That Summer (28 page)

“What about Mrs. Wellington?”

“I wonder if she even knows about the arrest.”

“What?”

“I wouldn't put it past Uncle Lawrence to keep the matter from her. It wouldn't be hard. She doesn't read the newspapers.”

“Why would he do that?”

“So she wouldn't demand that they come riding to Liam's rescue, of course.”

I remembered what Liam had said to me:
My father knows.

Liam knew. He knew why his father hadn't come home and he knew that his mother had not been informed. This was terrible.

“I think Senator Wellington is despicable,” I said heatedly.

“He's better than my father,” Kevin said. “At least he gave me a home.”

In all these years, it was the only time I had ever heard Kevin mention his parents.

“Do you ever hear from your parents?” I asked diffidently.

“I heard from my father after my first successful film. He wrote me a letter of congratulation, said he would look me up the next time he was in Los Angeles.”

“What did you do?”

“I wrote back and told him I had no interest in seeing him—ever.”

I thought of all the words I could say about forgiveness, about water under the bridge, about healing the wounds. I said instead, “I don't blame you.”

He said, “My mother died ten years ago from a drug overdose.”

“Oh, Kevin,” I said. “I'm so sorry.”

“Yeah. Wellington was far from perfect, but I was lucky to have it.”

“How come you and Liam never got along?”

He shrugged. “Personalities. Each of us wanted to be top dog, I guess. I felt I had to earn my right to be at Wellington by being the best, and Liam just naturally wanted to be the best because it was his nature. We were in constant competition.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping our wine. Then Kevin asked, “Now it's your turn to tell me something. Why did you pick Liam? I never had a chance with you. It was always Liam. Why?”

“I can't explain it,” I said slowly. “All I know is that from our first pony ride together, we both knew there was a connection between us. At first it was the horses; then it grew to be everything else.”

“It's a very uncommon thing, you know, this … connection … between you and Liam. I envy you both. It must be wonderful to be able to count on another person the way you two do.”

I put my hand over his on the table. “You'll find someone of your own, Kevin.”

He smiled crookedly. “There's only one Anne.”

“You'll find your own Anne.”

He turned his hand so that it was grasping mine. “I don't think so, darling.”

“Sure you will,” I said bracingly. I squeezed his hand then freed mine. “By the way, do you know exactly where in Maine the Wellingtons are staying?”

“I think they're staying with the Osbornes. Why?”

I waved an airy hand. “Oh, I just wondered.”

He fixed me with a piercing blue stare. I smiled. “Whereabout in Maine do the Osbornes live?”

His eyes got bluer. “Anne, don't meddle in this business.”

I opened my own eyes wider. “Whatever can you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. You're thinking of calling Aunt Alyssa and telling her that Liam's been arrested.”

I gave up all pretense of innocence. “Well, I think she has a right to know that her only son—her only
child
—is in danger of his life! I think it's outrageous that the senator hasn't told her.”

“You don't know that.”

“You just said before that he probably hadn't!”

“I was guessing, for God's sake! Who knows what he's done?”

“Well, I think you've guessed right. I don't think she knows. And I think she should.”

“Liam won't appreciate you getting involved, Anne. If he wanted his mother to know, he would have told her himself.”

“Liam is behaving like an idiot. He needs someone to look after him, and that someone is me.”

“Anne, did it ever occur to you that Liam doesn't want his mother to know? He might not want to stress her. He might be afraid it would push her into another binge of drinking.”

I had to admit that this aspect of the situation had not occurred to me. I frowned.

Kevin went on. “You can't judge other people by what you would want for yourself.
You
would want to know if your son was in trouble, but maybe it would be too much for Aunt Alyssa. Maybe both Uncle Lawrence and Liam know that.”

Reluctantly, I had to agree that Kevin was making some sense.

I scowled. “I just have this gut feeling, Kevin, that she should be told.”

“She'll have to be told eventually, certainly. But leave the when of it up to the judgment of her husband and her son.”

There was a long silence as he looked at me. Finally I lowered my eyes and sighed. “Oh all right, you win. I won't meddle. For now.”

