La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower (19 page)

All too soon the honeymoon was over, and they left Edinburgh for the forty-five minute drive to Courtney Castle to return the car and have one final visit with Margaret and John.

They greeted Hildy and Jay warmly for their last night in Scotland. A delicious dinner was waiting for them.

Hildy was delighted with her newly acquired family. She hadn’t realized until now how alone she had felt. But that was all in the past. She was happy beyond belief.

“How was the trip?” Margaret asked them.

“Did you see everything you wanted to see?” asked John.

“Hardly,” Jay replied. “You can’t see all of Scotland in such a short time.”

“I hate to leave,” Hildy told them. “It’s so beautiful - so full of history. We’ll have to come back soon. I want to see the rest of it.”

After a pleasant evening spent in the drawing room of Courtney Castle, a place Hildy would never forget, they retired for the night, ready to rise early in the morning for their flight back to Paris as Mr. and Mrs. Jay Stuart.

CHAPTER XXVI
 

When Hildy and Jay returned to Paris, Hildy was wearing the beautiful engagement ring with the antique diamond setting and the matching wedding ring on the third finger of her left hand. But as brilliantly as they sparkled, they couldn’t match the sparkle of joy that shone in her eyes.

Jay, too, was beaming with happiness as they entered the lobby of La Grande Veue Hotel.

Hildy was wearing her dark wig and had again donned her horn-rimmed glasses. A strong feeling that Greg might still be here haunted her. So far she hadn’t been able to figure out how to explain the disguise to Jay or the accent which she hadn’t dropped while they were in Scotland, without telling him about Greg. She also didn’t know how to tell him why she wouldn’t be joining him in New York once the film was finished. How do I tell him I’m going to Boston to sue Greg without telling him who I am, and tipping Greg off?

Jenny, Peter, and Zack were all delighted at the news of the marriage. This, they felt, would be a strong safeguard for Hildy, and they could see how happy she was.

* * *

Greg had seen the announcement of the wedding in the newspaper while he was still in Nuits. What Jay did with his life was of no concern to him as long as it didn’t interfere with his plans to find and do away with Hilary.

All that matters is my life! My reputation! No way will I let Hilary spoil it! He had exhausted all possibilities of finding her in the wine country, and decided to return to Paris and follow a few leads.

* * *

One evening after the day’s work, the group planned to meet in the lobby and eat in the hotel restaurant. Hildy and Jay were the first ones down, and were stunned to see Greg approaching them.

Hildy was deeply disappointed, as her fear that he was still here became a reality. Here he was, still posing a threat to her newfound joy! Will I ever be free of him? She quickly composed herself, doing her best to hide behind her accent.

“Bon Jour, Monsieur,” she greeted him with an enthusiasm she was far from feeling.

He couldn’t have been more charming. “Congratulations on your marriage!” he said.

What a phoney! Hildy thought.

“Thank you,” Jay replied. “What are you doing here? I thought you went back to New York.”

Greg had a ready answer. “I went back,” he lied, “but they didn’t need me. Everything was going smoothly. It was a wasted trip. So I returned to Paris. There were still some places I wanted to check out that I thought might add to the production. But last night I read the script again and decided it’s fine just the way it is.”

“That’s the way I’ve felt all along,” Jay replied.

“I guess I needed a fresh viewpoint,” Greg said.

You need more than a fresh viewpoint! Hildy thought. What you really need is to stop stealing other people’s musicals! She had all she could do to keep from slapping his arrogant face. How she wished she could tell Jay what Greg was really up to!

She looked at Jay and saw suspicion of Greg’s explanation written all over his face. Is he finally seeing Greg for what he is? she wondered. She knew why Greg returned to Paris. It had nothing to do with the new musical that Greg claimed was his. No, he returned to look for her.

“How about joining us for dinner?” Jay asked Greg.

Hildy breathed a sigh of relief when Greg told them he had already eaten.

