Coulson's Wife (The Coulson Series) (13 page)

“W
here is your
car, Randall?” Mary Ellen asked the next morning. Sitting at the dining room table,
she spooned a dollop of strawberry preserve onto her biscuit.

“Had a little car
trouble. I’m having a driver bring it over later.” He reached across the table
and picked up a pitcher of cream.

“Did you have a nice
time?” She took a bite of the biscuit and looked across the table at her
husband.

“Played a little poker.
Lost a little money.”

“Oh, did William join
you?”

“William?” He glanced
up and looked at his wife. “No, William doesn’t care for poker. I thought you
knew that.” Mary Ellen shrugged and continued to nibble on her biscuit.

“Funny thing though,
coming in last night I tripped over a glass on the back lawn. Lucky I didn’t
break it. Have you any idea why one of our beverage glasses would be outside on
the ground?”

Mary Ellen stopped
eating for a moment and looked at her husband. She didn’t want to get someone
from the household staff in trouble. While Randall had gentled in the treatment
of her, he could be an unforgiving employer. Her mind raced for a plausible
explanation.

“Oh, that’s right! I
forgot all about it! During my morning walk yesterday, I took a glass of milk
with me. When I finished the milk, I set the glass down. I didn’t want to take
an empty glass on my walk. I intended to bring it back in the house when I
returned, but I simply forgot. I’m so glad it didn’t break. That was careless
of me.”

“Yes…careless. Odd
though…”

“What?” Mary Ellen
forced a cheerful smile.

“The glass appeared to
still have some milk in it.”

Mary Ellen said
nothing.

After a moment Randall
said, “Oh well, it was probably evening moisture.”

Mary Ellen looked at
her husband and noticed the peculiar way his shrewd eyes studied her. They were
interrupted a moment later when Harrison rushed into the room, late for
breakfast.

• • • •

 “It looks as if the
birthday party was a success,” William announced. He stood on the front porch
of the Coulson Estate with Mary Ellen, watching the cars pull away. Randall was
standing in the drive with Harrison while talking with a few of the party
guests who were just getting into their car. Because of the distance, William
could not hear what Randall or the departing guests were saying.

“I told Randall it was
far too extravagant for a six year old.” She leaned against one of the porch
pillars, as she looked over to the last car preparing to leave.

“Harrison seemed to
enjoy it.”

“What child wouldn’t?
But there is no moderation in Randall’s parenting. He indulges the boy, and
then is unduly harsh. I tell him it’s confusing for Harrison but he won’t
listen to me.”

“You have to
understand, his father was brutal. The only thing that man gave Randall was
disapproval and severe beatings.”

“I suppose. But I want
Harrison to become a kind and thoughtful man.”
Like his father.

At that moment,
Harrison ran toward his mother, excited over something.

“I get to stay at
Timmy’s and see the puppies!” He dashed past his mother, who was clearly
perplexed. He ran into the house to pack an overnight bag. Confused, Mary Ellen
looked to Randall who was laughing and walking her way.

“What is he talking
about?” Mary Ellen asked when Randall reached the porch.

“They’ve invited him to
spend the night. Their bitch just had a litter.”

“But Randall, tomorrow
is Monday, he has school in the morning.”

“I know what day it is.
George said he’d take the boys to school in the morning.”

Mary Ellen wasn’t
happy, but she understood there was no arguing with Randall. Whenever she
questioned his parenting, she received the standard reply:
I am the boy’s
father
.

Jane opened the front
door and looked out on the porch, searching for Mrs. Coulson.

“Ma’am, he says he
needs a bag packed?” Jane asked.

“Yes, Jane. Harrison
will be staying at Timmy’s tonight. They’ll be taking him to school in the
morning so he’ll need his school clothes.”

“Yes ma’am.” Jane went
back inside and closed the front door.

• • • •

After Harrison drove
off with Timmy’s parents, Randall invited William to join them for dinner. William
accepted the invitation. Two hours later the three sat in the parlor enjoying
an after dinner drink. While prohibition was still in effect, it did not stop
Americans from drinking alcohol.

“If you two will excuse
me, I’m going out for a little while,” Randall said as he stood up.

“Going where? It’s
Sunday night.” Mary Ellen frowned.

“Mary Ellen, why do you
keep reminding me what day of the week it is?” Randall laughed.

“Oh, you know what I
mean.” Mary Ellen flushed.

“Yes dear, I do.
Because of Harrison’s birthday celebration, I’m afraid I neglected a few things
at the office yesterday. I want to run down there and get a few things done
before the morning.”

William stood up, as if
he too was going to leave.

“William, there is no
reason for you to run off just because I’m going to the office. Why don’t you
stay and keep Mary Ellen company? I’m sure she’d like that. It’s still early.”

