Guardian to the Heiress (14 page)

“Keep your remarks to yourself,” Carol said coldly.

“She ruins men, that woman,” Troy shouted. “My mother has told me all about her. She really hates her.”

Carol didn’t respond. She was well aware of Dallas’s hatred.

They stood silently until Troy’s footsteps had died away. “I’m glad you wanted to make sure I was okay.” Carol turned to Damon.
Had he promised marriage to Amber Coleman?

It seemed to Damon her expression was very searching.

“I’m finding it hard to believe what just happened,” she said.

“It doesn’t need much explaining, Carol. Your cousin finds you extremely attractive. He doesn’t see your relationship as a barrier. I think he was seeing keeping all the money in the family.”

“Dear God!” Carol sighed. “How did he ever get to be so arrogant? Everything he wants, he gets. Did you hear what he said about my mother, the notorious con woman?”

Damon could hear the pain and the shame in her voice. “I can only assume that has a lot to do with his
mother’s jealousy of Roxanne. It borders on paranoia.”

“I suppose it does. Dallas is going to be furious Troy is being sent home.”

“If she feels so strongly, maybe she can go with him,” Damon suggested. “Your uncle can look after his guests. He doesn’t appear all that close to either his wife or his son.” He steered Carol into an armchair, turning a table lamp back on.

Carol felt enormously distressed. She was shaking but she wasn’t crying. She had defended herself very well. “All those sessions at the gym paid off.”

“I’m only sorry I didn’t have the pleasure of witnessing the way you brought him down.”

She stared up at him. “Nevertheless, he would have eventually overpowered me. I’m so glad you turned up when you did.”

“Is that the only reason you sound so unhappy?”

She shrugged. “Life’s a struggle, isn’t it, Damon? Having a lot of money doesn’t help. People don’t think you deserve it. They want to take it off you. Are you after my money, Damon?”

His expression grew taut. “To be honest, Carol, I wish you didn’t have it.”

“Really?” She thought he
meant it. But did she really know Damon as well as she thought? Did anyone even know the person closest to them? From her own experience the answer was no. Her head was saying one thing, her heart another. But hearts weren’t to be trusted. Too many hearts had seen their dreams dissolve.

“Yes, really. We’re attracted to one another. I can’t possibly be
that
wrong?”

“And I can’t possibly deny it.”

“Do you want to deny it? You have only to tell me, Carol. You’re young. You have so many issues to cope with, so much to learn. I don’t fancy putting any pressure on you. What happened, happened. I didn’t have the power to stop it. But I can and will in future. I was caught off-guard.”

He looked very much on his mettle. “Don’t get angry, Damon. I know that.”

“I hope so.” His sombre expression didn’t change. “Our attraction obviously shows. Plenty of people would be trying to figure out my ‘agenda,’ as Troy called it. You’re right about Amber Coleman—she’s a born troublemaker. She’ll do as much damage as she can. Your cousin will help her—they must keep in touch. Obviously, Troy has put doubts about me into your mind. I can only tell you Amber Coleman and I never came remotely close to discussing marriage. For that matter, I’ve never talked marriage with any woman.” He was shattered to think she mightn’t believe him. But there was nothing he could do about it if she didn’t.

“That’s not why I’m sad, Damon.”

“Then tell me. I’m being completely honest with you, Carol. I’d like you to be honest with me. What’s really causing your upset? I have a strong feeling it’s what you’ve remembered about that day in the attic when you were a little girl.”

She stared into his eyes. They were so dark, yet lustrous, as if a light were behind them. “If I tell you, you must promise me you’ll tell no one else.”

Instantly Damon the lawyer was wary. “I don’t know if I
can
promise that, Carol. Did someone harm you, God forbid?”

She covered her eyes with her hands, much like a child. “I did go up to the attic on my own,” she confided. “I wanted to explore. It’s such a marvellous place, even now. I was a very imaginative child. I did think someone might come after me—my nanny—but it wasn’t nanny and they weren’t after
me.
They wanted to be alone. As soon as I saw them, I hid behind a chest. I was just a child but I knew what was happening.” She uncovered her eyes looking up at him. Her blue eyes grew wide as she told Damon what she had seen. It was so very, very
wrong.