“That's a good girl.”

I got to my feet. “Well, I have to be getting home.”

He rose too. “I'll walk you to your car.” We walked together through the house out to the porch and down the steps to my Toyota. Kevin put his finger under my chin and tilted my face up. “Goodbye Anne. If ever you need me, just call.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Kevin.” I received his gentle kiss, turned and got into my car and drove away.

Mom was cooking dinner when I got home. As I made salads I told her about our trip to New York and Someday Soon's recovery from colic. Then, as we sat eating, I told her about Liam's invitation to move in with him.

“We're going to get married, Mom. It's not like we haven't made a commitment to each other,” I said.

“You and Liam made a commitment to each other when you were children,” Mom said. “I have no objection to you moving into Wellington, Anne.”

“I just wish I didn't have to desert you.”

Mom smiled. “I have to learn to live alone, honey. It's been wonderful having you, and you've helped me over a bad patch, but I have to do the rest on my own.”

“Are you sure it's okay?”

“I'm sure.”

Tears misted my eyes. “You're such a trooper, Mom.”

Tears sparkled in my mother's eyes. “I know.”

We both sniffled and laughed and blew our noses with our paper napkins.

We were halfway through our chicken when I told my mother about Mrs. Wellington's ignorance of Liam's arrest.

“That's terrible,” Mom said.

“That's what I think. I was even ready to call and tell her, but Kevin talked me out of it. He said that I might push her into a relapse.”

“He's right that it isn't your place to interfere, Anne. But I don't think it's right for her family to keep her in the dark.”

“I don't either.”

“It would look better for Liam too, to have his family around him. To have them staying away like this makes it seem like they think he's guilty.”

“God, Mom. What if they don't come to the Bel-mont?”

“It won't look good.”

“Kevin's lawyer is going to have to talk some sense into the senator, make him understand how it will look if he doesn't show up.”

“When is this lawyer of Kevin's coming on the scene?”

“Soon, I hope. Kevin gave his agent the job of finding ‘the best’.”

We cleared away the dishes, then went inside to the living room and turned on the television. A&E had a rerun of
Law and Order.

I used to like watching
Law and Order
but tonight I found it terribly depressing. All the discussions about plea bargains and murder charges vs. manslaughter charges and jail times … it all made me feel very gloomy. I was very glad when
Everybody Loves Raymond
came on and I had something to make me laugh.

It was a funny feeling going up to bed, thinking that tomorrow night I would be sleeping with Liam.
Poor Mom,
I thought. Her future held only emptiness on the other side of the bed.

This business of the murder charge had to be resolved. Liam had to go free. He had to! The alternative was simply unthinkable. I got into bed and thought about it for an hour and a half before I finally fell asleep.

CHAPTER 26

T
he following morning I had breakfast with Mom and kissed her as she left for work. I sat over another cup of coffee and cried a little because I felt as if I was deserting her. Then I went upstairs to pack.

The wardrobe I had brought with me was not extensive. It consisted mainly of jeans, knit shirts, sweaters, two pairs of nice slacks, my trusty black dress, the suit I had worn to the Derby and the new clothes I had bought for the Preakness Alibi Breakfast and the concert with Kevin. After I had packed, I picked up the phone and dialed my practice in Maryland. Fortunately, the head partner was in the office.

“Hi Doug,” I said. “It's Anne. I have some news for you. I'm getting married.”

“Uh-oh,” he said. “To someone in Virginia?”

“That's right.”

“Damn,” he said. “Does that mean you'll be leaving us?”

“I'm afraid so.”

“How soon?”

“I'll stay until you can hire someone to replace me.”

“You're going to be hard to replace, Anne. The clients love you.”

“Thank you, Doug. That's nice of you to say.”

“Who's the lucky fellow?”

“Someone I've known since I was six years old.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. It took a while, but I finally got my man.”

He laughed. “Are you coming back when you said you would?”

“Yes. I'll be back the week after the Belmont, and I'll stay until you get someone to replace me.”

