the whole night. When dawn came creeping over the horizon, she dragged herself out of bed and, holding Choo-choo, she went into the parlor. Josh was already sitting at the table, and he was wearing the clothes he’d worn the day before.

  “You haven’t been to bed, have you?” she said, sitting across from him.

  When he looked up at her, there was no falseness in his eyes. “I couldn’t help remembering how good a liar Nora is. And how spiteful. She might want to keep the kids just to repay me. She might—” Breaking off, he looked down at his empty coffee cup.

  When Carrie reached out and took his hand in hers, Josh got out of the chair and went to kneel before her, his head in her lap. She stroked his hair.

  “I’m afraid, Carrie,” he said softly. “I can’t lose them. When I came up with my little plan, it seemed so foolproof, but now I don’t know. If Nora told a court how I’d given the children back to her and told them what I said, I think the judge—any judge—would take the children away from me. What will I do without them? You and the kids are the only things in my life that mean anything to me.”

  She kissed his head and wanted to reassure him, but she was as afraid as he was. “Tell me what you have planned.”

  When he lifted his head, he turned away from her so she wouldn’t see him wipe away tears and said, “They’re to come to the church at ten o’clock. By then they’re to have made Nora’s life such hell that she’ll be glad to give me the paper just so she can get rid of them.”

  “Then we’ll have to go on the assumption that your children are as good at acting as you are. They are the children of the Great Templeton, you know.”

  Josh managed to smile at her. “Come on, let’s see what we can find to eat and then let’s go. We have to trust the children.”