Temporary Bride (18 page)

Shane stiffened. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Karen held out her hand to Mark, who helped her off the
floor. She was trembling with shock and anger as she said, "I know your
mother ran off with another man and I'm sorry you were so hurt, but it
doesn't give you the right to assume I'll behave the same way!"

Shane stood up and turned to Mark. "Get out of here, Mark,
and don't ever let me catch you alone with my wife again!"

Mark glanced at Karen and left, slamming the door behind
him.

Shane faced her and his voice was hoarse with surpressed
violence as he said, "So, you've been listening to the servants'
gossip! You should have pried a little further and gotten the whole
story. My mother was a lot like you. Oh, not in looks—but she
was just seventeen when she married Dad. He was thirty-seven, old
enough to be her father, but he adored her. She was warm and innocent
and loving and his whole life centered around her. I was born when she
was twenty, and since there were no more children the three of us were
very close. Until I was sent away to school when I was ten my mother
was the most important person in my life. I loved her and was so proud
when she came to school to visit me."

He turned and walked away, hunching his shoulders as if
trying to escape the pain his memories ignited. "I was a freshman at an
exclusive private boarding school when Mother disappeared. At first we
thought she'd been kidnapped. Dad was a wealthy businessman and that
type of thing was always a threat. All the law enforcement agencies
were called in and it was two days before we found the note that had
apparently dropped behind the bedside stand."

For a moment he was silent, and when he spoke again it was
with an awful bitterness. "She'd gone away with an artist. A man her
own age who was the current darling of the Carmel crowd. Of course the
newspapers had a field day. By reporting her disappearance to the
police as a suspected kidnapping, we gave the papers the perfect excuse
for splashing our private agony all over their front pages."

Compassion overcame Karen's anger and she went to Shane
and stood behind him, her arms around his waist and her cheek against
his back. "Darling, I know it was an awful experience but you can't
let it distort your view of all women."

Shane didn't turn around or acknowledge her embrace and
his voice was savage as he said, "You haven't the faintest idea what it
was like so don't tell me how I should feel about women! You didn't see
what her defection did to my father! He was like a man possessed. First
he raged, then he cried, and finally he started to drink. I stayed home
the rest of that school year, but I was only a kid—there was
little I could do except be there when he needed to talk."

Shane moved away from her and started pacing the room. "It
was hell! He'd start by calling her every vile name he could think of,
then he'd sob and plead with her to come back, just as if she was in
the room with us. I guess you could say he didn't handle his grief very
well, but his whole life had blown up in his face!"

Shane stopped pacing and turned to Karen. The torment he
was feeling was mirrored on his face but his voice was hard and cold.
"I swore then that no woman would ever do that to me! If my mother,
with her sweetness and innocence, couldn't be trusted, then there's no
woman who can be. No, Karen, I have no reason to trust you. I need you
only to give me a son—after that I shall expect you to get
out of my life except where the child is concerned. And as long as you
are
my wife you will stay away from other men or I won't be responsible for
what I might do!"

Karen felt sick. Shane's father wasn't the only one who'd
had his life blow up in his face. It had just happened to her and she
was stunned beyond belief.

Shane had told her from the beginning that he would not
permit the marriage to extend beyond the birth of the baby, but she had
been so sure she could change his mind, that he would fall in love with
her and want her with him always. What a fool she'd been! What an idiot
to think that a man as old and as experienced as Shane didn't know what
he wanted.

Her legs were trembling and she sank down on the straight
chair behind her. Well, she'd have to make the best of this impossible
situation, but she didn't have to get in any deeper. She took a
quivering breath and said, "I have no interest in other men, Shane, but
since the objective of this marriage has been accomplished and I'm
already pregnant there's no reason for us to sleep together anymore.
There are less than two months left until the baby is born, then you'll
be rid of me!"

Shane betrayed no emotion as he said, "As you like," and
turned and walked out of the apartment.

