Chapter 7

Lawrence stood on the balcony off his bedroom. The light southerly breeze blew gently over his impeccably dressed body. The sun had been up for a while and he had awakened to the sense of someone occupying his bed. He had rolled over looking at the tiny blond woman that lay curled against him. He smiled. Always before he had his bed occupied by his date for the night but this time it was with his wife. Carefully, he pulled away from her and did not wish to awaken her. She needed her rest. He had leaned down and kissed her stomach and she had gently curled her fingers into his hair and stroked her fingers through his scalp and she had whispered, "What time is it?" She did had not opened her eyes.

He had leaned up to kiss her lightly on her lips and whispered. "Too early for you and our baby, go back to sleep Jennifer." She curled over into his warm spot and went into a near fetal position and he had covered her. It was finally all coming together for him. His life was about to be complete. Covering her, Lawrence slipped from the room and went to his dressing rooms. He carefully selected his suit and took his time dressing. He had a lot to do today so he could devote his time to convincing Jennifer she had fallen in love with him of her own free will.

Gregory had already given him reports of the investigation into the bombing of the abortion clinic and the authorities had identified the body as Jennifer's. That had given him pause and he smiled. "So, you are sure it can not be tied back to me?" He had looked at Gregory, then to the folder he had been handed.

"No Lawrence, they think its that radical group 'Hand to God'. Our man was sure to use only out of town professionals to make sure that all avenues were covered. They are still searching through the rubble for the body parts."

Gregory had grimaced thinking of the poor Jane Doe's body that had been stolen from the morgue. It had taken a lot to grease some palms with money to loose the paper work on the young woman that fit the same build and coloring of Jennifer. "No discovery of any body parts?" Lawrence handed him back the folder and took another.

"No nothing left, it was a pretty big explosion and the body was totally decimated. They are taking Francois word and the doctors, along with that receptionist's word that Jennifer was in that room and she died. Dr. Manning and Jack Devereux arrived on time and are there as we speak."

Lawrence smiled. "So basically all I need to do now is find a doctor that would not mind giving my bride a drug that could alter her memories to match what I tell her?" He sat down and looked at the sea that rolled its calming waves on the shoreline. He noticed the sky was a bit cloudy. "Gregory what have the weather reports been? Are we going to have a tropical storm move in?"

Lawrence was concerned; he did not need a storm creating a danger for his wife or their unborn child. "Just squalls Lawrence." Gregory had been following the weather closely from dawn. Now he studied the legal documents in front of him. "These are the Motions to Dismiss your Petition for Dissolution of Marriage Lawrence. We will have you sign off on this Order and have Jennifer's signature forged and file it with the courts in Salem and here in Alamaina." He had laid the documents on the table.

Lawrence signed on both lines, pushed the documents away noting that Jennifer's signature had already been assigned to the one for Alamaina. "Considering she is believed dead in the States, we just file the Motion to Dismiss?" He walked to the window and looked out, reaching for his cup of coffee he thought about his next business action and that would be to make an endowment in her name. "Have you started the process of making the endowment?"

Gregory had been reading some documents and saw a minor problem that would need to be dealt with. "The court will automatically dismiss it once she is pronounced dead. The endowment will be ready by week's end. Lawrence, the GenCon newest development has some minor issues. I am afraid there are some issues that could crop up and I would like your permission to deal with this directly. That way you can spend time with your wife."

Lawrence walked back into the room, set his cup down and extended his hand for the file and what Gregory had found as a problem. Glancing down at the paper work he frowned. "That could be more of a problem than you thought. Get Render on it from Salem. Then send our cleaner team in and dispose of any evidence that could link that back to us and hide it under a shell company." He closed the file handed it back to Gregory. "Now, my final question, she wants to see the wedding pictures and the other items that ties her to this house and to me. Have you arranged that?"

Gregory smiled, "Of course. They are in your den; once she has a chance to explore she will find her passport under the two names of Jennifer Horton and Katarina Von Leuschner Alamain. Her drivers license and then there will be her birth certificate, the formal arrangement between her father and your father for her hand in marriage on her twenty-fifth birthday. The rest will be up to you to convince her as to the rest of your lives together."

