THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

Is THIS in the Monopoly Rulebook?.......by Terri

Rosamond lays down on the floor beside John. Daniel squeezed in the other side of her. Daniel picked up the marker with the cannon.
Rosamond said snottily. "There has to be something Freudian about that one, Daniel".
Daniel made a face.
Bethia picked up the thimble. Domesticity.
Eleanor picked out the race car--sleek and fast.
Rosamond smiled secretly and picked out the horse. Now THERE'S a big surprise!
Money was dealt out. Property cards were in the capable hands of Jerry, after all, he was into real estate.
John was the banker, because he was the most honest of the bunch.
Rosamond bumped Daniel with her hip. "Does HE have to play?"
Bethia was the peacemaker. "We're all in this together. Who goes first?"
The dice was rolled, Eleanor went first.
Candle wax was dripping all over. Bethia got munchies out and Jerry kept the drink glasses poured. With the heady combination of darkness and whiskey, it wasn't long before the players started getting REALLY relaxed.
After an hour, the game was progressing, everyone had property and it was BORING!
Daniel suggested, "Hey, let's play strip poker!"
Henry said, "Let's just change the rules of Monopoly. Everytime you land on someone's property, you have to give them a piece of your clothing! No special favors, all for one and one for all!"
Everyone started laughing uproariously.
"Good thing Willliam is in his room pouting! He'd sure veto that idea!"
Daniel said, "OK, all in favor of Strip Monopoly put your hand in!"
They all put their hands in the center together.
Daniel said, "Maybe I should go upstairs and offer William one of my special cocktails! That way he won't bother us!"
Eleanor said, "When William gets into one of these pouts, we wont' see him till morning!"
Jerry slipped into the kitchen and made a big pitcher of daquiris and put three more pitchers in the refridgerator for reserves.
Before long, clothes were flying off and Eleanor and Daniel were the ones accumulating a big pile.
Luke was sitting there in a "wife-beater", (a tanktop undershirt) and his boxer shorts with one sock and one shoe on.
Henry was sitting in his shirt and pants with no socks and his wrist watch was gone.
Bethia has down to a camisole top and tap pants, and one earring.
John was down to his jockeys and his watch.
Jerry had his pants. That was it.
Rosamond was down to, well, let's just say Rosamond was two pieces of clothing away from goosebumps!
Eleanor had only lost her necklace and her shoes.
Daniel had only lost his shoes.
By now they were on their third pitcher.
Bethia rolled the dice and landed on Marvin Gardens. John raised his hand and said, "OK, Bethia, hand it over!"
Bethia said, "Aw, just don't lose it. They are my favorite pair!" She handed over her earring.
Rosamond rolled the dice. Silently she said, "Please, please, please don't let it be a seven!"
Her dice came up *** and ****. Boardwalk. Everyone looked at her and smiled.
Daniel leered at her.
"Pay up, Sugah!"
Rosamond licked her lips. "Oh, come on, Daniel, give me a break! I've lost more than all of you."
Henry said, "Yes, but you started out with more than any of us!"
Rosamond said, "Eleanor, Bethia, help me out here!"
Eleanor hiccupped. "Sorry, Rose, I'd love to bend the rules but we said in the beginning, no special favors!"
Rosemond was still on the floor, face down. She reached around to undo the hooks.
Daniel leaned over and with one flick of the wrist deftly unhooked her bra and whipped it off, holding it over his head like a trophy.
Rosamond buried her head on the carpet and silently banged her head on it.
Pitcher number four came out of the fridge.
Bethia lost her camisole but gained Luke's "wifebeater".
John lost his watch but gained Henry's belt.
Daniel lost his pants.
Eleanor lost her capri pants but gained Henry's pants via John.
Jerry lost his shirt and his pants and got Daniel's socks.
Bill sat there in his briefs and his necktie.
Luke was in his boxer shorts.
Rosamond rolled the dice. "Three!"
She moved her marker and landed on Oriental Avenue. She sat there with a smug look on her face.
Daniel leaned over and whispered to her. "Oriental Avenue. The shirt, please!"
A hush fell over the group. "Un,un, I have Oriental! See? She held up her card."
Daniel grabbed it and said, "Connecticut Avenue."
He whipped into his pile of properties. "Oriental Avenue, my sweet. Put up and shut up."
Rosamond stood up and grabbed the nachos and flung them in his face. "Cheat! You switched cards when I wasn't looking!"
Jerry said, "I recall selling you Connecticut, Rosamond. Oriental went to Daniel."
Daniel said, "Come on, cherie, we've ALL seen this, except the hash marks are gone. Nations have gone to war over women like you, it's just a form of appreciation."
Pitcher number five was almost gone.
. She said to John, "I don't like this game, it makes me feel like a girl for hire!"
John said, "Rules are rules, Rosamond. We'd all do the same!"
Rosamond sighed, "Very well!" and threw her shirt into the pile.

Luke blurted out, "Mein Gott! Those tan lines ARE gone!"
Rosamond whipped the table runner off the end table and draped it around her.
"I have nothing more to lose."
Everyone doubled over in laughter except Rosamond. She slapped Daniel on the back of the head. "Shall I tell them about your fascination for leather and lace?"
Everyone hemmed and hawed and looked intently into their property cards. Rosamond was out of the game and sat in a table runner that barely covered her.
Suddenly, a figure larger than life cast a shadow over the gameboard.

BUSTED!

There were those times when silence hung over the air like a Goodyear blimp. If only that were one of those times.

Veins were sticking out of William's forehead so much you could tow a car with it.
He took in the empty pitchers, nachos on the floor, people in different stages of deshabillement. Shirts, pants, socks, shoes, you name it, it was there. Someone flung Rosamond's panties in William's face by accident. He grabbed them and looked at them, like he had never seen anything like it in his life before. Which was probably true, because he never did the laundry and Matilda his wife had worn a wimple to bed!
Rosamond got up, trying to keep the table runner from slipping and walked over to William. She slurred, "Henry finally got in my panties, William. Thank you ever so much."
Then someone started to laugh. Before long, all were laughing except William.
Daniel stood up and put his arm around William. "Aw, lighten up, big guy! Have a
glass of water. It will calm you down."
William unconsciously grabbed the glass and drank it. He swayed. He fell backwards on the couch with a mighty thud.
Bethia was on that couch, screaming, "GET HIM OFF ME! I CAN'T BREATHE!"
John and Jerry grabbed William's legs and grunted as they tried to budge William.
Bill and Daniel came over and hoisted William by the arms. They rolled him off the couch and Bethia gasped for breath.
Eleanor got a blanket and a pillow and covered William up.
"How long will he be out?"
Daniel looked him over and said, "Probably until tomorrow morning."
Luke yelled out, "PARTY ON, DUDES!"

"So what do we do now?" Eleanor asked.
Bill stood up and stretched. "I'm getting my clothes and going home. I gotta tell ya, that was the best Monopoly game I ever played!" He looked out the back door.
"Looks like there is a break in the action there. I can slip out the back and go through the hedges. I don't need anymore bad press."
He winked and opened the door. He looked at Daniel. "Leather and lace, huh? We'll talk later!" and he let out a laugh.
Rosamond grabbed Henry's shirt since it was so big and maneuvered her underwear on under it.
Everyone began taking his or her clothes out of the pile.
William continued to snore on the floor.
Bethia suddenly stood up and put her hand over her mouth and ran into the bathroom.
"Guess she isn't used to drinking that much," Jerry said.
Eleanor said, "Jerry, looks like you are stuck here for the night. I can't let you drive home."
John crawled Indian style on the floor and looked out at the front curtains. "Still there!"
Rosamond bit her lower lip. "What am I going to do about William? Do you think he will kick me out?"
Eleanor put her arm around her. "Of course not! And you know why? Because we are going to clean this mess up and make him think it was all a dream! Remember how stoned he got in Southold? This will be child's play!"
Everyone except Bethia scrambled around, picking up pitchers and glasses and putting the Monopoly game back on the shelf. They all headed for the kitchen where everyone scraped plates and loaded up the dishwasher. Eleanor hit the switch.
Henry said, "What time is it anyways?"
John looked at his watch "2:00 AM. I can't believe that people are still out there." Henry and Luke got up. "We'll put ourselves in little Will's room. Just blankets on the floor. Goodnight, all!"
Luke was heard all the way down the hall. "Mein Gott, Henry, no tan lines. How does she do it?" Henry's voice trailed down the hall. "Well, you see, she gets a 15 SPF suntan lotion and she rubs it all over her..."
"Daniel, didn't you have to work tonight?" John asks.
Daniel looked at Rosamond. "No, the lead singer is out of town. I think he went to Austin. Anyways, Monday night is usually slow so it doesn't matter. Austin, Texas.
Rosamond, do you know where that is?"
Rosamond pursed her lips. "No, I don't, Daniel. How would I know?"
Daniel shrugged. "Just asking."
John watched the exchange carefully. Satisfied nothing out of the ordinary was going on, he asked, "Hadn't someone better check on Bethia?"
Eleanor got up. "I'll go." But Bethia came into the kitchen looking a little green around the gills. "Oooooh, what happened?"
Henry and Luke helped her into a chair. She passed out, her head hitting the table.
Daniel shook his head. "THAT'S gotta hurt!"
John sighed. "Poor Beth. She's not used to it. I'll carry her up to bed. Eleanor, will you help me?"
"Sure. Jerry, there's a shower and fresh towels in the bathroom. Second door on the right."
Jerry said, "Thanks, El. You are a real peach." Jerry left the room.
Rosamond was left alone in the room with Daniel. "I'm turning in myself."
Daniel blocked the doorway.
"Get out of the way." Rosamond tried to push past him.
"Not so fast, honey."
Daniel waved a piece of paper in front of her face.
"Well, looky what we have here!"
Rosamond tried to remain uninterested but it was a challenge. "Whatever it is doesn't concern me."
"Oh ho, yes it does." He held it up to read. "LaGuardia parking garage. Two hour parking. Time is 3:00 PM. Total cost of ticket 3.50. You spent 45 minutes there and let's see..what is the date? Oh, yes! Sept. 1st. Now, if I can figure this out correctly, Mr. Billy Bob Montgomery left on the 3:30 PM Flight 29 Southwest Airlines direct to Austin. Today. Arriving at 5:10 PM and checking into the Marriott Inn. How did he get to the airport? Did he take a cab? Have one of his friends drive him? Hmmm? No, I deduce an angel took him there."
Rosamond tried to snatch the ticket away.
"Give that back, you no good sneak! Are you going through my car now?"
Daniel said, "Relax, sugah! I went out to roll up your car windows because it looked like rain. Guess what else I found? Give up? Hay! Now WHERE on earth do you suppose that came from? The City? Nooooo, I don't THINK so!"
Rosamond turned around. John had just come into the room. She pushed her way past both of them. "Good night!"
John asked, "What's she so burned up about?"
Daniel just smiled and sauntered out of the kitchen. "Oh, just smoke from a distant fire.."