They returned to Carmel and Karen again moved into the
lavender room. She hated it. She hated Shane's mother and his father.
She hated everyone but Shane. Why, oh why, couldn't she hate Shane?
Maybe she was a masochist and got her kicks out of suffering? But then
why was she so desperately unhappy?

Karen and Shane were coldly polite. They spent as little
time as possible in each other's company and carried on lucid
conversations about matters that had no depth. They both knew that they
were only marking time until the baby was born and Karen could leave.
Would Shane insist on seeing the baby often? She didn't think she could
stand it if she had to continue this charade for eight years.

Shane took her back to San Francisco after two weeks for
another checkup. Her due date was getting closer and her checkups more
frequent. The doctor was a little concerned about the size of the baby,
who was definitely bigger then average, but other than that she was
doing fine.

That night Shane brought Audrey to the condominium for
dinner. Audrey was tall and slender in a tight-fitting gown that showed
off her luscious bosom and softly rounded hips. Karen felt like an
overstuffed teddy bear and couldn't really blame Shane when his eyes
kept straying to Audrey. Karen sat pushing food around on her plate and
only half listening to Shane and Audrey discuss the worsening economic
situation, but her attention was captured when Audrey said, "Would you
mind if I dropped in on you at the house for a few days this week? I promised Paula—you remember Paula Jensen,
darling, the one who paints all those ghastly seascapes—well,
I promised to help her with her one-woman show in Carmel and hotel
rooms always give me claustrophobia."

Shane smiled and said, "We'd love to have you, wouldn't
we, Karen?"

Karen gave him a murderous glance and nodded.

So now they had Audrey as a houseguest. Not that she
bothered Karen; Audrey hardly even spoke to
her
.
All Audrey's attention was focused on Shane. They spent hours on the
Pebble Beach golf course with their wealthy friends while Karen stayed
home and fretted.

It was on the third night that Audrey was there that the
nightmare began. Karen had been having trouble sleeping, not only
because of her personal problems but because the baby filled her so
completely that she couldn't get comfortable. The child was big and
Karen was tiny and the combination was impossible. On this particular
evening after dinner she had taken a couple of antacid pills and gone
upstairs to lie down. She was always tired these days. Shane opened the
door to her room a few minutes later and said, "Karen, are you all
right?"

He came into the room and sat on the side of the bed.
"You've been looking so pale and tired lately." He took her hand and
rubbed it against his cheek. "I think we should move to San Francisco
now. I want you near your doctor and the hospital. If anything happened
to you—"

His voice broke and he bent down and took her in his arms.
Her traitorous heart was pounding madly at his touch. Would it never
learn not to trust him?

She held him and stroked his head as she murmured, "I'm
fine, just tired. This son of yours is a pretty big fellow for me to
carry around all the time."

He sat up and unbuttoned her silk smock. "I'm going to put
you to bed and I want you to stay there."

He undressed her with gentleness and helped her into her
tentlike nightgown, then pulled the covers around her and kissed her
good night.

When he was gone, she settled into the softness of the
satin sheets and wished he had come to bed with her. She needed his
closeness and his reassurance. In spite of the doctor's optimism, she
was frightened. She didn't know what to expect. Would she have a
long-drawn-out labor? The baby was so big—she hoped that the
delivery would be easy and pose no danger. Shane would never forgive
her if anything happened to his son.

She drifted off into sleep and woke an hour later feeling
refreshed. The memory of Shane's tenderness brought a smile. He hadn't
seemed to pay much attention to her lately and she was surprised that
he'd noticed she wasn't feeling well.

She got out of bed and put on her robe and slippers. It
was still early—she'd join Shane downstairs and reassure him
that all she'd needed was a little rest. Her soft slippers on the
thickly carpeted stairway were soundless. The haunting strains of a
violin concerto floated from the stereo speakers and she turned at the
bottom of the stairs, started into the living room, then stopped and
stared. Shane was standing by the grand piano with his back to her
holding Audrey in his arms! Audrey had her face buried in his shoulder
but something attracted her attention and she looked up. Her turquoise
eyes caught Karen's green ones and held them for a moment, then her
arms tightened around Shane's neck and she once again snuggled into his
shoulder; Karen whirled and fled back up the stairs!

