Chapter 7 #2
She had no memory of her grandmother Elda—she’d left her husband sometime in the fifties and died a decade later, but Susan had always pictured a frail, white-haired old lady.
The woman laughing with Neddie Marsden was a far cry from that image, with thick dark hair and a cocktail dress that was surprisingly daring for a mature woman.
She threw a glance toward her elder daughter, and Susan was shocked to see the veiled dislike in her blue eyes.
“There’s the little sleepyhead,” she cooed in a deceptively cheery voice. “We were afraid you were going to sleep straight through dinner. Look who’s decided to join us.”
Neddie Marsden had changed very little in almost fifty years.
She would have known him anywhere—the heavy-lidded eyes, the wide, thick-lipped mouth, the faint air of menacing charm.
He was a hearty man, bluff and friendly, and he’d always been more than kind to Mary Abbott and her daughter.
But looking at the younger version of Ned Marsden, she couldn’t help but notice his solid, be-ringed fingers, and remember the fading bruises on Tallulah’s upper arm.
“Hi, Ned,” she said in her husky voice, making no effort to move closer.
“Is that any way to greet your fianc6?” Neddie chided her. He reached out and put that heavy hand on her arm, and Susan flinched, instinctively. Enough of Tallulah remained inside her to be wary.
She averted her face in time for Ned’s wet mouth to land on her cheek, and if the fingers on her arm tightened slightly she couldn’t be certain. “How nice to see you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Tallulah,” her mother snapped. “You know Neddie comes for supper every night. But you haven’t noticed who else is here. Say hello to your old friend Jack.” There was no missing the trace of malice in Elda’s arch voice.
Susan controlled the sinking feeling that hit her as she realized there was a third person on the flagstone patio. “Hello, Jack,” she murmured.
“Long time, no see,” Jack replied. “I came by to drop off a wedding present, and Elda was kind enough to invite me for dinner.”
“How...lovely,” Susan said in a faint voice.
In the fading sunlight of an early-June evening Jack McGowan looked even more overwhelming.
Compared to Jake Wyczynski’s mode of dress McGowan looked positively formal, with his suit and white shirt and loosened tie.
But compared to Ned and Ridley’s pristine neatness it was clear that Jack McGowan was a vagabond.
“Do you want me to go tell Hattie we’re ready to eat?” Mary piped up.
“Not quite, dear,” Elda replied. “Why don’t we go inside and let Tallulah and Jack have some time together to renew their acquaintance.”
“I don’t think so,” Neddie rumbled, but Elda sidled up to him, frankly flirtatious, and put her hand on his arm.
“Now, Neddie, you’re going to have to learn to listen to your mother-in-law’s wishes.
You don’t have to be so possessive—Tallulah knows what’s best for her.
And you’ve seen how docile she’s become in the past year.
Why, you’d hardly recognize the flighty, passionate creature she used to be. Thank heavens.”
“Thank heavens,” Neddie echoed, clearly unconvinced. “I don’t see why?—”
“I need you to make me another drink, Neddie darling,” Elda cooed. “Ridley always makes mine too weak, and I’m afraid I have a naughty little habit of making mine too strong. Come along.”
Susan waited, holding her breath. Young Ned Marsden didn’t seem like the kind of man who’d do anybody’s bidding, much less that of his slightly inebriated future mother-in-law, but she’d underestimated Elda’s charm. After a moment Neddie shrugged his massive shoulders and managed a tight smile.
“Behave yourself, Lou,” he said in what was obviously supposed to be a playful tone of voice, chucking her under the chin. For some reason it sounded vaguely threatening.
Elda waited until Neddie preceded her into the house, then turned back. “Come along, Mary.”
“I thought I’d keep them company?—”
“I said come along. I’m sure Tallulah doesn’t need you around helping her out.”
That’s exactly what I need, Susan thought desperately. “I don’t mind, Mummy,” she said.
Elda’s smile was frosty. “I do.”
Susan waited until the French doors closed behind them, wishing desperately for a drink or a cigarette.
It didn’t matter that she’d never smoked in her life—her hands and her mouth needed one.
And she hated hard liquor, blaming alcohol for her fatherless existence, but for some reason the cocktail in Jack’s big, strong hand looked completely alluring.
“What was that all about?” she asked, resisting the impulse to ask him for a cigarette. She moved past him on her slightly wobbly high heels and sank down on one of those cast-iron lawn chairs.
“I think Elda’s not quite sure whether she wants you to many good old Neddie,” Jack said in a level voice.