AUSTIN................by Terri

It was early in the morning when the gang began to trickle down to the kitchen.
Eleanor had the presence of mind to plug in the coffee maker before she went to bed.
She had added coffee. So had Rosamond. So had John. So had Daniel.
So the pot held four times as much coffee and caffeine as it was supposed to.
Eleanor came down yawning. She got a box of donuts out of the freezer to let them thaw out. Jerry came down fresh and shaved. He kissed Eleanor good morning.
"Hey, peach! You look great!" Eleanor stared at him incredulously. "Well, my tongue feels like a peach alright. Fuzzy!"
Jerry laughed and helped himself to some coffee.
Daniel came down whistling.
Eleanor was exasperated. "How can you be so cheery this morning? Look what you did to William. He's still passed out in the living room!"
Daniel grabbed an apple, tossed it a few times in the air and went into the living room to check on William.
He came back in the kitchen and said, "No problem-o. He's still breathing. I guess I gave him the same dosage we used to knock those bulls out in Southold.
Sometimes they needed subduing."
Jerry took a sip of coffee. "Just what did you give him?"
Daniel said, "Some Valium I found in the medicine cabinet. It had William's name on the prescription label."
Eleanor whispered to Jerry," You'd never know he was on Valium from the way he acts sometimes."
Daniel said, "How's Beth?"
Eleanor replied. "She was out like a light. Only came to long enough to ask us to put the light out. We left her in her clothes all night, just covered her up."
John came down next, wearing his sweatshirt and jeans.
Jerry stood there and shook his head. "I still can't get over how much you two look alike. Can anyone ever tell the difference?"
Eleanor, Daniel and John all said simultaneously, "NO!"
Jerry got a quizzical look on his face and Eleanor whispered, "I'll tell you about it later!"
The four of them were drinking their coffee and laughing about the Monopoly game.
"Gotta tell ya, that was the best game I ever played."
"I'll never forget William's face..."
"Almost as bad as when Rose trashed his garden..."
Rosamond stumbled into the kitchen wearing her oversized shirt and tights. On her feet were her fuzzy slippers. She reached for Excedrin.
"I'm going on the wagon. Either that or I join AA. I can't keep doing this or I will ruin the muscle tone in my face."
Eleanor picked up the newspaper. "Uh, I think we'd better keep William sedated for the next year. Take a look."
Rosamond laid her head down on the table and moaned.
Daniel and John both grabbed the paper. It was a review of Spend a Day with William.
The review said:
Spend a Day with William the Conqueror was revealing in more ways than one.
William Normandy, renowned chef known as William the Conqueror, is denmother
to a host of morally loose houseguests. If they are not strutting their stuff by taking
drapery down, they are taking it off by the pool...

It went on to describe the accusations John had made against Rosamond for sleeping with his brother, Henry "Toots" Tudor for his renowned eating habits, likening him to Nero Wolfe, a crazed woman named Grace who may have been an escaped mental patient they had locked up, all complete with color pictures. It even mentioned that Rosamond accused John and Daniel of physically abusing her.
Rosamond looked up. "I never said that!"
Daniel read aloud, " 'I've got the scars from what you two have done, and I can show them to you one by one.' "
John said, "Well, there goes my career!"
Rosamond grabbed one of the tabloids. There on the cover was Rosamond. All of her.
Inside there was Eleanor wrapped in a drape and William weeping over his rosebed.
Rosamond got up and walked out of the room.
Daniel said, "Was it something I said?" and laughed. Eleanor smacked him on back of the head.
"Oww! I wish you people would stop doing that!"

Rosamond got her suitcase out. She threw clothes in there any which way. Within fifteen minutes she was packed. She quietly threw it out the window.
Eleanor happened to look out the window and see the luggage go flying by.
Rosamond came down the stairs, dressed in her jeans and sweater.
She walked outside. Eleanor followed her out.
"Where are you going, Rosamond?"
"To the beach. I am going away for a few days. I need to get away from those two. They are driving me NUTS! Daniel has absolutely no respect for me and John just lets him go on and on. When William wakes up he will direct all his hostility to me because of the rosebushes. I want to be away when it hits the fan." Her lower lip trembled. "I'm not leaving a phone number. I'll call to let you know I am OK."
Eleanor looked at her with worried eyes.
"Don't look like that, El. I'm OK. I'll be back. I just need a little down time."
Eleanor gave her a hug. "Take care, Rose."
"I will. I'll call you tonight. From the beach."

Rosamond threw her luggage in the trunk and headed towards New York City, more specifically LaGuardia Airport.
She bought a round trip ticket to Austin, Texas. She was a little nervous, about the plane ride and what may wait for her in Austin.
She boarded the plane and took a deep breath when it lifted into the air. No turning back now!

Two hours later she retrieved her suitcase from the baggage claim. She headed for car rentals and half an hour later she was on her way to the Marriott.
She walked up to the front desk. The desk clerk said, "May I help you?"
Rosamond stiffened her spine but put on her most charming smile.
"Is a Mr. William Montgomery registered here?"
The desk clerk said, "I'm sorry but I can't give out that information."
Rosamond whipped up some tears in a hurry. "Oh, please! I'm Mrs. Montgomery and it's our first anniversary and I did so want to surprise him! Please. Mr....Jansen?
Are you married?"
Mr. Jansen said, "Uh, yes but what does this have to do.."
Rosamond's tears trembled on her lashes. "Then you would understand. Can you imagine spending your very first anniversary by yourself? Alone in a motel room?"
Mr. Jansen softened. "I'm sorry, but I can't TELL you what room Mr. Montgomery is in."
With that he turned the guest registration around and casually pointed to a name and a room number and tapped it, while whistling and looking the other direction.
Rosamond looked over and saw, "Mr. William R. Montgomery--Room 1024"
Rosamond picked up her suitcase and smiled a brilliant smile to Mr. Jansen.
Mr. Jansen felt on top of the world and pleased that he furthered the cause of true love.
Rosamond punched the 10th floor and got off the elevator. She had butterflies.
Am I doing the right thing? Am I being too forward?
But it felt right.
She knocked on the door. The door opened. Billy Bob had a phone receiver in his hand and started stammering, "uh, uh, I'll call you back later."
He flung the phone down and grabbed Rosamond and hugged her, kissing her and laughing, "Honey, I'm soooo glad you're here!" and shut the door.



Cat's Out of the Bag...........by Coralynn

"Where did Rose go?" Bethia asks Eleanor, after a few hours have passed and Rosamond doesn't seem to be there.
"Went to the beach for some R and R," Eleanor tells her, "Said she'd phone me tonight and tell me she's OK. I can't blame her; William will start in on her again when he regains his full faculties, you know that. She's his favorite whipping-girl."
"With good reason, though, El. I don't mean to sound critical, though I'm sure I do, but Rose has created more of a media buzz than the rest of us combined."
"That's true, but it's to a large extent because her messy lovelife was in full dugeon at the time of the Great Camera Invasion, whereas none of the rest of us had anything as sensational as that going on at the time."
"I never have anything sensational going on," Bethia complains, "Though I will admit winning the Lottery got me quite a lot of press at the time."
"Winning the lottery isn't self perpetuating like Rose's lovelife, which goes on and on in dazzling array. Or disarray."
Bethia nods. This is so true.

They hear sounds from the living room. Oh-oh, sounds of William coming to consciousness.
He stumbles to his feet, "Where did everyone go?" he looks around, "I saw all of you naked sitting on the floor right here where I'm standing! I did, I know I did!"
Eleanor puts a supportive arm around him and helps him to the kitchen where he collapses on a chair.
"That must have been a powerful nightmare you had!" she says decisively.
"Oh no you don't," William is suspicious, "You're not going to pull that stunt you did on Vinnie on ME!"
"I can't think of any other explanation," John tells him, "No one was naked here last night. I think we've all learned our lesson on that score! Rose especially. By the way, where is she?"
"Gone to the beach for a few days," Eleanor explains.
William looks at her intently, "Did she leave because she knows she's in big trouble?"
"Jeeez, William, I'm not sure what your question is getting at!"
"She trashed the TV show and she appeared naked in the tabloids, need I say more?"
Daniel is getting agitated and breaks in,
"Where at the beach IS she, Eleanor? Which beach?"
"How should I know, Daniel. Could be Southampton, could be the Jersey Shore, could be a beach on Long Island sound in CT, the list goes on!"
He glowers.
Eleanor again bops him on the head.
"Stop doing that!!" he says angrily, "I'm about to go back and live with Henry in his Castle if you people don't stop being so hostile!"
"Can't imaggggggine, why!" Bethia gets into the action.

Jerry has been sitting at the table listening to all of this, and, when there's a 10 second lull in the repartee, he motions to Eleanor to come outside with him.
She does.
They sit at the picnic table, across from each other.
Eleanor is curious to find out what he wants to say, and it takes him a few minutes to organize his thoughts. Hmmmmm, Eleanor thinks, this could be trouble!
"Now......Eleanor," he starts out, "Something very unusual is going on in your household...."
She nods her agreement. So far so good.
"But more than just the unusual events lately, you know, like the TV show and the tabloids. There is something almost distrubing about the composition of this group of people."
Eleanor is beginning to get nervous.
"I told you how I superimposed a pic I took of Luke and it matched a painting of Beethoven, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, I did the same with William. Dead ringer for William the Conqueror."
Eleanor doesn't dare speak.
"There are no pictures of paintings of Eleanor of Aquitaine or Rosamond Clifford in existence as far as anyone has been able to ascertain.....BUT......the fact that your name is Eleanor and Rose's IS Rosamond Clifford is highly suspect and can't be coincidental."
Eleanor has almost stopped breathing. Oh-oh!!

