Chapter 30
Hank didn’t like the police interviewing Rory, but at least he could be present while they did it.
He didn’t like her going to see her father either.
He was supposed to be the one by her side, standing up for her, not some aunt he’d met for five seconds and never spoken a word to.
He was a man of action, her loyal knight.
Being stuck in bed while so much was happening around him was maddening.
“Officer—” he said.
“Inspector Green,” the man corrected.
“Inspector Green, what would you like to know?”
“Who can you think of that might have a grudge against you at the moment?” He took out a notepad and pencil.
“I don’t have many enemies, inspector. I’ve always steered clear of trouble. But my engagement to Miss Belmont has caused some bitterness with her father and her former fiancé.”
Hank shifted, pushing himself a little higher. His head still ached dully in the background, and he had an itch on his leg inside the cast that was driving him mad.
“For the record, that would be Major August Belmont and Senator Edward Windham of Connecticut?”
“Correct.”
He tried to shift his leg within the cast to get at the itch, but pain shot through him when he moved.
“Are you all right, Lieutenant Hawley? I can give you a minute and interview Miss Belmont first.”
He must have winced. This was all so frustrating. “I’m fine, just a little sore all over. You know, from being thrown from an airplane. Keep going.”
“Have either of those gentlemen made threats against you?”
Hank smiled bitterly. “Both of them. Senator Windham threatened me in Washington D.C. about a month ago, and from what I hear, Major Belmont threatened me a little less than a week ago after learning of my relationship with Rory.”
The inspector made a note. “Do you have reason to believe either of them would carry through with their threats?”
Hank squirmed again, trying to get comfortable, but nothing felt right.
“I thought they would try to damage me professionally or have me sent back to the front. I never anticipated something like this.”
The inspector tapped his pen. “And for the record, why specifically did they have reason to resent you, to the best of your knowledge?”
“Major Belmont wants his daughter to marry the senator, not a nobody like me.”
Clearing his throat, the inspector prompted, “And Senator Windham?”
“The senator stood to gain access to a significant fortune by marrying Miss Belmont. I’ve ruined his hopes both romantically and financially.”
“Thank you, that will do for now, Lieutenant Hawley,” the inspector said, turning a page in his notebook.
“Miss Belmont.”
“Yes?”
She twisted her hands in her lap. Hank reached out, took her hand, and held it, wanting to give her all the support he could.
“Do you know of anyone aside from your father and the senator that might want to hurt Lieutenant Hawley?”
“No,” she answered firmly.
“And why specifically might they be angry with Lieutenant Hawley?”
She looked at Hank and looked at her own hands. He’d purposefully left out any information that might be humiliating to her. Was she worried it might come out?
“What Hank said was true. My father doesn’t want me to marry Hank, and Edward stands to lose a substantial fortune if we don’t wed.”
“And when did you get engaged to Lieutenant Hawley, Miss Belmont?”
Oh dear. The inspector was going to dig. Hank squeezed Rory’s hand tighter.
She gave him a worried glance and said, “This morning.”
“I see,” said the inspector, scribbling frantically. “So well after the threats to Lieutenant Hawley. Do you have any idea why they might have threatened Lieutenant Hawley if you weren’t yet engaged?”
Her eyes were wide, and her hands clenched as she looked at him and then back at the inspector. She let out a tiny sigh.
“I would ask you to keep this private, but they had reason to believe I had been intimate with him.”
“And were you intimate with Lieutenant Hawley?”
“Yes,” she said so quietly she was barely audible. Her face was bright red. “Edward jumped to the wrong conclusion before anything happened, but soon after, things progressed between us.”
“And how did your father find out about Lieutenant Hawley?”
“Edward had someone spying on me. A Pinkerton he hired heard us together in a hotel room and told Edward. Edward told my father. He tried to use it as an excuse to move up the wedding and prevent any more incidents.”
“Very interesting.”
