Coulson's Wife (The Coulson Series) (9 page)

“Y
ou certainly
look comfortable,” Randall said cheerfully. William bolted upright, causing the
hammock to swing violently. Randall laughed and steadied the hammock so William
wouldn’t fall.

“Sorry, did I scare
you? You were sleeping so soundly, I almost feel guilty waking you.”

“Where the hell did you
come from?” William asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he got from the
hammock and stood next to Randall in the garden.

“My train arrived an hour
ago. I confess, you got to me William.”

“What are you talking
about?” William glanced nervously toward the house and wondered if Mary Ellen
was still sleeping.

“I really don’t want
you to think I’m completely heartless. The woman I married is carrying my
child, she just lost her mother, and you are right. My place is here,
supporting her. I’m taking your suggestion. I took the liberty to call Henry,
and he packed a bag for you.”

“I don’t understand?”

“You need to hurry man.
I have a car waiting to take you to the train station. You’re going to Chicago
and finish the deal. I’ll call you later and we can discuss the details, but
you need to get moving, or you’ll miss the train.”

“What about Mary
Ellen?”

“I just checked on her.
She’s still sleeping. But don’t worry about her, she’s my responsibility now.”

• • • •

William felt sick
inside. It was not due to the gentle swaying of the train car as it plodded
down the track, but knowing he’d unwittingly abandoned the woman he loved.
Everything moved so fast, he didn’t have time to come up with a plausible
reason to stay in Philadelphia or to at least wake Mary Ellen so he could say
goodbye. But even that would not have worked out, considering Randall would
have been there, watching.

William closed his eyes
and took a deep breath. Perhaps this was for the best. Had Mary Ellen not been
carrying Randall’s child, then he would have stayed and fought for the woman he
loved. Yet, he knew in his deepest heart that a future with Mary Ellen was not
his. It never had been. As it was, they had stolen this time together. Time he
would forever cherish.

• • • •

Mary Ellen drifted in
and out of sleep; resisting the pull of wakefulness, she moved restlessly in
the bed. When the mattress dipped and then she felt a hand on her shoulder, she
fluttered her eyes open, prepared to face the day. Letting out a little groan
she rolled over, fully expecting to see William. Instead of William, it was her
husband Randall looking down at her. She froze and looked up into his dark
eyes.

“Randall?” she said
numbly. He smiled down at her.

“I’m sorry about your
mother, Mary Ellen. Truly.”

Licking her lips
nervously, Mary Ellen sat up in the bed, pulling the blankets up around her.
Randall did not seem to notice or mind her show of modesty.

“When did you arrive?”

“About two hours ago.
You’ve been sleeping the day away, and I thought perhaps it might be best if
you get up, have something to eat.”

“Where is William?” She
didn’t consider if the question might be inappropriate. She had to know.

“He’s on his way to
Chicago, to finish the merger.”

“I don’t understand.”

“William is a good
friend, to both of us. He was continually reminding me my place was here with my
wife, and offered to finish up in Chicago, so I could come home and be with
you. I realized yesterday he was right. You’re carrying my child, Mary Ellen,
and I’m sorry if I’ve neglected you. I’ll try to be a better husband in the
future.”

Mary Ellen sat
speechless, her mind a whirl of conflicting thoughts. William was gone,
gone!
He had left her. What was even more devastating—knowing he had offered to go to
Chicago so Randall could come home and be with her.
Had last night meant
anything to William?

After placing a
perfunctory kiss on her forehead, Randall instructed Mary Ellen to dress and come
downstairs to get something to eat.

“I’ll be waiting for
you in the dining room,” he told her as he left the room. Mary Ellen wanted to
cry, but she had no more tears. Reluctantly she pulled herself from bed.

While dressing she
remembered it was Sunday, and recalled what her father had said when she
boarded the train to Philadelphia.
Be a good and obedient wife, and attend
church every Sunday.
She imagined she would be a great disappointment to
her father. A wife who made love to a husband’s best friend could hardly be
termed good and obedient—and not once had she attended church on Sunday since
arriving at her new home. Inside she felt sick, and wondered if she might
actually vomit.

