Keeping Victoria's Secret
Page 27
“What was it the Japanese did Mr. Willet?” asked Jack softly.
He turned back to Jack. “Son, you don’t want to know the answer to that question, and I don’t want to tell you. It wasn’t pretty and I won’t burden anyone else with the details. What we did then was to find a few supplies, and got out as quick as we could.
We didn’t know it then, but there was a typhoon coming. They called it Halsey’s typhoon because Admiral Bull Halsey’s fleet got caught up in it. Three destroyers were sunk and about eight hundred of our sailors drowned. During the storm Laura and I huddled together in the jungle, just holding each other. When the storm was over the Japs spotted us and we were on the run. I don’t know why but I headed for the ocean, the Japs chasing us through the jungle. On the beach, I spotted a boat out in the water and we swam for it, with the Japs shooting at us.”
His three listeners sat forward, eager to hear more.
“Laura and I made it to that boat. I don’t know how. The good Lord was watching over us that day I guess. We drifted all that day, and most of the next before a Navy ship picked us up. That’s when I was first mistaken for another man. I wore my friend’s dog tags, but my own had disappeared. Everyone called me Al which was no surprise. I didn’t realize for days they thought I was Al Simmons. By the time I returned to the States the army had listed Alexander Willet as missing and presumed dead.
Laura and I were separated in Hawaii but I tracked her down. We settled down near her home town in Ohio. I decided to keep my stolen identity so I wouldn’t have to return home. It wasn’t hard to get hold of Al’s personal information, mostly from the War Department. We know today how easy folks can steal an identity if they want. I can tell you, it was a whole lot easier in 1945.”
Vicky interrupted him. “Why would you do that? Why would you let your family and friends think you were dead all those years?”
“You might wonder why that was. I came back to the Grove in 1946 and went to see Fred’s father without letting anyone else know. I made some inquiries about the family. What I discovered was my wife, Betsy, was living with that Van Winkle fellow and planning to marry him. Victoria had married this young man’s Uncle, Charley Conner, and my parents had passed on.
Betsy and I would have had to divorce and make her infidelity public. I decided to keep my secret. I wanted to make a new life for myself with Laura and forget the war. I asked Joe Douglas to keep quiet and I guess he did all those years. Time to time I would check in with him to find out how things were in the Grove. I felt bad for Victoria, felt guilty, but at the time I thought it was for the best.” The old man slumped in his chair, obviously drained.
Fred got to his feet. “That war effected many lives. People did things they might never have done otherwise.”
Vicky was overwhelmed with all she’d just learned. She sat with eyes closed, thinking. No one spoke for a while, as they digested Alexander’s story.
“Victoria?” It was Alexander, speaking to her.
She opened her eyes and turned to him.
“Victoria dear, do you know how to make an apple pie? A real apple pie.”
Vicky smiled at him. “Why yes Uncle Alexander. In fact I have Nanna’s recipe.”
“Nanna. That’s what you called her?”
Jack got to his feet. “Mr. Willet, would you like to stay here tonight with us in your old home? Maybe we can talk Victoria into baking us a pie.”
“We’d love to have you,” said Vicky.
“Well then,” said Fred. “Mr. Willet, I’ll give you a lift back to your motel and you can pick up your things. What do you say?”
Jack said, “Okay Fred. You and Mr. Willet come back and we’ll have dinner all ready. I think Victoria probably has a million questions for him about her grandmother.”
“Yes, I definitely do. I want to know everything that Uncle Alexander can tell us about Nanna. I’ll go in and put dinner on, and I’ll make an apple pie for dessert.”
Later, as Jack and Victoria were working in the kitchen, they heard tires once more on the gravel outside. Looking out, Jack said, “Hey, It’s Doc and Elvira.”
“Maybe they’d like to stay for dinner too? Let’s ask them,” said Vicky.
“Good thing you’ve got that Italian food thing going. You always make at least three times as much food as we need, right?”
“You never know when you might have more unexpected guests showing up." Vicky laughed. Grandma Buonadies always said to make enough to feed your guests. She considered it a shameful embarrassment to run out of food while people were still eating.” Vicky said this as she retrieved a few more potatoes for the pot. “Mashed potatoes sound good?”
Jack took Doc out to the barn to put together a couple of baskets of apples and some of the late squash varieties for him to take home, while Elvira kept Vicky company.
