The Happiest Day Page 15

  “Maybe you should stop aborting your babies.” The words came tumbling out of her mouth without any conscious forethought and she raised her hand to her mouth in horror.

  Peter closed his eyes briefly, his lips tight. When he opened them, he looked disappointedly at her. Rachel felt remorse wash over her. She was sorry she had resorted to Blanche’s tactics.

  Blanche, for her part, stared at Rachel with murderous rage. Her chest heaved and her hands curled into fists around Peter’s bicep. “You, my dear,” she said in a deceptively calm voice, “have picked the wrong bitch to cross. You will regret ever trying to best me. I promise you that.” She turned on her heel, leaving the front hall and Peter going willingly with her.

  Tears blinded Rachel and she raced up the staircase, stopping at Norris’ door. She knocked. “Norris,” she called, her voice heavy in despair. “Norris, please, please, let me in. I don’t want to be alone.” He didn’t answer, and she sank to the ground, leaning her head against the door. “Norris,” she cried. “Please…” She broke into sobs. “Please, let me in.”

  Despite her tears and her pleas, the door remained closed to her. After an hour, she opened her eyes to see two legs standing in front of her, a hand outstretched. She lifted her face, wiping away the tears. Laurie.

  “Everyone has gone,” he said somberly. “It’s just you and me.”

  “Even Maryanne and Bert? And Peter?”

  He nodded. He pulled her up. “I know it’s not even supper time yet, but I’m exhausted. I could go to bed.”

  “Then you should.” She hugged him. “I’m going to go downstairs and oversee the staff and try one more time to get Norris to eat. I’ll probably go to bed early myself.”

  Laurie nodded and headed down the long hallway towards his room. He stopped mid-way and turned back. “Hey, Rae? What do you think he meant when he said ‘journal’?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. It didn’t make any sense to me.”

  “Me either but he seemed intent on getting you to understand.”

  “Did he keep a journal?”

  “Not that I know of. At least, I never saw him writing in one. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll go through his things. Do you think that’s weird?”

  “No,” she smiled sadly at her brother. “If there is something, then he would want you to find it. It’s possible, though, that he just wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “I know.” He looked thoughtful, but in a worried manner. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Love you,” she said, lifting her hand.

  “Love you, too.”

  The staff had the clean-up well in hand so she wandered aimlessly into the front parlor. She sat at the piano and picked at keys in a desultory manner. Geoff had been a talented pianist. He had been talented at most things he tried. She rested her head tiredly in one hand.

  Peter was angry at her, she knew. She shouldn’t have said what she did to Blanche. It was beneath her and had come from a place of jealousy. She wished she could go back a few hours and never have said it. For that matter, she wished she could go back three days and prevent Geoff’s death. There was no going back, though. Their paths were set and Rachel could only pray that the family could make it to other side of this valley of despair.

  Across town, Blanche was placing a call to Leonard Winston.

  Chapter 14

  The next day, Rachel asked Smythe for the key to Norris’ bedroom. Smythe provided it from a cupboard in the kitchen.

  “Ma’am, would you like me to come with you? You’re not quite sure what you may find.”

  “That’s very kind of you to offer, Smythe. I appreciate the suggestion.” They climbed the staircase together, Rachel’s stomach in knots. “Smythe, you don’t think he would…do anything drastic, do you?”

  “I don’t know, ma’am, but I certainly hope not. His children mean everything to him. I hope he is able to recover from the young Mr. Thornton passing and find some sort of peace with his remaining family.”

  They knocked on the door and Rachel announced to Norris that they would unlock the door if he didn’t open it. They waited a few minutes before twisting the key in the lock and swinging the door open.

  Relief almost knocked Rachel off of her feet when she saw that Norris was alive, sitting in a chair by the window. He had not shaven for days, and a heavy growth of beard covered his lower face. His hair was unkempt and his clothes wrinkled. He looked gaunt, almost skeletal.

  She turned and nodded at Smythe, who left the room quietly. Rachel walked softly over to where Norris sat and dropped to her knees in front of him. “Norris,” she said, taking his cold hands in hers. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

  His eyes continued staring out the window but she saw his throat move as he attempted to speak. “I can’t live with myself,” he said in a raw, pain filled voice. “I’ve done some horrible things in my life, but this is by far the worst. I killed my son.”

  “Norris, it was an accident. No one blames you. We do need you, however. This family is lost right now and we need to be together.”

  “You need to move on without me.”

  “No,” she said harshly. “You are the leader of this family. You can’t retreat like this.” She tried to turn his face to look at her but he resisted. “Norris, Dr. Miller has suggested having you committed to an institution. You have to eat, at least, to prove to him that you’re not a danger to yourself.” Tears slid out of her eyes. “Norris, please, I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want to be alone.”

  He looked at her then. She was shocked by the emptiness of his eyes but he did nod slightly. “I’ll eat. I won’t leave you.”

  She bowed her head and laid it in his lap. “Thank you, thank you.” She sat for a long time feeling his hand in her hair, stroking it softly.

