Faces at the Table
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
from Chapter 1
'Where in hell have you been?' Allie could make out Stanley's angry words as he stood leaning on the veranda rail. She brought her new BMW to a screeching halt in front of the Victorian style house that had somehow become her prison.
She raced up the wooden steps, two at a time, clutching the bundle of mail, knowing she was in for it. He looked furious.
'For God's sake, Alexandra! What took you so long? Jeez, how much do I ask of you? I pick up the mail most days, after a hard day's work, and don’t make a big deal of it. I ask you to do it once in a while and you go off God knows where.'
He looked at his watch, as if to remind her that it was past his lunchtime. 'How long can it take to open a post office box and pull out the mail?' he grumbled.
Allie said nothing. She knew better; nothing she might say would make any difference. It was better to keep quiet. He'd simmer down in a minute and go back to his Saturday football game.
She followed Stanley into the house and offered him the mail, but he was not to be deterred. Being on time was very important to him, and she had knowingly and deliberately aggravated him.
Back in the house, she again offered him the stack of envelopes, but he was not through.
'Why do you do this?' he shouted above the sound of the TV. 'Why can't you keep things peaceful? It's my day off...all I want is to sit here and relax. Do you have any idea what a zoo it is at the office? People blame me for everything. When stocks go down, I'm the bad guy. Some days it gets so bad I want to scream...but I can't do that. Instead, I expect my wife to keep things peaceful here. You're doing this deliberately. I know you are.'
'I'm sorry, Stan. You never share about your job. I didn't know.' She attempted to once again hand the mail to him.
Instead of taking it, he slapped the envelopes and papers out of her hand. 'Okay,' he snapped. 'Damn it, get down there and pick that stuff up!'
Allie lifted her chin as if to defy him, but she saw that his face was turning red, his temple pulsing, and decided against it. She knelt down to gather the scattered mail and suddenly felt a hard kick on her backside. She fell forward awkwardly, feeling more foolish than hurt. She picked herself up, looked him straight in the eyes, put the mail on the end table, and then turned to leave the room. Stanley yelled after her. 'You're hopeless, you know it? And don’t bother making me any lunch. I'll get it myself.' He headed for the kitchen with on eye on the college football game.
Alexandra did not cry this time. After their last row, she had vowed to herself that she would try to keep from shedding any more tears. She climbed the plushly carpeted stairs and went into her Romanesque bathroom. She looked in the mirror, her face nearly touching the glass. She wanted to see what the stranger at the Roasted Coffee Bean had seen a little while ago, when he had asked her to join him for a cup of coffee.
She had surprised herself when she agreed to sit down with him at the sidewalk table where half the villagers were coming and going. She didn't even know his name, and he hadn't asked for hers. But they had had a relaxing time chatting about how beautiful the Santa Ynez Valley was with its fall colors, about the miniature horses that everyone found so cute, about the ostrich burgers being the new rage at the Longhorn Cafe...small talk, nothing personal.
Looking in the mirror, she noted that her naturally golden skin was pale and turning sallow. And her face seemed too thin, framed by limp, dark hair that once had been full and glossy.
Allie frowned at her image, feeling embarrassed now about the encounter with the handsome stranger. She wondered if he had liked her eyes. Only her eyes were unchanged, the same deep brown with long black lashes. 'Everything else is gone,' she quietly sighed.
She turned away and went to sit on the king-sized bed with its plush, quilted coverlet. She pondered how she and Stanley had arrived at this terrible state in their marriage. He, too, had had that same flirtatious look when he had pursued and courted her ten years ago. The more she had ignored him, the more determined he had become. It seemed as though he had savored the challenge of winning her over, knowing that her parents disapproved of their daughter marrying a non-Greek.
(342 pages)
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About the Book
A YOUNG WOMAN, TRAPPED IN A MARRIAGE OF DESPAIR AND INTRIGUE, FINDS HER MEANS OF SURVIVAL THROUGH THE CHANCE MEETING WITH A STRANGER.
Against her parents' wishes, Alexandra Comenus elopes with Stanley Whitmore, a wealthy non-Greek. The fact that Stanley does not understand the closeness that exists in the Comenus family, and that Alexandra's father does not fully accept his son-in-law sets the stage for a rocky marriage.
Stanley takes Alexandra to live in his elegant Happy Canyon home, located in the lush Santa Ynez Valley. Slowly and systematically he exerts his control to cut his wife off from her family. When he forces Alexandra to quit her teaching job, she loses that lifeline to her students and colleagues.
Ashamed to enlist the help of her family, the once pretty and vivacious Alexandra deteriorates, both physically and in spirit. It is only by chance that she meets a stranger who ultimately guides her back to normalcy and survival.
At the same time, Stanley's mysterious past unfolds, revealing a former life rife with murder and blackmail.
The twists and turns of this story take the reader on a journey of heartache, terror, and final solution, through the eyes of Alexandra.
About the Author
Helen Ambroff Reynolds, born of Russian-Armenian parents, was raised in Southern California. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley where she became Americanized, while, at the same time, retaining the traditions and values of the Old Country.
The first in her family to attend college, she earned her Bachelor's Degree from University of California at Santa Barbara, and her Master's Degree from the University of Southern California.
Ms. Reynolds taught school for thirteen years, and served as principal of the prestigious Vieja Valley School in Santa Barbara for twenty-six years.
Her husband was raised in the Masonic Children's Home in Covina, California...a completely different upbringing from hers. It is from experiencing those differences that she has drawn material for Faces at the Table.
Ms. Reynolds is the published author of Treasure of Charter Oak, which is a memoir of her husband, as well as of numerous magazine articles and newspaper columns on education. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Russia, and the Orient. She lives in the Santa Ynez Valley where she enjoys the company of Cookie and Amanda, her precious Basset Hounds.