Today, Archie would finally arrive home. His trip had been delayed twice. So many wealthy Americans who had ventured abroad before the stock market crash wanted to return home that there weren’t enough ships to carry them all. Pandora decided to meet his boat in New York.
The past few months, watching Esme scamper on the lawn with Picasso, her cornflower-blue eyes alight with pleasure, her blond curls tumbling to her shoulders, made Pandora feel even guiltier than she had before. She didn’t have a moment’s peace.
Even if she kept her secret from everyone else forever, she had to tell Archie. Esme needed a father, and Archie deserved to know he had a wonderful daughter. She couldn’t wait to see him. She had missed him, their easy banter, their long chats over glasses of lemonade in the kitchen.
After she dropped Esme at Blythdale with Adele, she hurried back to Riverview to get dressed. As she was getting ready to go, a car pulled into the driveway, and Archie appeared in the entry. He had a green scarf knotted around his neck, and he wore driving gloves.
Pandora’s mouth dropped open. She had forgotten how just seeing Archie made her happy. He looked more mature than when he’d left for England. He no longer wore his hair flopping over his forehead; instead, he had cut it short. The sloppy vests and baggy trousers he used to wear had been replaced by a pullover sweater and pleated pants. But the boyish smile when he saw her and the twinkle in his blue-gray eyes were the same.
He picked her up and twirled her around.
“What are you doing here?” She gasped when he put her down. “I was going to come to the dock to meet you.”
“My ship docked early,” he grumbled. “I was one of the few passengers who had no one to greet them. All the women standing on the ship’s deck felt sorry for me.”
“They probably thought no one was there to pick you up because you broke the hearts of all the girls you left behind,” she teased.
“I was very well behaved on the ship,” he protested with a grin. “Though there was an Italian countess who tried to coax me into her cabin. I told her I was engaged, and she said Americans are so puritan.”
“How is Lucy?” Pandora inquired.
“I haven’t seen her yet.” Archie shrugged. “Lucy and her aunt spent a lot of time in London before Lucy’s father grew ill, but we haven’t seen each other in a while.”
His eyes traveled over Pandora’s navy-and-white dress from Jean Patou’s collection.
“I want to hear about you. Look at you, with that chic French haircut and those elegant clothes. You’re not the Pandora Carmichael I remember.”
“If you had come to Paris, you would have seen my haircut for yourself.” She touched her hair.
“You could have come to London,” he shot back. “I sent half a dozen letters to the French Riviera, but you never replied. I even offered to visit; I thought you didn’t want to see me.”
“I never received them,” Pandora said in surprise. “Suzanne receives so much fan mail and letters from people wanting something, she often dumps the whole lot in the garbage.”
Pandora felt a small jolt of happiness. Archie had written to her.
“I always want to see you,” she added.
She had a lump in her throat, and she felt like she had as a child, arriving at Riverview for the first time. Archie had been sitting in the kitchen then, and he’d immediately cut another slice of Esther’s chocolate cake for her. They ate companionably at the table while Archie told her about Virginia and his dog, Speckles, and his favorite tree for climbing.
What would have happened if he had come to Paris? What would Archie have thought of Maurice, and would he have noticed how Pandora had changed? None of that mattered now; they were both home.
“I want to hear all about England,” she said happily.
He took her arm and led her into the kitchen. He told her about his time in London, and Pandora told him about Paris and the orders from Lord & Taylor and all the other department stores.
“Lord & Taylor is lucky to have you,” he said. “I’ll drive to New York to see the window display. And I’ll buy one of every item they sell.”
Pandora smiled. Archie had always been so supportive.
“I can’t wait to meet Esme. I brought her something; I’ll go get it.”
Archie disappeared, and Pandora sipped her cup of tea. It was so easy being with Archie. She had missed him more than she thought. She had to tell him about Esme. There was no reason to put it off. Even if Archie got angry with her, this wasn’t about Pandora. It was about being honest with the two people who were so important to her.
“It’s a musical bear.” Archie set the teddy bear on the counter. “You wind it up and it plays ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic.’ It’s all the rage in London.”
“Esme will love it.” Pandora smiled at the bear. “There’s something I want to talk about, something you should know.”
Pandora took a deep breath, and then told Archie how Harley admitted that he was homosexual days before the wedding, how they came to an agreement and decided to still get married. Pandora would have the money and social status to open her boutique, and in return, Harley would have a life protected from scandal.
“Harley and I loved each other, we both wanted to make it work.” She fiddled with her teacup. “But it was still a shock. I never meant for our night together to happen. Then I found you in the study, and just once I wanted to make love with someone who desired me.” She glanced at Archie to see his reaction. “Then I went to see Dr. Bancroft and found out I was pregnant with Esme.”
Archie’s brow was furrowed, and his eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them.
“What did Harley believe about Esme?”
“There was a night on the honeymoon when he’d been drinking,” she said evasively. “Harley thought we conceived Esme then, but the marriage wasn’t actually consummated.”
Archie clenched his hands into fists. He paced around the kitchen.
“Why did you choose me? Did you ever think about my feelings?” he barked. “And why didn’t you tell me that you were pregnant?”
“I wanted to, but it didn’t seem right. You had just gotten engaged to Lucy, and I was determined to stay married.”
Archie set his plate in the sink.
“This has been very enlightening.” He turned to Pandora. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”
“Where are you going?”
He wrapped his scarf around his neck.
“You’re not the only one with commitments. I’m going to see Lucy, and then I’m going to sleep at the townhouse in New York.” Without another word, he strode out the door.
After Archie left, Pandora went out to the cottage. She had never seen Archie so hurt and angry. She had tried to explain why she’d kept Esme’s parentage a secret from him. She wondered if there could be another reason that he was so hurt. Could Archie have feelings for her? That was impossible. Ever since Pandora had arrived at Riverview as a child, she and Archie and Virginia had been inseparable. She remembered the leaves she and Archie used to collect. The ones they had written wishes on and kept in an old shoe box. But the wishes had been childish and innocent.