Just because William
had left her, didn’t make her want to prolong the loveless marriage. If
anything, last night had showed her what she was missing.

Securing the last
button on her blouse, she looked into the mirror.
I will tell Randall I want
a divorce,
she told herself. Then she froze, remembering the passions
shared just hours earlier.

What if I am pregnant
with William’s child? No, absolutely not. That is impossible. After all,
Randall came to me every night and I didn’t get with child. One night with William
couldn’t possibly get me pregnant.

Refusing to accept that
scenario, Mary Ellen ran a brush through her hair and headed downstairs to meet
her husband in the dining room.

• • • •

Mary Ellen’s quiet
demureness over the following weeks was attributed to the loss of her mother.
On his second night home, Randall presented Mary Ellen with a gift. It was a
diamond encrusted wedding band. She sat quietly and submissively as he slipped
it on her finger.

It fit perfectly, yet was
not especially comfortable. Bulky diamonds covered the entire band. Mary Ellen
found herself looking at the ring numerous times during the day—every day,
turning her hand to and fro, silently likening the ring to a noose around one’s
neck and looking forward to the day she could return it to Randall.

She had no choice but
to wait until her period started before telling Randall she wanted to end the
marriage. Mary Ellen had no idea how Randall would react, and she didn’t expect
her father would take her back, especially considering his new bride. Perhaps
Aunt Rachael would take her in. But if she was pregnant with William’s child,
she would need to rethink her options.

A few of Randall’s friends
called, wanting to meet the new Mrs. Coulson, yet Randall explained his bride
was in mourning. Mary Ellen tried to get used to this new Randall, who seemed
far more attentive and courteous than he had initially been during their first weeks
together. One thing she was grateful for—he remained unaffectionate and did not
demand kisses or petting. In many ways, he reminded her of an attentive older
brother.

When he mentioned the
baby, she wanted to scream,
I am not carrying your child!
Yet she held
her tongue and now regretted not letting the household staff figure out she was
having her monthly cycle. The news would have inevitably gotten to Randall, thereby
ending this painful charade.

In many ways, her
routine did not change. Each day Randall left for the office, and she continued
to spend hours in the garden with her books. Unfortunately, it was impossible
to focus on reading, and she found herself whiling away the hours pining for William
as she lounged in the hammock under the large shade tree in the garden.

 Instead of dining in
the parlor, as she had with William, they went back to eating in the formal
dining room. During supper, Randall initiated conversations with his wife,
touching on a myriad of topics, such as war, politics, entertainment and even
Coulson-Hunter Enterprises. Mary Ellen didn’t know if this new talkative
version was due to the fact he didn’t have William as a dinner companion, or if
it was part of his campaign to improve the state of their marriage.

Mary Ellen did not hear
from William, nor did she expect to. He never called her on the phone or sent letters.
Discreetly she asked Randall how he was doing, an inquiry that didn’t seem to
faze her husband. According to Randall, William was doing well, but keeping
very busy. He mentioned a sister of one of their Chicago business associates,
and speculated the woman was probably vying for William’s spare time, yet added
his friend could do much better.

The mention of William
possibly seeing another woman provoked a painful twisting in Mary Ellen’s stomach.
She did her best not to reveal her true feelings to her husband, afraid that
would complicate matters when it came time to ask for a divorce.

William was expected
back in Philadelphia toward the end of the first week in August—around the same
time Mary Ellen was due to start her period. The first week of August came and
went, and neither William, nor her period arrived. According to Randall, there
was a slight glitch in the merger, and William’s business trip would be
extended. Remembering how her period had been late the previous month, Mary
Ellen refused to believe she might be pregnant.

• • • •

It was well into the
third week in August when Lily found Mary Ellen sitting on the bathroom floor,
vomiting into the toilet bowl.

“You poor dear,” Lily
said, wiping Mary Ellen’s forehead with a wet cloth. “You’ve got a bad case of
morning sickness.”

“What are you talking
about?” Mary Ellen looked up.

