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Zack expulsed his breath in extreme agitation. “Very well, we’ll see him first thing in the morning.”
He turned, and, taking Camille’s arm, steered her toward the elevator. They stood in silence as they watched the light above the door illuminate the numbers of the floors as it made its way up to them. They stared as if the mechanism were the most fascinating thing in the world. When the doors opened, they stepped into the cubicle, and Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Prescott rode down to the first floor without speaking, without touching, without even looking at each other.
Nine
“It’s still early yet for dinner. Did you have anything planned for this afternoon?”
Camille was so apprehensive about Zack’s unpredictable mood that she actually jumped when he asked her the question as he swung his car out of the hospital parking lot. As far as she could tell, his voice was controlled and revealed no anger.
“I… uh… I had planned to do some shopping at the mall. There are a few things I needed, but—”
“Then we’ll go shopping. Dearly asked me if I would take you out to dinner. She and Simon are busy at home moving your things into the main house.”
The corners of his mouth lifted into the semblance of a smile, and he glanced at her to see if the implications of what he’d said registered. They had—all too well. She swallowed convulsively and only nodded in response as she twisted the unfamiliar gold band around her finger.
He parked the car in the vast acreage of the parking lot, and they walked into the shopping mall whose modernity was somehow incongruous with the antique flavor of Natchez. None of the citizens seemed to mind this variance for the mall was full of shoppers. Zack took a possessive hold on Camille’s arm as they wended their way through the crowd. Would anyone have believed that this was what a couple would find to do only hours after being married?
Camille stopped short when she saw another couple coming toward them. She cried, “Rick!” and put both palms up to her face when she remembered that she had a date with him tonight! Now she was a married woman!
He appeared to be just as embarrassed as she. Did the small, black-haired young woman standing with him have anything to do with his abashment? The girl had a sweet face and big brown eyes that seemed almost liquid and held the same sadness that sometimes characterized Rick’s own.
“Hello, Rick, Laura.” Camille was glad that Zack was taking command of the situation. “Laura Wimberly, I’d like for you to meet Camille. She and I were married this afternoon. You two can be among the first to congratulate us.”
There was a momentary stunned pause. Rick looked first at Zack as if he had grown two heads, then at Camille, who expressed an apology with her eyes.
“Well, that’s great, you two!” Rick said heartily. Camille thought that his sentiment was sincere. “Zack, congratulations. Camille, best wishes. You couldn’t have found a better man than Zack Prescott. I mean that.”
“Thank you, Rick.”
“Mrs. Prescott, Rick has told me so much about you. I’m glad I’ve met you. I hope you and Zack will be very happy together.” Laura Wimberly’s voice was soft and musical. She smiled on Camille and Zack with a sincere sweetness that wrenched Camille’s heart. Was this the married woman that Zack had told her Rick was having an affair with? Somehow, these two young people didn’t fit such a tawdry image.
Laura raised her eyes to Rick’s, and Camille’s speculation that they were truly in love was confirmed when Rick returned her tender expression. He gazed lovingly down at Laura, who barely reached the middle of his chest.
“How is Mr. Wimberly, Laura?” Zack’s question was quiet and kind and full of… what? Pity?
“He’s not doing too well. I… he needed some things so Rick met… he offered to bring me out here,” she stammered in a whisper and hung her head, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.
Rick’s arm stole around her shoulders, and she leaned against him. “I guess we’d better get on with our errands. Her… Mr. Wimberly will be expecting her back soon. Congratulations again, Zack. Camille.” Rick nodded to both of them, and, after Laura said a shy good-bye, they walked away together.
Zack steered Camille toward an arbor away from the main flow of traffic and seated her on a vacant bench. He leaned forward and supported his elbows on his knees, studying his hands clasped between them.
He cleared his throat. “I’m ashamed of myself. I need to make the situation clear. Earlier today I told you that Rick was having an affair with a married woman. I intentionally made it sound ugly. I was being unfair to both him and Laura.” He sighed and rubbed his palms briskly up and down his thighs. “In the first place, I doubt that Rick O’Malley would sleep with another man’s wife, no matter how much he loved her. And in the second place, I know Laura would never commit adultery.”
Camille was uneasy. She had never seen Zack truly apologize for anything. This was a new side of him. “Tell me about them. If it’s not confidential.”
“Hell, it’s not confidential. In that, I was being honest with you. Their story keeps the town gossips supplied with new material.” He drew a deep breath and stared off into space as he began. “Rick and Laura started dating when they were in junior high school, and it was one of those romances that lasts forever. They never dated anyone else. They were an institution. It was assumed that when they graduated, they would get married. Laura’s family was… well, there is no nice word to describe them. They were trash. It’s a miracle that Laura is what she is. Anyway, her old man sold her to Jesse Wimberly. I think that old bastard gave her father a thousand dollars for her.” At Camille’s appalled gasp, Zack continued, “Yeah, incredible, isn’t it? In this, the twentieth century. This Wimberly is a reprobate, a former bootlegger, and older than any father. It hasn’t been easy for her. There are all kinds of horror stories about the way he treats her. He’s even worse than the family was.
“When she got married, Rick enlisted in the Army and volunteered for duty in Vietnam. He tried every way possible to get himself killed. He was awarded every medal for bravery—or stupidity. But in spite of himself, he lived and finally came home. I think you can figure out the rest.”
“But why doesn’t she just leave Wimberly? She and Rick belong together!”
Zack was taken aback by her vehemence, but he answered calmly. “Old Man Wimberly is sick. She’d never leave him, despite what he’s done to her. Besides, she knows how much Rick’s religion me
ans to him. She wouldn’t burden him with the guilt of taking another man’s wife even if she could get a divorce. She encourages Rick to see other women, and he does occasionally, but everyone knows where his heart is. The best they can hope for is that that old geezer will die soon. I hear he’s bedridden now.”
“That’s a terrible way to think, but I can’t help but hope that it will happen. They seemed so much in love with each other.”
“Are you upset? Were you becoming… attached to him?”
