Ongoing Tales Romance Stories in Serial~ The Gift

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By Rosalie Joyce

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Chapter Eight

A small, brown skinned man with twinkling eyes opened the door in response to Grace's light knock.

"Good morning, Missy Grace," he said, bowing slightly. "It good to see you here so early."

"How is Mr. Edwards today, Lee Wong? Feeling better than yesterday?"

"Boss, much unhappy. He not used to not working. You bring him more papers to sign, Missy Grace?"

"Yes, I've brought more papers. Will you tell him I'm here?"

"Sure, Missy Grace. You go into study and Lee Wong, he tell boss you're here."

As the little man hurried off in the direction of his employer's bedroom, Grace made her way into the spacious, but rather cluttered study that she had been visiting every day since Mr. Edward's release from the hospital.

As she sank down into the chair next to the stiff backed chair she knew her boss preferred, it was with the knowledge that today was her final visit. Except for these last contracts, all the business Mr. Edwards had been engaged in at the time of his heart attack had been sorted through and either finished by herself and Miss Perry, or else turned over to another reliable agency.

She leaned back with a sigh and shut her eyes, thinking how swiftly life could change. Where would she go now that Mr. Edwards had come to the decision that his life really was more important than his work, and was taking a few years off to let his body heal itself? No doubt she could find some position. She was, after all, good at her job, and Mr. Edwards would give her good references. But what sort of employer would she have, and how would she manage full-time employment and still find time to take care of the children?

"A penny for them, Grace."

Grace looked toward the man who stood in the doorway watching her. How he had changed! Not only had he lost weight, but he had lost the zeal, the drive that Grace had always imagined to be a part of him. Suddenly she felt ashamed of herself. Ashamed for having sat there worrying about what was going to become of her. After all, she could always find another job, it would be difficult for Mr. Edwards to make a life for himself without his work. She never would have believed she'd be feeling sorry for Alexander Edwards, but at this moment he seemed so empty so, yes, so old, that her heart went out to him.

"Not quite the man I used to be, am I?"

His words were so similar to what Grace had been thinking, his voice so bitter and depressed, that Grace found herself speaking swiftly, trying to encourage him. "But you're much improved from last time I saw you. Remember you were in a wheelchair then with Lee Wong hovering dutifully over you."

"Horrors yes! What a frustrating condition to be in! Thankfully that's over and now that I'm on my feet again, Lee Wong has realized he needn't treat me like a invalid. Have you finished the papers we talked about last time?" he asked, pulling his glasses out of his pocket as he moved to sit down in the chair next to her.

As he began to inspect the papers she had drawn out of her folder his secretary leaned back and studied the face of the man she had worked shoulder to shoulder with for so many years. No one would claim that Alexander Edwards was an outstandingly handsome man, but his square set face with its clean cut features had always given Grace a sense of security and trust that she hadn't found in any other person. His brown eyes had an intelligence behind them that made his clients trust him while his habit of coming straight to the point always seemed to get things accomplished.

It was true that he expected a lot of those who worked for him, but he had always given much more than he had asked of them.

"These seem to be all in order, Grace," he said. After signing his name at the bottom, he laid the papers down on a small table by the arm of his chair. "Funny how quickly fifteen years of work can come to an end isn't it? Confound it, Grace!" he suddenly exploded, his fist coming down hard on top of the table. "Why have I been such a blasted, thickheaded ass? I could have slowed down, could have taken time to expand my interests, but no, not me! And look where I am now. What have I gotten from all those years of keeping my nose to the grind stone? By some standards, a good deal of wealth, but nothing and no one to spend any of it on, or with. No relatives that I'd want to claim, no wife or family!"

"Mr. Edwards!" Grace cried, moved by this show of emotion from the normally reserved man. "You've made to much of a case against yourself! Why, you're still young, and now that you're not so tied up with business, you have time to find a wife and start a family of your own."

"Poppycock!" the man said with force. "I have no intention of spending my time courting the favor of some fickle young lady whose only interest, like as not, would be in my money. No, that part of my life is past."

