The Last Maharajan (Romantic Thriller/Women's Fiction) by Susan Wingate Read Free Book Online Page A

raised her glass up for a silent toast. She sipped and went to the freezer for the ice. Geoff turned his attention back to the television.
    “Honey, did you see that shot? Man-o-man, he’s amazing. Did I tell you about the odds on Tiger?” After that, his voice faded out of her ears and her mind wandered. She stopped making dinner and took her drink into the living room where there was no TV, no talk of golf, no husband just quiet, she longed for quiet. Outside, a rustling wind from fall exiting and winter making its entrance thumped against the window panes. The final call of birds in the early evening meant the season was leaving. She left the lights off and walked soberly to their leather sofa, the sofa she had bought on a whim for Geoff because she imagined them lying naked on it making love but they never did and she wondered if, after six years of marriage, they ever would.
    *              *              *
    “Jill make sure everyone knows I’ll be unavailable for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. I have to go, you know.” Euly’s voice, filled with trepidation, rung palpable.
    Euly knew her assistant would make sure to tell everyone at the paper that Euly would be unavailable. She bid her to have fun and good luck as if going to a Club Med, as if luck was a good thing.
    Geoff yelled to her where he stood by the door on the first floor for her hurry and something about missing the plane and visiting her mother too. Euly shook her head and ended the phone conversation. After she hung up she worried if she might have a job when she got back. Writing jobs were few and far between. It was a Russia of economies for writers. There were writers standing in line for work. Writing obituaries wasn’t glamorous but at least she made money from them, and she needed her money, her independence.
    “I’ll be right there.”
    “You’re not going to have a lot of time with your mother if we don’t leave soon.”
    Geoff had a habit of rushing Euly that simply infuriated her.
    “Two minutes isn’t going to make or break our visit.” She’d neglected to tell Geoff about the heated conversation with her mother the day before.
    “I’ll go start the car.”
    Euly ran into the bathroom. She needed to empty her bladder one more time before they left the house, she needed to put on lipstick, and more than anything she needed to take two aspirin. She raced from the toilet zipping her pants and stretching out her neck by tipping it far left then right again. She rubbed the muscles on top of her shoulders and ran cold water. The muscles refused to loosen and she decided rubbing her jaw muscle might work better, but she had no time for it and gave up the notion, opened the medicine cabinet, popped two pills and stuck her hand under the faucet where she pooled water in her palm to drink. After dabbing her mouth, she found her lipstick, slicked it over her lips, and stuck it into her right pant pocket.
    She was ready. She raced down the stairs, threw on the coat, the one Geoff had hung out on the end of the banister for her and walked out of the house. As she lifted her leg into Geoff’s truck, she was still organizing her thoughts. “Did you get my bag?”
    “It’s in the back.”
    “My purse too?”
    “ Everything in the back.”
    She closed the door and latched her seat belt and Geoff cruised down the circular drive toward its end.
    “Wait!” Euly screamed. Geoff rolled his eyes and depressed the brakes.
    “What did you forget?”
    “Stay here. I’ll be back in a sec.” She unlatched her seat belt and jumped out of the truck. She left the door open to make getting back in easier for her.

     
    CHAPTER ELEVEN
    At her desk, she found the recorder. She stuffed it into her coat pocket and walked over to Jonathan who was lying on the back of the couch watching her. She patted his back and kissed his forehead.
    “Mommy will be back soon.” She raced back out to where she’d left Geoff idling. The