Jerry reaches across the table and takes her hands, "Care to tell me about it, El?"
Coming right out of the blue like this, Eleanor is dumbfounded and speechless.
"It's OK, whatever the explanation is, I want you to know that," he says gently, "I am very open minded. I almost hope you ARE the originals."
"Looks like you get your wish," Eleanor says in a soft voice, "Most people wouldn't have figured it out so soon, Jerry. You're a shrewd observer. Yes, we are the originals, and we have time traveled to the 21st century."
Now Jerry is full of a million questions and hardly knows where to start.
"But why?"
"Got a few hours to listen?" Eleanor tries to smile.
"I have no appointments today, so explain away..." he answers, smiling broadly.

"It all began when William decided to call together several English monarchs from various centuries. Oh yes, he can do that, he does a lot of things 'normal' people would never even think of, much less DO.
Henry8th decided he wanted to have a son with Rosamond, and she was so repulsed and terrified that she made up the lie that she was already with child.
William, being William, decided she should come to the 21st century to have a DNA test, as Henry2nd wasn't all that sure it was his child. I know, he was my husband, but he had locked me up in another castle and relations between us were strained to say the least.
I had had enough of him, though Rosamond was still besotted with the idiot. Oh, don't get me wrong, he was a great King, but had a rotten personal life. Getting back to why we time traveled; William said he would take one other person with them into the 21st century and I won the contest. So away we went. Problem was: he hadn't prgrammed his magic coin correctly and we ended up in 1640 in Colonial Southold, Long Island. The Puritans were quite displeased with us and we got out of there just before they might have killed us. We also brought Bethia Adams back with us, as her husband, Caleb, brutalized her on a regular basis. Oh yes, and John Gwinett came as well, as his wife had just run off with the local minister and he said he was UP for an adventure."
Jerry is taking this all in and seems to be keeping up with it, so she continues,
"We did end up in the 21st century in Manhattan that time, much to our relief. We lived there till we found the house in Chappaqua. We all got jobs and were determined to "blend in," which was William's favorite phrase whenever one of us slipped up and he thought we were going to spill the beans, so to speak."

Jerry still seems to be understanding this, "BUT.....what about Henry8th?"
"He apparently made a copy of William's coin one time when we time traveled back to Court, and ended up in 1910 New Orleans!"
"Ohhhhh," Jerry clicks with that one, "Then that Toots Tudor person in the documentary on Jazz was really Henry8, right?"
"Right!"
"What about this Grace I hear Bethia referring to; is she a time traveler as well?"
"Yes. Bethia and John went back to Southold in 1650 to save his brother from being killed by one of the husbands of the women he'd had affairs with.....yes, he is not a very good person.....and John felt he should save him from that fate. While there, they found Grace engaged to Bethia's old brutal husband, Caleb, and tricked her and her children into accompanying them back to the 21st century. Grace is the only person who has not adjusted a BIT to this new opportunity. Now, Daniel, on the other hand, being a born opportunist, has put on a campaign to win his twin brother's girlfriend away from him. Sibling rivalry and all that. Daniel is a bad apple. You notice how I bop him on the head every now and again? He deserves it."
"What a cast of characters!" Jerry is amazed, "Since you escaped from Court, is that an empty coffin with your name on it back in France?"
"They have a real body," Eleanor explains, "And it used to be me, but we are living in a parallel reality, so I'm really here as well."
Then she adds, "Another side benefit to living in a timeframe different from the one in which we were born is that we don't age."
"The fountain of youth discovered!!" Jerry is almost excited about that aspect. "If this gets out people will all want to move to another time!!"
"The important thing is for it NOT to get out, as it's just too bizarre for most people to accept, and the ones who do may very well be fruit-cakes and ding-dongs who want to time travel for nefarious reasons, like to escape the law or some other less than honorable reason."
"Who else knows?"
"Celeste, who is so psychic she knew the minute she met us, then Bill, who actually accompanied William back to Court on one of his treks back in time. Hillary has no idea. Vinnie, who you haven't met, has no idea."
"What about Beethoven, though?"
"Ohhhh yes, he was one of William's earlier projects. He brought him to the 21st century about a year and a half before we arrived. The poor man was still wearing the same suit of clothes when William found him again; had no idea how to use the shower, ohhhhh it was pretty bad!"
"And he has a big crush on Grace?"
"BIG crush, huge!" Eleanor laughs, "But Grace only pays him any attention when she's had alcohol, which she never had back in 1650 Southold so her system goes into Wild Woman mode when she has 2 swallows of it, she then suffers blackouts so that the next day she has no memory whatsoever of what she did while under the influence, and apparently assignations with Ludwig were her favorite thing. When sober she's terrified of him. He became so despondent over this state of affairs that he moved in with Henry in his Castle next door."
"You know, Eleanor, this would make a great book!" Jerry slaps the table in glee, "But of course no one would believe it!"
"No one in his or her right mind, that is!" she laughs and they wander back into the house.


Jolly Olde........you-know-where....by Coralynn

The phone finally rings. Eleanor has been anxiously waiting to hear from Rosamond, and is relieved when she hears her voice on the other end of the line.
"I'm fine, El. Got the the beach OK."
"I'm relieved to hear that, Rose, can you tell me which beach you're at?"
"I don't think that would be wise. Daniel could be on one of the extensions."
"Good thinking, Rose. Better tell you before I forget: when you return we may be in England. William's cooking show is going on location to London, and Bethia, Henry, Ludwig, Jerry and I are going with him."
"Real travel, not time travel, that should be a switch!" Rosamond laughs, "Have a great time! Are you going to meet the Queen while you're there?"
"You mean that German!?" Eleanor's voice is taking on that 'edge' that means her temper is rising.
"Yep, that one!" Rosamond answers.
"Given what a huge success William's cooking show is, I'm sure he'll be presented to the Queen, and there's the chance we might go along, too. However, on a more pleasant note: it'll be interesting to see my old stamping grounds again.
When we get back the contractors will have enlarged the house, too. William is putting a rush on it! So if you're away a few days, basically what you'll miss is sawdust and hammering. Hope this week is England is going to go well!"
"Have fun!!" Rosamond says cheerfully.
"You too!" Eleanor says back, "Talk to you in a week! Bye!"

Daniel saunters into the living room and raises one eyebrow in Eleanor's direction.
"Talking with Rose, were you?"
"None of your business, Daniel!"
"Where is she? Is she with that cowboy?" he demands.
"I am happy to tell you that I don't KNOW!" Eleanor yells at him and marches into the kitchen.
John and William are sitting at the kitchen table having coffee and glance up as Eleanor marches into the room.
"Problems?" William asks.
"Nothing I can't handle," Eleanor states, "But a word of caution to you, John, keep a close eye on your brother while we're gone. Don't let him take any trips. Tie him to a chair if needs be."

On to JOLLY OLDE ENGLAND......by Coralynn
The airport is crowded when our 6 travelers arrive. Bethia is nervous about flying and stays close to Eleanor.
"This whole idea of lifting off the ground in a huge vehicle makes my hair stand on end!" she tells her.
"People have been doing it for a long time now and it seems to work, so try to relax, Beth. I know, I haven't flown before either. Have you, William?" she turns in his direction.
"You may find this hard to believe, after all the experiences I've had, Eleanor, but I have yet to fly. Jerry here is no doubt the only one who has."
"That's true," Jerry adds, "And it gets quite routine after you've done it a few times, but I can understand your apprehension, considering the type of conveyances you had back in the 12th century."
William wasn't aware that Jerry knew about the time travel and angrily asks Eleanor,
"Have you been blabbing again, Eleanor?"
"He figured it out himself," she tells a mini-lie, "I just confirmed the conclusion he'd already reached."
"How are you at keeping secrets, Jerry?" William is now fixated on the other man.
"No one keeps them better than I," Jerry assures him, "I wouldn't dream of telling anyone. Who would believe me anyway?"
"OK, then, but Eleanor, please confer with me the next time you decide to break our rule of No One Must Know!"
Eleanor shakes her head and says nothing back. William has to feel he's the big boss, and this is not the time to challenge him.

Henry8 and Ludwig/Luke have been lagging behind, but now catch up with the others.
"Almost time to get on the plane?" Henry asks, "How long will it take, how many days?"
"About 5 or 6 hours," William informs him.
"Hours?!" Ludwig is amazed.

As they board the plane, they try not to look confused, which is very hard for Bethia, who has always expressed such amazement at anything new and modern. She holds her breath in anticipation.
"Keep your eyes down, Beth," Eleanor advises her, "Just follow me and breathe deeply."

The engines rev and and the plane taxis down the runway. It goes faster and faster. Bethia grips the armrest with all her strength.
As the plane lifts off the ground, Ludwig says in a voice a little too loud, "MEIN GOTT!"
William sends him a warning glance.

Soon the plane is cruising at 32,000 feet and the ride is smooth.
There is a collective sigh of relief from our time travlers.
Bethia is on one side of Eleanor, at the window, and Jerry is on her other side. William, Luke and Henry8 are across the aisle. Henry and Luke are both trying to look out one window at the same time.
No one has totally freaked out, much to William's relief.
The beverage cart begins making it's slow progression up the aisle.
"Order tea," William instructs them, "That's what they drink in England, so the sooner you taste it the better."
Eleanor takes a sip and makes a face, "Ohhhhh yuck, I just got used to coffee, now I have to drink this stuff?!"

