chapter 13. the notorious black widow spinning her web
1218 Words
Despite feeling edgy when she went to bed, Ursula slept deeply and woke in a cheerful frame of mind.
She had been sily to let that man work her into a state of nerves, but she would try to avoid him in the future. Charles could handle all the details of selling the stock.
Humming to herself, she fed Samantha and praised the puppies to their proud mother, then made toast for herself. She had not acquired the English habit of tea, so instead she drank coffee; she
was lingering over the second cup when Sallie rapped on the Window of the back door. Ursula got up to unlock the door and let her in, and she noticed
the worried frown that marred Sallie's usually smiling face. Sallie held a folded section of newspaper.
"Is anything wrong? asked Ursula . "But before you tell me, would you like a cup of coffee?
Sallie made a face. "Coffee, my girl? You're not civilized yet! No, Ursula , I think you should see this.
"It's a nasty piece, and just when all of that business was beginning to die down. I wouldn't have brought it over, Joel thought I shouldn't, but-well, you'be hit with it when you go out, and I thought it would be better for you to see it privately,"
Ursula held out her hand wordlessly for the paper, but she already knew what it was. Sallie had folded it.to the gossip and society pages, and there were two
photographs there. One, of course, was of Prince Williams kissing her. She noticed dispassionately that it was a
good picture, Prince William so dark and strong, she much slighter in build, their mouths clinging together over the table. The other photo was the one taken when
they had been leaving and Prince Williams had had his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her with an
expression that made her shiver. Raw hunger was evident in his face in that photo, and remembering.what had happened when he brought her home
made her wonder a new that he had stopped when she became frightened.
But Sallie was pointing to the column under the photos and sat down at the table to read it. It was a witty, sophisticated column, tart in places, but
at one point the columnist became purringly vicious.
Nausea welled in her as she skimmed over the lines of print:
London's notorious Black Widow was observed spinning her web over another helpless and adoring victim last night; the elusive Greek billionaire Prince Williams Hilton appeared to be completely captivated by the Widow's charm. Can it be that she has exhausted the funds left to her by her late husband, the esteemed
Robert Stanton? Certainly Prince Williams is able to maintain
her in her accustomed style, yet from all reports this man may not be as easy to capture as she found her first husband. One wonders just who will be the victor in the end. The Widow seems to stop at nothing-but neither....does her chosen prey. We will observe with interest.
Ursula dropped the paper onto the table and sat staring blindly across the room. She shouldn't let it bother her, she had been expecting this to happen.
And certainly she should be accustomed to it, after five years, but it seemed that rather than becoming hardened, she was more sensitive now than she had
been years ago. Then she had had Robert to buffer.her, to ease the pain and make her laugh, but now she had no one. Any pain she suffered was suffered
alone. The Black Widow-that phrase had been coined immediately after Robert's death, and it had stuck. Before that they had at least referred to her by name.
The cutting little bits had always been nasty but stopped short of libel, not that she would ever have pursued the matter. The publicity involved in a suit would have been even nastier, and she would rather live a quiet life, with her few friends and small pleasures. She would even have returned to the
States if it hadn't been for Robert's business interests, but she wanted to see to them and use the knowledge Robert had given her. Robert would
have wanted that, too, she knew.
Sallie was watching her anxiously, so Ursula pulled a deep, shuddering breath into her lungs and forced herself to speak.
"Well, that was certainly a Vicious bit, wasn't it? I had almost forgotten how really rotten it can be. . . . But I won't make the mistake of going out again. It isn't worth it."
"But you can't hide away all your life, protestedSallie, "You're so young; it isn't fair to treat you like-like a leper!"
A leper......what an appalling thought! Yet Sallie wasn't so wrong, even though Ursula had yet to be stoned out of town. She was still welcome in very few homes.
Sallie cast about for a different subject, for although Ursula was trying to act casual about the whole matter, her face had gone pale and she looked
stricken. Sallie jabbed the photo in the newspaper and said,
"What about this dish, Ursula ? He's a gorgeous man! When did you meet him?
the most powerful Prince of Greek.
"What? Ursula looked down and two spots of color came back to her cheeks as she gazed at the photo ot Prince Williams kissing her.
"Oh..actually, only met him yesterday."
"Wow! He certainly is a fast worker! He looks the strong, masterful type, and his reputation is mind-boggling. What's he like?"
"Strong, masterful, and mind-boggling," Ursula sighed. "Just like you said. I hope I don't have to meet with him again."
"You' ve mush in your head!" exclaimed Salie indignantly. "Honestly, Ursula , you are unbelievable Most women would give their right arm to go out.with a man like that, rich and handsome, Royalty and you aren't interested."
"But then, I'm wary of rich men," Ursula replied Softly.You've seen an example of what would be said, and I don't think I could go through that again."
"Oh! I'm sorry, love," said Sallie. "I didn't think. But-just think! Prince Williams !
Ursula didn't want to think of Prince Williams ; she wantednto forget the entire night. Looking at her friend
Pale, closed face, Sallie patted her shoulder and slipped away.
Ursula sat for a time at the table, her
mind blank, but when she stood up to place her cup and saucer in the sink, it suddenly became more than she could handle and the tears fell freely.
When the bout of weeping ended, she was hausted from the force of it and she wandered into the living room to lie down on the sofa, but that
reminded her of Prince Williams lying there with her, and instead she collapsed into a chair, puling her feet up
into the seat and wrapping her robe about her legs.
She felt dead, empty inside, and when the phone rang, she stared at it dumbly for a long moment
before she lifted the cell phone . "Hello," she said dully.
"Ursula. Have you...... She took the phone away from her ear when she
heard the deep voice, and lentlessly let it drop back onto the table . No, she couldn't talk to him now she hurt too deeply.
- Writer