“How long do you think
you’ll be?” she asked.

“Don’t expect me until
much later. I have quite a bit to do, and before I come home I’ll want to
unwind a little. So I might stop for a drink.”

• • • •

 “It always makes me
nervous when he goes to one of those places,” Mary Ellen said after her husband
was gone.

“Why?”

“I always hear about
the raids.”

“Even if there is a
raid, nothing will happen to Randall.”

“I wonder where he’s
really going,” Mary Ellen asked.

“You don’t think he’s
going to the office?”

“Do you?”

 “Are you upset?”

“Not upset…reflective.”

William didn’t ask what
she meant, but sat quietly and watched her. She looked as if she had more to
say.

“For over six years
we’ve been pretending to have a normal marriage. But it wasn’t normal. Last
night we acknowledged the emperor has no clothes.  I didn’t appreciate the full
extent of what Randall meant when he told me he only expected discretion. I
thought about it a lot today. And when he left tonight, I realized he was
telling me he plans to live his own life, and I can live mine, providing I’m discreet.”

“How do you feel about that?”
William studied Mary Ellen. He couldn’t help but wonder what had been the
catalyst for last night’s events.

Mary Ellen sat there a
moment considering William’s question. Her expression was both thoughtful and
serious. Finally, she gave him her answer.

“Liberating, I think.”

They were both silent
for a few moments, before William asked, “The house seems quiet, where is
everyone tonight?”

“I suspect out, or in
bed. It’s a little late for any of them to be roaming around the house. Mrs.
Parker turns in much earlier than she used to, and Jane left for the evening, no
reason for her to stay here with Harrison gone. I don’t imagine she’ll be back
until tomorrow. Why?”

 William stood up and
put his hand out. Mary Ellen cocked her head curiously, but took his hand in
hers and stood up with him. He looked at her.

“I’ve also been
reflecting on what you told me last night, and have thought of little else. I
keep coming back to two things…”

“What two things?”

“That I love you and
that I am tired of wasting precious time. Come upstairs with me Mary Ellen,
now.”

  Paralyzed
momentarily, Mary Ellen reminded herself to breathe. She’d never been as
excruciatingly aware of her own heart beat as she was in that moment. Even the
pit of her belly chose this time to make its presence known by twisting
anxiously. Instead of giving a verbal answer, she simply went with William submissively
and willingly.

Without saying another word,
they walked from the parlor, down the hall and up the staircase leading to the floor
with the family bedrooms.

Mary Ellen’s bedchamber
was dark. Before closing the door, William walked to the window and opened the
curtain, letting in the moonlight. He then closed the door.

Not quite sure what to
do, Mary Ellen stood in the center of the bedroom and watched him. Taking his
time, William began unfastening the back of her dress. It fell to the floor in
a silky heap. She closed her eyes briefly and savored the sensation of his
hands moving over her body, as he removed her undergarments.

Her eyes fluttered
opened and she watched as he removed his clothing. She stood in the middle of the
room, completely nude. His gaze locked on her. When his state of undress
matched hers, he led her to the bed.

• • • •

The sound of footsteps
coming up the staircase broke the silence.

“Randall’s home,” Mary
Ellen murmured. Two quilts covered their bodies as she snuggled into William’s embrace.

“Does he ever come in
here?” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“No.”

The footsteps hit the
landing, then disappeared down the hallway. There was a sound of a door opening
and shutting. William rolled over on top of Mary Ellen and made love to her for
the third time that night.

An hour later, he
kissed her and told her he needed to go home.

“I just remembered, your
car is in the driveway, Randall has obviously seen it,” Mary Ellen commented as
she laid in the bed and watched him dress.

“Then I suppose I’m a
cad if I leave you alone to face your husband. You want me to stay?”

“That would be
interesting. But no, go home, I’ll be fine.”

• • • •

 “Good morning, dear,”
Randall greeted as Mary Ellen joined him in the dining room. He was reading the
morning paper and drinking a cup of coffee. She poured herself a cup and sat at
the table with him.

“Did you get all your
work done?” she asked.

“Yes, I did. Did you
and William have a nice visit?”

“Yes, very nice. Thank
you.”

“I see he stayed rather
late. I hope he remembers we have a nine o’clock meeting.”

“I’m sure he does.”

“Don’t forget, Mary
Ellen, we’re going to the theatre Friday night.”

“I’m looking forward to
it.”

“Did I mention, you are
looking very lovely this morning?”

“Thank you, Randall.”

W
ith
the release of the musical “The Jazz Singer” in 1927 the era of the silent
movie was coming to an end. As Hollywood moved into the 1930s it entered what
would be termed its Golden Age.

