Chapter 21

The trip back to Westminster did not yield any clues either, though they did get to linger longer over a few of the things mentioned in the book. Madison left with an awe and an appreciation for man's sense of perseverance. The arts and the knowledge they left behind had survived the millennium for the benefit of man kind.

"You really love all this, don't you?" Richie had been watching her silently viewing the displays, immersed in her thoughts. "It seems like you've left and went back to that time in history."

"Yes," she nodded and smiled at him, "it gives me the assurance that no matter what happens, life will go on."



They strolled back to the hotel scanning the shops when she suddenly stopped and peered inside at a window display of a jewelry store. "Do you want to go in?" Richie was curious to see what had caught her eye.

Inside the shop, Madison asked the clerk to see a certain necklace from the display. It was a gaudy piece with wirework and semi precious stones in oddly mismatched colors. Richie wondered if her taste in jewelry had changed as he watched her carefully examining it. She then smiled and handed it back to the clerk. "Thank you."

Once outside, he asked her, "do you like that necklace?"

"No, it's ugly."

This perplexed him. "Then why were you looking it over like that?"

"The clasp. It's unique. I just had to see how it was made. Sometimes even the worst piece has a bit of art in it."

*****

Back at the hotel, Madison and Richie parted ways to finish up their packing. She was looking over the room to make sure she had everything when Joanna came up to her.

"Where were you last night, Maddie? I thought you'd come with us to David's suite. You didn't even return to the room at all."

When Madison just looked at her without answering, Joanna sighed. "Look, Maddie, I'm just a little hurt that I invited you on this trip and you're spending your time with someone else."

"I'm sorry, Joanie." Madison suddenly felt guilty. "I don't mean to shut you out. I'm going to visit Rosslyn Chapel tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

"Jesus, Maddie! Not another church," Joanna was exasperated, "no, you go ahead on your little jaunts, we're going to take in the sights around the city and do some shopping. Honestly, I don't see what's so fascinating about churches, there are tons of them at home."

*****

The ride to the airport alternated between quiet reflection and the Battle of David and Kris.

"There, Vassallo, do I still look like a Shirley to you?" David had purchased some odd military hat and was modeling it for them.

"Well now, that absolutely takes all the Shirley out of you, that's for sure."

David's smug sneer quickly turned into glaring scowl when she added, "now you look like Captain Crunch," amid the hoots and laughter coming from the others.


On the plane, almost everyone had just stretched out and dozed off for the short flight when Richie pulled Jon off to the side. "What are the rooming assignments?"

"What do you mean? It's the same as London, of course. Why should it be any differ..." Jon rolled his eyes and got on the phone.

*****

A few hours later, the group found themselves at the elegant One Devonshire Gardens. "Jesus! Look at this room!" Joanna, Kris and Patti had walked into the gorgeous suite, quite happy that the management saw fit to room the friends in connecting suites. Joanna was puzzled, however, when she saw that while one room had two king sized beds, the other had only one.

"Wait a minute. Where the hell is Madison?" Joanna was puzzled and even opened the door to check if she was somehow standing out in the hall.

Kris had a pretty good idea where she would be and tried to divert Joanna's attention. "Hey, you guys! Come get a load of this bathroom. Did you ever see anything like it?" The luxurious bathroom boasted a roll top tub situated in front of a large bay window. Luxurious drapes flanked either side of the frosted panes that overlooked the lush gardens.

"Joanie? What are you doing?"

"Calling her." Richie had gotten a phone for Madison and Joanna was scrolling through her list to find the number.

Kris came and took the phone away from Joanna and shut it off. "Look, Joanie, she's a grown woman. Let her make her own mistakes, okay?" She was pretty sure, though, that this was no mistake.

"Fine. But she'd better not come crying to me when she gets her heart broken. Or worse, I better not find out that she's been putting Richie on the spot. How embarrassing would that be?"

"Joanie, if Richie is just out to break her heart, I will find something of his to break. And as for her embarrassing you, don't even worry about it. Richie is no fool. Even if he is being put on the spot, which I'm sure is not the case, he wouldn't blame you for it. Just let it go."

Joanna let out a heavy sigh and shrugged, "okay, but I hope you know what you're saying. I've known her for a long time and she's a very emotional girl. Not to mention that she's rather gullible. I'm worried that she's going to get hurt. I think she's just getting swept up in all this."

"Swept up in 'all this' what? That might be true if it was you or me, but she's not a fan. Don't forget that."

They let the subject drop when the phone rang.

"My room, ten minutes. Be prepared to lose." Kris rolled her eyes as she hung up.

"David?"

"Yep."

*****

Madison let out a gasp as she walked into the beautifully furnished suite. "I'm getting the feeling that you guys go on tours just so you can stay in places like this."

"Believe me, darlin', if we had a choice, we would choose to stay home. It gets old after a while and I really don't like being away from my family. That's why we changed our schedule, so that we'd be able to go home every few weeks."

"Who do you miss the most?"

"My daughter, Ava. As corny as it may sound, she's the light of my life. There's nothing that can compare to the feeling of having a child." His love for her was reflected in his voice as he spoke. He looked at Madison and saw the pain and longing in her eyes.

"Shit! I'm sorry, baby, I wasn't thinking." Richie rushed to her and wrapped her in his arms. "I didn't mean to hurt you, to make you remember."

"Don't," she interrupted him, "I don't want you to feel like you have to tip toe around me. Micah's death is not your fault. Don't stop cherishing your daughter because you think it will hurt me. She doesn't deserve that."

She looked up at him and continued, "I want to remember him. His smile and his quirky sense of humor. How he loved to draw.....and collect bugs. I think he did that just to freak me out." She chuckled, remembering the pranks he used to pull, laughing when she had screamed at finding a plastic roach in her jewelry box. They'd sit for hours talking while he watched her carve out her designs. She missed him like crazy and sought comfort in Richie's arms.

"Tell me about Ava."