A  Getaway by LynnE

Chapter 21

He had never wanted to hurt anyone, not Tim, not even Derek, as much as he wanted to hurt Peter Hopkins. And Meg, his poor darling! Ben wanted to go to her more than anything in the world. He rushed towards the ballroom floor. Mr. Gibson caught him by the arm.

"We've got to get this party going again. Help me," he hissed desperately.

Seeing Meg surrounded by helpers, and sensing he could never properly explain his presence without giving credence to Hopkins' accusations, Ben let Gibson lead him away, to the kitchen. He couldn't do anything for her now, except divert attention from her by getting dessert served.

As they went, Gibson signaled for the band to resume playing.

The music started, the waiters moved. It was like a film that had gotten stuck in a projector. Everything had stopped, then just as suddenly started again. In a moment it was as if nothing ever happened.

* * * * * * *

Meg found herself in her chair. She sat up, blinking. There was no sign of Ben. She must have been imagining it. She felt a hand on her arm. "Ben?" She turned. It was Tom Williams, his brow creased with concern.

Their tablemates were gentle, comforting. They dismissed Hopkins' charges out of hand. Dessert was served; Sir James launched into another tall tale.

Meg ate her dessert, her stomach churning. She couldn't let the world see how desperate she felt. On the outside, all was serene, but inside she felt she could never restore her equanimity. It was as badly damaged as her reputation. She thought about the heroine of her favorite novel in high school, Anna Karenina; who'd killed herself when she realized how isolated and alone she and her lover were. It always seemed to Meg a stupid and terrible ending. Now she wasn't so sure.

The Governor's speech took only a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. When it ended, she turned to Tom to ask to leave. Before she could get the words out, he excused himself and left the table.

Sir James asked Meg to dance. She tried to decline, but he insisted. "Come on, dear, let's show this lot what you're made of." Lady Leah nodded her encouragement. Meg pasted on a smile, and they took a turn around the floor in a gentle fox trot. Sir James was surprisingly light on his feet. He smiled at her, and she felt a little better. Every couple on the floor nodded approvingly as they danced by. The room relaxed.

When they returned to their table, Tom was back. "I checked. Hopkins has been tossed out and sent home with a warning about slander and disturbing the peace."

Sir James nodded, "he's finished on Bermuda, and when he sobers up he'll know it. I expect he'll be finding someplace else to be in short order."

Meg was surprised. "You mean leave the country?"

"Indeed, Meg. This is a very small, crowded island, and good manners are prized above everything. The sort of incivility Hopkins displayed tonight simply isn't tolerated here. He'll find his acquaintanceship very distant, and his business contacts dried up." Sir James thought, if he doesn't, I'll run him off myself.

Meg absorbed this information in silence. If she hadn't fired him, none of this would have happened. She regretted her part in Hopkins downfall, but it had to be done. "I feel sorry for him," she said.

Lady Leah surprised Meg with her vehemence. "Don't, he deserved what he got. He's a small-minded, loud-mouthed fool, and a bigot into the bargain. Forget him. Peter Hopkins isn't worth the energy it takes to call him to mind."

* * * * * * *

Some of the others were starting to leave. Tom leaned over and spoke in Meg's ear. "Your driver is outside. If you've had enough fun for one evening, we can go." He grinned.

"Oh yes, please!"

Meg and Tom paid their respects to the Governor and Mr. Brough. Meg hugged the Handelmans, who insisted on exchanging business cards with her and Tom, and promised to stay in touch. The cool breeze outside was a balm to her.

Safe in the back seat, Tom offered, "It's okay now, you can let it out if you want."


As things settled down for good in the kitchen, Ben ventured out. He found the ballroom slowly emptying, and Meg already gone.

Chapter 22

"Please Tom, I'd rather not go into it." Meg curled herself into the far corner of the back seat as they sped through the night.

"Okay. You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know that I don't believe a word of it, that's all." Something was wrong in her life, he could see that, but there was no way anybody was ever going to convince him that Hopkins was telling the truth.

