Barbara giggled. “Maybe not quite as exciting as you’d think,” she said.
“Everything about you excites me.” he hissed and playfully took her ear lobe between his lips.
Barbara giggled and pushed him away.
“Okay, where to begin? I was born in New York City, the second of two girls. My dad, was a photojournalist and my mom stayed at home with me and my sister, Dana. I’ve got a few great memories of my dad. He was away often with his work but when he was there it was like Christmas, just so wonderful.”
“Why only a few great memories?”
She paused and took in a shaky breath.
“’Cause he was killed on assignment when I was five years old. As young as I was, I still have memories of being carried around his neck or riding on his back through the house.”
William reached out and rubbed her arm.
“My sister, Dana, has more memories of him. She was eight when he died. Ronnie, that’s my baby sister, never met him at all. My mom was pregnant with her when dad died.”
“That must have been really tough for all of you.”
“It was. We missed dad, but we also had to adjust soon after that to a different life.”
“What do you mean?”
Barbara stared out at the ocean as she spoke, her arms wrapped around her bent knees.
“My dad worked for Reuters and received a good salary. So good that my mom didn’t have to work and stayed home and took care of us, and we were still able to afford a home in middle class Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. When dad died though, the savings soon ran out. Mom had to find a job and without a college degree the job she did find, at a local hospital, didn’t pay enough to make the mortgage payments. So we lost our home and couldn’t even afford rent in Prospect Heights. That meant moving to Flatbush and even that move was still a struggle. We had to do without many things to be able to afford that rent. We got most of our clothing from Goodwill and lived on food stamps. We didn’t even have things that most kids take for granted, like a television set. We lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment. All of us slept together in this large bed. I remember the house in Prospect Heights having three bedrooms.”
“That must have been so hard. I can’t even imagine what you went through. Did you ever go hungry?”
The concern in William’s voice drew Barbara’s gaze to his. His eyes looked so compassionate she wanted to reach out and hug him. There was no way he could relate, of course, but it was significant that he could still show sympathy for her situation instead of scoffing at it or shrugging it off.
She shook her head. “There were two things Mom always made sure we had: food and school supplies. She really valued education. And she always said a child couldn’t learn on an empty stomach. Mom recognized that she needed to pursue her own college degree to improve our lives. When she started night school I was about eight years old, and that was another adjustment. The only reason she was able to do that was because of our church. The pastor’s wife and other church members took turns babysitting us so that Mom could go to school over the course of six years to complete her college degree. That was one of the greatest days of her life. I think that it saddened her that Dana and I didn’t go to college but at the time there was no college money, besides I didn’t want to go to college I wanted to act.”
“So, what made you want to become an actress?”
She smiled wistfully. “I’ve always loved acting. I was in every play in high school. In fact, a Hollywood scout visited our school when I was 16 and saw me in the production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream. She asked Mom to let me try out for this movie, and, of course, Mom told her absolutely no way since I had to finish high school first. She gave me her card and told me to come find her when I finished high school. That’s exactly what I did. Her name was Sue Green. She was a nice lady, got me my first audition, which I aced.”
“Sounds fascinating, like a dream come true,” William commented.
“My sisters will tell you, I was always organizing these plays when we were on break from school.”
She laughed suddenly at a memory. “There was this one time I staged David and Goliath. Well, Dana didn’t want to participate so it was just me and my four-year-old sister, Ronnie. I was David, Ronnie was Goliath. It was so funny because I was a good foot taller than she was and she was skinny too. So you can imagine just how intimidating ‘Goliath’ looked, right?”
William joined in her laughter as he imagined the scene. “Why didn’t you play Goliath and let her play David.”
“Are you kidding? David was the hero, okay. Goliath was the villain. The villain who dies. There was no way I was taking that part.”
William grinned as he reached out and ran a hand over the smooth skin on her arm. “I guess you knew how to pick winners even then,” he said.
“I guess so,” she said, savoring his touch. “Anyway, I didn’t expect that stardom would’ve come so soon. I mean, The Lady was only my third role. There had been so much buzz about that movie, you know, because the book was such a hit. Everyone was expecting that the producers were going to go for some big name British actress like Kiera Knightley or Emily Blunt but then it was announced that they were looking for a fresh face. I didn’t really think I’d get the part, especially since I’m not British - but I decided to give it my best shot. It shocked me when they told me I’d gotten the role.”
He had sat up and was quietly watching her as she spoke. He now reached out his hand and stroked her hair. “It sounds like they found you as irresistible as I do.”
He leaned forward and kissed her.
Since they had been caught by the duchess they had tried to keep the physical contact to a minimum lest they became tempted to go further than they should. Now all the pent up passion over the last few days resurfaced and the kiss deepened. Barbara moaned and wrapped her arms around William. She didn’t want the kiss to ever end.
It was William who finally broke away.
“What is it?” she asked breathlessly.
