Given their visibility in the community, it caused quite a stir when they disappeared.”
“What do you think of all of that, Linda?” Ellie asked.
“The house went up for sale and passed through different owners before Lloyd and I found it. Joe tells me his grandfather supposedly met up with Joseph Bradford after the ‘disappearance.’ When his grandfather asked why Joseph sold the house, he just murmured something about life not always working out the way you want it to. That’s all he said. That seems to lend itself more to the idea that they left because of his misfortune.” Linda’s voice was sad. “It must have been so difficult for him, loving someone who couldn’t give the one thing he had truly ever wanted.”
“Rubbish!” Melanie’s disdainful voice immediately shifted the mood. “You can love someone even if you don’t have any children. You can make a marriage work just as well without that distraction. Hell, Herbert and I decided a long time ago that if we wanted to stay married, the best way to do that would be not to have them at all and good riddance!”
“Well, times are very different now,” Randall said, coming to Linda’s defense. “Back then, a man’s family was as much a symbol of his status as the dollars he had in the bank.”
Suddenly Linda let out a sharp breath and David could see tears in the corners of her eyes.
“Linda! What’s wrong?” Ellie said, moving from his side to peer into Linda’s face.
“It’s really nothing, dear. I mean, Melanie’s right, I suppose. Lloyd and I…we were never able to have children. We had a good marriage all the same, I guess, but I always felt like I had failed him.” Linda’s voice fell to a whisper.
Randall pulled Linda from Ellie’s grasp into his arms. “It might be better if we called it a night,” Randall said, staring pointedly at Melanie, who looked completely baffled.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Linda, honestly, I had no idea,” Melanie apologized.
Linda’s hand just waved from Randall’s chest. She looked fragile and as if she had aged a decade in just those few moments.
“Jeffrey!” Randall’s voice was commanding. The butler instantly appeared in the hallway.
“Our guests will need their jackets,” Randall said. At the butler’s questioning glance, Randall sighed and added, “Mrs. Jordan isn’t feeling well. Why don’t you box up a dessert for everyone to take home? No need for that to go to waste.”
“Of course, Mr. McGinty. Is there anything else I can do for Mrs. Jordan?” Jeffrey asked.
“No, no.” Randall waved him away. “I’ll take care of her.” He turned his gaze back to the group standing in the entryway. “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure you understand if I take Linda upstairs now. Jeffrey will show you out.”
Linda’s shoulders were shaking against his chest and David could hear her sobs. Randall turned her to face the staircase, and he slowly helped her climb the stairs. At the top, they turned to the left and were out of sight.
It was clear to David that no one knew what to say or do.
“What the hell just happened here?” Kevin was the first to speak. Everyone looked at each other, dumbfounded, although Joe Klein was staring up the stairs with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“I really didn’t mean anything by what I said,” Melanie said. She was finally starting to look abashed.
“It’s okay, Melanie, I think we all agree that Linda’s reaction was completely unexpected,” Ellie said. “I know you meant to be funny.”
David looked at Ellie and thought that he was one of the luckiest men alive. He decided he didn’t care what had happened in her past. In the last five minutes he had seen how much she cared about her friends’ feelings and how she wanted to make them feel better. Maybe other people couldn’t see it, but he thought that she was hiding the soul of a saint.
They all stood in the hallway in silence. Within minutes Jeffrey
“What do you think of all of that, Linda?” Ellie asked.
“The house went up for sale and passed through different owners before Lloyd and I found it. Joe tells me his grandfather supposedly met up with Joseph Bradford after the ‘disappearance.’ When his grandfather asked why Joseph sold the house, he just murmured something about life not always working out the way you want it to. That’s all he said. That seems to lend itself more to the idea that they left because of his misfortune.” Linda’s voice was sad. “It must have been so difficult for him, loving someone who couldn’t give the one thing he had truly ever wanted.”
“Rubbish!” Melanie’s disdainful voice immediately shifted the mood. “You can love someone even if you don’t have any children. You can make a marriage work just as well without that distraction. Hell, Herbert and I decided a long time ago that if we wanted to stay married, the best way to do that would be not to have them at all and good riddance!”
“Well, times are very different now,” Randall said, coming to Linda’s defense. “Back then, a man’s family was as much a symbol of his status as the dollars he had in the bank.”
Suddenly Linda let out a sharp breath and David could see tears in the corners of her eyes.
“Linda! What’s wrong?” Ellie said, moving from his side to peer into Linda’s face.
“It’s really nothing, dear. I mean, Melanie’s right, I suppose. Lloyd and I…we were never able to have children. We had a good marriage all the same, I guess, but I always felt like I had failed him.” Linda’s voice fell to a whisper.
Randall pulled Linda from Ellie’s grasp into his arms. “It might be better if we called it a night,” Randall said, staring pointedly at Melanie, who looked completely baffled.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Linda, honestly, I had no idea,” Melanie apologized.
Linda’s hand just waved from Randall’s chest. She looked fragile and as if she had aged a decade in just those few moments.
“Jeffrey!” Randall’s voice was commanding. The butler instantly appeared in the hallway.
“Our guests will need their jackets,” Randall said. At the butler’s questioning glance, Randall sighed and added, “Mrs. Jordan isn’t feeling well. Why don’t you box up a dessert for everyone to take home? No need for that to go to waste.”
“Of course, Mr. McGinty. Is there anything else I can do for Mrs. Jordan?” Jeffrey asked.
“No, no.” Randall waved him away. “I’ll take care of her.” He turned his gaze back to the group standing in the entryway. “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure you understand if I take Linda upstairs now. Jeffrey will show you out.”
Linda’s shoulders were shaking against his chest and David could hear her sobs. Randall turned her to face the staircase, and he slowly helped her climb the stairs. At the top, they turned to the left and were out of sight.
It was clear to David that no one knew what to say or do.
“What the hell just happened here?” Kevin was the first to speak. Everyone looked at each other, dumbfounded, although Joe Klein was staring up the stairs with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“I really didn’t mean anything by what I said,” Melanie said. She was finally starting to look abashed.
“It’s okay, Melanie, I think we all agree that Linda’s reaction was completely unexpected,” Ellie said. “I know you meant to be funny.”
David looked at Ellie and thought that he was one of the luckiest men alive. He decided he didn’t care what had happened in her past. In the last five minutes he had seen how much she cared about her friends’ feelings and how she wanted to make them feel better. Maybe other people couldn’t see it, but he thought that she was hiding the soul of a saint.
They all stood in the hallway in silence. Within minutes Jeffrey
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