The meals cart then appears a couple hours later. The only one who doesn't make disparaging remarks about the food is Jerry, who has been having a great time observing the reactions of these first time flyers.
Jerry turns to Ludwig who is across the aisle, "I have been meaning to ask you, Luke, who WAS the "Immortal Beloved" you dedicated some of your music to? Scholars have been trying to figure it out for 175 years. Who was she really?"
Ludwig laughs heartily, "NO one. I made her up just to confuse people. Did a good job, didn't I?"
"An excellent job!" Jerry is amused, "Whole books have been written by people with theories on just who this woman might be. I admire your sense of humor!"
"How did you know who I was Jerry?" it then occurs to Luke that Jerry shouldn't know this, "Who told???"
"I guessed," Jerry smiles, "But your secret is safe with me."
Ludwig/Luke relaxes and again tries to see out the window, which is difficult, as two rather large men sit between him and said window.

They finally land in London.


MORE AUSTIN............by Terri

"Did you call your friend?" Billy Bob asked.
"Yes, I did. I had to let her know where I was. I just left at the spur of the moment and we had plans tonight for dinner so I had to cancel out." Rosamond explained.
They were at the horse auction. Billy Bob had been so happy to see Rosamond. It was totally unexpected.
"You were about the last person I expected to see at my door!" He told her over lunch. They headed for the auction afterwards.
Billy Bob was bidding on some Thoroughbreds that had Arabian stock in them.
"Uh, Rosamond, does your husband know where you are?"
"No."
"Will he wonder?"
"Probably"
"Don't you care?"
"Not really."
"Why not?"
"He's too busy with his brother."
"Fishing?"
"Maybe. Oh, look at that roan out there! Is that the one you wanted?"
Billy Bob looked up from his auction catalogue.
"That's the one!"
The bidding was fast and furious. Finally the auctioneer said, "Going once...going twice....SOLD! To the gentleman in the second row!"
Billy Bob smiled with delight. He had made some fine horseflesh purchases and he had Rosamond by his side.
Rosamond said, "I just thought of something! I forgot to get a room! I was so nervous and they weren't going to give me your room number."
"How did you get it?"
Rosamond smiled sheepishly. "I lied! I told them I was your wife and that it was our first anniversary and I wanted to surprise you!"
Then she frowned. "What do I do now? I can't go down there and request a room! That would really raise some eyebrows."
Billy Bob looked down at the program intently and said quietly, "You could stay with me."
Rosamond said, "Why, Mr. Montgomery, are you trying to besmirsch the reputation of the flower of Southern womanhood?"
Billy Bob said, "Oh, Rosamond, I'm sorry. I just...I mean...."
Rosamond said, "Well, it doesn't matter because I am not Southern. have a few things to straighten out in my life, Billy Bob. I need a little time. To square things away."
Billy Bob sighed. "I have a suite. There are two bedrooms there. You can have the other room." Then he laughed. "Of course, if the spirit moves you to knock on my door, don't hesitate!"
After a few hours, and several major purchases, Billy Bob went to the office to make arrangements for shipping the horses to New York.
Rosamond whipped out her cell phone. I forgot to tell Eleanor to take my mail and put it in my desk drawer under lock and key. She dialed the Chappaqua number.
"Hello?"
"Daniel, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. Where the hell are YOU?"
"At the beach, what's it to you?"
"Why did you leave?"
"Why do you think?"
"Because you don't trust yourself around me, honey."
"Wrong! Now put Eleanor on."
"No can do, Sugah. Eleanor and the gang have gone to London..to see the Queen, pussycat, pussycat!"
"Bethia too?"
"Bethia, too."
After a moment of silence, Rosamond said, "How was William this morning?"
"Breathing brimstone and fire. How do you think? You almost singlehandedly trashed his show."
"That's not true!"
"Well, who else was on the tabloids' front page? By the way, a Jerry Springer called for you, a Larry King, a Geraldo...."
"Just take a message."
"Well, just give me a number where you can be reached."
"In your dreams, Daniel."
"Hey, Sugah....."
But by that time Rosamond had hung up. But not before Daniel heard in the background "Going once, going twice....SOLD! To the cowboy in the back row...."

"DAMN!" Daniel slammed the phone down.
John came into the kitchen. "And just what is YOUR problem?"
"Do you know where Rosamond is?"
John shrugged and helped himself to a beer. "At the beach for a little down time. At least that is what Eleanor said."
"And you believed her?"
"No reason to doubt it. She's done it before. She tends to run off when the heat is on. When we were in England, she ran away to her parents' house, with disastrous results. She was ticked off at Henry II and rode to her parent's house in the middle of the night. A big mistake."
Daniel leaned on the counter. "What do you mean?"
"Her mother wrote to Henry and told him where she was. He came and got her, roughed her up a bit, she won't talk about anything that went down in that room. I saw it, it was a complete mess. Like someone in a complete rage destroyed it. That's the last time we went back."
"Is she over him?"
"I am pretty sure."
"So what beach does she usually go to?"
"Hard to tell. Southampton is not too far. Maybe Fire Island."
Daniel picked up Henry Tudor's car keys.
"I'm going out for a while."
"Did Henry say you could use his car?"
"Of course! But if I were you, I'd check Rosamond's dresser drawer and count her swimsuits."
"What does THAT mean?"
But Daniel was out the door.

Daniel drove down Hwy 141 South. Just who is she trying to fool? he thought. They don't have horse auctions on Fire Island and they most certainly don't have them in the Hamptons! John is so completely clueless he will believe anything!
Daniel pulled into the parking lot of the Dew Drop Inn.
Bobby Joe was tending bar. "Hey, Daniel! What's up?"
"A Longneck Bud, Bobby Joe."
"Hey, did Billy Bob say when he would be back?"
"I talked to him a couple hours ago. He was at a horse auction."
Daniel took a long pull on his beer. "How interesting. Is he alone?"
"He just said, 'Don't call me, I'll call you!' "
Daniel said, "Yeah, I'll just bet he did!"



MORE JOLLY OLDE you-know-where........by Coralynn

The rooms at the Regency Hotel aren't as posh as the ones they stayed in at the Plaza in New York, but still very nice, and, considering William had arranged for every person to have his/her own room, everyone is quite satisfied.
The rooms Eleanor and Bethia occupy have a connecting door, which means of course that these two chat into the night.

The next morning William takes the entire group with him to his first TV taping at the London studios.
They sit in the audience, yawning. William, who is doing his best imitation of a Crazy Cook, is hoping they'll add to the positive response from the audience, as it's heard on the show.
Every now and again Eleanor pokes Henry8 awake and gestures for him to clap. He tries, then falls back asleep.
Luke is fascinated by it all, as he has never seen William's show and makes appropritate Ooooos and Ahhhhhh sounds, which causes the rest of the audience to do the same.
After the taping, Bethia asks William, "Would it be alright with you if we did other things besides sit in the audience for your tapings, William? We love your show, but do tend to get drowsy."
William thinks that insulting, but, being that it's Bethia asking, she being his favorite person in the group, he tells her,
"I understand. By all means, go....sightsee.....just make sure you're available at 7pm when I'm presented to the Queen!"
"Why? Are we being presented, too?"
"I requested that and the spokesman for the Queen said it would be proper, so be ready to go with me about 6:30. Do the rest of you hear that?"
Henry8, who seems to have suffered the most severe jet lag, slurs "The Queen? And just who would that be?"
"Never mind, just be ready!" William says crisply and walks over to meet more of his fans.

Luke is curious about the Queen as well.
"Eleanor, can you give me a genealogy of this Queen? I'd like to be in the know when I meet her."
Jerry laughs aloud, as he knows Elizabeth2's lineage, so breaks in with,
"I'll tell you Luke. Let's go to a pub and I'll fill you in."

They all go to a pub. There are pub meals available so they eat a hearty lunch.

Next on the agenda: Madame Toussaud's Wax Works. By this time William has rejoined them, and all six go to the wax museum.

Everyone is amazed at how lifelike the wax statues are.
"This one is you, William!!" Eleanor tugs William over to where his statue is sitting on a bench. "You were thinner then, though."
Everyone gathers around the statue. Jerry has brought his digital camera and takes several shots of William with his wax likeness.

Luke comments, "There are a lot of wax statues of people I don't recognize! What are they doing here? I thought this was just for famous people!"
Jerry responds, "They are more recent, Luke. Don't forget: you lost a century or so at the time William brought you here. Now, see this beautiful woman? Marily Monroe. You don't know about her, do you?"
"I'd certainly like to, though, just look at her! If I could meet her, she might make up for losing Grace!"
"Sorry, old man, but she's been dead since 1962."
"You mean William didn't manage to bring her to the 21st Century?"
"No. William would have had he known, though."
"Wellll, I insist he go back to 1961 and fetch this luscious creature. William, William!" he calls out.
"What is it, Luke?"
"See this heavenly creature? I want you to go back to 1961 and fetch her here. Jerry says she died in 1962. Please!!!"
"Can we finish our week in London first, though, Luke? I'll consider your request after we return home."
"GOOD! Thank you, I knew you wouldn't let me down!!"
William wonders what he's gotten himself into.

The afternoon wears on and soon it is indeed 6:30pm and our group is decked out in their best finery for the occasion of being presented to the Queen.
Luke is looking forward to meeting someone who has German blood. This is as close as he is going to get to his homeland on this trip and he's excited.

The time comes:
they are lined up and Queen Elizabeth begins at one end of the line, which is where William is standing.
He bows....she offers her hand.
Next is Bethia who curtsies.
Jerry bows formally and smiles.
Henry8 doesn't bow......he is a King after all....but he looks at the Queen with suspicion. Who is this imposter?!
She moves on regardless.
When she comes to Eleanor, Elizabeth gets a momentarily started expression in her eyes like she's seen this person before, but offers her hand and Eleanor curtsies, which is not easy, but she doesn't want to be as rude as Henry was.
Luke is at the end of the line.
Elizabeth extends her hand. Luke smiles from ear to ear and says loudly, "HEIL ELIZABETH!"
Everything and everyone comes to a screeching, grinding halt.
The Queen looks stricken.
Our group is holding its collective breath.
The Queen narrows her eyes at Luke, then smacks him across the face with her purse.
"MEIN GOTT woman, what did you have to do that for? I was just greeting another person of German blood!"
The Queen looks daggers at him and moves on and out of the room altogether.
"Nice going there, Luke!" William says angrily.
"What is wrong? What is wrong?" Luke asks innocently, "Her gr/gr/grandfather was a full blooded German. What's so terrible about that?"
Eleanor, who has learned a lot of history on PBS and online goes over to Luke and takes him arm.
"You see, Luke, there was this War......it was called World War 2, and there was this hideous man named Hitler....."
She explains away for quite a while.
The others sit on whatever chairs are available and wait.
Soon it's time to go back to the Hotel.
William regrets that he didn't just come to London by himself. Why did he think that no one would do something socially unacceptable? WHY??



