there. He used to hide out there from the law after he done something stupid, which I take it was pretty often. A nice enough fella, but not the swiftest upstairs.”
“Where is this farm? Did he say?”
“South of Salem.”
Salem was about fifteen miles to the north. “He wasn’t any more specific than that?”
“He was, actually.” Duncan lazed back in his chair, smiling in that cocky way she’d once known so well. “Like I said, he was a talker.”
Nell gave him a look that said,
Go on,
but she knew Duncan well enough to suspect that it wasn’t going to be quite that easy.
“You know, I really need to be getting cleaned up for Bible study,” he said as he wadded up the handkerchief and stuffed it back in his pocket. “I don’t like to show up all covered with—”
“You bastard.”
He burst out laughing. “
That’s
my Nell!”
“I’m not your Nell, Duncan. I stopped being your Nell eight years ago.”
“And it was all my fault, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life. You’re mad at me, and you got a right to be. But you can never stop being mine, not entirely.”
“Actually, yes, I can. And I have.” She stood and pushed her chair back. “Goodbye, Duncan.”
“Don’t you want to know where the farm is?” he asked as he rose.
“Do you intend to tell me?”
“Sure. Next time.”
“Next...?”
Of course.
“I’ve got to wash up now,” he said as he crossed to the door, “but come see me again and we’ll talk some more.”
“You told me if I came to see you once—just once—you’d leave me alone.”
“I told you I’d stop writing to you. I never said I wouldn’t try to win you back.”
“Win...” On a gust of incredulous laughter, she asked, “Are you
serious?
Even if I were fool enough to want anything more to do with you, would you honestly expect me to wait another twenty-two years for you?”
“It won’t be that long. I’ll be out on hocus pocus in two years—maybe sooner, with good behavior counted in.”
“Good behavior?
You?
”
“Father Beals wrote somethin’ up saying he thought I should be released next year, and the warden signed off on it. It’s up to the Parole Board, but if I keep my nose clean between now and then, Beals says there won’t be any problem. He says he’s gonna give me a writing box when I get out, so I can—”
“Oh, my God.” The world seemed to wobble on its axis. Nell grabbed the table to steady herself. “I can’t believe this. I don’t believe this.”
“You better get used to the idea, darlin’, ‘cause I’ll be a free man before you know it, and then it’ll be you and me again, just like before.”
Her voice tremulous with outrage, Nell said, “Do you honestly think I’d let you near me again, after what you did to me?”
“I’m a different man than I was back then,” he said as he reached for the doorknob. “After I get out of here and you get to know me again, you’ll see that’s true.”
“Never! I don’t believe for a moment that you’ve changed, Duncan, not really—not inside, where it counts,” she said the door swung open. “You’re still the same sly, devious son of a bitch you always were, and I’ll be damned if I’ll come back here and let you...”
Father Beals, waiting out in the hall, stood gaping at her, clearly astounded to hear such language come out of a lady’s mouth.
Duncan burst out laughing. “Oh, Nell... Darlin’ girl, I just can’t tell you how good it is to see you again.”
Chapter 7
It’s about time,
Nell thought when she saw the front door of number ten Commonwealth Avenue swing open. Yellow gaslight fanned out onto the front stoop as the silhouette of a man emerged from Harry Hewitt’s handsome bay-windowed brownstone and sprinted down the steps.
It was a nearly moonless night, and Nell was a good hundred feet away, hidden behind one of the many plane trees that had been planted in two stately rows down the
“Where is this farm? Did he say?”
“South of Salem.”
Salem was about fifteen miles to the north. “He wasn’t any more specific than that?”
“He was, actually.” Duncan lazed back in his chair, smiling in that cocky way she’d once known so well. “Like I said, he was a talker.”
Nell gave him a look that said,
Go on,
but she knew Duncan well enough to suspect that it wasn’t going to be quite that easy.
“You know, I really need to be getting cleaned up for Bible study,” he said as he wadded up the handkerchief and stuffed it back in his pocket. “I don’t like to show up all covered with—”
“You bastard.”
He burst out laughing. “
That’s
my Nell!”
“I’m not your Nell, Duncan. I stopped being your Nell eight years ago.”
“And it was all my fault, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life. You’re mad at me, and you got a right to be. But you can never stop being mine, not entirely.”
“Actually, yes, I can. And I have.” She stood and pushed her chair back. “Goodbye, Duncan.”
“Don’t you want to know where the farm is?” he asked as he rose.
“Do you intend to tell me?”
“Sure. Next time.”
“Next...?”
Of course.
“I’ve got to wash up now,” he said as he crossed to the door, “but come see me again and we’ll talk some more.”
“You told me if I came to see you once—just once—you’d leave me alone.”
“I told you I’d stop writing to you. I never said I wouldn’t try to win you back.”
“Win...” On a gust of incredulous laughter, she asked, “Are you
serious?
Even if I were fool enough to want anything more to do with you, would you honestly expect me to wait another twenty-two years for you?”
“It won’t be that long. I’ll be out on hocus pocus in two years—maybe sooner, with good behavior counted in.”
“Good behavior?
You?
”
“Father Beals wrote somethin’ up saying he thought I should be released next year, and the warden signed off on it. It’s up to the Parole Board, but if I keep my nose clean between now and then, Beals says there won’t be any problem. He says he’s gonna give me a writing box when I get out, so I can—”
“Oh, my God.” The world seemed to wobble on its axis. Nell grabbed the table to steady herself. “I can’t believe this. I don’t believe this.”
“You better get used to the idea, darlin’, ‘cause I’ll be a free man before you know it, and then it’ll be you and me again, just like before.”
Her voice tremulous with outrage, Nell said, “Do you honestly think I’d let you near me again, after what you did to me?”
“I’m a different man than I was back then,” he said as he reached for the doorknob. “After I get out of here and you get to know me again, you’ll see that’s true.”
“Never! I don’t believe for a moment that you’ve changed, Duncan, not really—not inside, where it counts,” she said the door swung open. “You’re still the same sly, devious son of a bitch you always were, and I’ll be damned if I’ll come back here and let you...”
Father Beals, waiting out in the hall, stood gaping at her, clearly astounded to hear such language come out of a lady’s mouth.
Duncan burst out laughing. “Oh, Nell... Darlin’ girl, I just can’t tell you how good it is to see you again.”
Chapter 7
It’s about time,
Nell thought when she saw the front door of number ten Commonwealth Avenue swing open. Yellow gaslight fanned out onto the front stoop as the silhouette of a man emerged from Harry Hewitt’s handsome bay-windowed brownstone and sprinted down the steps.
It was a nearly moonless night, and Nell was a good hundred feet away, hidden behind one of the many plane trees that had been planted in two stately rows down the
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