“John?”

I took a deep breath and said, “What you have to do is get a lawyer-”

“Why? You are a lawyer-”

“Listen to me. You need to make sure that this sort of thing does not happen again. Your father needs to set up a trust fund for you, and new trusts for the children that will basically transfer to all three of you the portion of his estate that you and the children would receive as an inheritance. And this trust fund needs to be set up so that you and the children will receive annual distributions, free from his control, and his manipulation, and you need to pick the fund trustee, and it will not be Peter. Do you understand?”

“I… why would he do that?”

“Well, for a consideration on your part. In other words, in exchange for something he wants from you.”

“What…? Oh…”

“You and the children need legal assurances that he can’t control your lives with his money, and in return you – and I – give him what he wants – in writing.”

“John. No…”

“Yes.”

She looked at me and I turned toward her and our eyes met. She kept staring at me, then tears ran down her cheeks.

In as firm a voice as I was able to muster, I said to her, “This is the only way, Susan, that we – you and I together – can protect the children, and protect your future as well.”

She looked away from me and wiped her eyes with her hands.

To bring this home, I stood and said, “Go back in there and tell him I am prepared to return to London – without his million dollars – but not until I have spoken to him about what he has to do for you, Edward, and Carolyn before I leave.” I assured her, “He’ll understand.”

She remained seated, still shaking her head, then she said, “The children say they don’t care…”

“They don’t. But we do.” I asked her, “Do you want Peter to be the sole beneficiary of the Stanhope fortune?”

She didn’t reply, but she didn’t have to.

I took her hand and lifted her to her feet. I suggested, “Go in the kitchen or someplace, get yourself composed, get angry, then go in there and tell him what the deal is.”

She didn’t respond.

I continued, “If he storms out, then you’re free of him and his money. But if he wants to speak to me, then we’ll work out an arrangement that loosens his grip on the money bag.”

She shook her head again, then said in a barely audible voice, “No… John… I will not let you go.”

“You – we – have no choice. Look, Susan… maybe in a year or so, after we’ve had a chance to think about this, and see how we feel-”

“No!”

“Okay, then I’ll speak to him now. Send him in here.”

“No.”

“Then I’ll go out there-”

“No… no… let me… I just need a minute…” She started to sit again, but I took her arm and moved her toward the door. I said, “It’s okay. You’re brave and you know what you have to do.”

“No… I won’t…”

I got very stern and said, “We will not sacrifice our children’s future for our own selfish-”

She pulled away from me and said, “I will not let you leave again.”

I took her by the shoulders and said, “I am leaving. But not until I put things in order here, for the children, which is what I should have done ten or twenty years ago-”

“No. John, please…”

“But I promise you, Susan… I promise that we will be together again.”

She looked at me, and tears were still running down her cheeks. She sobbed, then put her head on my shoulder and asked, “Do you promise…?”

“I do. Okay…” I moved her toward the door, and walked her out to the foyer. She turned and looked at me. I smiled and said, “Tell your father that your lawyer wants to speak to him.”

She didn’t smile, but she nodded, and I went back to the office and closed the door.

I stood there for a full minute, then sat at the desk.

I picked up a pencil and made a few notes about what I needed to cover with William. But my mind, and my heart, was not in it. Basically, I was going to negotiate a deal with him that ensured that Susan and I would never see each other again.

It was possible, I suppose, that William would reject the idea of giving up control of his money, and thus of his daughter – because what was he getting out of the deal? Certainly not Susan’s love and companionship, or the love of his grandchildren. All he was getting out of this deal was the guarantee that John and Susan Sutter would never again see each other, and I wondered if that was enough for him. Well, I guess that depended on how honest he was about his motives for ending this engagement. Did he and Charlotte really believe that Susan was making a terrible mistake? Or was this really about William’s hate for me?

Surely William realized that if he accepted this deal, then he’d not only be rid of me but also lose his daughter and his grandchildren as soon as they were financially independent. Basically, I’d turned this back on him, and put him in a no-win situation. And yet he might go for it if he were more consumed with hate for me than love for Susan, Edward, and Carolyn. I was sure, too, that Peter would pressure his father into taking the deal if it meant that Peter, too, would get his inheritance now. Then Peter could also tell Daddy to go fuck himself.

The door opened, and Susan stepped into the office. I stood and we faced each other. She said to me, “My father totally rejects your suggestion.”

“All right.” That answered at least one question.

She seemed drained, I thought, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her looking so lost and defeated by any situation.

She looked away from me and said, “But… his offer to you stands if you will accept it now, and get on the flight to London tomorrow… alone.”

“All right.” I waited for her to say something, but she didn’t, so I guess I had my answer to another question. And really, I didn’t blame her. Love, unfortunately, does not conquer all. Or, to be more kind, Susan’s love for her children – our children – overrode her love for me. And I felt the same way. Whoever said that children were hostages to fortune must have had a father-in-law like William Stanhope.

I wanted to tell Susan that without any legal guarantees for herself and the children, her father would and could do whatever he wanted with his money, including turning everything over to Peter. But that would sound self-serving, like I was trying to convince her that my leaving did not necessarily guarantee her, or the children, a financially secure life; it guaranteed her that William would continue to control her life, and probably pick her next husband for her. Maybe William wanted her to marry dead Dan’s son, Bob.

On that subject, I asked her, “What did he offer you?”

She hesitated, then said, truthfully, “A large increase in my allowance if I sold this house and moved back to Hilton Head.”

“I see.” Well, the reign of William the Dominator continues. As I said, I didn’t blame Susan, and I believed that if it was only our lives to consider, then she’d throw her parents out the door. I did not, and would not in the future, think any less of her for making this hard decision. I had already made the same decision. I said to her, “Tell him I’m leaving tomorrow. And tell him, too, that he can take his bribe and shove it up his ass.”

Susan just stood there, then dropped her eyes and said, “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be. This is our decision, not just yours.” I said, “Better yet, send him in here and I’ll tell him myself.”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t want to see you… he just wants your answer.”

“My answer is I’ll leave tomorrow if he comes into this office now.”

“I’ll tell him.” She looked at me and said, “I love you.”

“I know you do.”

“Do you love me?”

“I do.” But I can’t.

She nodded again and said, “We had this time together… and I will never forget this week.”

“Neither will I.” I suggested, “You need to get on a plane to somewhere tomorrow and get out of here until things settle down.”