**************************************************** BACK to AUSTIN..........by Terri


Billy Bob came back from making his shipping arrangements.
Rosamond sat there and bit her thumb.
"Anything wrong?" Billy Bob asked her.
"No, nothing to worry about!"
Billy Bob got out his cell phone. "I have to call Bobby Jo and check on something."
"Ok, I've got to use the ladies' room."
Billy Bob dialed the number to the Dew Drop Inn.
"Talk to me!" Bobby Joe answered.
"Hey, Bobby Joe-it's me."
"Hey, Billy Bob, how's Austin?"
"Austin is just fiiiiiiinnnnne! Tell you about it later."
Bobby Joe whispered into the phone. "Are you there with Tequila Sunrise?"
Billy Bob asked, "As a matter of fact I am. Why are you whispering, BJ?"
Bobby Joe turned his back from the bar. "Because Daniel is sitting here with a scowl and asking some questions. And the night before you left, I saw Tequila Sunrise and Daniel outside the Inn. You had just gone home. He grabbed her leg and knocked her on her butt and she flipped him. Then Daniel made a grab at her, planted one on her and said, 'See you at home, sugah' ".
There was silence on the other end. Bobby Joe said, "Billy Bob? I think there is something going on here. Could it be possible that Rosamond and Daniel live together? Could it be that Daniel really is her husband, that guy that was in here the first night and dragged her out?"
Billy Bob said quietly, "I don't know. But I aim to find out exactly what is going on. Keep an eye on Daniel and don't give him any time off. If you can, give him overtime."
"Billy Bob?"
"What?"
"Uh, I'd pick up a copy of this week's National Enquirer and a copy of the Playboy that just hit the stands today, if I were you."

Billy Bob got back to his seat at the auction. Rosamond was already there.
"Everything OK at the Dew Drop?"
"Hmmmm? Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is."
Billy Bob made several more bids and got about half of them. He pushed his Stetson back. "Well, that's the last of them. Let's go."
Billy Bob and Rosamond headed back to the rental car.
Billy Bob said, "Let's go out to dinner. But let's go back and change. Someplace nice, OK? First I have to stop off at the drugstore."
Rosamond sat quietly in the car while Billy Bob went in.
When they got back to the hotel, Billy Bob said, "There's two bathrooms here. So how about let's get ready and go out."
Rosamond gathered her stuff and said, "See you in a few minutes!"
Billy Bob sat down on the bed. He took out two tabloids and the Playboy.
What he saw there boggled his mind. At least the Playboy was tastefully done.
What he read in the Enquirer article REALLY boggled his mind.

Rosamond came out of the shower wrapped in a white terrycloth robe. She glanced at Billy Bob and said, "You haven't taken a shower yet?"
Billy Bob just sat there and held up the Playboy. And then he put it down and picked up the Enquirer and the Weekly Snoopy.
Rosamond looked stricken and tears welled up in her eyes.
Billy Bob said quietly, "I think we need to have a real serious talk, Rosamond."
Rosamond said, "Yes. I think we do, too."

Billy Bob said, "I need to know. Who is Daniel to you?"
Rosamond said, "Just a ship that passed in the night... well, two nights."
Billy Bob said, "Is he your husband?"
Rosamond said, "I have no husband, Billy Bob. I had a special bond with John Gwinett, the actor I work with. He is one of the people who live in the artist colony that has William Normandy aka the Conquering Chef. Unbeknownst to me, he let his identical twin brother--Daniel-- into the house..and into our lives. Well, it got pretty messy. To get even with John, I took his credit cards and topped them out. Then on my way back, I stopped at the Dew Drop Inn and drank too much. John came looking for me to exact vengeance on me as it were and he told the 'good ol' boys' there that I was his wife cheating on him so he could get us out of there in one piece. Technically I guess he thought it was cheating. I didn't even know it was his brother. When I came back to get my shoes and my car the next day, you still remembered me, and I was flattered. You assumed I was married and my life was so complicated enough that I didn't want to drag you into it. So I let you think I was married. But I couldn't stay away. I couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth, either. Most of what was written there was taken out of context."
Billy Bob shook his head. "Why are you in Austin with me?"
Rosamond said, "I had to get away. I had to put some distance between myself and that whole scene. You have no idea what William is like when he is angry. When I backed over his rosebushes you would have thought I murdered his child."
Billy Bob got up and threw the tabloids in the trash.
"What about the Playboy, Billy Bob?"
Billy Bob just smiled. "Oh, I think I'll keep this one, Sugah!"


Daniel sat at the bar for a while.
Bobby Joe was keeping a wary eye on him, trying to figure out just what was going on. He kept him well supplied with beer. He thought if he loosened Daniel up a bit, he'd start talking about just what was going on--with the right questions asked.
"So, Daniel, what's this in the Weekly Snooper and the National Enquirer? Looks like you know that little gal pretty good."
Daniel grabbed the Enquirer. Then he laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that! Spent a month with her one weekend."
"A month?"
"A weekend can be a month if you use it right!" Daniel laughed.
Bobby Joe held up a copy of the Playboy.
Daniel took it and opened it up to the centerfold. He turned it sideways.
Bobby Joe said, "Pretty good airbrush job they did."
Daniel put it down, drank his beer and said, "That's no airbrush. Didn't need to."
Bobby Joe took the magazine away and looked at it sideways again.
"REALLY!"
Daniel said, "So why is Billy Bob in Austin?"
"He went to a horse auction."
"Alone?"
"He only had one ticket."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant."
"So is she with him?"
"How should I know?"
Daniel took the rest of his beer in one gulp, called Rosamond a nasty name and walked out the door.
Bobby Joe shook his head and thought, guess I should tell Billy Bob.

Daniel pulled into the carpark and went in the house. John was sitting in the game room going over his script.
"Well, brother dear, I found out what beach Rosamond is at."
John continued to read his script. "So which one?"
Daniel sat down and put his boots on the coffee table. "Well, three guesses."
"Southampton". "No"
"Fire Island" "No"
"Not Southold!"
"Not even close."
"Well?"
"Austin."
"Austin?"
"Austin."
"Austin Beach?"
"Austin, Texas."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"DAMN!"





Billy Bob and Rosamond went out for a steak dinner. After all, it was Texas.
Rosamond had looked as if a weight had been lifted from her.
They settled in a little out of the way place that Billy Bob knew and had cognacs.
Rosamond said, "I am so sorry I wasn't honest before."
Billy Bob sighed. "Where does this leave us, honey?"
Rosamond looked down. "I don't know, Billy Bob."
Billy Bob lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes. He had the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.
"What is the REAL reason you came to Austin, Rosamond?"
Rosamond said, "You are the nicest, kindest man I have met. Being with you is like standing in front of a warm stove on a frosty morning."
Billy Bob said, "I wish you had said it was like a forest fire. I was expecting something more. Like you were in love with me and realized you didn't want to be away from me for even a day."
"My life has been in such turmoil for the last few months. I was going along from day to day but my life took a nosedive these last few weeks. Ever since I got back from England."
Billy Bob held her hand. "Did you go to visit family?"
"Y-yes. My parents were there. My dad is wonderful but my mom is, well, something else. I don't get along with her very well."
Billy Bob said, "I get the sense that there is more to this. Was there anyone...else in England?"
Rosamond withdrew her hand. "Yes, there was. But it is over. He's..he's dead now."
Billy Bob regarded her soberly. "I am sorry. How did it happen?"
Rosamond looked up at Billy Bob. "Some people think he was poisoned. Got hold of some bad fruit."
Billy Bob sat there, not knowing what to say.
"Were you in love with him?"
Rosamond said, "I am going to be honest with you. Yes, I was. He was a rich, powerful older man. I was hardly a woman."
Billy Bob said, "Rosamond, those things are against the law if you were underage. Your father should have filed charges."
Rosamond said, "It wouldn't have done any good. He was above the law."
Billy Bob and Rosamond walked back through the lobby of the Marriott. Billy Bob punched the elevator button to the 10th floor. The rode up in comfortable silence.
When they reached Room 1024, Billy Bob pulled out the card that would open the door. Rosamond reached for the light but Billy Bob reached for her.
He held her in a passionate embrace. She returned his kiss.
"Oh, Rosamond," he whispered. "I am falling in love with you."
Rosamond broke free from his embrace. Her breath came in ragged gulps."Please don't, Billy Bob. Please don't."
With that she turned and walked into her room.



John came down to breakfast, looking like something the cat dragged in. Daniel was sitting at the table eating corn flakes.
"Hey, this is great stuff, bunkie! Wish we had this in Southold."
"Yeah, yeah...." John mumbled.
"What's your problem?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"NOTHING!"
"You were sure pacing last night. Couldn't sleep?"
"I had scripts to go over. I have a heavy work schedule next week."
"Oh, with HER?"
"Yes, with HER."
"Well, you'd better hope she comes back."
"I'm sure it's just a 'woman thing'. "
"Yeah, when she 'finds herself' you will be the first to know."
"What makes you think she is in Austin?"
Daniel shrugged. "Just a feeling I have."
"What's in Austin?"
Daniel leaned back. "Ohhhhh...it's the horse auction capital of Texas. Cowboys are there."
Daniel tilted his chair back. "Funny thing...she called last night."
John jumped up. "Why didn't you get me?"
"She didn't ask for you. She asked for Eleanor. I thought I heard an auction going on."
Daniel leans forward conspiratorially. "That guy from the Dew Drop Inn is in Austin. Now, ain't that a co-incidence!"