Lawrence's bedroom

Jennifer's dreams were mixed with so many conflicting faces. There was one that appeared to be a man around Lawrence's age with piercing blue eyes, a shock of brown hair that laid over his forehead, and a fast lip with a glib and smart retort or quip. His face was replaced with Lawrence's and when this happened and she saw this man's face that now haunted her dreams, he was always trying to harm her in some way. She saw she was in a wedding gown, and he was pretending to be a fireman and was kidnapping her from the bridal's dressing room. That face was replaced by the proud sincere face of Lawrence as he stood waiting for her to join him in front of the priest. His encouraging smile, the chaste kiss he had placed on her lips and the announcement he was a lucky man.

They faces were being switched back and forth and each time she had a glimmer of a memory of the one man she was always at odds with him or was afraid of him. There was a slap on his face and her calling him a rapist that now played out in her dreams. She curled into her pillow and gasped out. "No! No! No!" she felt the rough hands pin her to the bed, and the words being spoken over and over in her mind. "My love, my darling, my love, say you love me!" the voice was unfamiliar to her and she sat up with a gasp to feel her body gathered against the warmth of a strong chest.

She clung to the chest, her chin buried against his shoulder and she cried. "Help me, please help me!" The voice was tender and filled with love, the words were his and she opened her eyes looking into Lawrence's concerned filled dark gaze. He gently brushed the hair back from her face, his face filled with concern.

"My love it seems I have come just in time to rescue you from a horrible nightmare." She held onto him tightly closing her eyes tight, then it hit, and she pushed from him and dashed to the bathroom to throw up. He stood following her to pull her hair back and allow her to dry heave into the toilet again. Helping her to stand up and then sit her on the closed lid of the toilet he flushed it and turned to run the cold water and dampen the washcloth. With a gentleness born of practice he gently cleaned her face and handed the cloth to her to wipe her mouth.

"Sweetheart, I had them bring your toiletries in last night after you fell asleep. I will leave you to clean up and have Greta come and help you dress." He watched her nod and stand on shaky legs. Leaning weakly against the double sink with golden fixtures. "My love? Will you be all right? I can have Marie come in to check you. Marie will be your nurse until you deliver our child." His voice held that tenderness that Jennifer needed, it was so perfectly pitched and laced with loving care for her well being.

"Lawrence, please don't leave me. I don't think I can stand for long." She spoke with her head hanging down and waiting for her head to clear and her legs to quit shaking. In an instant he had swept her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed and laid her down.

"Wait here. Don't move, I will be back in a moment." He walked quickly to the door and called out, "Marie! Greta! Your mistress needs you!" Lawrence turned and walked back to the bed and sat on its edge, gently pushing her hair from her face, he lifted her and propped her up on the pillows and arranged the blanket around her. "Your nurse will be coming shortly my love. You rest for now." He looked anxiously to the door and glowered where were they?

He heard feet making a quick advance to the room, standing he glared at the two women that entered the room. "Where were you? I called you and you should have come immediately!" He was angry and it was the first time Jennifer had seen him so ruthlessly uncivil.

"Lawrence, darling. Please, it's a large house they had to have time to get here and it has been barely a minute. Calm yourself my love." She sounded so weak he turned and was at her side. Sitting his concern was written on his face and he was gently brushing her hair from her face.

"I am sorry my love but you must understand it is you I am worried about and it seemed they were not here and you needed them." He smiled tenderly then stood and turned and the look he gave the two women warned them they were in for it once they had finished with their charge. Leaning into them he hissed, "If you both need to camp outside her door then that is what you will do. Is that understood?" He straightened his jacket turned and smiled for Jennifer, "I will see you later my love." He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her forehead taking care to not touch the injured part.

Jennifer was embarrassed, "I am so sorry Marie, and you too Greta. I will speak with him. I know you got here as soon as you could. I am afraid I am not handling the morning sickness very well." She smiled and her manner was so sweet and tender that Marie and Greta were immediately attentive to her needs.

"My lady Alamain, think nothing of it. We both were in your bedroom. I was waiting for your return and Greta was cleaning your room. We had no idea that you had spent the night in Mr. Alamain's room. We are sorry we will be more attentive. The housekeeper had put me next door to your room. I can ask her to put me next door to this room if this is where you will be spending your nights."

Jennifer blushed, she had no idea she had her own bedroom. "Honestly, Marie, when we got home late last night. Lawrence brought me in here and I assumed it was where I was to sleep from now on. I am afraid my memory is not very vivid at this time. The doctors say I will be getting it back once the swelling goes down and . . . " she frowned her vision had begun to blur, then clear she sighed. "That might go away too." She had sounded annoyed.

