Page 28 of The Devil Goes to Washington

Chapter 8

Sitting on the edge of a settee in the formal living room she thought no one was allowed to use, Evelyn pondered the significance of the room. With its delicately carved giltwood throughout the room contrasting with the robin’s egg blue walls and fabrics, it had a lighter but more formal feel than most of the other parts of the house. At Michael’s request, Banner had escorted her there, promising to take care of Micah while she was occupied. The butler had seemed pleased she and Michael were meeting. He had even brought in tea and cakes as if she were a guest. She couldn’t decide if this merited the foreboding feeling she had.

Evelyn had been riding an emotional rollercoaster for two days at the hospital when she finally entered the Harding home holding Micah close. She had stopped short at the sight of Michael standing in the middle of the foyer. Feet shoulder width apart, arms tightly crossed over his chest, and back rigid, he cut an imposing figure.

“Mr. Harding.”

“Evie?” She had missed how he said that with a rush of breath like a sigh, but his use of her nickname made her more wary of what was coming.

“Is there something you need? I’m rather tired, and I’m desperate for a shower.” This was an understatement when her legs were trembling from her bone-weary exhaustion.

“Is Micah ok?” Had he asked anything about her son in the months they had been married?

“He will be. Thanks for asking.” Now wasn’t the time to get into all of her woes since she felt like collapsing on the floor in front of him.

“I would like to speak with you about a few things when you are up for it. Just make sure Megan gets you on my calendar. I’ll tell her it’s a priority.”

In her room with Micah tucked in next to her, she started calculating the costs of this most recent medical emergency. Giving up, she messaged Meghan and collapsed next to her son.

“Are you well rested?” Michael’s sudden appearance pulled Evelyn from her reverie. In an unhurried stride, he crossed to where she was sitting. She thought he might hug or kiss her cheek in greeting, but he laid a bundle of files on the table before taking the seat across from her.

“As well as any mom can be, I suppose.” Her fatigue was making her delusional if she imagined he would express some affection for her before evicting them.

“Do you want anything to eat or drink?” Was what he had to say so bad that he felt the need to delay the inevitable?

“No, thank you. Honestly, this gracious politeness is making me more nervous than if you were screaming at me. Can we get this over with?” Evelyn blurted.

“I want to discuss these with you.” He gestured to the pile of documents. Emptying the manilla envelope, he spread the contents and the folders across the surface.

“Ah. What specifically do you want to know? Do I need to be prepared for another dose of vitriol or should I just go pack?” At a glance, she had recognized the jagged script etched into her memory.

“I deserve that. Probably even worse. I’m not asking you to leave.” She noticed his careful choice of words. He hadn’t said he ‘wanted her to stay.’ Perhaps his political career was worth some minor inconveniences to him.

“Are you sure? Because most people do when they learn of Micah’s health issues. They don’t want the burden of a liability.”

“Evie, I’m so sorry for all you have been through” he stated, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.

“I don’t think you realize half of what that entails.”

“Did you refuse my proposal because my father threatened you and your family?” He held the stack of notes. If he had read them, there was no point in hiding the truth.

“Yes. And no. It wasn’t just him. I didn’t care what he thought.” She leaned her head back, looking toward the ceiling, not wanting to have this conversation, even though it was long overdue.

“I know Heath was behind a lot of this. Even these past few weeks, he tried to stir up my doubts again.” He moved one of the official looking documents, she assumed it was one of many with Heath’s signature.

“Michael, don’t you understand, none of that mattered. But you said horrible, unforgivable things to me. You blindly accepted their lies, constantly proving that you didn’t trust me and had no faith in our relationship. We fought so often, I was shocked at your request for marriage.” She jabbed at the pictures in front of them, emphasizing each point.

“I’m ashamed of my behavior, Evie. My treatment of you should have been enough reason to cause you to reject me. I loved you so much it scared me. Maybe I was too insecure. I thought that if we swore ourselves to each other, all of the uncertainties would go away.”

“You told your dad all of this before you came to see me, right?” She rubbed at her temples, trying to inhibit the headache from her fatigue.

“Yeah, because I wanted to give you my mom’s engagement ring. Did he march directly over and tell you what he thought before I had even gotten there?”

“I was surprised you hadn’t passed his car on your way.”

“How often did he go after you behind my back like that?”

“As much as he thought was necessary, or every time he saw me. Whichever came first.” Mr. Harding the Third had been relentless in his efforts to break Evelyn’s spirit.