Billy Bob sat in the semi-darkness of the hotel suite. What the hell went wrong? Am moving too fast? Is she playing games with me? Well, she's got no husband holding her back now. But what of this relationship with this John Gwinnett? Billy Bob went to the bar in the room and opened up a beer.
All of a sudden the picture of her and Daniel became a whole lot clearer.
Billy Bob got up and hesitated at the closed door. He was about to knock when he thought better of it. No, best just let this one rest tonight.

Rosamond was in her room. She sat down on the bed feeling totally alone. Oh, Eleanor, Bethia...where are you two when I really need to talk to another woman?
Rosamond realized just how much she had come to rely on those two...does this mean I actually have friends that are women? The day with Billy Bob had been wonderful. He had been genuinely happy to see her. The horse auction was fun and she finally told the truth about her lack of husband. Billy Bob said he was falling in love with her. She had never seen such warmth or depth of emotion in a man's eyes before. He was so totally honest. Rosamond gathered a blanket around her and stepped out of her door. The door to Billy Bob's room was closed. She hesitated, about to knock. No, she thought, I can't do this. Could I be maturing? Could I be in...love? She quietly went back to her room. Her eyes misted up. What of John and me? It was always a choice between John and Henry....John and Daniel....John and now Billy Bob. Rosamond slipped back in the bed, feeling a little queasy.




The next morning Billy Bob got up to make coffee in the suite. Rosamond came out a few minutes later.
"Good morning, Sugah"
Rosamond got a cup of coffee. "I'll fix you breakfast. It's the least I can do."
She tried to fry eggs. They burned. She tried to scramble them. They stuck to the pan and burned. The bacon fried to a crisp. And burned. The toast was set too dark.
Burned, too.
She burst out crying. "It's no use! I can't seem to do anything right!"
Billy Bob came over and gently put his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest.
"Aw, come on, now, honey, it's not that bad."
Rosamond sniffled. "Yes, it is! Bethia my friend can do all this. Even my friend Eleanor has a special gift. She is quick witted. There is no situation she can't control. Me? I can't do a blessed thing! I feel like such a failure!"
Billy Bob made soothing comforting sounds as he stroked her hair. "Rose, you have the uncanny way of making a man feel protective of you. Like he wants to take care of you. Anyone can learn to cook. But what you have is....something special. It brings out the best in a man."
Rosamond looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
Billy Bob said, "Come on, we're going out to breakfast and then I am taking you to show you the cultural side of Austin. Enough of the horse scene!"
That morning Billy Bob showed Rosamond a world she didn't know existed outside of New York. Rosamond was enjoying herself so that she felt like she never wanted to leave. At least she was away from Daniel. When thoughts of John entered her mind, she pushed them aside.
Billy Bob said, "I need to stay in Austin until Friday. When is your ticket to go home for?"
Rosamond said, "I need to go back Thursday morning. I have a few segments to tape on Friday."
They were sitting in a restaurant that overlooked downtown Austin. It was romantic and candlelit. They were sitting there listening to a jazz band and drinking brandy.
The night was over too quickly. Billy Bob looked at his watch and said, "I can't believe it is 1:30 already. We'd better get back."
Rosamond stood up and felt a little woozy. "I'll be right back". She went to the ladies's room and put cold towels on her face. She reached into her purse for some antacids. These late nights and rich foods will be the death of me yet! she thought.
They walked hand in hand back to the hotel suite. As they entered the hotel suite, Rosamond saw that Billy Bob had ordered champagne sent up in a silver ice bucket and was properly chilled.
Billy Bob took Rosamond into his arms and kissed her passionately.
"Rosamond, I love you," he whispered huskily. "Heaven help me, but I do."
Rosamond put her hand gently to his lips and whispered, 'Let's not spoil this with alot of talk."
She held his hand and led him into his room. Billy Bob grabbed the champagne bottle on his way in.




John was down by the pool looking over his scripts for the week, trying to concentrate on them. It was the aftermath of "the scene" that he and Rosamond had did the previous week.
Was what Daniel said true? Was she really in Austin? Or was he just yanking my chain? Trying to create doubts in my mind? John reached for the phone and dialed Rosamond's cell phone.
"The number you are trying to call is out of the service area. Please try your call again later."
John wondered if she had made any contact with Eleanor or Bethia. He knew she was trying to avoid the wrath of William. How they pulled off the Monopoly game was a miracle in itself.
Daniel came out by the pool, ready to do laps. He had a beer in his hand and another one for John.
"Here, suck this down. It's a Scotch Ale. Guaranteed to send the noblest lad beggin' fer his ma."
John accepted the beer, then looked at Daniel suspiciously. Daniel exploded.
"Aw, hell, John, are you going to be suspicious every time I hand you something to drink? What could I possibly gain from drugging you now?"
John sighed. "Yeah, I guess you are right. She's supposed to be home sometime today, I think. She has to be ready to tape tomorrow."
Daniel said, "Well, she'd better come home with a good tan if she's been at the beach these last three days. If not, she's probably been elsewhere."
Daniel frowned. "What make you think she was with that cowboy?"
Daniel smiled. "Number 1: he's gone. Number 2: she's gone. Number 3: the horse auction in the background. Number 4: has she left a forwarding phone number?
and Number 5: She's Rosamond. Need I say more?"
John looked accusingly at Daniel. "This is all your fault! I should have let you rot in Southold. Things were progressing nicely. She was really relying on me and we were getting closer."
Daniel gave John a surprised look. "Why do you always have to analyze things and take your time? Look how many of life's opportunities have passed you by because by the time you took to analyze and weigh things in the balance, they were long gone. Mother didn't call you Slowhand for nothing."
John got up and gave Daniel a push. "And you were always like a bull in a china shop. Just going ahead and doing whatever you wanted and damn the consequences.
I don't know how many farmers showed up at our homestead claiming you ruined their daughters' lives. And husbands, too. Of all the women in the world, why did you have to pick the one I was falling in love with?"
Daniel sneered. "I think you just answered your own question, Brother. But I am not the only problem you have."
John turned around and coldcocked Daniel in the jaw. He sat there on the ground and groaned, then rubbed his jaw.
"I just have one question for you, John," he said maliciously. "Do you think Billy Bob Montgomery will take his boots off first?"
John turned and stormed into the house. leaving Daniel dipping his hand into the ice bucket and applying it to his chin and smiling cynically.


Rosamond opened one eye and for a second wondered where she was. If I am dreaming, please just let me sleep. She rolled over and looked over the side of the bed. A pair of boots were tossed there. Had she thought it was a dream, seeing the boots left no doubt in her mind. She moaned.
What have I done? she thought. Again?
She looked over and saw the bed was empty. She sat up. Billy Bob came in with a tray with coffee, juice and toast.
"Good morning, beautiful!"
She smiled and stretched. Billy Bob sat down next to her. He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Thought you would like a little something this morning. I know you aren't a big breakfast person but..."
Rosamond took the tray. "It's so sweet of you, Billy Bob."
She grabbed her robe that Billy Bob had thoughtfully brought in for her. As she stood up, she swayed a little and sat back down on the bed.
"Are you alright?" Billy Bob asked, concerned.
Rosamond rubbed her temple. "Yes, it's just low blood sugar, I guess."
Billy Bob handed her the orange juice. "This will help."
Rosamond smiled and thanked him, drinking it down.
"What time is your flight?" Billy Bob asked.
"Eleven o'clock."
Billy Bob grinned. "Well, seeing it is only seven AM...." and leaned over and kissed her.

At 10 AM Billy Bob and Rosamond were heading for the airport. She gathered her suitcase and checked it in. Billy Bob walked her to the gate.
She asked him, "Are you coming in tomorrow?"
"Yes, I have to check on the final arrangement for the horse shipping. I got three good stallions and seven mares. Good bloodlines with a strong Arabian line. I catch the 4 PM flight back to New York. Uncle Jed is picking me up at the airport."
Rosamond said, "I'll be at the studio all day. First rehearsals and then the final taping."
"FLIGHT 478 TO NEW YORK IS NOW BOARDING" the intercom said.
Billy Bob drew Rosamond close to him. He breathed in her ear, "It was a wonderful three days. Maybe next time we come here, it WILL be our first anniversary!"
Rosamond drew back from him. "Billy Bob, what are you saying?"
"That I want to marry you, Rosamond. That I INTEND to marry you."
Rosamond stammered, "Billy Bob, I think we need to take this a little slower. I have what they call a checkered past. You saw the tabloids. There is so much about me you don't know."
Billy Bob smiled his brilliant smile. "I think I know enough to know what I want. What we've got going on is so incredible."
Rosamond hugged his neck and thought to herself, Knowing me I'll probably find a way to mess it up. But for now, who knows, who cares, just let me be in love with no problems just for this moment.
Billy Bob kissed her at the gate and held her tightly. "I'll see you back in New York."
He broke away and smiled at her as she turned to walk down the ramp to the plane.
She looked over her shoulder and he gave a little wave with his beautiful smile.
Rosamond felt totally secure and loved for the first time in her life.
She felt a little sick and reached in her bag for an antacid. Must be too much coffee and having to go home...to the Gwinnett men, minus a beach tan.