“I’m going to do some sightseeing,” he said.

But Hildy knew he was leaving to look for her. As they joined the others in the restaurant, she suddenly lost her appetite and picked at her food.

“What’s the matter?” Jay asked her. “Not hungry?”

Hildy smiled weakly. “No, not really. I guess I’m just tired.”

She hadn’t said anything to Jay, but she had been feeling a little upset in her stomach for the past few days. She attributed it to Greg’s relentless pursuit of her.

“I know just the remedy for that,” Jay said. “You need some fresh air. How about it? The streets of Paris are just coming alive. It should be fun to go for a stroll.”

“Hildy,” Zack said in a warning tone, “I think you should get some rest. You need to be fresh for the filming tomorrow.”

Peter sided with Zack. “We’re on a tight schedule,” he reminded her. “We have only a short time left here, and I need your input.”

Hildy turned to Jay. “I do need some rest. I haven’t been feeling like myself since we returned from Scotland. I hope you don’t mind. You can join me later.”

Jay was all sympathy. “I’ll go to the room with you.”

“I’ll see that she gets there safely,” Zack said. “Why don’t you stay with the others and visit?”

Jay looked offended.

“Jay,” Peter spoke up, “Jenny and I are going for a walk. Why don’t you come with us?”

* * *

After a moment’s hesitation, Jay agreed. He watched Hildy and Zack head for the elevator. As he walked out of the hotel with Jenny and Peter, he turned suddenly and faced them. “Peter, what in the world is going on? Hildy acts scared to death every time Greg is around. And Zack won’t let her out of his sight. You know I wouldn’t allow anyone to harm her. I’m her husband. Don’t you think I have a right to know what this is all about?”

“Jay - - “ Peter hesitated before answering. “All I can tell you is that Hildy’s life has been threatened. It has to do with her rising prominence as a writer and composer. That’s all I can say. Please promise me you won’t discuss this with anyone - not even Greg. Her life may depend on it.”

Jay was horrified. Hildy in danger? “Of course I promise,” he said. “But I don’t understand. You thought it was okay if she went to Scotland with me, but now, back here in France, she’s in danger. I don’t get it. What does this have to do with Greg? If I didn’t know better I’d say she’s afraid he might steal her ideas, but that’s ridiculous. Greg likes to help people, not steal from them. Who has threatened her?”

Peter’s eyes flashed with anger and he opened his mouth to answer him, but Jenny interrupted.

“Please don’t ask us any more,” she said quickly. “At least not for now. Just trust us.”

Jay didn’t like their reluctance. Why were they being so secretive? And he was worried about Hildy. “If you don’t mind,” he said, “I’ll go back to my room. I don’t want to leave Hildy alone.” He started to leave, then turned back. “Please tell me what more I can do to make sure she’s safe,” he pleaded. “You really have me worried.”

Peter looked grim. “She’ll be okay as long as you say nothing about this. I hired Zack to make sure she’s in no danger, and he’s doing a good job.”

Jay was stunned. “I thought Zack was her agent! He’s her bodyguard?!”

“Yes. But it’s very important that Greg not know about this.”

Jay was more perplexed than ever. “Why did you feel it was safe for her to go to Scotland alone with me? Without Zack?”

“She was perfectly safe with you,” Peter said. “Zack felt it was good to get her out of France for a while. We were all hoping Greg would be gone by the time you returned.”

“Then she’s in danger because of him?”

“I’ve told you all I can right now,” Peter said in a determined tone. “Please don’t ask me any more.”

Jay realized that Peter had closed the door to any further information. He threw his hands up in a gesture of frustration as he left and entered the hotel. He had almost reached the elevator when he heard his name being paged over the loud speaker. He went quickly to the nearest house phone and picked it up. “This is Jay Stuart.”

“Monsieur Stuart! I have an urgent call for you from New York. I will connect you.”

It was the stage director for “Sunny Days.”