“Why not?”
“It looks like she fancies him herself. Of course, just because he’s marrying you doesn’t mean he’ll stop fooling around. He doesn’t strike me as the faithful-husband type. I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Elda don’t have a little something going on already.”
“Don’t be disgusting.”
“Am I? I thought I was simply being frank. You could hardly consider this marriage to be the love match of the century. Especially considering Jimmy.”
Susan’s stomach knotted instinctively. “What about Jimmy?” she said. Where the hell was Mary when she needed her?
He took a deep, steadying breath. She’d thought he had short hair, but compared to the others he was practically shaggy. He ran a hand through his thick, rumpled hair, obviously looking for patience.
“Look, Lou, we might as well talk about it.”
“Talk about what? Are you going to tell me I shouldn’t many Neddie?”
“He’s a war profiteer. He made a fortune sitting on his butt at home while boys were dying overseas.”
“Not very commendable, but I’m sure a great many people made money from file war. That’s the problem with war—it can be very good for the economy.”
“I’m not talking about a normal profit, Lou. I’m not talking about a decent profit. I’m talking about raking in a fortune selling shoddy goods and cheap parts to the government. Faulty parts that cost lives, just because of his greed.”
“Have you got proof?” she demanded.
“I’m working on it.”
“Why? Is it something to do with me?”
“Dream on, princess. You’re not that important in the scheme of things. I’m a reporter, remember. It’s my job to investigate things. I’m like a dog with a dead rat—I’m not letting go until I’m sure it’s dead.”
“Channing,” Susan said faintly. “What do you intend to do?”
“Expose Neddie Marsden for the murderous bastard he is. And no, I’m not going to apologize for my language,” he added.
“I just thought I’d warn you. Your father was in that mess pretty deep as well, and I don’t know if I can protect you.
I certainly can’t if you’re going to go ahead and many Marsden. ”
“Why would you want to protect me? I thought I wasn’t that important?”
“You aren’t But I’m fond of your little sister. And God knows Jimmy loved you. Maybe it’s for his sake I’m giving you a chance.”
“Jimmy,” she echoed in a pensive voice.
He came and sat down next to her, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
He was taller than Ned Marsden, leaner, with a hint of coiled strength about him that was totally unlike Neddie’s brute handsomeness.
Oddly enough, there was nothing threatening about Jack’s size, or strength.
“We need to talk about it, Lou,” he said gently.
“Talk about what?”
He shook his head. “It happened, Lou. Whether we like it or not, it happened, and pretending it didn’t won’t fix things.”
Oh, God, what had Tallulah done? It must have been pretty shocking. Had she slept with Jack McGowan?
She stalled for time. “If you want to talk about it go right ahead. I have nothing to say.” Which was nothing more than the simple truth.
Jack sighed. “Look, we kissed. It was no big deal, it meant absolutely nothing and we both know it We were both upset talking about Jimmy, and it just happened. We don’t need to feel like we’ve betrayed him. It was nothing.”
She had the strangest sensation, prickling at the back of her neck. “Where did you kiss me?” she demanded suddenly, not caring how odd it sounded.
“On the mouth, sweetheart.”
She shook her head. “I mean, where in the house. Er...did anyone see us?”
“In the garage. And there was no one around. Your secret is safe.”
In the garage. She’d known it Susan turned to look at him, shielding her expression. At least Tallulah hadn’t slept with him. But the truth was almost as bad. Because enough of Lou remained in that foreign body that Susan was now trapped in.
Kissing Jack McGowan wasn’t “nothing.” It was the most powerful experience in Tallulah Abbott’s life, powerful enough that it crossed time and space and invaded Susan’s soul.
“You’re right,” she said. “It didn’t mean a thing.”
“So then why have you been running away from me ever since?”
“I have nothing to say to you. I’m getting married, ready to start life as a wife and a mother. Jimmy’s in the past Jimmy’s brother is in the past. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but it’s simply the truth.” The husky voice sounded calm and believable, but Jack didn’t seem convinced.
“You love Neddie?”
“Yes.”
“And you’ve forgotten about Jimmy?”
Dangerous ground, when in troth, Susan knew nothing at all about Jimmy McGowan. She relaxed and let her instincts, which seemed to belong to Tallulah, speak for her. “I loved Jimmy,” she said. “But he’s gone, and nothing will change that I’ve let go of him. You need to let go of him, as well.”
She expected that would drive him away, but he simply nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “I’m just not sure if I want to let go of you.”