* * *

Breakfast was served between seven and nine. Carol stayed away the whole time. She had orange juice, tea and toast in her room. She wasn’t in the least hungry; she hadn’t had a good night. Why would she have? At long last she had discovered the truth. Was her beloved father a victim of the truth? She would die herself finding out.

Her mother and Jeff were in their room.

“What do
you
want?” Roxanne asked in surprise. She was wearing a lacy white top with white skinny jeans, her glossy dark hair drawn back from her face. She really was a beautiful woman, on the
outside.

“A talk with you, Roxanne,” Carol said, while looking at Jeff. “Do you mind, Jeff? This is private. I should warn you, afterwards I want you both to leave. You’ve had breakfast. You’re
not
staying for Christmas dinner.”

Roxanne broke into a derisive laugh.

“What’s the problem, love?” Jeff looked at his stepdaughter, his expression earnest. He really was very fond of Carol. He was only human. He couldn’t help it if he thought her a luscious little thing. But he would
never
hurt her.

“That’s between my mother and me, Jeff. If you wouldn’t mind leaving.”

Jeff shook his head. “If you want me to, I will,” he said. “You’re going to be okay?”

“Of course she is, Jeff, don’t be so stupid.” Roxanne turned on him scathingly.

“Come off it, Roxy. We all know you’re a total bitch.”

Roxanne laughed bitterly. “Divorce me, then.”

“Maybe I will.” Jeff walked to the door, shutting it hard after him.

Roxanne now turned on Carol, her anger powerful to see. “So what is it? Don’t you just love being in a position to throw your weight around?” she accused.

“There are times when I’m glad of it, Roxanne.”

“Not
Mother?
”

“You haven’t been much of a mother to me,” Carol said without emotion. “You weren’t much of a wife to my father, either. Even Jeff could leave you.”

“Do you really think I’d care?” Roxanne scoffed. “Plenty more where he came from. What is it you want to talk to me about?”

“I think you know already,” Carol said. “That day in the attic when I caught you and Uncle Maurice kissing passionately.
You—
my mother, my father’s wife—
he,
my uncle. My father was away with Poppy on a business trip.”

Roxanne’s flawless skin took on a deep flush. But she’d had time to come up with her explanation. “So you saw us?” she said as though it was of little consequence. “Nothing much happened. I can’t help it when men fall in love with me. They do it all the time.”

“Uncle Maurice
hurt
me,” Carol said, feeling the imprint of his fingers on her delicate five-year-old shoulders.

“He did not!” Roxanne rejected that out of hand. “He only dragged you out from behind that chest. He might have given you a few shakes.”

“He said if I told anyone bad things would happen to me,” Carol reminded her mother. “He shook me very hard. He made me cry. You didn’t stop him. My own mother didn’t stop him.”

“I was going to.” Roxanne tried to defend herself. “But Carol, I was in shock. If you had talked to anyone, Adam or your grandfather, think of the damage you could have done.”

“When the damage you did was just dreadful. I don’t know how you can live with it. Were you in love with Uncle Maurice?” She had to realise her uncle was even now a very handsome man.

Roxanne responded with great bitterness. “At least he was more in love with me than your father.”

“So that’s why Dallas hates you. She knew.”

“She didn’t know,” Roxanne shot back sullenly. “She guessed. We women are good at guessing, but she never, ever had proof. We were extremely careful. You were the only one to surprise us. In a way, it was your own fault. You always were a little monkey.” An odd expression flitted across her face. “Do you realise Maurice could very well be your
father?
”

Carol was so shocked she felt a pain in her chest and a tightness in her throat. “That is the most wicked
lie!” she gasped.

“Is it?” Roxanne countered, collapsing on the chintz upholstered bench at the end of the bed. “
Think,
Carol. You mightn’t be the Chancellor heiress after all.”

“For God’s sake, don’t you know?
Were you having sex with both brothers?”

Roxanne laced her long fingers together. “The short answer is, yes.
I’ve always been a highly sexed woman. Adam was always away with your grandfather, the favoured son, the one most like him. That’s the way it goes, isn’t it? Parents favour the child most like them.”

“Obviously. You never favoured
me.
There’s such a thing as DNA, you know.”