“This is a public beach,” he replied, looking around at the persons further down the beach, who appeared to Barbara to be minding their own business. “I need to protect your reputation. You’re famous. For all we know someone could be taking pictures for the tabloids.”
Barbara was so touched by how honorable William was. He was 24, yet he was so responsible. He was always the one to remind her of boundaries. He never tried to take advantage of her. It was so easy to trust him.
He glanced at his watch. “Time to go. I want us to be home in time for dinner.”
On the drive back to West Sussex, William said. “I’ve had an amazing time these past few weeks. I’ve never talked so much with a girl in my entire life. I feel as though we’ve known each other forever.”
Barbara smiled dreamily at him. “I know. I feel the same way. I can’t believe we only met four weeks ago. This is going to sound crazy but I feel as if I’ve found my soul mate.”
“It doesn’t sound crazy. I feel the same way.”
Barbara hesitated, not sure if she should mar the moment by saying what was on her mind. She decided to plunge ahead, after all they would need to deal with it sooner or later.
“I’ve got to go to L.A. in two weeks to start my next film, you remember I told you, right?”
“I know and I’ve got to get back to work in a week’s time as well.”
“So…what will happen when I leave? What will happen to us?” she asked tentatively, not sure, despite all he’d just said, if it really mattered to him as much as it did to her if they ever saw each other again.
When the gates opened, William turned off the road onto the long manor driveway. He didn’t respond to Barbara immediately. He drove on for a minute then pulled over to a shaded area, put the car in first gear and turned off the ignition. When he faced her she was shocked at the intensity on his face. He looked like a man on a mission.
“I’ve given that question a lot of thought over the pa
st few days, ever since we confessed our feelings for each other.” He reached for her hand. “I’m not a man given to recklessness, but I can’t let you walk out of my life. I simply can’t live without you.”
“What are you saying?” Barbara asked breathlessly, afraid to even guess what he meant.
He reached into his pocket and took out a small black box. He looked down at it. “I bought this two days ago. I woke up in cold sweats after dreaming that you were gone – that you’d married someone else. It jolted me into realizing that our time together is precious. I didn’t plan to propose to you this way but this morning before we left something told me to bring this along. So here goes. Barbara Dickson, will you marry me?”
He had popped open the black box and Barbara stared at the largest, most beautiful, diamond ring she had ever seen. She was too stunned to speak. She had never in a million years expected this. There were so many thoughts racing through her head. She knew, though, that there was only one word to say. “Yes,” she said through tears.
She kissed him all over his face and they laughed with euphoria.
Then Barbara sobered, “Wills, how is this going to work? Where will we live? And what about your family, what will they say?”
“Oh, I expect they’ll say we just met and it’s too soon. The usual sensible stuff. But it doesn’t matter. I love you and that’s all that’s important. As to the logistics of our union, we’ll work out those details, sweetheart. If it means you moving to London or me moving to America, we’ll decide. All I know is that I can’t exist without you. The way you make me feel is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.” He took her hands and looked deep into her eyes. “Barbara, I love you so much.”
Barbara’s eyes flooded with tears again. She reached up and took his face in her hands and her brown eyes met his blue ones. “Oh, William, I love you too. I can’t live without you either.”
As they returned to Rother Hill Manor Barbara felt as though her heart would burst with joy. They held hands as William drove, filled with all the hope and passion of first love, oblivious to the devastation that awaited them.
Years later Barbara would reflect that it had been both the best and the worst day of her life.
Chapter 13
When William and Barbara approached the manor entrance holding hands, the first thing that alerted Barbara that something was wrong was that the door was not opened by the butler but by a breathless Prudence.
Prudence’s eyes darted from William to Barbara then back to William again.
“Wills, Victoria is here,” she said.
“What!” William’s eyes widened then narrowed slightly. “What is she doing here?”
Prudence shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. She didn’t say. We put her to wait in the sitting room. She was rather upset when she learned you weren’t here.”
At that moment the Duke entered the foyer.
“Oh Wills, Victoria Compton is here to see you. I attempted to keep her company until you returned. I’m glad that you’re back now. I’m afraid I wasn’t much of a substitute for you. The poor child is very peevish.”
He glanced over at Barbara and smiled. “Now here is my lovely American rose. Barbara, will you do me the honor of joining us for a pre-dinner cocktail.” He took her arm in his and Prudence’s in the other.
Barbara didn’t want to be rude, she loved the Duke, but what she wanted to do was to stay by William’s side and never leave. She had a sense of foreboding that she couldn’t explain.
She looked over at William and said questioningly, “William?”
The look of distracted annoyance on William’s face was instantly replaced with warmth as his eyes met hers.
He was quick to reassure her. “Darling, it’s okay. I don’t know why Victoria is here, but believe me she’s not staying. It’s over between us. Go on with Grand-dad and Prunes. I’ll join you in about ten minutes or so. This shouldn’t take too long.” He kissed her on the forehead and gave her a brief hug. Although Barbara couldn’t shake her feeling of unease she allowed the Duke to lead her away.