Doug said suspiciously, “This fellow you're marrying… it isn't by any chance the guy who owns Someday Soon, is it?”

“As a matter of fact, it is.”

“Anne, hasn't he been arrested for murder?”

“He didn't do it, Doug. He'll be acquitted.”

“My God.”

“Don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing.”

“I hope so.”

“I'll see you in about ten days.”

“Okay.”

We hung up.

Good God. Even Doug, who never looked at a newspaper, knew about Liam's arrest. How was it possible that his mother didn't know?

I carried my good clothes on hangers down to the car, then I came back and got my suitcase. At the last minute, I sat down at the kitchen table and scribbled a note to my mother. I propped it against the sugar bowl, then I went out to my car.

Sam and Freddy, the two coonhounds, were curled up on the front porch when I arrived at the big house. The front door was unlocked and I went in to see who was inside.

Mary was in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast.

“Anne, honey,” she said. “I hear you're comin’ here to live.” She came to give me a hug.

Mary is a very big woman. I almost disappeared inside her arms and her bosom. When I reappeared I grinned up at her. “I'm glad you're happy.”

“We've been waitin’ for this for years—you and Liam.”

“I've been waiting too. I finally convinced him.”

“Now we jest have to get rid of the po-lice.”

“We will, Mary. I'm sure of it.”

She nodded emphatically and asked if I wanted anything to eat. I declined and went to get my clothes out of the car. I brought them into the house, up the stairs and into Liam's room.

It was a plain room, with that attractive walnut four-poster bed and two walnut end tables. The rug was a faded red and blue oriental and the tall windows had dark wood cornices and pale flowered draperies. Over the bed hung a picture of one of Liam's ancestors. There was a large chest of drawers for Liam's clothes and a bookcase and two chairs.

I wondered where I was going to put my stuff.

Maybe I should just stay packed up until Liam got home, I thought. Maybe this would work better if I moved into one of the guest rooms.

I decided I would go and see how the yearlings were coming along.

When I got back to the house at about four o'clock, Liam was there. “Hey you,” he said as I came up onto the front porch. He put his arms around me, and kissed me deeply.

“Wow,” I said breathlessly when he finally lifted his head. My feet were dangling a few inches short of the floor.

“You're here,” he said. “You're really here.”

“I'm really here, but I think I'd feel better if I was standing on the ground.”

He slid my body along his as he let me down.

“Very sexy,” I said.

“I aim to please.”

“I didn't unpack because I didn't know where to put things.”

“Hmm,” he said. “Let's go upstairs and look.”

We went hand in hand up the stairs and into his bedroom. He looked at my suitcase and at my clothes lying on his bed. “The clothes on the hanger can go in my closet.”

“I didn't know you had a closet. I didn't see one.”

“It's inside the bathroom.” He opened the door to the old-fashioned bathroom and there was a sliding door on the right that opened to reveal a closet. The sliding door and the closet were obviously a modern addition to the room.

It was not a large closet, but Liam did not have a lot of clothes.

“Goodness, but your wardrobe is sparse,” I said.

“I have a few good suits and a blazer. And I have some shirts. The rest of the time I live in jeans or khakis.”

“Well, it looks like there will be room for my dresses.” He went and got them and hung them up. One item taken care of.

“What about my underwear? And my shirts and my jeans and stuff?”

“That is a problem. My dresser is filled.”

“Maybe it would be better for me to use one of the guest rooms.”

He glared. “You're staying here with me!”

“Oh well. I suppose I can live out of my suitcase.”

“Not at all. We'll just move a dresser from one of the guest rooms in here.”

I looked around. Like all the rooms at Wellington, Liam's bedroom was quite large. “Okay, that would work.”

“Let's go and shop for one.”

We tried three guest rooms and picked a dresser from the red room. The two of us moved it down the hall into Liam's room where we found an open space along the wall to place it. Liam had to move a picture, that was all.

Liam sat in one of the chairs and watched while I unpacked. He told me about his conversation with John Ford as I went back and forth from my suitcase carrying underwear and pajamas and socks and shirts and so forth.