Rory was shaking now. It broke Hank’s heart to see her like this, as if she hadn’t already been through enough today with the encounter with her father.
The inspector gave her a kindly smile. “Just a few more questions, Miss Belmont. We’re almost done. What did your father do when he found out about you and Lieutenant Hawley?”
A tear dripped down her cheek. “He threw me out of the house and cut me off. He said the only way I could come back was if I agreed to marry Edward.”
“And instead, you decided to marry Lieutenant Hawley, is that correct?”
She straightened her back and wiped away her tears. “I decided to live independently. I secured a job and a home of my own. I agreed to marry Lieutenant Hawley only after he gave me certain assurances about our marriage.”
“I see, Miss Belmont,” he said, continuing to jot down notes in his pad.
Then he closed his notebook. “Thank you for your cooperation. Please rest assured that I have no intention of mentioning any personal details to anyone unless it is necessary to build our case. If I can preserve your privacy and dignity, I will.”
“I appreciate that, Inspector.”
As soon as the inspector was gone, Hank pulled Rory into a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, princess.”
“I’m all right, Hank. It was important. Your safety is more important to me than my dignity. Besides, the people I care about most already know.”
He knew if he pressed, she would only remind him it was her choice, so he let it go.
It didn’t stop him from wanting to wring the neck of everyone that ever made her cry.
She was stronger and braver than any woman he’d known, but he wished she didn’t have to be.
He wished she could be allowed to follow her own compass without everyone standing in judgment all the time.
Moments after the inspector left, a new doctor came in to check on him. After a cursory exam, he declared, “If you continue to improve like this, I’ll let you go home tomorrow morning. Is there someone who can help you out for the next few weeks as you recover?”
“Yes,” Rory answered for him.
“Good. Between his leg and his concussion, he’ll need to be off his feet as much as possible.”
Hank had several thoughts on things he could do off his feet with Rory. But he shoved them away. “I’m right here, you know. I’m sure I can manage just fine.”
The doctor stared at him and turned to Rory. “Watch out for him. The ones who think they’re fine are always the worst patients.”
“I will, doctor,” she said.
He made a few notes on his chart and said, “Well then, I’ll see you again this evening, Lieutenant Hawley.”
With that, the doctor left.
Rory sat back and failed to stifle a yawn.
“You should go home, princess. You’ve had a rough day, and you barely slept. Go home. Eat. Sleep. You can come back tomorrow morning to bring me home.”
She looked like she was about to object but decided against it. “All right, I’ll go if you promise to rest too. I know if I stick around, I’ll only get us in trouble again.”
Her eyes traveled to his lips, and she swallowed.
“Yes, you had better go,” he said, his gaze dipping to her lips and then her breasts and then her hips. He sat still for a moment, unable to drag his eyes away, then shook himself and winced. “I should rest,” he said as much to himself as to her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, standing to go.
He caught her hand and kissed it. “I love you.” It was too much to hope that she would say it back, but he needed to speak his heart.
“I love you too,” she said quietly with a subtle smile just for him.
Rory loved him! His heart soared. He watched, breathless, as she kissed him on the forehead and left. Then he leaned back and closed his eyes.
You lucky bastard, he thought to himself as he lay there.
He never imagined he’d find himself with someone like Rory.
If he ever got married, he imagined it would be to a nice farm girl or a shop girl, someone staid and reliable who kept him in check.
They’d move back to Michigan and the farm to live a quiet family life.
A monotonous life, if he were being honest with himself.
With Rory, life would be anything but monotonous.
She loved him. She said the words. He’d hoped but never dared to expect that she would.
The marriage agreement worked its magic, he supposed.
He never thought a legal document could be so romantic.
Rory needed someone who understood her, who could offer her thrills and excitement but also the assurance of independence.
He finally understood that, and now she was his.
His reverie was interrupted by a knock. “Hawley, are you awake in there?”
O’Donnell. Of course.
“I’m awake now,” Hank grumbled as he pushed himself up to sitting.