“Jay? Finally! Where have you been? I’ve been trying for the past two weeks to get you. We need your input back here. How soon can you and Greg make it?”

Jay didn’t know what to think. “Greg told me he flew back to New York two weeks ago and you didn’t need him. Is this something new?”

There was silence on the other end, and for a moment Jay thought they had been cut off. “Hello?”

“I’m here,” the director answered. “I don’t know why he told you that. He never came back to New York. I called and asked him to, but he refused. We’re really stymied here. We need your advice on several things before we go ahead with rehearsals.”

To say that Jay was surprised would be putting it mildly. Why did Greg decide not to go back to New York when I specifically asked him to? he wondered. When the stage director told him he was needed there? Why didn’t he tell him I was in Scotland? Why did he lie to me? None of this made any sense.

The last thing Jay wanted to do right now was to leave Hildy with her in danger. “Is it really that urgent?”

“It is or I wouldn’t have called you. How soon can you get here?”

Jay stood with the phone in his hand trying to make sense of all this.

“Jay? Are you still there?” the director asked.

“Yes - yes, I’m still here,” Jay said. “I’m just trying to figure out when we can get there. We’re through here in France. I’ll make plane reservations and let you know when to expect us.”

He hung up, wondering how he was going to tell Hildy, but she was sound asleep when he entered the room. He decided to wait till morning. He moved about as quietly as he could, trying not to waken her. As he looked down at her, the idea of being separated from her even for a short time was tearing him apart. He undressed and decided to sleep in the day bed so he wouldn’t disturb her. He heard her stir, but she went right back to sleep.

Jay lay there puzzled. Why hadn’t Hildy told him Zack was her bodyguard? Did she feel she couldn’t trust him? It made him wonder - - is she keeping other secrets from me?

* * *

Greg had returned to the hotel just in time to see Jay, Peter, and Jenny in serious conversation. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his name mentioned, and hid behind a pillar as he eavesdropped. He stood there not making a sound, trying to digest what they were saying. As soon as Peter and Jenny were out of sight, he went into the bar for a drink.

He sat there sipping his Scotch on the Rocks, jiggling the ice in his glass, thinking. Suddenly it dawned on him who Hildy was! No wonder she reminded me of Hilary! he muttered. She is Hilary! She’s been right under my nose and I didn’t know it!

All the clues were there. “La Fleur Rouge” which she wrote, and her voice which should have been a dead giveaway.

What about her accent? Of course! She speaks perfect French! It would be a cinch for her to speak English with a French accent! What about her hair? His eyes widened. “A wig!” he declared out loud.

He held up his glass in a silent, triumphant toast. I’ve found her! Now all I have to do is get her away from that bodyguard - what’s his name? - Zack. So he’s not her agent! They lied about that.

What about Jay? Now that Jenny and Peter are planting doubts in his mind about me, how can I turn it around to point the finger of guilt at Hildy, and away from me? He cursed under his breath. Why did Jay have to marry her? That really louses things up.

He brushed it aside. That’s his problem. Too bad he has to get hurt in the process, but he’ll get over it. I have to protect myself - my reputation - my way of life. That’s all that matters. He ordered another Scotch on the Rocks as he tried to figure out the perfect solution.

* * *

Hildy woke the next morning feeling nauseous. I mustn’t let Greg upset me like this! Jay was still asleep as she slipped quietly into the bathroom to take her shower. By the time she was dressed, Jay was awake.

He reached out his hand to her. “Honey, there’s something I have to tell you.” He looked at the clock and jumped out of bed. “We’re running late! It’ll have to wait. I’ll be ready in five minutes.” He rushed into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Greg was the first one to join them in the lobby. He greeted them, looking very smug.

As they stood there talking, Zack got off the elevator and walked over to them, quite disturbed. “Hildy,” he chided her, “why didn’t you let me know you and Jay were ready to come to the lobby? I would have come down with you.”