by Belva Plain
“We don’t see them at all,” Norma said, sounding stiff and not caring that she did.
Mrs. Lyons’s eyebrows went up a fraction of an inch. “Oh! I thought you were such good friends.”
“We were.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t—” And then her companion, possibly seeing Norma’s reaction, drew her away.
Yes, I suppose it’s too bad about Peter, thought Norma. To be in sight of the prize, for surely he had been on the way to national acclaim, must be terribly painful. But he is doing well enough with his restorations, they have their family, and that’s more than many people have.
A good fairy must have blessed Cecile at birth. She had a father who deserved respect, a lasting, passionate love from Peter, and with it all, a fair degree of beauty. That should be enough. It’s far more than I ever had.
Why should I worry about Peter and Cecile? She wasn’t even a loyal friend to me and my brother. Shedding tears over Amanda!
No, I did what I did for Dan. I gave him a miracle cure that saved his sanity. His buildings stand high in a dozen cities. They don’t have any particular artistic merit, but they’ve made him prominent enough to become a household name. It’s wonderful to see him traveling around with Stevie. He’s so proud of the handsome boy!
People say that Stevie is the image of his grandfather—but it is better not to think about that, too.
Think instead about the fortune that has allowed Dan to become a philanthropist, especially in the cause of children from broken homes. This fortune, so he told me once, amounts to two billion dollars. Well, he was always good to me, and I have been good to him.
There are days, though, when memory hurts me, as it can when certain music dies away. And then, from the top shelf of the closet I take a small framed photograph, and stare again at three young women standing together in cap and gown on a sunny lawn.
EPILOGUE
Two billion dollars,” said the narrator. “That ends the story.”
The afternoon had faded. The sun was a ruby line on the horizon, and the Atlantic was still battering the rocks below as the two old men, who had met so accidentally after such a long, long time, sat looking at each other.
“So, Amos, what do you think now about Balzac’s ‘crime’? Was this a real crime? She didn’t, after all, exactly—”
“No, not ‘exactly.’”
“Can’t it be seen simply as a pitiable struggle for survival?”
A wry expression crossed Amos’s face and faded into a small, ironic smile. Perhaps time as it often does, and memories as they often do, were softening life’s sharp, mean edges. Human nature! It hadn’t changed since the days of ancient Rome, and long before then, too.
“I suppose,” he said, “like most things in this world, Alfred, it depends on the point of view. So I guess I will answer ‘both.’ It was both.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Belva Plain lives in northern New Jersey. She is the author of the bestselling novels Evergreen, Random Winds, Eden Burning, Crescent City, The Golden Cup, Tapestry, Blessings, Harvest, Treasures, Whispers, Daybreak, The Carousel, Promises, Secrecy, Homecoming, Legacy of Silence, Fortune’s Hand, and After the Fire.
Be sure to look for …
HER FATHER’S HOUSE
The unforgettable new novel from the
New York Times bestselling BELVA PLAIN
When a terrible lie has been told out of love, can it be forgiven?
Some choices are destined to shape the course of our lives forever and for Donald Wolfe, this is one such choice. Donald’s daughter is the light of his life, so when his flawed marriage begins to fail, he has to decide—shall he consider a step that would force him into flight and a life of hiding—for his daughter’s sake?
A Dell Book
Published by
Dell Publishing
a division of
Random House, Inc.
1540 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2001 by Bar-Nan Creations, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.
For information, address Delacorte Press, New York, New York.
Dell® is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-307-42193-7
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books By This Author
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Epilogue
About the Author
Copyright