Did he think that just because he married me that I was some sort of possession and he could treat me however he saw fit? Was I the laughing stock of all our friends? Did others know he was carrying on and talking about me at their little lemonade afternoons on the front lawn?
He was going to pay, I swore to myself. If I were going to be the laughing stock, I would give them all something more interesting to talk about.
The bastard! I hated him! That’s when I remembered… I lived with him! How could I hate him and still cook his meals, sleep in his bed? I had two choices: I could leave or I could stay and make his life a living hell.
I considered the options.
I’d left him before so, this time, I would stay. If I left, I’d only be making his cheating life that much easier. I wouldn’t be a party to that — not ever. No, this called for a calculated method of slow acid down his cheating throat. He couldn’t find out that I knew because he’d only cover his tracks that much better. I had to maintain a certain amount of normalcy. Beat him at his own psychological game.
I knew just where to begin.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Auggie
When Worth came home that night, I had Betsy tell him I wasn’t feeling well and would be sleeping in a guest room. She was to say that I thought what I had was catching, and he shouldn’t disturb me because he might get sick too. He was so busy, he couldn’t afford to miss work.
It worked. He tapped on the door, said goodnight, and I feebly call out “Night” in return as though I was too miserable to talk. In turn, I was sitting on the bed, cross-legged with my laptop. I did, however, have the blankets pulled back and my nightshirt on in case he decided to come in anyway.
The next morning, he tapped on the door again as he left and I watched out the window as his car went down the driveway. I texted Bernie and told him to wear riding clothes and be at the house at nine a.m. He was prompt and I met him out by the show arena.
I gave him the tour and he took notes as we walked, jotting down everything I told him that still needed completion. I could tell that he was bubbling inside with anticipation at the ultimate picture of what this would all become. I knew he was a horse lover as much as I was. We formed a sort of kinship, as though we were the members of a two-man club where no one else was invited. I loved that and recognized he was a very fast learner.
My phone buzzed several times and Worth’s name came up, but I shut off the ringer and let it go to voice mail. Let him think I was still sleeping off whatever bug I’d contracted.
Bernie and I saddled horses and we set off for a ride to the back part of the property where the Steeplechase course was to be built. I was thrilled to hear of his many suggestions. He had tremendous vision when it came to the possibilities, including how to position the various outbuildings, such as restrooms, jockey locker room, and even the stables. The objective was not to block any of the beauty of the surrounding lands or the course itself, in any way. I found that I was actually learning from him which was exactly why I’d hired him.
His job description was now going to change, however.
We let our horses graze and sat in the tall grass overlooking the area where the course would be built.
“Bernie, do you have a girl?”
“A girl? You mean girlfriend?”
“Well, yes.”
He plucked a stalk of grass and bit into it. “Auggie, will it be a deal breaker if I tell you that I really don’t like girls?”
I caught on to what he was saying and broke into a grin. “No, not at all. In fact, that’s even better.”
He had been facing straight ahead, tensing for my response but now turned toward me. “Excuse me?”
I leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. “Would you like to play a role for me?”
“What role might that be?” he asked, suspicious.
“Well, let’s just say that sometimes there are certain people, husbands, shall we say, who need some lessons taught.”
He looked very serious and said, “I’m sorry, Auggie, for whatever’s happening to you. You don’t deserve to be treated any way but like a princess.”
“Well, we don’t always get what we deserve.” I twirled around and kicked at a piece of sod with the heel of my boot. “But I think he deserves to get what he earns and for the sake of my son, I’d like to ask you to play along. If you’re willing, that is?”
“Auggie, you can imagine the problems and treatment I’ve dealt with over my life. I would welcome the chance to be holding the reins just once.” His face held resentment and then delight as his mind considered the fun that lay ahead.
“I couldn’t be happier than to hear you say that!” A laugh burst out of me as I gave him a quick hug. “Now, are you a very good actor?”
“You’re talking to a guy whose own parents didn’t know until just last year. What do you think?” He smiled and those blazing white teeth sent chills of anticipation down my spine; anticipation of how jealous Worth would be.
I giggled like a kid planning an elaborate prank. “Okay, here are the ground rules. You’re to act like you’re smitten with me. Don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable, but don’t ham it up too much so that it’s a giveaway, either. You can take your cues from me, but don’t be afraid to be creative. Any money you need to spend will come from a debit card I furnish you so this won’t cost you anything. Next, remember one thing. You work for me. No one else can fire you. Not Worth — no one but me. I don’t want anyone to know about this, not even my dad or your best friend. Lastly, please take care for the time being not to show up with your personal friend anywhere that Worth might frequent. We don’t want to give away the game. If it gets too rough and you want out, just say so, okay?”
Bernie scrambled to his feet, seized the lead from his horse and executed a deep bow from the waist. “It would be my extreme pleasure to be of service to m’lady,” he mimicked and I laughed.
I stood and curtseyed as we both grinned. We were going to be very, very good friends!
***
I suggested to Bernie that he should keep a small wardrobe at the estate because we were likely to be doing a variety of different tasks, then assigned him one of the guest rooms as his own. “You might even need to sleep here from time to time,” I advised and sent him home to get his things. In the meantime, I showered and changed and by the time I was downstairs, Bernie was waiting for me, similarly attired.