  He did eat from that day. Not much, and not often, but enough to keep him alive. He did not leave his room, however. He accepted visits from Rachel and Laurie, but interacted little with them. Maryanne came every day as well in the beginning, but found that she was unable to accept her father as the shell of the man he once was.

  On the third day after the funeral, Peter arrived at the estate. Rachel was in the garden, pruning rose bushes, lost in her thoughts. She didn’t know that Peter watched her for long minutes before announcing himself.

  “You look like you’re not sleeping.”

  She turned in surprise. “How long have you been here? I didn’t hear you.”

  “Not long.” His hands thrust in his pockets, he casually sat down on one of the wrought iron benches. “Have you been taking care of yourself?”

  She wanted to snipe at him. She wanted to ask him why he cared. She knew, however, that she deserved his silence. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “What I did was unforgivable.”

  He gazed at her soberly. “It was stupid.”

  She flushed. “I know.”

  “You don’t want to make an enemy of Blanche and there’s no need for it, either. You poked a hornet’s nest.”

  “I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me. I knew when you didn’t call me or come out that you were too angry to face me.”

  His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Rae, I didn’t stay away because I was angry. I’ve been with Blanche, trying to pacify her. If I had left her to come to you, like I wanted to, it just would have made things worse.”

  “It was so stupid. I was jealous of her and it was like I had no control over my mouth. “I’m sorry.”

  He had to smile a little then, although there was no joy in it. “Jealous? Of what? You were the one who has always told me what a horrible marriage I have. What in the hell are you jealous of?”

  “She’s your wife. I want to be your wife.”

  His smile disappeared and he looked like he had had the wind knocked out of him. “Spider…” he breathed out. “God damn…you know how to sucker punch a guy, don’t you? I didn’t expect that.”

  “I know it’s not possible. I know that eve
n if you were to divorce Blanche, I could never do that to Norris. It doesn’t stop me from wanting it, though.”

  He stood and strode over to where she stood. His arms scooped her up against his body and his mouth lowered to hers. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” he muttered against her lips. His hands pulled through her hair, almost painfully, as he tilted her face up. “Look at me,” he ordered. “If I could marry you tomorrow, I’d move heaven and earth to make it happen. I want you to know that.”

  Tears blinded her and she nodded. She suddenly thought of Norris sitting at his window and she pulled away. “We shouldn’t,” she said through her tears. “Norris might see us.”

  He looked like he would argue but then took a step away from her. “How is he?”

  “He’s eating but he won’t leave his room.”

  “Maryanne said that she’s having trouble seeing him like this.”

  “He’s not himself. He accepts visitors but he rarely talks or make eye contact.”

  “I’ll go up and visit him.” His eyes swept her body and they were lit with a fire. “Could we be together later? Alone?”

  “I…I don’t know if I can,” she said with true regret. “Not with Norris sitting in his room, being like he is.”

  “I understand,” he said. “Not that I like it, but I do understand. Listen, after I visit with him, we need to make some decisions. You know Jerry McDonough, the editing manager at the newspaper?”

  “Of course.” Rachel was rarely at the newspaper offices but listened to Norris enough to know the key staff.

  “He called me and things are in disarray at the paper. He kept things going while Norris was on vacation, but now we’re in the third week of Norris not being present and there are things that only Norris can handle. Jerry said that somebody from the family needs to be present. There is payroll to approve, financials to go over, amongst other things. Let me see how Norris is but if I think he’s not mentally capable of handling the paper, or if he just doesn’t want to, somebody is going to have to take over.”

  She nodded, worry clawing at her. The newspaper was the family legacy. What if it all came crashing down around them? “All right. Go on up and visit with Norris. I’ll be in Norris’ study when you’re finished. I have to go over the household accounts. Those at least I understand.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Remind me to chastise you later for those dark circles under your eyes.”

  “Chastise all you want,” she shot back, “but mine are no worse than yours.”

  He left the garden and Rachel was amazed at how, despite the ongoing difficulties, the day suddenly seemed brighter. She intended on keeping Peter at the estate for as long as she could, Blanche be damned.

  Laurie joined her in the study and they reviewed the household accounts together, paying bills and transferring money as needed.

  “Do you think Peter might stay for supper?” he asked hopefully.

  “If we both ask him…or beg him…maybe,” she answered with a smile.

  “No begging needed,” Peter said from the doorway. “I would love to stay.” He came in and sat in the chair opposite the desk. Rachel could see the concern in his eyes.

  “How did you find Norris?”

  “He’s in no shape to run the paper,” Peter said bluntly. “I asked him what his wishes are. He wants you to take over, Rachel.”

  Rachel drew back in surprise. “I can’t! I don’t know the first thing about running the paper.”

  “He said that there’s no one he trusts to do it more than you. You have the infrastructure there. It’s a strong staff. We just need a family representative there to make the decisions.”

  “What if I make the wrong one?”

  “You think Norris has never made the wrong decision? It’s business, Rae.” His eyes were gentle and loving as he gazed at her. “I think Norris is right. There’s no one who could do a better job than you.”