~*~*~*~
When William walked into the reception room Victoria was standing staring through a window. She seemed deep in thought so he was able to observe her for a moment before she sensed his presence.
Victoria Compton was a slim, pretty girl with long, thick, dark brown hair and green eyes.
William stared at her dispassionately. He had once been moved by those looks but since he’d gotten to know the girl behind them his former passion had waxed cold. Now, he immediately compared her to Barbara and found her wanting in every way.
“Victoria,” he said in a formal voice that held a trace of the annoyance he felt at her presence.
She turned her head towards him and he saw an expression in her eyes that he’d never seen before. It was a combination of fear and panic.
She rushed towards him. “William. Where have you been?” Her tone was accusatory. “I’ve been waiting for you for almost three hours. No one would tell me where you were or when you’d be back. Now I look through the window and see you stroll in with that actress person. It didn’t take you long to move on did it?”
He took great offense at her words and her tone and immediately tensed. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts and rocked back on his heels, taking time before he spoke to control his vexation.
He decided to ignore the barbs and stick to the matter at hand. “Victoria, why are you here?” He spoke slowly as if to a child.
“Wills. Oh, Wills. I needed to see you. I…”
She suddenly broke down and started sobbing uncontrollably.
William was startled. Automatically, his arms reached out to comfort her. “Calm down, Victoria, please,” he said and then led her to a chair and sat beside her.
After a few more sobs, she took a couple of deep breaths then looked at her hands. “I’m sorry for the other day. Sorry I broke off our engagement. I didn’t mean the things I said. I didn’t really want things to end between us. I was angry and I behaved rashly.”
William straightened in the chair and removed his arm from around her shoulders. If Victoria had any notions of them getting back together he was going to put an end to them right away.
“Victoria, listen to me. You were right. Everything you said was true. I’ve been inattentive and neglectful of you and things have not been right between us for some time.”
He drew in a deep breath and his tone softened. “I’m sorry. I don’t love you. I can’t marry you. Please forgive me for not being honest with you sooner.”
Victoria’s eyes widened in shock and then she began to cry again. She covered her face with her hands and her body wracked with sobs. He knew that he had done the right thing but he still felt sorry for her. He drew close to her and reached out a hand to comfort her.
She turned suddenly and grabbed the front of his polo shirt, her green eyes pleading and desperate. “You don’t understand, Wills. We can’t break up. We simply can’t. You have to marry me.”
He was weary of this theatrical display. He just wanted to get her out of there and spend time with Barbara.
“You’re not making sense. I don’t have to do anything,” he said tersely.
She sat back at this and appeared to sober briefly then she turned to him, her eyes red and shining with tears.
“I’m pregnant,” she said softly.
William’s blood ran cold.
No, this couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible. “What?” He wondered if he had – desperately hoped he had – misunderstood.
“I’m pregnant,” she repeated.
William felt a cold sense of dread cover his body. He didn’t know how long he stared at her in shocked silence.
“How…How is that possible?” he asked absently but he knew the answer.
As his intimate times with Victoria had been infrequent over the last several months, it was easy to identify when it had happened.
&
nbsp; Two months ago, Victoria had begged him to meet her for drinks after work one Friday. She’d shown up dressed in a seductive black dress. She’d been very flirtatious and provocative in her manner and he’d given into temptation and taken her back to his condo at the Waldorf where they’d made love. When he awoke the next morning he’d immediately been filled with remorse because he knew that he intended to break up with her. He felt sick thinking of it now.
He leaned forward with his elbows on his legs and put his head in his hands. “Are you sure?” he asked superfluously.
From somewhere in the distance he could hear Victoria say, “Of course I’m sure. I missed my period and I got concerned so I took a pregnancy test. I didn’t know what to do. I’ve been calling your mobile but it kept going straight to voicemail...”
William recalled vaguely that when he went sailing with Barbara he’d turned off his phone, determined that they wouldn’t be disturbed.
“…when I couldn’t get you I called your mother. She told me you were at Rother Hill Manor,” Victoria continued.
William didn’t respond. He was thinking of his options. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to tell Victoria to leave and never contact him again. He wanted to shake her and ask her: How could she do this to him? How could she ruin his life? Why hadn’t she been more careful? He wanted to tell her to get rid of this child. To have an abortion like so many in their circle discreetly did when such things occurred. Most of all though he wanted to turn back the clock, rewind the past and undo what he had done that Friday night two months ago.
“How did this happen, Victoria? Weren’t you on the pill?” he turned to her in anger. He wanted someone to blame and she was the easiest target.
Victoria’s tone was defensive. “Those things aren’t foolproof, you know.” He saw her green eyes flash fire. “Do you think I planned this? This was the last thing in the world I wanted!” Then her tears erupted again.
The Royal Couple: A Christian Romance (Royals Book 1) Page 13