"Tom, you deserve an explanation. I just don't have the energy right now. I'll tell you soon, I promise." I just hope you don't wind up despising me, she thought.

They pulled up at the house he'd rented. Tom got out, then turned and put his head through the open door. "Thanks for the invitation, Meg. No, I mean it," he said when she started to shake her head. "Mostly it was a great evening. What went wrong was Hopkins fault, not yours. You were really brave."

He surprised himself by taking her gloved hand and kissing it, gently. "Good night, Meg."

She fought back tears, "Good night Tom, thank you. Thank you for everything."

They drove away, leaving Tom on the front steps. He stood there for a long time after Meg drove off, hands in his pockets, thinking.


As they headed toward the Roseden, Harold Barnhart spoke at last. "Perhaps, Miss Meg, you'd like to drive around for a bit?"

"No, Mr. Barnhart, it's late. Let's just go home."

"Certainly, Miss, I just thought you might be a bit restless, after all the excitement."

She squared her shoulders. "How much do you know about what happened tonight?"

"Everything, Miss."

"I see."

"I share Mr. Williams' opinion, Miss. Everyone does. Nobody believes what Hopkins said. He's a twisted, nasty old wretch. I wouldn't take his word for the time of day," he added firmly.

Meg was deeply moved. "Everyone has been so kind. I don't know what to do to repay you."

"Just be happy, Miss. That's all your friends wish for you."

If only it were as easy as wishing, she thought.

* * * * * * *

"Did you see the young lady in the pink gown?" Ben asked anxiously. The ballroom was empty of guests, and the staff was picking up the remains of the banquet.

"The one the old drunk went off on? Oh, she's long gone." The waiter replied. "Poor little thing, l bet it was all she could do to hold herself together. She was here through the guv'nor's speech, and then they were off, the two of 'em, her and that chap what hit the old man. Thank goodness she had somebody to look after her." He shook his head, "Poor kid," he repeated, "what a hell of a spot to be in." He hefted his tray and headed for the kitchen.

A hell of a spot, Ben agreed, and I'm the one who put her there.

He had to find her, to do something to try and fix this. When Mr. Gibson came out with his pay, Ben was nowhere to be found.

* * * * * * *

Tom Williams lay wide awake in bed, wondering if he should have stayed with her. He wanted to make things all right for Meg. But why? Why did it matter so much to him?

Was he falling in love?

It had been two and a half years since Janet died. In all that time, Tom hadn't even looked at a woman. They'd married just out of high school, and they were so happy together, it was like a dream. They'd built their own little world, just each other and the family.

That world was shattered when some whiskey-soaked bastard decided to drive home one afternoon instead of calling a cab. Tom never even got to say goodbye. Gillian was five and a half, Maggie two and a half, Lissa still in diapers.

He'd spent the next years in a haze. All he did was work and look after his girls. He had no life of his own, and he didn't want one, because it was so damn empty in his heart. And now?

Chapter 23

Mr. Barnhart had been right after all. Meg got as far as the front porch after bidding him good night, and realized she was too restless to go in and try to sleep. The night was mild, the moon was full, hanging just over the horizon. It was light enough to see, so Meg decided on a walk. She'd seen so little of Bermuda since she'd arrived.

The area around the Roseden consisted of big old houses, with handsome details. Meg noticed a number of the houses had pretty circular gates in front of them. As she strolled past one of them, a voice hailed her from the shadows.

"Hey, Meg!" She peered into the gloom. It was Frank and Cathy Wright, Texans on their honeymoon, also guests at the Roseden.

Meg was pleased to see familiar faces. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Just making sure," Frank grinned, pointing to a little sign. It read: If you kiss your beloved in the moon gate, you will never be apart. "We're going home tomorrow."

"Aww. I was hoping to get to know you better."

Cathy hugged her. "Me, too, Meg, but we're taking off first thing in the morning. Got to get back to work, and we've got a household to set up."