“Can they really tell the difference in the DNA of brothers?” When Roxanne looked up, she actually had tears in her eyes.

“Crocodile tears, Mother.” Roxanne was a born actor, like all narcissists. “I’m reasonably certain they can. Now you’re in your confessing mode, tell me, did you and Uncle Maurice plan on pushing my father overboard?”

Roxanne could barely collect herself. “Don’t remind me of the
worst
day of my life, Carol. Adam was the love of my life. It was a terrible accident. I was such a ninny on boats. Adam never did show me what to do in case of an accident. I never thought there could be one. He was a very experienced yachtsman. I went into a complete panic—it paralysed me. I ran down to the back of the boat to unfasten the lifebuoy but it remained attached. I started pitching everything that would float into the water for him to grab hold of. But the boat kept on going. Adam was in the water. I couldn’t swim. God! It was a ghastly experience. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. And there was more to come.”

“A lot of people didn’t believe you,” Carol supplied bleakly. She had to wait for her mother to collect herself. Roxanne appeared distraught for the first time Carol was witness to.

“There was a good reason for that. I was too beautiful and too rich. There are big downsides to both. Another thing, I keep my emotions hidden. I didn’t play the weeping widow. People demand that. I did the opposite. I had done no wrong, but I didn’t look
right.
I was condemned for that. Your grandfather acted like the hanging judge. Your so-sensitive little grandmother accused me to my face. I told her, I
swore,
I wasn’t capable of such a thing. I wasn’t capable of
murder.
”

“They say we all are, given enough provocation,” Carol said with grim horror. “Wives shoot their long-abusive husbands.”

“I’m all for that.” Roxanne pulled herself together. In her own way she was a strong woman. But in the space of minutes she looked older, more vulnerable. “I’m innocent, Carol. Believe that if nothing else. As for who your biological father is, I genuinely
don’t
know.”

“God!” Carol felt her sense of shock mounting to a mind-bending level. “But I look like my father.” She felt so sick, she thought she might pass out.

“Listen to you, Carol!” Roxanne cried out as though Carol were completely stupid. “Adam and Maurice both had deep-blue eyes and that red-setter hair. You look like
both
of them. You must know that. Unfortunately, you got your grandmother’s height. She was a fey little thing, wasn’t she? No one was surprised when she took her own life.”

Carol rallied. “Leave my grandmother out of this, Roxanne,” she said, beyond being shocked by her mother. “At least we know she
is
my grandmother. She was a lovely lady, too sensitive for the likes of you and Dallas. Think how much help two supportive daughters-in-law might have been. Instead of that, she got you two.”

“So what do we do now?” Roxanne conjectured. “As far as I’m concerned, we share this secret. You wouldn’t want to lose your grand inheritance. I wouldn’t want you to lose it. You
are
my daughter. It would all go to Maurice, that gutless wimp. He was going to divorce Dallas, you know.”

“After which you would marry him?” Carol couldn’t jettison her suspicions, for all her mother’s tearful explanations. Perhaps her father’s death had not been premeditated. It couldn’t have been engineered by Roxanne, but when face to face with a life-changing opportunity could she have allowed her husband’s body to slip away? Where was the evidence to say she hadn’t?

Shame on you, Carol.

“Maurice was a better lover than Adam. As for Jeff, whatever mojo he had, he’s lost. The two of them have one thing in common—lots of money.”

Carol took successive deep breaths. “Do you know, Roxanne, I think you’re really
sick.
We’re going to share our secret, are we? I think not. You would have something to hold over me. It wouldn’t take you long before you started into blackmail. Now, I’ll leave you to pack your things.” Carol started walking to the door. “I want you and Jeff out of here within the hour. I’ll sort my own life out, I promise you. We’ll be in touch.”

* * *

When she went downstairs some time later, she found Amanda and Summer standing in front of the Christmas tree in the entrance hall. Their heads were together. They were in deep conversation like long-time friends. Such were the curiosities of life. Both looked up in relief as they saw Carol descend the staircase.

Honouring her allotted role in life, Amanda was the first to speak. “Caro, what’s going on here?” she asked, her expressive face agog. “Troy took off, leaving Summer in the lurch—”