Looking at the tired, lined face, still pale from his resent illness, Grace could think of nothing more to say.

"But I've been only thinking of myself," the man said. "What of you? I know Perry is of an age to retire, I think she only stayed on with me out of some sort of loyalty, but what of you? Off to some other employer no doubt. Do you want to stay in our same field, or do you have an urge to try something new?"

Grace found herself fidgeting with her skirt, realized what she was doing and clasped her hands together. Alexander Edwards, who always had possessed a sharp eye, must have noted her uneasiness, but he gave no indication but waited patiently for her response.

"To be truthful, my present situation has changed my ability to seek full-time employment," she said stiffly. Then remembering all his kindness down through the years, she rushed on, the words almost tripping over each other as she spoke. "You know, though perhaps you've forgotten, that when my sister, Kathy, died she left me her children to care for. I know how you hate to mix private matters with office, so I never mentioned that those same children have been demanding more and more of my time. That's why I'm at a bit of a loss as to how I should proceed. I don't feel like I can give as much time to a job as I once did, but I also need to find some sort of employment to keep the family financially afloat."

"What of that kid sister that used to drop by the office occasionally?" he asked, "Can't she care for the children while you work?"

"Pat left home shortly after the children arrived," Grace admitted.

"Jumped ship when the weather got a little rough, did she? I must admit, she never strike me as the domestic type."

"Well, the apartment is so small," Grace tried to excuse her sister, "and she isn't used to children. But now I don't quite know what's best to do. You see there are a few problems to be worked out and I'm not sure what would be the best course of action for me to take."

"Yes?" he asked with interest, his own problems for the moment, at least, forgotten. "What sort of problems?"

"Legal mostly. You see my sister and her husband had a weak spot for children. Whenever they saw a child in trouble they were there to help. Peter and Peggy, the oldest, were the children of a neighbor whose boyfriend didn't want them around. I guess the woman thought more of her man than she did the children, for she asked Stan and Kathy to raise them. Then there's James, a lively little nine year old whose mother was an unwed teen that Kathy and Stan housed until the baby was born. After the birth the girl decided she wanted to return to the streets. The baby was just in the way, so he was left behind. Debby was given to my sister a few years later by a girl who had been told about Kathy's big heart by James' mother. Then, finally, they had a baby of their own, a little girl they named Jenny, after my mother. Stan developed lung cancer and died a little over a year ago, leaving Kathy quite destitute. They managed to get by, though my sister's health suffered. Then, as I told you, she got sick and died too. Only now the woman who was watching them while Kathy was sick, has written that I have no legal claim to the children, and that if I don't send her hush money she'll get in touch with the authorities and have the children taken away from me!"

"Poppycock!" Alexander Edward's snapped angrily. "I hope you didn't give the woman anything."

"No, of course not! But what if what she says is true? The children consider themselves a family, and want to stay together, but what if the state feels I have no right to them? Or that I'm not responsible enough?"

"Yes, I see." The man began drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. "You should have come to me sooner with this, Grace."

"But I never thought that I might not be able to keep them!" Grace cried. "When I spoke with her, Kathy didn't seem to think there was any problem. The children believe there were papers that their natural mothers signed saying they turned their children over to Kathy and Stan, but I haven't been able to find anything of the like."

"Would this woman you spoke of have had access to your sister's personal possessions? Perhaps she took them."

"The children said she took things from the apartment, saying she had to sell them to help pay expenses. I certainly wouldn't put it past her to have taken legal papers too."

"Well, we won't let her win out. I'll call my lawyer, Bob Perkins, and have him get to work on this business of yours."

"Oh, Mr. Edwards, you're too kind!" Grace cried, sudden tears springing to her tired eyes.

"Not at all!" he hastened to assure. "It will help keep my mind off of my own sorry state of affairs. Now, go home, Grace and get some rest. No doubt Perkins will be getting in touch with you for added information."

Knowing how quickly Alexander Edwards worked once he had hold of something, Grace rose and hurried home to await Bob Perkins' call, which, as she had suspected, was not long in coming.

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Chapter Eight

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