"Yeah," Frank agreed. "All this honeymoon stuff is great, but real life is what matters. Can't live in a dream world forever, after all."

"How true," Meg agreed ruefully.

"Time for some shut-eye, Cath. Meg, want to come back with us?"

She declined. "Y'know, I'm still hyper, from the party. I think I'll walk some more."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Frank asked. "It's pretty late."

"Hey, this is Bermuda. Nothing bad happens here, you know that," Meg reassured him.

They said their good-byes, and Meg walked on alone. There was silence except for the chirping of crickets. Meg tried to absorb the serenity around her, to forget the evening's turmoil. But the sound of Peter Hopkins voice kept echoing in her head:

"…what you really are…really are…really are…a rich man's whore!…nothing but a rich man's whore!… whore!…the truth about you…the truth…the truth…the truth…the truth…"

Her pain overcame her. "Oh God, help me! What can I do? Oh Ben, where are you? Please, somebody help me!"

Meg buried her head in her hands. She leaned against the gate, sobbing.

Strong arms enfolded her. A deep voice whispered, "It's alright, my darling, I'm here."

Ben held her close. She struggled in his arms. "No, no, let me go."

He wouldn't. "It's going to be alright, Meg. We'll be together. We can fix this. You'll see. Everything will be fine, I promise."

"No it won't! Nothing will ever be alright again!" She tore herself from his grasp.

Chapter 24

Ben tried to hold her, but Meg pushed him off. They stood at opposite ends of the gate.

"Meg, I love you. You're everything to me." He tried to make her see reason.

"Maybe that was true, once, but it isn't any more." The reference to Benjy was obvious. He had no ready reply.

She went on, "I don't want to be a peripheral figure in your life. I won't be a mistress, Ben, it's too humiliating."

Meg advanced a step, "Ben, please know that I will never love anyone but you, ever." She paused, searching for words. "But I've given up too much of myself. I've let Maria and Tess invade my home. I've let my feelings, and my family's, be trampled, over and over."

Ben started to object.

"Let me finish!" Meg insisted. "Over these past few days I've missed you, very much. At times I've felt very lonely. But I've felt something else, too, something even stronger. Ben, I've felt free! I've felt like I was myself again, not just an extension of you; a person, not a possession. I've felt my energy and spirit returning to me. Until tonight.

"I'm going to get that feeling back, Ben. I'm returning to Sunset Beach when I'm finished here, and not before. I'm coming back because it's my home, not because it's yours. I'm going to find my own place. Your house is too crowded, too full of tension and bad feelings. A few stolen hours here or there is not enough to make up for that."

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She hunted in her reticule for a handkerchief and carefully wiped them away. He stood, silent, ashen, as his world collapsed.

"I'm sorry, Meg."

"I'm sorry too, Ben. But my mind is made up. If you decide you don't want to be my friend under these conditions, I'll understand."
She tiptoed down the steps and walked toward the driveway of the Roseden, leaving Ben at the moon gate. Meg walked slowly, her head high, not looking back.

Chapter 25

Ben stared after the tiny, retreating figure. All his hopes were vanishing with her. It was so quiet he could hear his heart breaking.

The little sign to the left of the gate said, "If you kiss your beloved in the moon gate, you will never be apart." Ben gripped the tracery of the gate, pulling himself to it, resting his forehead against the cool metal. He wanted to howl, to scream his pain and frustration into the night. But he was an Englishman, and this was Bermuda, more English than England, and gentlemen didn't behave that way in strangers' gateways.

After a long moment, he let go and walked up the driveway where Meg had gone. Mrs. Wynters handed him his key in cold silence, not meeting his eyes. Ben's frayed temper snapped, "Do you have something you want to say, madam?"

"Nothing whatsoever, sir," came the icy reply. She thought, how dare you make her cry.

Ben took his key and trudged up the curving stair to the Cedar Suite. As he unlocked his door, he eyed Meg's closed door, at the far side of the landing. He stepped quietly across and listened, hoping to hear movement, or her voice.

But there was only silence. He went back to his room.

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