Affairs of State(30)

She pulled off the cheesy blond wig she’d bought to keep photographers off her scent, and loosed her hair from its bun. The elevator jerked to a halt on the fifth floor. She hauled back the iron gate and stepped out onto a polished wood floor. The hallway contained three tall doors, and she was wondering which one was number 503, when one of the doors opened.

“Ariella?” The tentative voice came from a slender, pretty woman with curly light brown hair.

“Yes?” There was a question in her voice, as if she wasn’t quite sure who she was any more. She wanted to greet the woman as “Mom,” but that seemed presumptuous. Her heart beat so fast she could hardly speak. “You must be Eleanor.”

Eleanor’s hands had risen to cover her mouth as tears welled in her big green eyes. Eyes almost exactly like her own. “You’re so beautiful. Even more so than in the photos.”

“You’re sweet. And you look far too young to be the mother of a twenty-eight-year-old.” She looked like she was still in her thirties, with smooth pale skin and a girlish figure.

“I am too young to be the mother of a twenty-eight-year-old.” She shrugged and smiled. “That was the problem, really. I got pregnant when I was too young to be ready.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “And I missed out on so much.”

Eleanor seemed ready to lose it, and Ariella wanted to comfort her, but didn’t know how. She ushered her back into the room, which was a large drawing room with several graciously upholstered sofas. “Shall we sit down?”

“Oh, yes.” Eleanor pulled out a tissue and wiped her face. “I’m sorry I’m making such a fool of myself. It’s just that…I’ve waited so long for this moment and I wasn’t sure it would ever come.”

“Me, too. I can hardly believe we’re finally getting to meet.” They sat next to each other on the plush sofa, and she took Eleanor’s hands in her own and squeezed them. Her skin was cool and soft. Cold hands, warm heart. The cliché popped into her mind. “Thank you so much for coming to London to see me.”

“It’s my great pleasure. I’m too afraid to travel to the States. I feel like they’d know who I was when I go through airport security and there’d be a big to do.” Eleanor had picked up an Irish lilt to her voice. “I’m very shy, really. That’s one of the reasons why I knew I wouldn’t be good for Ted. He was always so outgoing and friendly and loved to be around people.”

Ariella realized that Ted was the man she still thought of as the president of the United States. “Was he your boyfriend?” She only knew what she’d read in the papers, and she knew from firsthand experience they weren’t always a reliable source.

Eleanor sighed. “He was. We dated our junior and senior years in high school. I was so in love!” Her soft eyes looked distant. “Even then he had big plans and intended to go away to college. He dreamed of being a Rhodes Scholar and studying abroad, and then he wanted to join the Peace Corps and travel. He always had such grand ambitions.”

“Well, he’s achieved the highest office an American can attain.”

Eleanor nodded. Her mouth tightened for a moment, her lip almost quivering. Ariella ached to put her arms around this delicate and nervous woman, but didn’t want to frighten her. “I never did really understand what he saw in me. He said he found me very peaceful.” Her eyes twinkled with the memory.

“I’m sure an energetic and outgoing man needs peace more than anyone.”

She smiled at Ariella. “Maybe so. My husband, Greg, was a quiet man. Not as exciting as Ted but a good man who I shared a happy marriage with for twenty-three years. He died of a heart attack. Far too young, he was.” Tears welled in her eyes again.

“I’m sorry. I would have liked to meet him.”

Eleanor’s gaze focused on her. “Did you tell me that you’ve never met Ted?”

Ariella swallowed and shook her head. “Not yet, but…” She paused. It sounded pathetic really. Embarrassing. How could they have gone all this time—nearly two months since the DNA test results were released—without any contact at all?

“I’m sure Ted wants to meet you. I know it in my heart.” She squeezed Ariella’s hands. “They must be keeping him from you. You must reach out to him.”

“I’ve been talking to ANS about doing a taped reunion. It should take place soon.”

“On television?” Eleanor’s eyes widened into shock.