Look Homeward, Sugah.......by Terri


Flight 478 landed in New York City without a hitch. Rosamond was pleased with herself that she had managed to make plane reservations and fly to an unknown city without the aid of William or anyone else. If I had stopped to think about it long enough, I probably would have freaked out, she thought.
She retrieved her luggage from baggage claim and took the monorail to longterm parking to pick up her car. She headed from LaGuardia to Chappaqua.
It was about 4:00 when she pulled into the carpark.
John's car was there, also the Cadillac that was Henry's...and a new car. A Jeep.
Rosamond unlocked her trunk and walked in the house. Oh, great! She thought. Visitors?
She walked into the kitchen and there was a Gwinnett leaning into the refridgerator.
Rosamond put her bags down. The Gwinnett in question turned around with a handful of ice.
Rosamond was not sure which one it was. "Whatever happened to your jaw?"
"Well, hello, Sugah! Have a nice trip?"
Uh,oh, she thought. Daniel.
"As a matter of fact, I did. What happened?"
"Oh, Brother dear and I had a difference of opinion and he punctuated his with a punch. Guess he didn't want to hear some ugly truths about himself."
"So he punched your lights out."
Daniel put his ice in an icepack and applied it to his jaw. "I guess the swelling is going down. Take a look,will you, Sugah?"
Rosamond took a step back. "Only if you keep your hands to yourself."
"Scout's honor."
Daniel removed the icepack. His jaw was black and blue.
"Is it broken?" He asked Rosamond.
She carefully took a step forward and touched it. "No, it's just a big bruise. It will be banana yellow in a few days. Keep the ice on for 24 hours and then apply heat to speed up the healing."
"Well, since when did you learn so much about first aid? You are a real angel...of mercy, that is!"
"Since I have a four year old."
"So when is Will coming home?"
"In two weeks. He's having alot of fun at camp. Whose Jeep is that outside?"
Daniel smiled proudly. "Mine! I used my first paycheck at the Dew Drop Inn for a downpayment. Isn't it a beauty?"
Rosamond could see how proud he was of it. She smiled in spite of herself. "Yes, Daniel, it's really neat. It seems to suit you, too."
"So let's go tear up the countryside in it! Find us a needle in a haystack!"
"For about 30 seconds you were almost human there."
Daniel sat down and popped open a beer. "Want one?"
Rosamond turned a little green. "No, I think the thoughts of that makes me want to be sick!"
"So where were you?"
"At the beach."
"Which one?"
"Southampton. Why?"
"Because you have no beach tan. If anything, you are a little paler than when you left."
"Well, I guess it's because I went to museums and shopping. And I do too have a tan."
"Yes, honey, you do seem to be glowing!"
"Well, it was the sea air. It will do wonders for a girl's complexion."
"Yeah, museums will do that to you. As far as shopping, I happen to know your credit is to its limit and John's maxed out, too, because of your spending habits. Who are you trying to kid, Rose? I know exactly where you were. In Austin. With Billy Bob."
Rosamond felt her face getting hot. "I was not! I took my scripts and went to the beach to get away from everything! What did William do after I left?"
"Oh, the usual rant. He's in England for a cooking show and he took the rest of the gang with him. John and I are the only ones left behind."
"When are they expected home?" Rosamond really wanted to talk to Bethia and Eleanor.
"Where's John?"
"Upstairs pouting, I guess."
"I need to talk to him about the rehearsal and filming tomorrow. Is he in his room?"
"I guess so. Here's your mail."
Daniel "accidently" dropped some of it and while he was down on the floor picking it up, he quickly reached over to Rosamond's luggage and slipped off the airport flight tag.
"Here's your mail."
"Thank you. I'm going to unpack. If you see John, please tell him I am back and I need to see him."
"Will do, honey!"
When Rosamond had left the room, Daniel looked down at the tag. "NY-LaGuardia Flight 478" From Austin.
Daniel seethed. That lying little...
He stuffed the tag in his jeans pocket and opened another beer.



Rosamond walked to her room and started to put away her things and put her clothes in the laundry. She sat down on the bed and rubbed her temples. I am so tired!
She took her phone and dialed Eleanor's cellphone number. Let's see, it's about 10:30 PM there. Well, El is a nightowl.
The phone rang and Eleanor picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Eleanor, it's me. I just got back and I was checking to see how things were going in merry old England. Checking to see, is Henry is still dead?"
Eleanor laughed. "Yes, he's still toe-up. Bet his libido is still going strong though!"
Rosamond laughed. "Did you check on our burial sites?"
Eleanor shuddered, "No, that would creep me out too much. I did find out that I supposedly caught you with Henry and gave you the choice of being poisoned or stabbed to death."
Rosamond caught her breath. "ELEANOR! You wouldn't have!"
Eleanor said, "Maybe I would have. Who would have thought you and I would be friends?"
Rosamond said, "Not me." Then she hesitated. In a small voice she said, "Eleanor, when are you and Bethia coming home?"
Eleanor got alarmed. "What has happened, Rosamond? Did Daniel or John follow you to the beach?"
Rosamond hesitated, then checked the hallway for eavesdroppers. She closed her door. "Eleanor, I wasn't at any beach. I...I followed Billy Bob Montgomery to Austin."
Eleanor was silent on the other end. Rosamond could hear Bethia saying, "Is that Rosamond? Let me say hi to her." Eleanor covered the receiver with her hand.
"Just a minute. Rosamond just blew me away!"
Eleanor said, "Are you crazy, Rosamond de Clifford? Whatever did you do a stupid thing like that for?"
Rosamond was quiet.
Eleanor said, "I'm sorry, Rose, it's just I think you are in for a passel of trouble. Bethia, would you just hold your water a minute?"
Eleanor regained control. "OK, let's start over. 'Oh, really, Rosamond? And did you have a good time?' "
Rosamond brightened. "Eleanor, it was wonderful. We went to a horse auction, we went to a jazz club, we went to a few museums...."
"And did you tell him you weren't married?"
Rosamond let out a sigh. "Yes, I did. It turns out someone, probably Bobby Joe, tipped him off to the tabloid articles and the Playboy. I was pretty humiliated, believe it or not."
"NOT! Just kidding, Rosamond. Ro...you are hesitating like you want to tell me more."
Bethia was yanking the phone out of Eleanor's hand. "LET ME TALK TO HER!"
Bethia got on the line. "Hey, Rosamond! How have you been? We've been all over England, Luke made a scene in front of the queen, Eleanor got snippy with her...."
"GIVE ME THAT PHONE, YOU GOOSE!"
Rosamond asked, "Eleanor, when are you and Bethia coming home?"
Eleanor said, "In a few days. Why?"
"I..I..I really miss you guys. This is kind of unbelievable but I never realized how much I rely on the two of you. Could I possibly have...friends that are women?"
Eleanor was deeply touched. "We...we love you, too, Rosamond. I mean it."
Rosamond started to cry on the other end of the line. "I don't know what to do. Billy Bob said he wanted to marry me. But he wants to marry Rosamond Clifford, the girl he met at the Dew Drop Inn. The girl they affectionately call Tequila Sunrise. The girl who does duets with him. The girl who met him in Austin...."
Eleanor said, "Rose, aren't you all of those girls?"
Rosamond sniffed, "But what about the girl who was the King's mistress, the girl who had his child, the girl who is a timetraveler?"
Eleanor said, "Rosamond, don't do anything until we get home. The three of us girls will sit down and talk this whole thing out. How are the Gwinnett twins?"
Rosamond laughed in spite of herself. "I just saw Daniel, not John yet. John punched Daniel's lights out and now he has a bruised jaw. John and I are supposed to report for work tomorrow, a big taping day."
Eleanor said, "Where is Mr. Montgomery now?"
"He's still in Austin arranging his horse transports." In a small voice, Rosamond said, "Eleanor, I may have done a stupid thing in Austin..."
Eleanor sighed,."Now why do I find that not hard to believe, Rose? Hat on or off?"
Rosamond heard signs of a struggle. "Will you let me have the phone to say hi?"
"Bethia, will you cool your jets? It's MY phone!" "Yes, Rosamond is my friend, too!"
"Hey, put that down.."
Click!
Rosamond smiled to herself, "Goodnight, girlfriends!"


Rosamond sighed and stretched out on the bed. I hope I am not coming down with the flu, she thought.
There was a knock on the door. John stuck his head in. "May I come in to the sanctuary? I haven't been drinking any brandy, so I should be in complete control of my faculties!"
Rosamond sat up. She smiled at him and her heart began to beat wildly in spite of herself. We've gone through so much together, she thought.
John sat down. "Have you had a chance to go over the scripts for tomorrow's shooting?"
"Yes, I think I have it down."
"Marty is talking Emmys for our work. He thinks we have a...how did he put it?...'a chemistry that could make a Bunsen burner blow up a middle school science classroom!' "
Rosamond laughed.
"It's good to hear you laugh again, Rosamond. How was the beach?"
"The beach was just fine, John. It was just nice to be away."
John sat down on the bed next to her. "Rosamond, I....I missed you. I am sorry you felt the need to run away. Those tabloid articles were terrible. People expect that stuff. But the Playboy was unexcusable."
"I'd sue but I don't need the publicity."
"Marty thinks it can only help your career. He said there is no such thing as bad publicity. If that is the case, I may just bare all for Cosmopolitan!"
Rosamond dissolved into giggles. "Oh, you'd look fantastic with a staple in your navel!
It sounds like something Daniel would do, with a caption that would read, 'For a good time, call Daniel!' "
John reached over and held Rosamond's hand. "What beach did you go to, Rose?"
"I went to Montauk Point. It's winding down this time of year."
"I was afraid you had run off. That I may have lost you forever. Rosamond, while you were gone I did some thinking. I made so many bad choices. Please tell me it's not too late for us."
Rosamond stood up. "John, I don't know. There will always be Daniel between us."
John stood up, too. "I was able to get past Henry."
"Daniel is your brother!"
"Not my fault or my choice."
Rosamond started to melt when John looked at her with those hazel eyes. But thoughts of Billy Bob crept into her mind.
She sat down on the bed again.
"Rose, are you all right?"
"Yes, just a little tired, I guess. I did talk to Eleanor and Bethia. They are supposed to be home in a few days."
"That's good. Things aren't the same without them. But it was especially lonely without you here."
John looked at her shyly. "Would I be out of line to suggest we go somewhere for dinner, so we can discuss our scenes tomorrow?"
Rosamond thought quickly. It would be nice to spend a nice evening away from Daniel. And John and I DO work together...
"Give me about 20 minutes to jump in the shower and change my clothes."
John grinned. "OK--oh, and as Daniel would say, '30 minutes if I join you! "
Rosamond laughed. "Just don't let Daniel know!"

