The Gentlewoman by Lisa Durkin Read Free Book Online Page B

“Geez, number five! Can’t you stay off
her?” she asked Jim as she hugged him, laughing.
    “Well, you know, we thought we’d give it one more try for a
girl,” Jim said, almost apologetically. “Besides, what’s another pound to an
elephant?”
    “Maybe you’ll get a whole football team!” Rory was sincerely
happy for Jim and Nicole. She didn’t know a better matched couple or better
parents.
    She bit back her emotion and smiled back at Nicole as they
all sat down again. She would never know what it was like to have what Nicole
and Jim had, that comfort of having met and married their true love, their
partner for life. She would never have the love and joy of children.
    “So, when is this one making an appearance? August, right?”
She was used to this bittersweet feeling. She’d been living with it for three
years. Happiness was for other people, not her.
    “Yes, August. It’ll coincide with the end of the session.
I’ll have the time off with the baby and be ready to start up again with the
rest of the House.”
    “Well, how convenient, Mrs. Dailey. That was very nice of
you to plan your reproduction around the schedule of the US House of
Representatives.”
     
    Landon drove Rory back to her apartment in the city. Rory
leaned her head against the back of the seat, listening to him go on about his
work with the Department of Commerce. Rory reflected on Nicole’s announcement.
    She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and steeled herself
against the painful memories that news like this always flooded back into her
mind. She tried her best to concentrate on the conversation until they pulled
up to her building.
    “So we’ll have lunch this week and finalize your committee
appointments.” He gave her a hug and peck on the cheek. “You okay? I know news
like that must be hard for you to hear.”
    “I’m fine, really, Uncle Landon.” She smiled meekly and
swung the car door open. “I’ll talk to you later in the week then. Remember,
HHS and Energy and Commerce are important.”
    “The party has already agreed to those, so you should be all
set.”
    “No Homeland Security,” she added.
    “We’re all aware you want no part in that.” He placed his
hands on the steering wheel. “Now get inside and have a good night.”
    Rory smiled and stepped onto the sidewalk. She closed the
car door and waved as he pulled away. The January air was chilly but very mild
as DC winters go. Walking to the building, she fished around for her keys and
unlocked the heavy door. She stopped at the mailboxes and unlocked the little
gold slot bearing her condo number. Even though it was Sunday, it occurred to
her that she hadn’t checked the mail. Finding the box empty, she relocked it
and turned toward the hall.
    As she was walking toward her front door, she realized it
didn’t look right. As she got closer, she saw the door was open. It was pulled
against the jamb so that it wasn’t standing ajar, but the door was definitely
not closed. She stopped and stared. A chill ran down her spine. She stared at
the knob. Thoughts shot like lightning bolts through her mind. Had somebody
broken into her condo? What if they were still in there? Had she left the door
open herself? Maybe she neglected to close and lock her door when she left for
work this morning. And then she thought of Aidan’s family.
    She shook her head and looked in both directions down the
hall. Choosing to be brave and believe it was her own stupidity, she pushed the
door open and peered inside. Nothing seemed out of place. She poked her head
inside and, seeing no movement, stepped in. It was dark, but the streetlight
outside the front window cast enough light to see most of the room. She gently
set her bags on the floor and very slowly and quietly took three or four steps
forward, into the open living space.
    She looked around slowly, her heart in her throat. Very
gingerly, she made a circle of the living space. Nothing struck her as out of
the ordinary.