“Look, Rad! There’s Morrow. Did you know she was coming to meet us?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Quickly, they negotiated the remainder of the gangplank and rushed toward their family. “What a wonderful surprise, darling,” Allison said. “We weren’t expecting to be met.”
Amid the hugs, Morrow said, “I know. But Andrew has a commission to design a skyscraper building for Wagner and Stark and we decided to come along. We’re awfully glad to see you. You both look marvelous.”
As Rad scooped David up into his arms, the child said, “What did you bring us?”
Rad responded, “A hug for now.”
“And wonderful presents when we get to the hotel,” Allison added.
“Did you remember to bring Andrea something, too, Nana?” David asked.
“Of course. We couldn’t forget the newest member of the family, could we?” she said, smiling at the little girl who was still hiding behind Morrow’s skirts.
“Andrea may not be the newest one for long. Did you get Jonathan’s letter telling you their wonderful news? That Ginna is expecting a little one?”
Allison shook her head. “We had a slight problem with the mail. When is the baby due?”
“Two months from now.”
That evening after dinner, as Andrew and Rad discussed business in the hotel suite, Morrow and Allison walked across the hall to put the children to bed. Soon, David and Andrea were asleep, with a Parisian doll and an Italian organ-grinder monkey still in their arms.
It was then, in timeless tradition, that mother and daughter sat down, apart from the men, and talked of intimate, family matters.
“I did as you and Papa asked, Mother. I found out from Ginna that Dr. Forsyte had wanted a piece of equipment for the operating room at the institute, but the budget hadn’t allowed for it. So we made the donation in Papa’s name.”
“Thank you, Morrow, for taking care of it.”
“And we had a nice thank-you letter from him, as well as from the institute.”
Morrow gave a rueful smile. “It’s still a little awkward, not knowing what to call him. Dr. Forsyte sounds so formal, especially for a long-lost father.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult for me, too, Morrow. I suppose I’ll always remember your father as Coin, instead of as Charles.”
“Mother, are you certain that I never saw him when I was little?”
“Why? What makes you ask such a question?”
“Well, it’s not his face. It’s his watch—it plays that funny little tune. I heard it at the hospital in Chicago—and it sounded familiar, as if I’d heard it before.”
“Where?”
“I’ve been trying to remember ever since then. I decided it was that first season in Saratoga when Jonathan was a baby. A man came up to Rebecca and they talked for a long time. I was worried because I’d fallen on the green and gotten a grass stain on my dress. But when I went up to Rebecca, she stopped talking. The man just stood there and stared at me with the strangest look on his face. And that’s when I heard the watch.”
“That’s ridiculous, Morrow. It couldn’t possibly have been Charles.”
“No, I suppose not. It was just a coincidence that the two had the same type of watch.”
Morrow quickly changed the subject. “So tell me about your Paris trip at Christmastime. You didn’t write much about it.”
“There was the usual round of parties. Lila especially enjoyed the one given for the Infanta Eulalia because of all the repercussions. You remember how the Infanta snubbed Mrs. Palmer in Chicago at the exposition? Well, it was Mrs. Palmer’s turn to do the snubbing. She refused to come to the soiree, sending her regrets instead: ‘I do not choose to spend my time with a bibulous member of a decadent monarchy.’ I tell you, the Paris gossips had a field day. And so did Peggy and Lila.”
Morrow laughed aloud and then quickly looked toward the children’s bedroom. “Don’t make me laugh anymore, Mother. We’ll wake the children.”
“Sorry.”
From that time on, they spoke in hushed tones until Rad came looking for Allison.
“I hope you two have finished talking because Andrew and I have completed building the skyscraper.”
“Besides, it’s after eleven o’clock,” Andrew joined in beside him. “Past my bedtime.”
Allison and Morrow smiled, hugged each other, and rejoined their husbands.
Across the hall from Andrew and Morrow, Rad and Allison made ready for bed. And within a few minutes, with the lights dimmed in the bedroom, steady breathing indicated that Rad had drifted off to sleep.
Although she was extremely tired, Allison remained awake for a while longer, recalling her conversation with Morrow.
Ever since that day in the Washington park, Allison had carried a vast hurt inside her because Coin Forsyth had evidently not cared enough to look for them after the war.
But suppose Morrow was right? Suppose he had looked for them and finally found them? Too late. What would she have done in his place, realizing that his wife had married another man, and had a baby son by this second husband?
“Oh, Rebecca,” she murmured. “Is that the reason you were so upset that day?”
Why couldn’t Rebecca still be alive? She was the only one Allison could have asked. It would be impossible now to question Charles.
As Allison, too, drifted off to sleep, two images stood before her—the young Coin and the older Charles, each separate in his own identity, each refusing to become the same man.
CHAPTER
40
Three days later, Rad and Allison left New York, with Allison still in the dark as to their destination.
“Surely you can tell me, Rad, now that we’re on our way. Where are you taking me?”
The whistle of the train as they approached a crossing delayed his answer. But Allison, watching him, saw the slight frown appear and then vanish—a gesture far more telling than words. And from that she knew that it was a serious matter.
“Allison, what month is this?” he finally said.
“Why, July, of course. But what does that have to do with
