Wishes by Jude Deveraux Page A

spend too much money. But he could be a tyrant over simple matters such as his dinner being late. Terel couldn’t imagine what his temper would be like if she had to prepare his dinner. She didn’t know the first thing about cooking.
    “Nellie cannot leave before I do,” Terel whispered. Under no circumstances was she going to allow Nellie to marry and leave Terel alone to take care of their father. Terel’s jaw clamped shut. If nothing else, Nellie couldn’t marry someone like Mr. Montgomery. Today was just an example of what would be said if fat, boring Nellie caught a man like that. She could hear Charlene now. “Your husband is nice, but he’s not as rich or as handsome as Nellie’s husband. Who would have thought that Nellie would get the catch of the season, all while wearing such ugly dresses? Terel, maybe you should have learned to cook.”
    No, Terel thought, she couldn’t bear the ridicule—and she intended to see that there was no reason for her to bear it.
    At six o’clock her father walked through the door, just as Terel knew he would, and she smiled, because Nellie still hadn’t returned. She pulled out her handkerchief, sniffed a few times, and went running to her father.
    “Oh, Papa,” Terel wailed, throwing her arms about his neck, “I’m so glad you’re home. I’m so very, very frightened.”
    With distaste, Charles pulled Terel’s arms from around his neck. He did not believe in physical displays of affection. “What has frightened you?”
    Terel put her handkerchief to her face. “Nellie isn’t home.”
    “Nellie isn’t home?” Charles asked in the same tone he might use to say, The earth stopped turning? “Where is she?”
    “I’m afraid to tell you. Oh, Papa, I hope our good name can overcome the scandal.”
    “Scandal? What is this?” He half pushed Terel into the dusty parlor. “Now tell me everything. Hold nothing back.”
    Terel, while giving a good show of weeping, told him all she knew and then some. “They were embracing on top of the wall! And everyone in town saw them. I wouldn’t be surprised if people canceled their contracts with you after this. Nellie cares nothing about us, only about herself. There is no dinner prepared, and upstairs is a mess.”
    Charles’s eyes widened, then he left the room to go upstairs. It was some minutes before he came down again. In spite of Terel’s theatrics, Charles understood the problem very well. He wasn’t concerned about Nellie’s scandalous behavior causing him a loss of business, for if that were possible, Terel’s behavior would have hurt his company years ago.
    It was the unpolished shoes that caused him concern. Two years ago when Nellie had wanted to marry he had persuaded her not to. He’d known what his life would be like without Nellie. If Nellie left, he’d be alone to deal with Terel’s laziness, with her refusal to do anything that didn’t directly benefit herself.
    When Charles had first met Jace Montgomery he’d known who he was. A year before someone had pointed him out as the son of the owner of Warbrooke Shipping. Charles had tried to get an introduction to him, but the man had left town before they could meet. A year later Charles had blessed his luck that, out of the blue, the man appeared and saved him from ruffians.
    Immediately Charles had started planning. What a catch he’d be for a son-in-law! Jace would connect the Grayson family with Warbrooke Shipping. Charles imagined a vast land and sea company named Grayson-Warbrooke. So Charles had started talking about his beautiful daughter and had, after hours of talk, persuaded Jace to come to dinner.
    Then everything had gone awry. Terel, as usual, hadn’t listened when Charles had told her how important Montgomery was, and so she’d turned the man over to Nellie. Heaven only knew why he was interested in Nellie, but he had been from the first.
    He can have Terel, Charles thought, but not Nellie. Or at least he couldn’t have her until