Marie was concerned for her patient. "What might go away madam?" She leaned over to take Jennifer's pulse and then peered into her eyes and checked her respirations.

"I just had a little blurred vision, that is all. I am sure it is because of my blood pressure and the head injury. It comes briefly and goes quickly." Marie frowned.

"Is that what they told you at the hospital?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yes, all I want for now is maybe something to settle my stomach and to get dressed and perhaps out of this bed. I feel stiff from lying in bed too long." She smiled looking to Marie then to Greta.

Greta nodded slowly, "If Madam would like I can run her a warm bath, get her dressed while Marie goes to the kitchen to get you something to eat."

Lawrence's den

Jennifer dressed in a tangerine colored linen pantsuit walked slowly into her husband's den. She looked around and saw the large portrait of her and Lawrence on the wall over the fireplace. It was a large portrait of five pictures. The center portrait was of her and Lawrence on the day of their wedding standing together at the alter. Lawrence was holding her hand and making his declaration. The other four pictures were of her in her wedding dress with her flowers, her and Lawrence standing together with his father of Lawrence waiting for her at the alter and the final picture was of the priest, Lawrence, her and Leopold.

Looking around the room she saw a large ornate wedding album that was embossed with the golden script Alamain Von Leuschner. "Why does that name sound familiar?" she walked to the album lifted it and carried it to the sofa that faced the open view of the ocean and the beach. She noted the skies were grey with the threat of a rainstorm. Opening the album she began to look through the pictures and stopped, the photographer had snapped pictures of those that had attended the wedding and reception and there in the background was the face of the man she had dreamt about earlier. "Who are you?" she muttered and felt a hand squeeze her shoulder.

Having not expected to feel that touch she jerked and looked up then smiled. Lawrence had frowned at first when she jerked and tensed up, "Darling? I thought we were past this?" He stepped around to sit next to her and noticed she was no longer tense but had relaxed. "Ahh, I see you were startled. I beg your pardon my dear. I did not mean to frighten you." He leaned over and placed a light kiss on her cheek. "What are you doing?"

Jennifer smiled when he had given her the sweet kiss. "I was trying to bring back our memories. I wished that I had them instead of replications of them." She looked down at the picture of the man in the crowd. "Lawrence who is this man?" She tapped the picture with Jack Devereux. Lawrence glanced down and frowned slightly.

"My darling wife, this man is not important. He is a part of your past and I am your future." He slipped the picture from the album and made a note for Gregory to make sure any other evidence of Jack Deveraux was removed from their lives. He watched her look at the picture he held in his hand. "I had hoped to shield you from this part of your past as unpleasant as it was." He stood and assumed the tragic husband figure of having failed in keeping something from her.

"Why is this Album marked the Alamain Von Leuschner Wedding?" She looked confused and concerned because now she felt he was hiding something from her. "This marriage license says Katarina von Leuschner and Lawrence James Alamain. Yet you are calling me Jennifer. I guess I am more confused and that is not a good thing for someone that has amnesia Lawrence. Please be honest with me."

She looked down at the wedding announcements, the wedding license, and then her birth certificate and Lawrence's birth certificate all combined beautifully in the photo album of their wedding. He turned and sighed deeply laying the picture on the table in front of them. He looked down. His thoughts were working fast and now he had a plan. It was diabolical but why not he was Lawrence Alamain ruthless multi-national business mogul that had his own empire, country and now a beautiful wife at his side.

Reaching forward he looked into her eyes and the sincerity was there, it was easy to portray and allow her to see a hint of his vulnerability. "My darling, you are right we should always be honest with one another and I guess since I have all the memories of us . . . " he turned and looked to the approaching storm from the sea. "I suppose I need to fill in these curious blanks."

Jennifer studied him and waited, she was feeling a little apprehensive with all the dramatics that seemed to be playing out. "It began at your birth, you were born Katarina von Leuschner. Born to Count Henri Von Leuschner on November 2. That was the reason we were married on that day. Your father and my father were friends with vast fortunes and they wanted to in the old traditions of our countries tie our families together so he sent a coin to your father as a contact agreement to marry our families." He stood and walked to the watch the clouds build on the horizon. "You did not want an arranged marriage and neither did I. We both rebelled but in the end we met and we married."

"It can't be as simple as that, you said I had a history with this man." She pointed to the picture on the table and he turned. Looked at her and thought a moment. Walking to her he sat next to her and gathered both her hands into his hands. He looked deeply into her eyes and sighed.