“Morning sickness.
You’ve been heaving into the toilet every day this week, first thing in the
morning. I had a nasty case myself. But mine came earlier than yours. Started right
away, but stopped after a couple months. Of course, I know of women who’ve
struggled with it the entire pregnancy.”

“No, I think I might
have the influenza,” Mary Ellen insisted, still sitting on the floor.

Lily briefly placed the
palm of her hand on Mary Ellen’s forehead.

“Nah, you haven’t a
fever. And it’s a good thing you don’t have the influenza, would be dangerous
for the baby. Now I’ll tell you a little secret. Eat a bit of crackers right
when you go to bed at night, and first thing when you wake up. It’ll settle
your tummy. I’ll make sure you have some by your bedside. Trust me on this.
Will make you feel much better.”

Mary Ellen sat numbly
on the bathroom floor as Lily gently washed her face with a clean, wet cloth,
and brushed her hair. For a brief moment Mary Ellen was reminded of her mother,
who might have done the very same thing for a daughter who had spent the
morning vomiting into the toilet bowl.

When Lily was confident
the heaving was over, she helped Mary Ellen to her feet and assisted in her
dressing. Mary Ellen felt totally helpless and allowed the attention. It was
impossible to focus on anything, even the mundane task of getting dressed, when
one thought kept going through her head
. I am pregnant with William Hunter’s
baby
.

Mary Ellen closed her
eyes for a brief moment and silently asked herself what she was going to do. If
she were truly pregnant, how could she ask her husband for a divorce? Everyone
assumed she was already pregnant with her husband’s child. What would happen if
she could get her husband to believe the baby was not his, but William’s?

Questions swirled
around in Mary Ellen’s befuddled brain. There were no clear answers. A woman
who had a child out of wedlock, or by a man who was not her husband was shunned
by society. She had no money to support herself, and would William want her?
Would such a revelation destroy him as well as her?

Then she remembered. It
was she who instigated the love making, not William. She entered his room
uninvited and went willingly into his arms. Her brother Ed had often warned her
of the weak character of men, and how it was her responsibility to guard her
chastity.

Shortly before Ed went
off to war, he gave his little sister a firm warning and told her,
Just
remember Mary Ellen, a stiff prick has no conscience
. At the time, she had
no idea what he meant. Now she knew.

“I
’m glad I
listened to you,” Randall told William when he picked him up at the train
station.

September was just days
away and William had spent far longer in Chicago than either partner had initially
anticipated. Unfortunately, one of the principles to the merger suffered a
heart attack just days after William arrived in Chicago.

“How so?” William
didn’t know if he really cared what Randall had to say at this point—he was
beyond exhausted. The only thing that had saved his sanity this past month was that
he had to focus his entire attention on business or risk losing the deal. It
helped take his mind off Mary Ellen. Yet even so, she was never far from his
thoughts.

“I took your advice,
made an effort to get to know her—not just as the woman who will bear my
children, but as the woman who will share my life. She is quite intelligent,
that rather surprised me.”

“Intelligent? Yes, she
is. How’s she feeling, by the way?”

“Still mourning the
loss of her mother, which is to be expected. I suppose I should have allowed
her to go to the funeral. Mrs. Parker believes that might have helped her get
over the loss quicker. She is still quite ill from the pregnancy.”

“Ill?”

“Morning sickness. Throws
up every morning.” The two men walked from the depot to Randall’s motor car.
Henry was also at the station, picking up his employer’s luggage, which he
would transport back to William’s estate in another vehicle.

“Really? I don’t
believe she was experiencing that before.”

“Hopefully she won’t
with all her pregnancies. Oh, and she now has a proper wedding ring. I would
have shown it to you before you left for Chicago, but we really didn’t have
time. Fits her perfectly and by the way, she’s constantly admiring it, I
believe I made the perfect choice.”

“So she’s happy?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?
Aside from dealing with her mother’s death, she’s doing very well. I’m still
holding off on the wedding reception, and now with the morning sickness, I’m
waiting for her to feel better. Of course, you can see for yourself. You’re having
dinner with us.”

“No Randall, not
tonight. I’m really exhausted, and I just want to get home.”

“Are you sure? I
believe Mrs. Parker had the cook make all your favorites.”

