soon as he learned that Harry was the security expert the Foundation was sending to the island.”
A flicker of unease ruffled Rachel’s senses. “What did he find out?”
“Harry Sebastian was married in a Full Covenant Marriage wedding ceremony two years ago.”
The floor fell awaybeneath Rachel’s feet. The shock took her breath and left her dazed.
How could she have been so wrong about Harry Sebastian?
She struggled to come to grips with the reality of what Charlotte had just said.
“Are you sure there isn’t some mistake?” she whispered. “I got the impression that he wasn’t married, not even a Marriage of Convenience.”
“He’s not married,” Charlotte said. “At least, not any longer.”
Rachel managed to breathe. “Widowed?”
“No. Three weeks after the wedding, Harry’s wife filed for divorce.”
Rachel felt as if she had fallen into a very deep hole, yet again.
“Oh my,” she managed. “Leaving aside the issue of the scandal involved, divorce is a legal and financial nightmare.”
“Yes, it is.”
“It must have cost a fortune.”
“I’m sure it did. But the Sebastians happen to have a fortune. Harry is very wealthy in his own right.”
Rachel drank more tea and lowered the cup slowly. “There aren’t many grounds for divorce. The ones that do exist are narrow and quite strict.”
“In this case we can rule out most of them. Both parties were well above the age of consent. There was no mental illness and it was not a case of bigamy. Neither individual was already married to someone else.”
Rachel shook her head, morebewildered than shocked now. “Then what in the world were the grounds?”
“Get this,” Charlotte said. “Evidently the divorce was granted under the new laws providing for the dissolution of a marriage in cases of
intolerable psychical incompatibility
. Harry’s wife asked the court to grant the divorce on the grounds that the nature of Harry’s talent caused her to fear for her safety and her sanity.”
Rachel sniffed. “Well, that’s pure ghost-shit.”
Charlotte cleared her throat. “I beg your pardon? Did I just hear you use the term
ghost-shit
?”
“Being raised HE doesn’t mean I don’t know the language.”
“Obviously.”
“The bride must have come down with a very bad case of bridal jitters
after
the ceremony,” Rachel said. “Terrible timing on her part. I would have thought that she would have figured out that she didn’t want to marry Harry at some point during the engagement.”
“The engagement was quite short. It lasted only a couple of months. Harry and his bride did not meet through a matchmaking agency.”
“Probably because no agency would take Harry on as a client,” Rachel said. “His talent is a little unusual.”
“Tell me about it,” Charlotte said. “You’re talking to a woman who was declared unmatchable by every agency in Frequency City, remember?”
“I remember.”
“Whatever the case, themarriage ended three weeks after the wedding. The whole thing was handled as discreetly as possible, but divorce always leaves a social stigma.”
“In this case it was Harry who took the hit, though,” Rachel said.
“Yes. The ex-wife came through it all unscathed. She was the innocent, injured party. In fact, she is now engaged to another man. This time she found someone through an agency.”
“Poor Harry.”
“Excuse me? Poor Harry?”
“For the rest of his life he’ll be the guy whose wife divorced him because he scared the living daylights out of her,” Rachel said.
“Hard accusation for a man to live down, that’s for sure. If he was unmatchable before the divorce, he’s got no chance of finding an agency who will take him on as a client now.”
Rachel drummed her fingers on the counter and thought about the heat that had swirled in the kitchen last night when Harry had kissed her.
“Something tells me there’s more to the story,” she said.
The bell over the door tinkled again.
A flicker of unease ruffled Rachel’s senses. “What did he find out?”
“Harry Sebastian was married in a Full Covenant Marriage wedding ceremony two years ago.”
The floor fell awaybeneath Rachel’s feet. The shock took her breath and left her dazed.
How could she have been so wrong about Harry Sebastian?
She struggled to come to grips with the reality of what Charlotte had just said.
“Are you sure there isn’t some mistake?” she whispered. “I got the impression that he wasn’t married, not even a Marriage of Convenience.”
“He’s not married,” Charlotte said. “At least, not any longer.”
Rachel managed to breathe. “Widowed?”
“No. Three weeks after the wedding, Harry’s wife filed for divorce.”
Rachel felt as if she had fallen into a very deep hole, yet again.
“Oh my,” she managed. “Leaving aside the issue of the scandal involved, divorce is a legal and financial nightmare.”
“Yes, it is.”
“It must have cost a fortune.”
“I’m sure it did. But the Sebastians happen to have a fortune. Harry is very wealthy in his own right.”
Rachel drank more tea and lowered the cup slowly. “There aren’t many grounds for divorce. The ones that do exist are narrow and quite strict.”
“In this case we can rule out most of them. Both parties were well above the age of consent. There was no mental illness and it was not a case of bigamy. Neither individual was already married to someone else.”
Rachel shook her head, morebewildered than shocked now. “Then what in the world were the grounds?”
“Get this,” Charlotte said. “Evidently the divorce was granted under the new laws providing for the dissolution of a marriage in cases of
intolerable psychical incompatibility
. Harry’s wife asked the court to grant the divorce on the grounds that the nature of Harry’s talent caused her to fear for her safety and her sanity.”
Rachel sniffed. “Well, that’s pure ghost-shit.”
Charlotte cleared her throat. “I beg your pardon? Did I just hear you use the term
ghost-shit
?”
“Being raised HE doesn’t mean I don’t know the language.”
“Obviously.”
“The bride must have come down with a very bad case of bridal jitters
after
the ceremony,” Rachel said. “Terrible timing on her part. I would have thought that she would have figured out that she didn’t want to marry Harry at some point during the engagement.”
“The engagement was quite short. It lasted only a couple of months. Harry and his bride did not meet through a matchmaking agency.”
“Probably because no agency would take Harry on as a client,” Rachel said. “His talent is a little unusual.”
“Tell me about it,” Charlotte said. “You’re talking to a woman who was declared unmatchable by every agency in Frequency City, remember?”
“I remember.”
“Whatever the case, themarriage ended three weeks after the wedding. The whole thing was handled as discreetly as possible, but divorce always leaves a social stigma.”
“In this case it was Harry who took the hit, though,” Rachel said.
“Yes. The ex-wife came through it all unscathed. She was the innocent, injured party. In fact, she is now engaged to another man. This time she found someone through an agency.”
“Poor Harry.”
“Excuse me? Poor Harry?”
“For the rest of his life he’ll be the guy whose wife divorced him because he scared the living daylights out of her,” Rachel said.
“Hard accusation for a man to live down, that’s for sure. If he was unmatchable before the divorce, he’s got no chance of finding an agency who will take him on as a client now.”
Rachel drummed her fingers on the counter and thought about the heat that had swirled in the kitchen last night when Harry had kissed her.
“Something tells me there’s more to the story,” she said.
The bell over the door tinkled again.
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