Portals, Dreams And Scruples
Hey, Mr Postman, originally uploaded by Annie in Beziers.
Part Eight
After a very sleepless night, I decided to call the whole thing off. Call me a coward, but I had had time to think things through, and that morning, after I showered and dressed, I called the man I had met at the deserted cafe` the other day. I told him I had changed my mind but that he could keep the retainer. He seemed to find this suited him as much as it did me. We ended the association amicably.
I would have to deal with Delilah on my own. She was no longer engaged to Stan, and I very much doubted that she would consider a reconciliation. Stan’s attitude toward her had become frigid since he had learned the truth, and that she had only used him to get to me.
Geoffrey kept dropping by so I surmised that he and my half-sister were an item. For some strange reason, I do not think Stan even cared. I was reluctant to approach him about his broken engagement, and so I determined I should return the ring to him today. Get it over with, I told myself.
Going into the butler’s pantry, I closed the door behind me, opened the wall safe, removed the ring and made sure my brooch was still inside. Mine! It felt right to refer to it as mine. I wondered what special occasion would prompt me to wear this wonderful piece of historic jewelry.
Returning to my room, I picked up Stan’s wallet that I had found yesterday and placed the engagement ring inside. Going to my desk I removed a thick cream colored envelope from the top drawer. Sitting down I wrote a note on matching stationery, and when I had finished, I wrapped the wallet and ring together. Opening the envelope wide, I placed these items inside and sealed it shut.
Using the house phone I called and asked the driver to bring the car around. Then I went downstairs and slipped out the front door. Once settled in the car, I instructed the driver to take me to Stan’s house. He lived downtown in the affluent Pearl District. When the driver pulled up before the brownstone, I got out and climbed the steep stairs.
...