“Yes, I’m certain. I
just want to go home and sleep for a week.”

“Well, you deserve the
rest. You did a brilliant job in Chicago, and especially since you came in at
the last minute and then had to deal with Holt and the rest of it.”

“Thanks for the dinner
invitation, maybe some other time.”

In truth, William was
not emotionally prepared to see Mary Ellen again. It had been weeks since their
tumultuous night together, and their separation was so abrupt, they never had
an opportunity to say goodbye or discuss what had happened.
Perhaps this is
all for the best
, he thought.
Maybe this is how it is supposed to be.  

It gave him some
comfort to know Randall was sincerely trying to be a better husband. He assumed
that meant Mary Ellen was also in Randall’s bed. William preferred not to think
of them that way. William Hunter loved both Mary Ellen and Randall. Randall as
a brother and Mary Ellen as the woman he would give his life for.

In order for the two
people he loved the most in the world to find happiness in their marriage, he
could no longer interfere. He needed to back away from his best friend’s wife.

• • • •

 “He isn’t coming for
dinner?” Mary Ellen asked when she walked into the dining room that evening and
noticed only two place settings.

“No. I’m afraid the
Chicago trip wiped him out and he just wanted to get home and rest. Can’t say I
really blame him.”

Before sitting down at
the table, he picked up Mary Ellen’s right hand, and gave the back of it a
quick kiss. It was a nightly ritual he’d instigated a week earlier, and the
extent of intimacy they shared. She’d never seen her father do that with her
mother. Edward had typically kissed Sally’s cheek in the presence of their
children. Mary Ellen wondered if her father kissed his new wife’s cheek.

The memory of William
kissing her breasts flashed in her mind, and she found herself growing warm
with a blush. She could not imagine Randall ever doing such a thing.

“Is everything all right,
dear?” Randall asked. Her husband had also fallen into the habit of calling her
dear
, which she found slightly charming.

“No, why do you ask?”

“You look rather flushed.
Is it too warm in here?”

“I am a bit warm,” she
lied.

“It has been a hellish
summer. I’ll be looking forward to fall.”

“I agree, it will be
much nicer in the fall,” Mary Ellen murmured. She sat quietly and watched as a
maid set a platter of grilled meat on the table. Her mind wandered again and
she thought of William, and how he had kissed her breasts, the way his hands
eagerly explored every inch of her body. Never once did she feel the need for
her aunt’s special cream.

William’s lovemaking
was very different from Randall’s. Comparing the two, the thought occurred to
her that her husband did not particularly enjoy the act. There was no doubt in
her mind that William thoroughly enjoyed their time together. With Randall, it
was as if he was performing some necessary task, and simply wanted to get it
over as quickly as possible. Initially she was relieved he had not lingered or
explored, yet she now found the entire situation perplexing.

“Would you be up to
going to the theatre in a week or so?” Randall asked after he finished his dinner.

“Theatre? Why yes, that
would be nice.”

“I was thinking, your
illness seems to be confined to the early morning, so I don’t imagine you’ll
have a problem at the theatre.”

“I’m sure I would be
fine. I’d love to go.”

“Wonderful. Perhaps we
can meet some friends there. I believe you’ve already met the Clarks and
Vanderbooms. When you start showing, it’ll be best for you to stay close to
home, so we might as well enjoy this time now, while we can. Perhaps by next
week William will be well rested and can join us.”

• • • •

 “Are you crying?” Lily
asked Mary Ellen when she came into her room to help her get ready for the
theatre.

“Oh, isn’t that what
pregnant women do?” Mary Ellen smiled, trying to conceal the real reason for
the tears.

She learned that
afternoon William would be joining them at the theatre and bringing a date.
It
is time to face the reality of the situation
, she told herself.  When she discovered
she was pregnant with William’s baby, she knew she would not be taking off
Randall’s wedding ring. She had no other choice but to stay his wife and make
the marriage work.

In spite of that
realization, there was a secret part of her that clung tightly to the fanciful
notion that she and William would find a way to be together. William just
needed to come home and when he saw her again, a solution would fall into place
and everything would magically work out.