Life's A Beach........by Terri

John and Rosamond were on the Long Island Expressway to a little seafood restaurant that John knew. It was a warm September night and there was a hint of the last of Indian Summer in the air. John had the top down on the Corvette.
Rosamond brushed her hair out of her face. She looked at John's profile. Darn, he was so good-looking. She bit her fingernail. What have I done? Why didn't I just leave well-enough alone? They pulled into the parking lot. John, ever the gentleman, opened Rosamond's door. They sat at a table on a deck overlooking Long Island Sound.
"However did you find such a neat restaurant, John?"
"Marty Henshaw recommended it. He said the crabcakes are fantastic."
Rosamond took a sip of water.
John said, "You should try something called a Tequila Sunrise. It's made with orange juice and tequila. Would you like to try one?"
Rosamond started to choke on her water. "Uh, sure, why not? I'll try anything once!"
John ordered a Tequila Sunrise for Rosamond and an Amstel beer for himself.
The sun was beginning to go down in the sky. A seabreeze blew through the trees, catching the smell of salt water in the air.
John looked at Rosamond. "It has been a rough few weeks for all of us, Rose. I can't apologize enough for Daniel. For bringing him here. For, well...everything. Except for maybe one thing. " he added sheepishly.
Rosamond gave him a shy smile. "Apology accepted, John."
The waiter came over and took their order. Rosamond picked at her food.
"What's the matter, Rose?"
"Oh, I'm not very hungry lately. Guess I have alot on my mind. Do you want to finish my crabcakes? I'll just eat the coleslaw."
John took the crabcake off her plate. "Honey, you don't know what you're missing! Next to Texas steak, this is the best!'
"I..I wouldn't know."
The waiter appeared. "Would you like dessert?"
"Rose?"
"No..no, thank you."
"Just the check, please."
After John had paid the check, he asked Rosamond, "Would you like to go for a walk on the beach?"
Rosamond smiled. "I'd like nothing better! The positive ions in the salt air clear the mind like nothing else!"
Rosamond and John took their shoes off. The wind was blowing briskly now and they walked in companionable silence along the shore. By now it was dark and the moon was full, illuminating the sand like diamonds. John pointed to a light far out on the Sound.
"Look over there. It's Horton's Point. Right out there is Southold but only as we know it today."
Rosamond laughed and looked over the other direction. "And there is Merrie Old England. I am so glad to be out of there. If I had stayed there, rumour has it that Eleanor would either stab or poison me!"
"You've gotten to be good friends with Eleanor and Bethia, haven't you?"
Rosamond smiled. " I don't know what I would do without them!"
"What about me?"
"I don't know what you'd do without them, either!"
John faced Rosamond in the moonlight. "That's not what I meant."
"I know."
Rosamond started to walk off. John caught up to her and put his arm around her. The sound of the waves crashing was relentless. The wind picked up.
"Rose, do you suppose we could start over? Forget about everything that has happened to us? Daniel, the spending spree, the Dew Drop Inn..."
Rosamond looked at him guiltily. Did John know where she really went...and with whom?
Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rollled.
Rosamond said, "We'd better get back. You know how these storms come up quickly in the Sound."
The waves started crashing over the seawalls. The proprietor to the restaurant was outside bringing the tables in.
"You folks heading back to the City?"
John said, "Yes, just a bit past it. Why?"
"Heard on the radio that the roads are closed. The LI Expressway, too. This storm blew out of nowhere. The roads are flooded. Tide is high and when the storm hits, it will be impassable. ' Fraid you folks are stuck here for the night. Or at least until the roads are cleared."
John looked at Rosamond and she was getting upset. "We'll have to stay here for the night?"
He turned to the proprietor, Mr. Osgood. "Do you know where we might be able to stay?"
Mr. Osgood shook his head. "All the rooms are filled up. People didn't want to be stranded."
Rosamond said, "What do we do now, John?"
Mr. Osgood rubbed his chin. "Hey, now, you look like a newlywed couple. I sure hate to see you stranded. Tell you what..I have a little beach cottage just down the road. I'll let you stay there. It's built on stilts so there will be no problem of flooding. And it's been standing for 150 years so it will stand through this one."
John looked at Rosamond. "Do we have a choice?"
Rosamond shrugged and said, "I guess not."
John turned to Mr. Osgood. "Thank you very much, sir. We accept your offer."
Mr. Osgood grinned. "Always glad to help out a young couple."
Rosamond went over to the Corvette to put the top up for John. Mr. Osgood drew a map for John and handed him couple bottles of wine, some hors d'oeuvres and said,
"This will get you through the night! Here's the key, son. Just lock up when you are done."
John said, "Mr. Osgood, I can't thank you enough. Just send me a bill."
Mr. Osgood waved him away and laughed, "First name is Jameson, just remember that when you name your firstborn son!"



"Can you see where we are going, John?" Rosamond said.
"It's pretty rough-this wind is blowing debris all over the road, " John replied.
Rosamond took a flashlight out of John's glove compartment. She looked at the map that Mr. Osgood had drawn. "Be careful! This road looks like it runs parallel to the shore. We don't want to end up in the brine. OK, here--right here, John. Turn at that old signpost. See the lighthouse? Mr. Osgood said it was 500 feet past that...and there it is! That grey clapboard house on stilts!"
John said, "We can't make it up the drive. We'll have to leave the car here. Are you ready to make a run for it, Rosamond?"
Rosamond grinned at him. "Ready when you are!"
"On the count of three. One...two..three!"
They threw the car doors open and slammed them shut as the wind caught them.
John grabbed her hand as they scrambled up the slope with the wind lashing them and the thunder rolling in. Flashes of lightning illuminated the sky.
He struggled with the key as they got drenched on the porch. Finally the key unlocked the door. John slammed the door behind him.
"At least I remembered the wine out of the car! There was no way I was going back out in that monsoon."
Rosamond stood there in the vestibule and wrung water out of her hair. John said, "Why don't you go into the bathroom and take a hot shower to warm up? I see someone left firewood by the fireplace, I will start a fire and we can dry out."
Rosamond said, "I think I will take you up on it. I am FREEZING!"
Rosamond went into the bathroom and slipped out of her clothes. John knocked on the door. "Rose, there's another bathroom at the end of the hall. I'll take a shower in that one."
"OK--I found a terrycloth robe hanging on the hook so look behind the door of the other bathroom."
The water felt hot on her chilled skin. She stood under it for about 20 minutes. There was some shampoo so she washed her hair. Bless Mrs. Osgood--if there WAS one!
Frankly, this looks like a little lovenest that Mr. Osgood kept!
She dried off with a thick terrycloth towel. She dried her hair and looked in her purse for a comb.
She went down the hall into the living room. John was sitting there on the floor with two filled glasses of wine and a roaring fire going. He had found a matching robe.
Rosamond smiled shyly. John handed her a glass of wine. All the lights were out.
"Why are the lights out, John?"
"I tried to plug them in but I guess the electricity must be out."
Rosamond went into the bathroom and flicked the lights on and off. "They are out here, too. I guess they just went out. No TV, no radio."
John smiled. "It suits me fine!" He handed her a glass of wine and patted to the pillows he had thrown on the floor. The fire was crackling.
Rosamond stretched her full length on the floor. John sat next to her.
"Mmmmm...I could get used to this!" Rosamond said.
'Want to play Monopoly?" John said, as he pulled the game board out from under the coffee table.
"No, thank you! If I never see that game again, I will die a happy woman!"
John laughed, "Oh, come on, honey--it could be alot more fun now!"
He put the game away.
"Do you realize that this is one of the few times we have spent alone, without the rest of them? It looks like we will have all night to spend together...don't look at me like that, Rose, I don't mean it the way it sounded."
"OK, then!"
"You never called me when you were in Montauk. Didn't you miss me a little?"
Rosamond sighed. "John, the whole purpose of me going was to put distance between you and me and Daniel. I just needed to get away."


John threw some more logs on the fire. The winds were still picking up and the lightning was flashing fiercely. But the beach house was stable.
He sat next to Rosamond before the fire.
"More wine?"
Rosamond held out her crystal goblet. "I'll say this for Jameson Osgood--he sure knows how to live!"
John said, "I wonder what Daniel is thinking. Both of us gone, still not home and your car is parked in the back but you aren't around."
Rosamond started to panic. "Maybe he went to work. Maybe he had plans of his own." She was worried that Billy Bob would call the Dew Drop Inn and find out from Daniel that she wasn't home. Rosamond had disabled her cellphone to keep from getting any calls. What am I doing here with John, she thought. We never did get around to discussing the scripts.
"John--we shouldn't be here. This is all wrong! I never should have come."
John stood up and pulled Rosamond to her feet. "We can't do anything about it now.
We are stuck here for the night. As far as Daniel is concerned, I would have thought you would be glad to be away from him. This is a fantastic night to make romance.
The wind is blowing and the night's magic seems to whisper and hush and all that lightning...and look what I found! A CD player that is battery operated. Jameson thought of everything. He's got all these CD's."
John bowed to Rosamond, "It's a marvelous night for a moondance. May I?"
Rosamond smiled in spite of herself. John had put on an Anita Baker CD and drew her into his arms. Rosamond put her arms around John's neck.
He sang in her ear.
"With all my heart I love you, baby
Stay with me and you will see
My arms will hold you, baby
Never leave, 'cause I believe
I'm in love...sweet love"
They kept perfect rhythm like they had been melded together for an eternity. The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. But this time they didn't even notice.

Back in Chappaqua, Daniel got in his Jeep to go to work at the Dew Drop Inn.
He saw Rosamond's car parked out back and John's gone.
"So, little darling is here all by herself without Big Brother to protect her from the Big Bad Wolf. I can spare some time. Maybe get the truth out of her about where she's been. I won't be satisfied until she admits she was in Austin. And I have the proof!"
He patted his pocket.
Daniel went up to Rosamond's room and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked louder. Still no answer. He kicked the door open with his foot. There were rumpled clothes. Her suitcase was still dumped out on the bed. And the smell of her perfume was still in the air. Daniel turned on his heel and walked out to his Jeep.
He burned rubber all down the drive, heading south on Highway 141.

John held Rosamond tight, she leaned her head against his chest. He whispered,
"I will be all that you need, Rosamond. Just trust in what we're feeling. Don't ever go away again. Don't you know this is where you belong? Everytime I touch you, I can feel you tremble inside and I know that you want me."
He lifted Rosamond's chin to meet his gaze. There was no mistaking the love that was in her eyes. He kissed her passionately and she returned his kiss.

For that moment, Austin ceased to exist.

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