Love Forever After (Candle Light Series) (7 page)

“You aren’t ready to be without her yet. That’s why she’s still hanging around.”

“What should I do?”

“Go back home before mother brings some more of your ex-girlfriends. And when you do see my sister-in-law, tell her that I love her and I miss her so very much.” His voice shook as he blinked away the tears. I’d never seen him so emotional before, it was moving.

I nodded, unable to trust myself to speak without crying.

*

The rest of my stay in London was uneventful. After failing with Victoria, mother retreated to her corner- probably plotting a new game plan. Her little stunt with Victoria had left us both cross with each other. I wasn’t going to give her another opportunity like that to try and trap me again. I had no intentions of forgetting Kristy or replacing her.

Gloria was very serious about the psychiatrist. I was adamant on not going and she was persistent in making me go. I didn’t need a shrink- so I was seeing my dead wife what was so crazy about that? According to Ronald it’s normal in most parts of the world.

Gloria made several appointments for me which I managed to dodge. I would confirm the appointments then never show up. When she would go looking for me, I would hide in the servants’ house, because that would be the last place she would come looking for me. But she would always manage to corner me at night so I was reduced to hiding from her even then. Adrian took pity on me and laid out some bedding in one of the empty rooms in the servants’ house. He would bring me breakfast and a change of clothes every morning. I finally had peace- which didn’t last long.

Gloria finally managed to gunner up the courage to go looking for me. When she found me she raised high hell and threatened to fire all the servants for giving me refuge. I was immediately evicted and had all my things moved back to the main house. I felt guilty for getting my hosts in trouble but they just laughed it off as an episode of my mother’s dramatic series.

Since I had no where else to hide, Ronald would sneak me out of the house and occupy mother’s attention with talks about the company he would never fully commit to, and the wife he would never marry, and the family he would never have. She was pretty excited to talk about the future that would never happen for Ronald so much so she completely forgot about me.

But that sanctity ended when Ronald jetted off to one of his adventures. Left with no other choice, I stood my ground and refused to go to the psychiatrist. When Gloria stopped nagging me about it I thought I had finally won and since there was no other reason to prolong my stay in England I was going to leave. The hard part would be telling my mother.

I walked into the parlour where Gloria was watching the news on TV and drinking tea. She glanced- more like glared- at me before she turned back to the TV. 

“Hallo mother,” I greeted her with enthusiasm that I didn’t feel. I shoved my hands in my pants pockets only to yank them out quickly when mother gave me a disapproving glare. She turned her head and raised her cheek to me. I kissed it before I sat down next to her.

“Mother I’m going back to America,” I spoke cautiously not with too much force. I didn’t want to give her a reason to start an argument.

“When or should I say what time are you leaving?” Her voice was levelled and cool, like her expression. She put her cup down and turned the TV off. I looked at her uncertain of her cool manner. “Well speak, I don’t have all day?” She turned and stared at me with a raised eye brow.

“Tomorrow morning,” I answered.

“I’ll have the pilots notified. Come with me to the study you can tell them your travel plans.” She stood up and walked out the room. I followed fast behind her. She must be up to something.

“No, I’ll book a commercial flight. That’s if you haven’t put me on the terror alert watch list?”

“Nonsense, there is a reason I have a jet and it’s not to sit around and look pretty with the Stanford name emblemised on it.” We crossed the living room and the dining room before we got to the study. Kristy was right, this house is too big.

“I’m not going to end up in some asylum in Wales am I?” I asked her, half serious and half teasing. There was something she was not saying, it wasn’t like her to just agree without an argument.

She held the door knob and turned to me with a wide triumphant smile on her face. She was up to something. “Why on earth would I send you off to an asylum?” She opened the door and walked in. She held it ajar and waited for me to step in. I took a cautious step into the room, my eyes fixed on my mother. She closed the door and stared up at me, her hands crossed over her torso. “Why would I do that when I can bring the asylum here?”

I looked at her shocked then turned to look around the room. Dr. Ashford was sited behind my father’s oak desk, standing next to him were two huge thugs. They crossed the room and walked passed me to the door and stood adjacent to my mother.

“Mother!” I sounded out every syllable peeved.

“You know Dr. Ashford, and these two gentlemen are here to make sure you don’t leave until two hours are up. I always get my way William you should know that by now. Dr. Ashford, you better earn your money’s worth. When my son leaves here the only ghosts he should be seeing are those on television.” She turned and sauntered out of the room.

“William, would you please sit down.” Dr. Ashford spoke calmly pointing to the seat opposite him. I clenched my fists a few times reeling in the anger inside me that was threatening to explode. I walked to the leather seat and dropped in it. Gloria always had a trick up her sleeve.

“It would be silly of me to ask how you are feeling. I know your mother hoodwinked you into seeing me...”

“More like detaining me against my will,” the anger echoed in my voice.

“Why don’t we just start,” Dr. Ashford stared at me with a pasted smile on his face, “when did you start seeing your wife?” He put his pen on his writing pad, eagerly waiting to jolt down how crazy I was.

I folded my arms over my chest and gave him an unconcerned stare. I was determined to make sure we were both miserable through the whole two hours.
“Didn’t she already fill you in?”

“Yes she did but I’d like to hear it from you.”

“What’s the difference?”

“How is your wife?”

I laughed irritated, “She’s dead,” I said sharply.

“And yet you see her?”

“The ironies of life,” I stood up and walked to the liquor trolley, “Would you like one?”

“No thank you. I’d prefer you weren’t intoxicated for this session.”

I sipped at my brandy and walked slowly back to the seat, “I’d prefer to be back home in Manhattan and yet here I am. We are both not getting what we want.”

His eye twitched and his pasted smile shrunk. I smiled, I was annoying him.

“You only see your wife in your apartment, is that correct?”

I sipped at the brandy again. I let the burning liquid flow down my throat before I answered. “Yes.”

“And what do you think the reason could be?”

I leaned on the back rest of the seat, “I’ll ask her that when I get home, if I get home.”

“Do you know why she’s still around?” Dr. Ashford’s patience was wearing out.

“Ronald seems to think it’s because she has unfinished business with me, I think she wants to make sure I don’t give away her shoes. Her sister Sandra would like them.”

“What unfinished business do you think she has with you?”

I walked round the seat and collapsed in it. The brandy spilled over on to the seat, the desk and my shirt. “I’ll ask her that too if I get home.”