Infamous Black Tuesday,
heralding the Stock Market Crash of 1929, signified the end of the Roaring
Twenties’ era of excess and prosperity and the beginning of the Great
Depression.  By the end of 1932 Coulson-Hunter Enterprises had closed up their
plants in Virginia and Philadelphia. After relocating the home office in
Chicago, both the Coulson and Hunter Philadelphia estates were sold. 

On March 4, 1933
Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into the office of President of the United
States. The next day in Germany, the Nazi Party won the majority in parliament.
The following month, Utah became the 38
^th
state to ratify the
Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution, which repealed the Eighteenth
Amendment, thus ending federal prohibition in America.

In the spring of 1933, Harrison
Coulson turned fourteen.

While not as
ostentatious as the Philadelphia Coulson estate, the Chicago townhouse Mary
Ellen shared with her husband and son was located in one of the finer Chicago
neighborhoods, and she preferred it to her Philadelphia residence. One
advantage, William’s townhouse was on the same street. None of their household staff
from Philadelphia had relocated to Chicago and Mrs. Parker had passed away four
years prior to the move.

Edward Browning died
one month to the day after Mrs. Parker. Prior to his death, Mary Ellen and
Harrison made annual trips to Virginia. By the time of her father’s death, none
of her brothers was living at home—and none lived in Virginia. Her step-mother
inherited the house Randall Coulson had purchased for the Browning family. Mary
Ellen had never gotten close with her step-mother, and after her father’s
death, never heard from the woman again. She received occasional letters from
her brothers, yet they had all moved out west, living in Oregon, Arizona and
California.

One casualty of the
move was William’s private library. Unable to house all the books at his
townhouse, he was forced to store the remainder of his collection. For Randall
the downsizing was more devastating and he promised Mary Ellen that someday
they would live in a house even grander than their Philadelphia estate. She was
quite happy with their new accommodations, yet accepted her husband’s promise
for his benefit. In spite of personal sacrifices, Coulson-Hunter Enterprises’
financial future was optimistic.

• • • •

Mary Ellen walked into
the sunny parlor of her townhouse while reading a letter that had just arrived
in the mail. William and Randall were sitting in the room discussing business.

Randall glanced up at
his wife and frowned. She was wearing slacks, a style he’d never become
accustomed to.

“You have some lovely
dresses,” Randall commented. Mary Ellen just smiled and then sat down on the
couch and continued to read.

“It could be worse,
Randall, I understand women out west have taken to wearing their husband’s
jeans,” William said.

“You don’t like my
outfit?” Mary Ellen looked up from her letter, addressing her inquiry to William.

“I think you always
look lovely.”

“Please stop flattering
my wife, William. She’s become far too independent.”

“Oh Randall, you know I
make you the perfect wife!” Mary Ellen laughed, then folded her letter and
tucked it back into the envelope.

“I suppose you do. Did
I get any mail?”

“Oh I’m sorry. I left
it on the table in the entry. Do you want me to get it for you?”

“No, that’s fine. Who’s
the letter from?”

“My brother, Frank.”

“The one in Oregon?” William
asked.

“No, Arizona.”

“Aside from having to
tolerate women wearing their husband’s denims, I envy your brothers’ sense of
adventure. Moving out west sounds rather appealing right now,” Randall told
her.

“I thought you liked
Chicago?” Mary Ellen asked.

“I had an interesting
dream last night,” Randall told them.

“About moving west?”
Mary Ellen asked.

“In the dream I
purchased an enormous piece of land in the southwest.”

“A ranch?” Mary Ellen
asked. “If we lived on a ranch, I’d have to wear jeans you know. Of course, you
don’t wear them so I would have to buy you some if I want to borrow them.”

“Do you want to hear
this dream, or not?” Randall sounded only slightly annoyed.

“Yes…sorry.” Mary Ellen
grinned.

“No, it was not a
ranch. I developed a pre-planned community. My own city. The economy was fueled
by tourism and we opened a plant there, to give people a place to work.”

“Ahh, I know what
spurred that dream!” William laughed. “It was that discussion we had last night
about what’s wrong with Chicago, and how you would fix it!”

“Perhaps, but the idea
is intriguing.”

“You know what this
means don’t you?” William asked. “We’re moving west.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because two of your
husband’s more brilliant ideas were each inspired by a dream.”

“Is that true?” Mary
Ellen asked. She’d never heard that before.

“That is stretching it
a bit, William.” Randall chuckled. “After my father died I had a dream William
and I went into business together. I suppose that’s one he is talking about.”

“Yes. And the other was
the Chicago merger,” William reminded him.