It was obvious William
had moved on, and whatever they shared was just a brief moment in their lives,
something she needed to put behind her. 
Tonight I will begin moving
forward.

Lily brought Mary Ellen
a wet cloth so she could wash her tear stained face. After Mary Ellen applied a
discrete amount of cosmetics, the maid helped her into the gown before dressing
her hair.

“You still don’t look
pregnant,” Lily noted while fastening the buttons on Mary Ellen’s dress.

“My mother was the same
way,” Mary Ellen lied.

• • • •

William managed to
avoid seeing Mary Ellen for almost a week. He realized he needed to get the
first meeting over with, or Randall would start asking questions. Meeting the
couple at the theatre with other friends was probably the best option. While he
preferred not facing Mary Ellen with a date on his arm, he felt it would be
strange to show up at the theatre alone. He was also concerned other people
might start questioning his relationship with Mary Ellen, if he didn’t bring a
date.

William noticed Mary
Ellen the moment she walked in the theatre on her husband’s arm. It was the
first time the couple was seen in public and already heads were turning to get
a glimpse. The woman on William’s arm, Margaret Garner, was the daughter of a business
associate. She was also a young widow and William found himself wishing he’d
come alone to the theater or asked someone who didn’t wish to pursue a deeper
relationship. It didn’t take him long to realize his attractive companion was
shopping for husband number two.

It was crowded and
noisy in the theater lobby and Mary Ellen and William’s initial
hello
was both rushed and impersonal. Mary Ellen did her best to appear cheerful as
she clung possessively to Randall’s arm, praying she would not cry or throw up.
William did his best to conceal his true feelings toward Mary Ellen, so as not
to embarrass the woman he loved. Unfortunately, his forced gaiety only stoked
his date’s expectations for the evening.

There was no real
opportunity to chat at the theatre. It wasn’t until the couples met for a late
supper at a restaurant that they were free to converse. Four couples sat around
the table, and Mary Ellen had met all of them before, except for William’s date,
Margaret.

“Next year at this time
we won’t be able to do this,” Mildred Clark commented as she sipped her sherry.

“What do you mean?”
Mitzy Vanderboom asked.

“I believe she is
referring to this,” Vincent Vanderboom said as he held up a glass of brandy.

“I can’t believe they’re
actually going to pass nationwide prohibition.” Mildred took another sip of her
drink.

“Last I heard, thirteen
states have ratified the amendment,” Vincent said.

“I believe it’s
fourteen now,” William corrected.

“Just means new
business opportunities,” Randall reminded them.

“Don’t tell me
Coulson-Hunter is going into the moonshine business,” Vincent Vanderboom asked
with a chuckle.

“Not sure about
moonshine, but I don’t doubt for a minute every single person at this table has
already filled their wine cellars.” They laughed at Randall’s quip, except for
Mary Ellen and William whose gazes happen to lock momentarily, unnoticed by
their dinner companions. The next moment the server arrived at the table and
Mary Ellen was the first to look away, breaking the intense stare she’d briefly
shared with the man she secretly loved.

• • • •

 “You seemed to enjoy
yourself this evening,” Randall commented on their way home.

“I like your friends.” Mary
Ellen meant it.

“They’re your friends
now, too. I can tell they’re quite taken with you.”

Mary Ellen recalled William
has said something similar after their first night at the theatre.

“I hope William isn’t
serious about Margaret,” Randall commented.

“Why is that?” Mary
Ellen felt the same way, yet didn’t share that thought.

“She just isn’t right
for him.”

“I thought you wanted
him to marry and have children.” She remembered Randall telling William that
during several of their dinners together.

“I suppose I want him
to be happy. But she isn’t the one.”

Randall quickly changed
the subject and said, “We’ve meetings set up for the next week and a half,
because of the recent merger. If you’re feeling up to it, perhaps we can all go
to the theatre again, after things settle down at work. Sometime after
September eighteenth, if you’re still up to it.”

“I’d like that Randall,
thank you.”

 Unfortunately they
didn’t make it back to the theatre for the rest of the year. By mid-September
their world had changed.