“Isn’t it wonderful that you’ve found an uncle that you didn’t even know you had, Vicky Dear?”
“Yes, and I can’t wait to learn more about my family.”
Elvira nodded, watching approvingly as Vicky rolled out pie crust.
“Have you and Jack set a date for the wedding yet?” ask Elvira.
“We’ve decided on October 27th, Mrs. Sweeney.” She turned and smiled at the older woman. “Why wait until next year when we’re so sure it’s what we want?”
“I don’t believe in long engagements.” said Elvira. “It looks like you’ve got everything well under control here. Vicky my dear, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go out to the porch and relax. Do you mind?”
“Please make yourself at home Mrs. Sweeney. I’m fine. It’s such a beautiful day out there.”
Elvira settled herself in one of the wicker chairs, watching the sun set over the Hudson River. Nearby Romeo and Juliet sat curled into two little balls. Petting Romeo she told them, “I am so relieved that those two nice young people finally came to their senses.”
She’d wanted to have a few minutes to herself. Everyone has their own little secrets, their small pleasures. No harm in that, she mused. She reached furtively into her bag and retrieved her book. I must find out what happens next, she thought with a little thrill of anticipation. Finding her place in Rendezvous Romance by Tori Baxter, she began reading.
Real Apple Pie
Crust for a 10” deep dish:
3 cups flour
1 cup cold lard
or 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
and 1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cider or apple juice
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg white
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt
Cut in the lard until it appears the size of small peas. Beat egg yolk in the bottom of a glass measuring cup. Add cider until it measures 1/2 cup and beat well. Add cider to the mixture in the bowl and toss gently until it begins to come together. Wrap in 2 plastic bags, pressing into 2 disks, and chill for 1 hour. Roll out one disk and line a 10” deep-dish pie pan. Brush crust with well beaten egg white and chill. Roll out second disk, cover with plastic and chill also. A flat cookie sheet is great for this. Prepare your filling.
Filling:
7-8 large assorted cooking apples peeled, cored and sliced (8 cups)
5 tablespoons flour or 1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
In a large bowl, blend the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Toss with the apples and lemon juice. Let stand while you roll out your crusts. Arrange the filling compactly into the bottom crust; it will be very full. Dot apples with pieces of butter. Brush rim with beaten egg white. Place top crust on the filling pressing gently on the rim for a good seal. Trim and fold the dough over, crimping the edges. Cut steam holes and brush the top crust with remaining egg white. Sprinkle wi
th granulated sugar for a crunchy crust. Bake pie in preheated 350°F oven for an hour or more until the crust is golden brown and juices bubble out of the crust.
The End
* * *
Thank you for reading my book.
If you enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to leave
me a review at your favorite retailer?
Thanks!
Melinda Peters
Visit my web site at www.readmelindapeters.com
Friend me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melinda.peters.7374
Favorite me at Smashwords: Melinda Peters
If you enjoyed reading Victoria’s Secret, you might enjoy the second book in my series:
Taming Theresa - a book by Melinda Peters
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/451046
John Van Wart makes a painful mistake when he assumes sexy Theresa is the entertainment for that night's bachelor party. In town to plan her cousin’s wedding, Theresa has just dumped her cheating, no good, fiancé, and is in no mood for John's insults. When the whole Italian family shows up, things really spin out of control. Sparks of anger turn to lust as John falls under Theresa's spell.
Theresa, manager of her family's New Jersey Italian restaurants, is in town to organize her cousin Victoria's wedding, which for her, should be a piece of cake, but soon the situation proves more complicated. The Buonadies family arrives from Jersey, bringing abundant amounts of food, wine, good will, and barely contained chaos.
Theresa's ex-fiancé, Tony shows up in Pippins Grove looking for his laundered drug money, closely followed by the FBI agents who suspect Theresa is involved in Tony’s crimes.
Will her family purchase John's favorite watering hole, Paulding's Rest, a colonial tavern, and convert it into an Italian restaurant, complete with checkered table clothes and candles dripping down Chianti bottles?
Will the tavern give up its long buried secrets linked to the treasonous plot of Benedict Arnold?
Will Theresa's crooked ex-fiancé and overzealous Federal Agents ruin the wedding?
Included are several of the author's favorite recipes.
Cover design by Camille Shaffer.