The long night was finally over and when Karen opened her
eyes the sun was high in the sky. At three o'clock she'd given up and
taken a sleeping pill and slept till ten. Her head ached and she felt
groggy and unable to cope with what she had seen last night. Shane and
Audrey! Couldn't he have waited until the baby was born before bringing
Audrey here as his mistress?

She dragged herself out of bed, dressed, and went
downstairs to the dining room. The thought of food made her ill but she
poured herself a cup of coffee before she became aware of voices coming
from the small adjoining kitchen. She recognized them as Audrey's and
Mrs. Whitney's. They were the last two people she wanted to see, but as
she turned to leave she bumped into a chair and pushed it into the
table with a scraping sound.

Audrey appeared in the doorway and there was a look of
triumph on her face as she said, "Oh, Karen, I didn't know you were
up." She made a little face. "Sorry you walked in on Shane and me at
the wrong moment last night, but if you're going to spy you'd better
expect to learn some unpleasant truths."

Anger pricked at Karen's shattered ego. "I wasn't spying.
Need I remind you that this is
my
house and Shane
is
my
husband. What's the matter, Audrey, can't
you find a man of your own?"

Audrey bristled but her voice was sugary as she said, "Oh,
but Karen, Shane
is
my man. Have you forgotten he
only married you to give him a child?"

Karen jerked to attention. How could Audrey know that?
Shane had been insistent that no one but Mark should know the
circumstances of their marriage. Her surprise must have shown, because
Audrey laughed.

"I'm afraid Shane hasn't been entirely truthful. In fact,
he couldn't face a scene with you this morning so I agreed to take the
brunt of your hysterics. He left, poor baby. He hates crying women,
He'll be back when you're calmed down."

She turned toward the coffee urn and poured herself a cup
of coffee. "I told him you were too young and inexperienced to be
involved in this little plan of ours, but he felt sorry for you after
your house burned down and let his paternal instincts get the better of
his good sense. Now, of course, he regrets his generous impulse, but
the baby will be born soon and you can go on your way and Shane and I
can be married."

Karen's knees gave way and she sank down on a chair,
stunned, unable to comprehend what Audrey was saying. What did she mean
Shane hadn't been truthful? Why does she say
our
little plan, as if she had been involved in it, too? If Shane and
Audrey were in love why hadn't he married her in the first place?

Audrey sat down across the table from Karen and lit a
cigarette as she continued, "I'm sorry—I guess I'm not making
much sense to you. You know, of course, that Shane and I are lovers. We
want to marry but he has this thing about needing a son to carry on the
family business and I—"her voice broke but Karen saw the
calculating expression in her eyes—"I was in an accident a
few years ago and can never have children."

The words were coming through loud and clear, and Karen
couldn't shut them out as Audrey went on. "Actually, it was my idea to
pay someone to have his child and give it to him. I didn't see any
reason for him to marry the mother, but he wanted the child to be
legitimate, so I went along with it. He put the ad in the paper and
came up with you."

Karen squirmed in her chair, trying to get away from the
hateful, cutting words, but each one found its mark with true
precision. Audrey continued to aim them well.

"It was a nuisance when Mark fell in love with you and
insisted on protecting your rights with that premarital contract. It
made for a lot of haggling that could have been avoided. Both Shane and
I knew you had such a crush on Shane that you would give him anything
he wanted, even custody of his son as soon as it was born, but Mark
interfered and made him agree to let you keep the child for eight
years."

She grinned an evil little grin and smirked. "You realize, of course, that the agreement is not legal
and Shane has no intention of letting you keep the child? He'll divorce
you, but
we'll
keep the baby."