Read Online A Good Woman by Danielle Steel - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Danielle Steel
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married woman and mother overnight. But Annabelle still loved her friend, boring or not. Hortie had brought her a beautiful sweater from Paris, with pearl buttons. It was the palest pink, and Annabelle couldn’t wait to wear it that summer.
“I didn’t want to buy you a black one,” Hortie said apologetically. “It’s too grim, and you can wear it pretty soon. I hope that’s all right.”
“I love it!” Annabelle reassured her, and meant it. It had a beautiful lace collar, and it was the subtlest powder pink. It looked wonderful with Annabelle’s skin and hair.
The two young women had lunch together several times that week, and felt very grown-up going to the Astor Court at the St. Regis Hotel. Hortie was taking her new status very seriously, dressed up, wearing the jewelry James had given her, and looked very grand. When they went to lunch, Annabelle wore the new fur coat her mother had given her for Christmas. And she felt a little like she was playing dress-up in her mother’s closet. She was wearing Josiah’s bracelet on her arm.
“Where did you get that?” Hortie asked when she noticed it. “I like it.”
“So do I,” Annabelle said simply. “Josiah Millbank gave it to me for Christmas. It was very nice of him. He gave Mama a scarf.”
“You two looked great together at my wedding.” And then suddenly Hortie’s eyes lit up, as she had an idea. “What about him?”
“What about him?” Annabelle looked blank.
“For you, I mean. You know, as a husband.” Annabelle laughed in response.
“Don’t be stupid, Hort. He’s twice my age. You sound like Mama. I swear, she’d marry me off to the milkman if she could.”
“Is the milkman cute?” Hortie was laughing at the thought.
“No. He’s about a hundred years old and has no teeth.”
“Seriously, why not Josiah? He likes you. He’s always hanging around.”
“We’re just friends. We like it that way. Getting mushy about it would mess everything up.”
“That’s a very nice bracelet to give to just a friend.”
“It’s only a present, not a proposal. He came to dinner on Christmas Eve. It was so sad this year,” she said, changing the subject.
“I know,” Hortie said sympathetically, forgetting about Josiah for the moment. “I’m sorry, Belle, it must be awful.” Annabelle only nodded, and they moved on to other topics, mostly clothes. Hortie couldn’t imagine what she’d wear when she got bigger. She was planning to go to her mother’s dressmaker to figure it out in the next few weeks. She said her waistband was already getting tight, and her corset was killing her. And she swore her breasts had doubled in size.
“Maybe you’re having twins,” Annabelle suggested with a smile.
“Wouldn’t that be funny?” Hortie said, laughing. She couldn’t begin to envision what that entailed, and it was all one big thrill for her right now.
She was a little less thrilled two weeks later, when she started to get nauseous. And for the next two months, she hardly got out of bed. She felt awful. It was the middle of March before she felt decent again. Until then, Annabelle had to visit her, since Hortie wouldn’t go out. Hortie hadn’t been to a party since Christmas, and she wasn’t nearly as delighted with her pregnancy as she’d been before. She felt fat and sick most of the time, and she said it was no fun at all. Annabelle felt sorry for her, and brought her books and flowers, and magazines to look at. It became her main mission in life to cheer Hortie up. And then finally, in April, Hortie got out of bed. She looked obviously pregnant by then, and she was already five months. All the women in her family said it was only one baby, but she was huge, and her mother said it was going to be a boy.
It was Hortie’s only topic of conversation, and most of the time, she just lay there and complained. She said she felt like a whale. And she said that James hardly made love to her anymore, which was really disappointing.
“I didn’t want to buy you a black one,” Hortie said apologetically. “It’s too grim, and you can wear it pretty soon. I hope that’s all right.”
“I love it!” Annabelle reassured her, and meant it. It had a beautiful lace collar, and it was the subtlest powder pink. It looked wonderful with Annabelle’s skin and hair.
The two young women had lunch together several times that week, and felt very grown-up going to the Astor Court at the St. Regis Hotel. Hortie was taking her new status very seriously, dressed up, wearing the jewelry James had given her, and looked very grand. When they went to lunch, Annabelle wore the new fur coat her mother had given her for Christmas. And she felt a little like she was playing dress-up in her mother’s closet. She was wearing Josiah’s bracelet on her arm.
“Where did you get that?” Hortie asked when she noticed it. “I like it.”
“So do I,” Annabelle said simply. “Josiah Millbank gave it to me for Christmas. It was very nice of him. He gave Mama a scarf.”
“You two looked great together at my wedding.” And then suddenly Hortie’s eyes lit up, as she had an idea. “What about him?”
“What about him?” Annabelle looked blank.
“For you, I mean. You know, as a husband.” Annabelle laughed in response.
“Don’t be stupid, Hort. He’s twice my age. You sound like Mama. I swear, she’d marry me off to the milkman if she could.”
“Is the milkman cute?” Hortie was laughing at the thought.
“No. He’s about a hundred years old and has no teeth.”
“Seriously, why not Josiah? He likes you. He’s always hanging around.”
“We’re just friends. We like it that way. Getting mushy about it would mess everything up.”
“That’s a very nice bracelet to give to just a friend.”
“It’s only a present, not a proposal. He came to dinner on Christmas Eve. It was so sad this year,” she said, changing the subject.
“I know,” Hortie said sympathetically, forgetting about Josiah for the moment. “I’m sorry, Belle, it must be awful.” Annabelle only nodded, and they moved on to other topics, mostly clothes. Hortie couldn’t imagine what she’d wear when she got bigger. She was planning to go to her mother’s dressmaker to figure it out in the next few weeks. She said her waistband was already getting tight, and her corset was killing her. And she swore her breasts had doubled in size.
“Maybe you’re having twins,” Annabelle suggested with a smile.
“Wouldn’t that be funny?” Hortie said, laughing. She couldn’t begin to envision what that entailed, and it was all one big thrill for her right now.
She was a little less thrilled two weeks later, when she started to get nauseous. And for the next two months, she hardly got out of bed. She felt awful. It was the middle of March before she felt decent again. Until then, Annabelle had to visit her, since Hortie wouldn’t go out. Hortie hadn’t been to a party since Christmas, and she wasn’t nearly as delighted with her pregnancy as she’d been before. She felt fat and sick most of the time, and she said it was no fun at all. Annabelle felt sorry for her, and brought her books and flowers, and magazines to look at. It became her main mission in life to cheer Hortie up. And then finally, in April, Hortie got out of bed. She looked obviously pregnant by then, and she was already five months. All the women in her family said it was only one baby, but she was huge, and her mother said it was going to be a boy.
It was Hortie’s only topic of conversation, and most of the time, she just lay there and complained. She said she felt like a whale. And she said that James hardly made love to her anymore, which was really disappointing.
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