Chapters (71)
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- Part One
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Part Two
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Part Three
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Part Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Part Five
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Books by Barbara Taylor Bradford
- About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-up
“Yes. She claims she’s not well and their treatments help her nervous condition and she likes to be in the mountains. The air helps her breathe better.…”
Robert’s voice trailed off when he saw the utter disbelief reflected on his friend’s face, and he shook his head, appeared nonplussed.
“What a load of codswallop that is!” Adrian exclaimed, sounding very annoyed. “She’s not really ill, not in my opinion. She’s faking it, and I wonder why? Do you have to pay all these Medallion bills?”
Robert shook his head. “No, she does that, and sometimes she stays at the Baur au Lac, my favorite hotel, and yours. However, she does have her own money.”
Adrian now looked startled and said, “I remember you mentioning the hotel ages ago, and thinking at the time that this was odd she was not actually in the clinic—”
He stopped speaking and stared into space, a reflective expression in his eyes. After a moment or two, he said slowly, “Could there be another man in Lucinda’s life? A man she meets in Zurich?”
“Or in Geneva,” Robert volunteered. “She’s sometimes there. I have to be kept informed of her whereabouts, because of the boys.”
“Here’s my point. She can afford to do a lot of things, Robert. Everyone knows her father gave her a huge trust fund and her brother Valentine as well. Money gives a woman a certain amount of freedom. Could there be another man?”
“Yes, of course. Or another woman. Or more than one man, maybe different men at different times. How would I ever know, since she’s in Zurich, Geneva or wherever? But I think she’s lost her looks. She has become faded, and tired looking. She is moody. I don’t think a man would be interested in her sexually. She’s lost it.”
“Except that she’s rich, and titled … the Lady Lucinda Lassiter, and perhaps ready to play around when she’s off her home base. And maybe she gets all dolled up.”
“What you say is true, and it’s occurred to me, although I’ve never brought it up to you, my closest friend.”
“Why not?”
“Because marriages are private, and our sort don’t discuss their marital difficulties. Also, I have no feelings for her now. Since you were my best man, you know I married her when I was twenty-nine. The boys were born within a couple of years. After that she lost interest in me and banned me from her bedroom. Eventually, I drifted totally apart from her. I’ll never understand what I did to offend her, if anything.”