  “You’ve got to do it, Rachel,” Laurie interjected. “The newspaper means everything to this family. Without it, we could lose it all.”

  “We’re all here for you. You won’t be alone,” Peter added.

  “So I would just be a figurehead, really?”

  “If it makes you feel better to think of it that way, sure,” Peter laughed. “Come on, Rae. I always knew you were destined for greatness. Don’t prove me wrong.”

  “Oh, shut up,” she muttered. “You know I’m going to do it.”

  “I’ll draw up the papers giving you giving you Norris’ proxy. Get a good night’s sleep. You need to be at work tomorrow.”

  Nervousness washed over her and she looked at her brother with apprehension. “You’ll come with me?”

  “Of course,” Laurie answered with excitement.

  The three of them had a light-hearted dinner and the house heard laughter for the first time since before the vacation. They sat on the patio afterwards watching the sun set and talking quietly. It was late when Peter sighed and stood. “I’ve got to go. I have to be in court at ten, but I can meet both of you at the paper around eight.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Rachel said, standing as well. “Thank you so much for coming out. We’ve missed you.” She tilted her head back to look up in his eyes and her breath caught at the wealth of emotion she saw.

  “You know I’ll always be there for you…for both of you.”

  Laurie looked from his sister to Peter, then back again, and he cleared his throat. “I’m going to head upstairs. We have a big day tomorrow. Good-night, Peter.”

  “Good-night, Laurie.”

  After Laurie entered the house, Peter framed Rachel’s face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers. They kissed lightly, both aware of the inappropriateness and futility of allowing their passion to spin out of control. He pulled her into his arms and held her close to his body. She could feel the steady drum of his heart against her cheek and she closed her eyes, wishing they could stay like this forever.

  “Never, never doubt how much I love you,” he said to her. “I know this isn’t easy but don’t let fears or insecurities get the best of you.”

  “I’ll try my best. I am so sorry for what I did.”

  “It’s behind us,” he said dismissively. “I just need to keep Blanche distracted. She’ll eventually forget it and move on to some other mission of hatred.” He kissed her again and pulled away reluctantly. “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  He left her at the front door and as she closed it, she turned and leaned against it with a happy sigh.

  “When did this happen?”

  She looked up, startled, and saw Laurie sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. She recovered quickly. “When did what happen?” she asked casually.

  “You two are in love with each other.”

  She couldn’t deny it. It would feel wrong. “I’m not sure. After I lost the baby, he began spending so much time out here…then, it was just there. We realized we loved each other.”

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “Nothing,” she said firmly. “He’s married and I’m married.”

  “He could divorce Blanche.”

  “Yes, he could, but I could never do that to Norris. I owe him too much.”

  “You owe him your life?” Laurie challenged.

  “Yes, and so do you.” She sat down next to him on the step. “Now, especially with what’s happened, I would never leave him.” She leaned her head against her brother’s shoulder. “I’ve never expected much from life, Laurie. Just knowing that Peter loves me is enough for right now.”

  “You won’t always feel that way.”

  “I take one day at a time.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. “By the way, I’ve gone through all of Geoff’s things in his room. I didn’t find a journal.”

  “I guess we’ll never know what he meant,” Rachel said sadly. “I miss him. It’s like a light has gone out in the house.”


  “I know. Sometimes I forget he’s gone and I think of something I want to tell him, then it hits me.” He shifted a little so he could look down in her face. “We have to make this work—the newspaper, I mean. We can’t let Geoff’s death mean the beginning of the end of everything we know.”

  “We’ll make it work,” Rachel assured him. “We’re survivors.”

  The next morning, Rachel and Laurie met Peter at the newspaper and together they met with the management staff. If anyone was surprised that Norris’ twenty year old wife was now in charge of the newspaper, they did not show it. They seemed relieved that someone from the family would be there everyday and Rachel realized that they had all feared for their jobs. She felt the weight of responsibility settle on her shoulders. This wasn’t just about saving her own family. She was now responsible for almost one hundred employees and their families. Failure was not an option.

  Chapter 15

  The summer flew by and Rachel found herself at the newspaper every day of the week, sometimes up to twelve hours at a time. Shockingly, she loved it. The staff was extremely kind to her and trained her on every aspect on producing a newspaper. She found that she had a head for numbers and saw circulation grow as the weeks passed. The newspaper was thriving and she had found a purpose in life.

  Laurie found his niche in the printing department and his quiet, hard-working demeanor was well appreciated. Peter and Bert began spending more time at the newspaper, as well. Rachel expressed concern that they were ignoring their own practice but they both assured her they were handling their responsibilities easily. She reported to Norris every day and even though he didn’t respond beyond head nods and one word answers, she felt that he appreciated the work she was putting into the paper.

  One day in early August, Rachel was working late into the evening and the building was quiet. She knew that three floors below, the printing department was hard at work and in just a few hours, the carriers would be arriving to bundle the newspapers for delivery. The administrative staff, however, was gone and she had to admit that this was her favorite time to be at work. She enjoyed the peace and the large stack of work in front of her.