The Governor's Sons (54 page)

Blackmail’s not involved.
 
And the child’s adoptive father refused any support from Ash, even though Ash was willing and wanted to provide.”

“Charlene—it sounds like you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.
 
Ash confessed to an indiscretion—and you want to leave him over it?”

“Mother—he loved the child’s mother.”

“Well—he
was
alive before he met you.
 
Now, why didn’t he marry her?”

“She died giving birth.”

“I see.”
 
Esmee paused for a second.
 
“Any reason he didn’t marry her before the baby was born?”
 
Charlene didn’t answer.
 
“Charlene—what aren’t you telling me?”

“Mom—the girl was a—a Negro.”
 
Esmee’s mouth fell open.
 
“Yeah,” Charlene said in response to her mother’s reaction. “I know.”

After Esmee gathered her wits enough to speak, she said, “Does anyone else know about this?”

“No, only our family, so as long as we’re quiet, the press won’t find out.”

“Well, he’s certainly not the first white man to have a bastard Negro child.
 
But you said—he actually
loved
the girl?”

“And he wanted to marry her and move to Europe.”

Esmee’s eyes widened.
 
“Goodness.
 
Well, that says a lot about his character.
 
He didn’t just use the girl.
 
So, he’s kept this child a secret, and you feel deceived.”
 
Charlene nodded.
 
“So now you want to flush your marriage down the toilet?”

“Mom--”

“You’re being petty Charlene, petty and selfish.
 
So, Ash isn’t perfect, who is?”

“I haven’t told you who the child is.”

“Should I know him?”

“Harland Hall.”

“Oh—my…”

“Yes. ‘Oh, my!’ ”

“Well, you have two choices, sweetheart.
 
Forgive Ash, accept the situation and move on.
 
Or leave because you just can’t find it in your heart to forgive him. Ash loves you and he’s a good husband.
 
So what do you want?
 
Do you want to ruin his life by leaving, and ruin the children’s lives by creating a broken home?”

“Mom, my children are grown, and—”

“It doesn’t matter what age they are, they’ll be emotionally scarred if you leave their father.
 
  
They’ll think marriages aren’t made to last forever and become jaded! And you’ll be scandalized by the press for your leaving your husband in the first year of his second term as Governor!
 
I can only imagine what they’ll say.
 
But your decision alone will say a lot about your character, won’t it?”

“You make me sound terrible.”

“If you leave, you’ll be
acting
terrible.
 
Do you still love Ash?”

Charlene hesitated.
 
“As much as I want to say I don’t love him—I can’t.
 
I still love him.”

“That’s what I thought.
 
So, just how long did he know that Negro girl?”

“About a year.
 
Ash didn’t dwell on the details with the kids, but he told me everything.
 
And it was more than I needed to hear.
 
But that’s my fault.
 
I demanded to know, and he didn’t ever want to be accused of hiding anything from me again.
 
So,” Charlene took a deep breath, “he said he was with her one summer.
 
And after she got pregnant, she went to a home for unwed girls.
 
He’d visit her secretly on weekends, and in her eighth month he proposed, but then she died.”

“Okay.
 
He saw her all summer, and then only on weekends.
 
Hmm, absence does make the heart grow fonder.
 
And Ash decided he couldn’t live without her.
 
That’s all very romantic, and for about a year, that girl had the best of him.
 
And most of it was only on weekends.
  
Now you, Charlene, you married him.
 
So you’re stuck with him for better or for worse.
 
How’d you like to see Ash married to someone else?”

“I think I’d die.”

“You leave—it won’t take long for some little gold digger to snap him right up.”

“But—”

“Oh, you’d want him to beg you to come back?”
 
Charlene didn’t say anything.
 
“You’d be a fool to leave.
 
I know, you’ve raised your children, and you think they don’t need you anymore.
 
That’s not true.
 
You wouldn’t be here with
your
mother if it were.
 
And you’ve spent your life being a political wife.
 
Now you’re at the point where you don’t even care how it’ll look if you leave Ash.
 
What are you going to do, Charlene?
 
Run off and hope to be recruited into the CIA or FBI training program?
 
Being a spy’s for young people.
 
You’re too old to start that as a career.
 
You can’t go off traipsing around the world like some little secret agent girl in a James Bond movie.”

“Mom—stop!”
 
Charlene began to laugh.

“That’s right, laugh and put all those ill feelings about your husband behind you.”
 
Esmee finally ate a few bites of her brownie; Charlene began to eat hers as well.
 
After a sip of coffee, Esmee said, “Now, I don’t mean to make light of that poor girl’s death, but just think about your mother-in-law having a Negro daughter-in-law.”
 
At this both women laughed hysterically.
 
After a few moments, Esmee said, “You just think about that, next time you see Joan balancing her rear end up on her shoulder.”

Charlene laughed so hard, tears ran down her cheeks. “Charlene,” Esmee said, “you stay with Ash.
 
Go make up with him right now.
 
I can imagine you—probably haven’t been too nice to him the past week, have you?”

Charlene blushed.
 
“I haven’t.”

“Then you owe it to him to forgive and forget, move on—and start fresh in your marriage.”

****

When Charlene walked into Ash’s office, he looked up from a large stack of papers on his desk.
 
Shocked by her arrival, he stood warily to greet her.
 
“I certainly wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know.”
 
Charlene walked quickly to his desk.
 
“Ash—can you forgive me?
 
I’m sorry about everything.
 
I’m ashamed of myself for being so petty and selfish—and cruel to you.
 
Please forgive me.”

“Charlene,” Ash looked too taken aback to speak for a moment, “I forgive you.
 
But have you forgiven me for--”

“Yes!”

Ash smiled.
 
“You won’t leave me?”

“Never, Ash; I’m not going anywhere.”

After Ash locked his office door, he held Charlene in a tight embrace.
 
“I couldn’t live without you,” he said softly.

“I was kidding myself to think I could leave you.”

“So--do you mind if we kiss and make up?”

“Only if you promise to do more than just kiss me.”

“That can be arranged, Mrs. Kroth.”

Epilogue

One Month Later

Ash could see the back of the Governor’s Mansion looming above the rolling hills in the distance, as he inhaled the sweet fragrance of honey suckle and magnolia.
 
He wasn’t as fast as he used to be, but he could still go just as far.
  
There was nothing more exhilarating, he thought, than a brisk morning run.
 
And now, flanked by Gavin on one side and Harland on the other, Ash found nothing more satisfying than an early morning run, with both of his sons.

###

Maria McKenzie lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two boys.
 
She’s currently at work on her next release,
Book I of
The Unchained Trilogy, Escape
.
 
To read an excerpt and find out more about Maria, visit
http://www.mariamckenziewrites.com
.
 
Connect with her on Twitter @: maria_mckenzie.

The Governor’s Sons
Cover image from Romancenovelcovers.com

Artwork by Renae Denbow

Maria’s photo by Greg Ludwig