#51 (Questions abound in Kingsport…)
In the days following the non-wedding of Will Montgomery and Dr. Connor Windsor, everyone in Kingsport wondered what had actually happened to make Connor run off into the abyss. Were things as bad as the leaked story in the Kingsport Press intoned? Was it true that Will was a spoiled, over privileged monster? Could it be that Connor had been kidnapped by an organized crime syndicate? No one knew for sure, but everyone had theory. The Montgomery family wasn’t speaking to the press while the Windsors were hounded day and night for comment. It was in this moment that Raquel Windsor decided that she had to speak to Alison and Charles in order to clear the air. Although Alistair Windsor advised his wife against her impulsive decision, he accompanied her to the Montgomery Estate as a throng of photographers chased them through the quiet lanes of Kingsport.
“I have nothing to say to either of you,” snapped Alison Farrell Montgomery. She stood near the window of the Smoking Room as Charles Montgomery, IV surveyed their errant guests over a glass of whisky. “I always knew your son was an egomaniac, but for him to abandon my son at the altar on their wedding day…! It’s exceedingly cruel!”
Raquel could feel sweating pouring down her body. “We didn’t know Connor wasn’t going to show up, Alison! You have to believe us!”
“I don’t have to believe anything you say, Raquel!” roared Alison.
“Alistair, we’ve been trying to console Billy for days, but it’s impossible. We both know you and Raquel are not wholly responsible for Connor’s actions, yet I don’t think it’s best for us to meet in this manner when emotions are so raw,” intoned Charles. He scanned Alistair and Raquel before adding, “What’s done is done. We’ll have to find a way to move on.”
“And to think we gave Connor a second chance after everything he did to India,” growled Alison.
“Hold on, Alison,” interrupted Alistair. “Nothing was ever proven. We all know your daughter lives in a reality of her own.”
“I won’t…” began Alison.
Alistair took Raquel by the arm and led her towards the door of the Smoking Room. “We’ll never know what really happened between Will and Connor. Something made Connor decide that he couldn’t go through with the wedding. I’m sorry for the shame it’s brought to your family and the scandal it’s brought to mine.”
Charles watched Alistair and Raquel leave the Smoking Room as he released a heavy sigh. “You needn’t’ve been so forcefully with Alistair and Raquel.”
Alison rolled her eyes. “The Windsors are not my concern; Billy is my concern, Charles.” She collapsed into an overstuffed chair and buried her head in her hands. “I can’t believe we let this happen to our little boy.”
“He’s not a little boy anymore, Alison. Billy will recover. Actually, Alistair had a point: Neither of us know what happened in Billy and Connor’s relationship which caused Connor to run off.”
“I can’t believe you’re taking their side!”
“Alison, I’m not. However, you and I both know that relationships are complicated. Connor may have had a very good reason to leave Billy at the altar. We’ll never know for sure. In the meantime, we have to be there for our son. We can’t abandon him now.”
“Go away. I don’t want to see anybody.”
India Montgomery closed the door to Will’s bedroom before she said, “I told you Connor is a very bad man. You should have believed me.”
Will wiped his eyes as he turned to his sister with stunned irritation. “Not everything is about you, India! God! I don’t even know why you’re here. Just go away.”
“You need to listen to me, Billy!”
“Get out of my room,” hissed Will.
“Billy, Connor is a bad man. What he did to you is…unforgivable…but, you will forgive him because that’s who you are, Billy. You forgive bad people all the time.”
“I’ve never forgiven you for making my entire life a living hell.”
“I only tried to love you,” simpered India. “When you took Connor from me, I didn’t hurt you. I…I didn’t hurt Connor, either. I let you have him…now it looks like karma has done the rest for me.”
“How can you say that to me?”
“Because your feelings don’t matter to me. Billy, you need to wake up! Connor never loved you. He’s said he’s loved me for years…”
“Get out of my room, India!!!!”
“And no matter how much Connor says he loves you, it will never be true! He humiliated you! If I were you, I wouldn’t be sitting in my room crying over that man. I’d thank my lucky stars I avoided a lifetime of misery with that man.”
Will’s eyes narrowed on his sister. His sister. How he hated this woman. His first conscious memory of India was of her trying to push him down the grand staircase. It only got worse from there. And now, at his lowest moment, his sister was trying to insist that he move on from Connor when she was the one who was obsessed with him. “India, I know exactly what you’re doing. You are one of the most selfish people I know!”
“I’m not selfish,” gasped India. “Billy…”
“Enough! God, I hate you. You’ve been obsessed with Connor for years. He’s never returned your sick obsession with him and now you’re trying to get me out of the picture so you can — what? — get him to love you all over again? You are twisted, India! Quite frankly, if I never spoke to you again, I’d be the happiest man alive. Now get out of my room before I do something I won’t regret!”
India stood in stunned silence that her usually meek mannered and easy to manipulate brother had bared his claws. She quietly left her brother’s bedroom suite, started down the corridor, and stopped. Maybe, just maybe, she could use this situation to her advantage. Connor was gone, but it didn’t mean he didn’t love her; it meant he didn’t love Will. And, in that moment of clarity, India knew that one day she would have the man she loved because he had shown her that Will wasn’t the Montgomery he wanted; it was her.
In our next installment, Alison places the blame on Nicholas…
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