"I did not want you to know this, you had a lover and I had a lover and we both separated from those lovers for obvious reasons. How was I to know that small little girl with blond pigtails and a nervous habit of brushing her hair, " He gently stroked her hair behind her ear. "How was I to know she would grow into this beautiful fantastic woman that sits before me now? That woman that had held my affection and attention's name was Carly Manning. She found someone else. I was then dedicated to accepting you as my wife. However, my love there was this man. He was your boss and he had always been pushing you and making advances on you and making your life miserable."

He took the picture and began to tear it up into small pieces. "This man hurt you Jennifer, hurt you in a way that was beyond belief." He sighed and sat back. "You were a field reporter and you assumed a television name, which was what was recommended by the news station you worked for, so you took up a persona of the roommate you had in boarding school. You shared a room with Jennifer Rose Horton. In a sense you became Jennifer Horton. You were beginning to make a name for yourself and you even reconnected with Jennifer and she was touched by your sincerity of wishing to immortalize her with your image." He looked down at her hand held in his hand and felt her fingers tighten. She looked distantly out the window.

She remembered some of these memories he was telling her had happened. She did remember boarding school and the name Katarina and Jennifer. The face in the picture always flashed in the forefront of her mind and she could feel there was an unsettledness involving this man. He was always there and it seemed he was taunting her, trying to take advantage of her. Glancing down at their hands she continued to listen. "Jennifer was a good friend to you my love, she was such a good friend that when she died, we dedicated an endowment to the Hospital where her Grandparents were an active part of the running of that hospital. I believe her father was a surgeon there and her mother was a resident physician also."

"So, you had stayed hidden from me for so long that you assumed a life as this Jennifer and when you finally came to me and we were married, you were ready to leave that life behind. But this Jack Devereux was not about to let you go without a fight. The problem was Jennifer; he wanted you more than you wanted him. He did the most unspeakable thing a man could do to a woman. I fear this Jack pressed his intentions on you and well he took you unwillingly one night. That was the night you came to me and confessed to me that you were Katarina and you were ready to become my wife."

He felt her tense and look down a flash of a memory of a body being pressed to hers the sounds of her cries of, No, please no!" Were echoing about her memory and she leaned forward and held onto Lawrence. "I remember that, oh Lawrence! I remember feeling his body pressing to mine and I begged him to not do this to let me go!" She was starting to get upset and Lawrence drug her into his arms and held onto her stroking her hair and whispering softly.

"I will never let him harm you again my love. That is why I had a guard assigned to you, to make sure he had not tried to interfere with our wedding. He was escorted from the property." Jennifer closed her eyes, she could see flashes of memories, and the ball at the New York Embassy when she was introduced and she finally met Lawrence. The ball that was held in her honor at Alamaina, there were voices in the background of dignitaries speaking to her as Katarina welcoming her and congratulating her.

Lawrence stood and walked to his desk, there lay a file, he lifted the file and walked to her side, then sat. "Here are your two driver's licenses, on for Jennifer, on for Katarina, then there was her passports in both names and her picture on both. Finally, fingerprint card with her name as Katarina von Leuschner. "Legally, you are Jennifer Alamain however under the customs of our country we married as Lawrence and Katarina. The decision of what you wish to be called is up to you."

The weather outside the window broke as he gave her the option of what she wished to be called. A flash of lightening exploded on the beach sending the sand flying up and tiny shards of freshly cooling glass formed on the beach surface. "I think Jennifer sounds more comfortable to me Lawrence, as long as you are comfortable with the name Jennifer." Her words had taken on a soft contemplative tone as she watched the rain cool the freshly formed glass on the beach. The rain lashed at the ground in a sheet of heavy wetness and for a moment Jennifer felt like that storm, filled with rage, anger and then cleansed, she felt the rain had cleansed her mind and her soul.

Lawrence was really proud of the story he had just told and was sure that Gregory had the room recorded and under surveillance so he would be able to maintain the same story. Much to Lawrence's expectations, Gregory had sat in Lawrence's office and watched the whole of this new dramatic story played out for his benefit. "You did an excellent job with that now we have a basis to build on for Dr. Turlock, he can design a memory altering drug to us on Jennifer so she will always have those memories as the truth to what Lawrence had just told her.

Reaching for the phone Gregory called the over seas operator. "GenCon Headquarters, how may I direct your call."

"I want to speak with Dr. Irvin Turlock, this is Gregory Lacoste calling."

"Yes, sir Mr. Lacoste, please hold."