Gypsy Lady (56 page)

An
exclamation of concern on his lips, Jason started forward, as did Adam, but it
was Guy who reached the still figure in the doorway first. With a hand that
visibly shook, he guided her blind steps to a low couch. Oblivious to the stupefied
stares that followed them, Guy and Rachael had eyes for no one but each other,
and Guy's words drifted with painful clarity throughout the room.

"Oh, Rae!
I never—if I had only—I
had no idea you were coming
here!
Oh,
my little love, do you think I would, have caused you one minute more of
distress if it were in my power not to?"

Adam,
a horrifying suspicion taking hold in his mind, took a determined step towards
them, but Jason's hand shot out and gripped his arm. Adam flicked him an angry
glance, but Jason said softly, "I think not,
brother!
We are definitely
de trop,
and until they are both recovered, we shall have
to stifle our rampant curiosity."

Swiftly
he thrust the undecided young man from the room, and stepping into the hallway
behind him, he shut the door quietly. Facing one another, they stared with new
intensity at each other. Finally after a nerve- racking pause, Adam bit out,
"I don't believe it! It's impossible! My father was killed before she
married the earl!"

His
eyes inscrutable, Jason shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps.
But you bear an uncommon likeness to Guy, and you have my grandmother's maiden
name. Add to that their reactions to one another just now, and I should think
it would give you pause."

Baffled,
Adam clenched a fist and eyed him with smoldering blue eyes. Imperturbably
Jason returned his stare and said gently, "If it's true, there's nothing
you can do about it. And whatever the story, they took great pains to keep it
hidden—remember that!" An uneasy peace between them, Jason steered the
uncompromisingly rigid Adam to his study, and together they sat silently
waiting. Tiredly Jason ran a hand across his forehead, his thoughts
automatically planning tomorrow.

He
had to see Blood Drinker tonight. The Cherokee would naturally go with him, but
no others. He couldn't risk it—an out-and-out confrontation with Davalos was
useless as long as the Spaniard had Catherine. If only, he thought wearily, he
had said the few words it would have taken to stop her this morning. And he
cursed again the hurt pride and blazing temper that had ruled him. A knife
blade of fear in his guts, the terrifying thought burst on him that those hot,
angry words they had hurled at one another might well have been the last
Catherine would ever speak to him—that even now, she might be dead!

His
face nearly gray from the agonizing thoughts that wouldn't stop, Jason sprang
to his feet and muttered, "There are things I must see to. You can wait
here or come with me, but I warn you I won't have the time to act the polite
host." It was an ungracious invitation
but
the need not to be alone was in both men, and without a word Adam accompanied
Jason as he left the room.

Jason
achieved a certain amount of relief from his torturous thoughts as he chose
the horses to be readied and waiting at dawn and methodically saw to the
packing of the supplies that would be needed. He had to plan for every
contingency, and so in spite of the desire to ride as lightly as possible, the
pile of goods to be taken gradually grew. Morosely, Adam watched the
preparations. He had offered—indeed had almost demanded—to be allowed to
accompany Jason, but a flat negative that brooked no further argument had been
his answer. Feeling extremely young and useless, he informed his host
punctiliously that he would await him in the study.

Thoughtfully,
Jason watched him stalk off, the desire to call him back very strong. But,
no—while Adam had spirit and determination, this was not a lark for untried
youths. Blood Drinker, materializing out of the darkness, disrupted his
thought's
and turning to him Jason asked, "You've
heard?"

Gravely,
Blood Drinker nodded, "I have heard, my brother."

No
more was needed between them beyond Jason's curt, "We leave at first
light."

The
preparations complete, Jason returned to the study and found Adam idly flipping
the pages of a leather-bound volume. Desultorily they made conversation for
some minutes before the door opened and Guy, his expression revealing a variety
of emotions, stuck his head inside the room. Certainly regret and not a little
apprehension was displayed on his face but what struck both young men was the quiet
joy that blazed in the sea-green eyes. "May we come in?" Guy asked.

Nodding,
Jason watched curiously as his father, a possessive arm about her waist, led
Rachael to the leather couch. Looking considerably revived, Rachael flashed
Jason a faintly apologetic look, but she couldn't bring herself to glance at
Adam, who was standing stiffly before the brick fireplace. Guy cleared his
throat uneasily. Standing behind Rachael, his hands resting lightly on her
shoulders, he said almost defiantly, "We have something to say to you
both. You might not like it, but you're entitled to an explanation—especially
Adam."

If the situation hadn't been so serious and the other three so
intense, Jason would have burst out laughing.
Calmly, not wishing to listen to the type of beating about the bush Guy would
find necessary, he said, "I take it Adam
is
my brother?"

The
color fled Rachael's face, but bravely looking at her son for the first time,
she stared steadily at Adam and said baldly, "Yes."

Adam's
face seemed to freeze, and Rachael cried distressfully, "It wasn't like
you think! We
thought
the marriage was
valid."

Jason,
his eyes hard, locked glances with his father and ground out harshly,
"Your marriage to my mother must have taken place some years before you
met Rachael. How did you explain her away? And me?"

His
hand tightening on Rachael's shoulders, Guy's gaze encompassed both waiting
men, and bluntly he stated, "My marriage to Antonia was a terrible
mistake. I stood it for as long as I could, and finally we
both
agreed to separate. We discussed it at length and
decided that, while shocking and dreadful, a divorce was the only answer open
to us."