“Excellent. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” said a feminine voice he didn’t recognize. “If we’re disturbing you, we’ll go.”
O’Donnell appeared around the curtain, towing the war widow with the green eyes and auburn hair, who wore a touching look of concern.
“Hawley, this is Ann Prince. You may remember that I met her at Rory’s birthday. When I told her what happened, she asked to come and visit you. I can’t imagine what for, you tiny-brained baboon.”
“Bill,” she admonished. “The man is injured.”
Hank laughed. “Don’t take him seriously. I never do.”
“I hope you don’t mind my intrusion,” she said.
“I…” She paused and looked at O’Donnell who gave her an encouraging nod.
“I didn’t get to see my husband at the end.
He was hospitalized for injuries but caught a fever that killed him.
I had things that I wanted to say but never had the chance.
I wanted to speak to you because I wanted you to know I think you’re very brave. ”
“He’s brave? What about me?” O’Donnell objected.
“You are too. But what I mean to say is I don’t blame flying for my husband’s death.
We both knew the dangers that came with being a pilot.
I loved him for facing them valiantly every day in the service of our country.
I know he worried that he was risking too much with a new wife at home.
He didn’t want to leave me heartbroken and alone.
But if I had it to do over again, I would still have married him, even knowing how little time I had with him. ”
She dabbed a tear away with her handkerchief.
“Bill told me about you and Miss Belmont. I wanted to tell you that you don’t have to choose between love and flying.
You probably think you do, especially after this.
But women who love pilots know the risks.
We chose brave men who explore the skies and push the boundaries of human achievement.
We don’t love pilots despite their chosen vocation.
We love them because of it. Whatever you choose to do next, don’t give up flying for Miss Belmont.
Make the right decision for you, and she’ll love you for it. ”
Hank didn’t know what to say. His whole adult life, he’d feared commitment because of his choice to be a pilot, and now that he was ready to commit, he was certain he had to give it up.
But if a war widow who had been through the worst possible tragedy didn’t think he should quit, perhaps it was worth rethinking.
He’d already put in the paperwork to resign his commission and told Glenn Curtiss he accepted the job.
Maybe he could speak to Curtiss about being a test pilot as part of his duties.
If he didn’t have to choose between love and flying, then he wanted both.
He looked up at Mrs. Prince. She wiped away her tears with O’Donnell by her side, holding her hand.
“Thank you for sharing, Mrs. Prince. I appreciate your kind words more than you’ll ever know. I know it can’t have been easy to come here today.”
“It wasn’t, but as soon as Bill told me, I knew I had to.” She clutched O’Donnell’s hand, and Hank didn’t miss O’Donnell’s big puppy-dog eyes as he looked at her.
“I hope it has given you some comfort and relief to speak what was in your heart. I know your husband would have been deeply moved, hearing what you have to say. I know I was.”
“That’s very kind of you. We should let you rest. Thanks again for hearing me out.”
She turned to look at O’Donnell, beaming.
Hank smiled. “I’ll be sure to invite you both to the wedding.”
“Wedding?” O’Donnell said in a high-pitched voice.
“She finally accepted my proposal. We’re planning to marry as soon as I get this bandage off my head.”
O’Donnell looked like he was going to combust from excitement. “He’s getting married! Did you hear that?” he said to Mrs. Prince, who smiled shyly. “Hank Hawley is getting married. I never thought I’d see the day. Can I tell Pritchard and Thompson?”
“You can tell whoever you want.”
O’Donnell took Mrs. Prince by the waist and spun her around. “I can tell whoever I want. Did you hear that?” He kissed her on the cheek, and she turned bright red.
“Bill,” she said, grinning and shaking her head, “we should let your friend get some rest.”
“I’ll see you later, Hawley. Congratulations, buddy! I’m truly happy for you.”
They left him alone, murmuring to each other as they walked out the door. He couldn’t help wondering how long it would be before those two walked down the aisle together.