“Moving to our own
western frontier community might give me an excuse to wear men’s denims but I’d
miss the cultural opportunities of the city, such as the theatre. Which by the
way is tonight, so I hope you two wrap up whatever business you’ve been working
on all afternoon so you can get ready,” Mary Ellen told them.

“Anything to get you
out of those slacks and into a dress,” Randall teased. He then directed a
question to William.

“Who are you taking
tonight, are you still seeing Melinda Miller?”

Mary Ellen glanced over
to William and for a brief moment, their eyes met. She looked down at the
envelope in her hand, fidgeting with it a bit.

“Yes, Melinda will be
going with us.”

“You’ve been seeing her
for what, a little over two months now? Seems they typically wash out before
the second month,” Randall chuckled.

 William just shrugged
and Mary Ellen smiled to herself. A part of her felt sorry for the women William
dated, knowing that some were quite smitten with him. At 46 years of age, William
Hunter was not just considered one of the more eligible bachelors in Chicago—he
was the most elusive. 

Thirty minutes later,
Randall excused himself and left his wife and business partner alone.

“We lead a queer life,
Mary Ellen.” William reached out and touched Mary Ellen’s shoulder, giving it a
gentle squeeze as he walked to the window. Gazing outside he looked not at the
surrounding landscape but at his life.

“Do you have many
regrets?” she asked.

“Thousands.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re not
one of them.”

“I really like
Melinda.”

“So do I. This will
probably be the last time I take her out, I have a feeling she intends to break
it off with me tonight.”

“Really? That doesn’t
happen very often.” It was typically William who ended the courtship before the
second month.

William turned from the
window, walked back to the chair, and sat down.

“That’s one reason I
didn’t feel compelled to break it off with her sooner. She seemed very
comfortable with the fact I wasn’t making any attempts to further our intimacy
beyond a discrete kiss goodnight. And I think she’s smitten with Ed Harper.”

“Well, Ed is more her
age. She’s awful young. What is she, twenty-two?”

“True. But her father
isn’t going to be thrilled. I believe he had high hopes his daughter would snag
me, considering she’d lasted longer than the others.”

“Ed’s a nice young man,”
Mary Ellen noted. She studied William’s face for a moment. He looked tired.
“Are you all right, William?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, you just
look rather tired.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t
sleep very well last night.”

“That’s what you told
me the last time I asked.” The previous week she noticed he looked especially
tired, and when she asked the same question, he gave the same answer.

“Then you should stop
asking the question,” he said with a grin.

William stood up,
walked to the doorway and glanced out. Seeing there was no one in the vicinity,
he walked back to Mary Ellen. Standing behind the couch he rested his hands on
her shoulders briefly, leaned down and kissed the side of her neck. Tilting her
head to give him better access, a chill went down her spine.

“Are you coming over
later?” William asked.

“Yes. After Randall
makes whatever excuse he has planned for after we come home from the theatre.
I’ll come over when he leaves.”

“What about Harrison?”

“He’ll be at a baseball
game. Even if he wasn’t, you know teenage boys, they never see beyond their own
lives.”

William walked back to
the chair and sat down.

“He’s a good kid. Did
he tell you he came over yesterday and helped me bring some boxes down from the
attic?”

“No. What boxes?’

“They were from my
grandparents’ ranch. Old photographs. I haven’t looked at them for years. Not
since I packed them up after my grandmother’s funeral.”

“Think you’ll hang
them?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t
had time to go through them yet. Probably won’t get to it until next week.”

“So what inspired this
spurt of nostalgia?”

“Not nostalgia really.
I just need more storage space. I should have gone through those boxes instead
of hauling them here from Philadelphia. I do miss having the room for my
library.”

“I like it here much
better than Philadelphia.”

“So do I.” He gave her
a little wink.

• • • •

That evening they
joined friends at the theatre. Randall escorted his wife and William brought
the lovely Miss Miller. As William suspected, later that evening, as he took
her home, Melinda tearfully explained she could no longer see him.  Since she
was the one to initiate the break up, there was no rush to find a replacement.
Those in their social circles would assume he was nursing a broken heart, and wasn’t
ready to see anyone.

 Shortly after Randall and
Mary Ellen returned home from the theatre, Randall made a convenient, yet not
original excuse as to why he needed to go out for a while. Mary Ellen changed
her clothes and slipped out of the townhouse unnoticed, shortly after her
husband drove off.

 Keeping her secret
life was less complicated than it had been in Philadelphia. There was no
live-in staff to contend with. In Chicago, members of their household staff
were normally gone for the evening before she slipped off to William’s.

While her life was not
typical – she was happy. Randall was happy. Mary Ellen suspected her husband
knew about her relationship with William, yet it was never acknowledged. Of the
three, William was the least content with the unorthodox arrangement. But he
accepted it.