Looking
at Jason, Guy unconsciously pleaded, "You must believe me when I say that
we were miserable with each other! Antonia agreed wholeheartedly with the idea
of divorce—it was not solely at my instigation!"

Jason
regarded him quietly and shrugged his shoulders. "Your relations with
Antonia are your business—you owe me no explanation about them!"

Controlling
his temper, Guy remarked stiffly, "Why thank you. Your kindness nearly
unmans me."

"Did
you get a divorce?" Adam broke in abruptly, and Guy shook his head slowly,
his eyes never leaving the features that were like a younger image of his own.
"When I finally left for England, Antonia was in agreement with me. We had
decided that in order to cause as little a scandal as possible, she would
return to New Orleans, and I would see to the distasteful details in England.
It was to be done quietly and discreetly." His voice growing bitter, he
continued, "And if Antonia hadn't changed her mind, it would have been
done and over with."

"And
while the lawyers were busy with their incessant legal work you met
Rachael?" Jason probed.

Guy's
eyes softened miraculously as they looked down
at
her.
"Yes.
I
was friends with the earl
of Mount, and he invited me down to Cornwall for a while. It was there that I
met Rachael, his youngest cousin."

Astonished
at that disclosure, Jason's thick black eyebrows flew up. Guy, seeing his
surprised expression added grimly, "Oh,
yes,
that
relationship
helped enormously when the time came to cover up the whole ugly
situation."

Adam,
his gaze riveted painfully on Guy, demanded, "Are you saying you
seduced
my mother?"

Unable
to remain silent a moment longer, Rachael sprang up and ran to her son.
"Listen to me Adam!" she begged. "The day before he left for
Cornwall, Guy had received a note from the lawyer stating that the divorce was
completed. It surprised him because everything had gone so quickly and smoothly.
He meant to go round and see his lawyer the second he returned, just to make
certain. But the important thing for you to remember is he
thought
he was a free man!"

Gently,
Adam disengaged her clasp on his arm. His smile a little strained, he soothed,
"There's a love now. Just sit down and don't look so worried. Whatever happened,
I'm on your side!" Looking uncertain, Rachael sank back down, her hands
clasped tightly in her lap.

Aware
that he was being judged by
both
his
sons, Guy said simply, "It's true. I did believe I was free. And before I
offered my hand and heart to another woman, I would have checked further, even
though there was no reason not to believe the lawyer's scribbled note—but I had
fallen deeply in love with Rachael and her parents were on the verge of
thrusting her into marriage with the vicar's son."

"You
see," Rachael added painfully, "we were the poor cousins, and mama
and papa were overjoyed at receiving a respectable offer for me. We never could
have afforded a season in London or anything like that."

"When
I learned what was happening," Guy said, "I instantly approached
Rachael's parents, but they insisted that no daughter of theirs would marry a
divorced man, no matter how much he had to offer. So—we eloped."

"To Gretna Green?"
Jason
inquired.

Guy
nodded. "It had to be. Rachael was only seventeen."

"And?"
prompted Jason when Guy showed a tendency to falter.

Taking
a deep breath, Guy stated, "And we remained there. Scotland is beautiful,
and we were in love. There was no reason to return." Guy moved closer to
Rachael, and she encouraged him with a small, unhappy smile and reached for his
hand. A bleak note in his speech, he continued, "Jason, I was happier
then, than I have ever been in my entire life, before or since, and when Rachael
told me she was to have our child my joy knew no bounds."

Guy
paused and looked levelly at Adam's white face. "I loved you, boy, even
though I could not acknowledge you."

"You
see," Rachael whispered, "the lawyer had made a mistake. And when it
was discovered, Guy was not in London, so the lawyer saw Roxbury."

Jason's
eyes opened very wide, and he asked stupidly, "Roxbury?
My
uncle?"

"You
forget, he's also my brother," Guy reminded him testily. "The lawyer
did what he thought
best
. Roxbury knew I'd gone to
Cornwall for a month or so, and when I didn't return he merely assumed I had
extended my stay. Certainly, he never suspected that I had met someone, fallen
in love, and remarried. But even if he had acted immediately, it would have
done no good because by that time Rachael and I were already married and living
in Scotland."

A low
whistle of dismay came from Jason, and Adam asked helplessly, "When you
did find out the truth, why didn't you proceed with the divorce?"

"Because,"
Guy announced bleakly, "Antonia not only changed her mind, she came to
England to stop the divorce!" He laughed harshly. "Oh, she didn't
want me. She still wanted a separation. She had just decided it wouldn't be a
good thing to be a divorced woman!"

Knowing
his mother, Jason could well believe Guy's harsh opinion of her, and pityingly
he looked at Rachael. What a ghastly situation it must have been.

Tiredly,
Guy finished the tale. "When the mix-up was discovered, the earl and
Roxbury decided between themselves to pack me off to America for good and for
Rachael to have the baby in seclusion in Scotland—the story of a husband dying
in the army was concocted to save her reputation. Before I left, I signed over
the Natchez lands for the baby—whatever its sex—and made provisions through the
earl for the lands and a sum of money to be inherited when the child reached
eighteen. Beyond that, my hands were tied. Antonia would not reconsider the
matter of a divorce even though she knew all the facts, and I pleaded with
her—God, how I pleaded! I had no grounds—not to mention the
real
scandal that would have erupted if a hint of the
true facts was to have been discovered."