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I ve kept it pretty plain. Beef tenderloin, and local fruit and vegetables-the
kind of things that most people enjoy. I ll wait until I m set up in my own
establishment with a permanent staff before I branch out into more exotic
menus.
Beatrice nodded. The men will be pleased. It s been my experience that
they prefer plain food.
Speaking of men, Emily said, trying to sound only marginally interested,
where s Lucas these days? Or is he avoiding me?
Of course he s not, darling! He s up to his neck in some important
experiment at the lab and staying in the city till he s finished. He does that
occasionally when things get hectic.
I see. Emily nodded, then added with feigned nonchalance, Will he be
too busy to attend the banquet?
Heavens, no! When he phoned yesterday, he mentioned that he d spoken
to Tamara and would be back no later than noon on Saturday. Plenty of
time for him to get out of his lab coat and into his dinner suit.
Emily digested that item of news with difficulty. So he d had time to talk
to Tamara, but not found a minute to let her know he was going to be in the
city for a few days. It was enough to sour anyone s hopes!
She said as much to Monique on the Friday. I half dread tomorrow night,
Grand-mere.
I d have thought you d be looking forward to it. It s your chance to dazzle
the entire community. After this, I shouldn t expect you ll have any trouble
picking up clients, Emily Jane.
Perhaps, but...well, with Tamara Golding Haunting herself .... Emily
lifted her shoulders in mute disgust.
Why do you care how she chooses to behave? her grandmother asked.
You don t normally concern yourself over such trivial matters.
Emily had the grace to look embarrassed.
I see, Monique observed, that normal doesn t apply in this case. You
perceive her as a threat, do you, Emily Jane? Not to the success of your
professional undertaking, but as someone who might come between you
and Lucas Flynn?"
Yes, Emily said, and, when her grandmother went to interrupt, insisted,
I know I m not mistaken, Grand- mere. A woman in love always senses
when someone else is after her man, don t you think?
Not always, Monique said, somewhat to Emily s surprise. Things aren t
always as they seem, ma chére. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving.
But she s so obvious! She as good as told me to back off. Rubbed my
nose in the fact that he d accepted an invitation to sit at her table tomorrow
night and that, even if I did manage to get my act together well enough to
spend part of the time as a guest, I needn t expect there d be room there for
me.
There s nothing you can do about that, Emily Jane. It s up to Lucas to tell
her he s not interested, if that is indeed the case.
And I should sit back and do nothing, the way I did before, and watch
another woman walk off with him?
For a relationship to stand any chance at all, there are two things a woman
must learn to do, Emily Jane. One is to accept the fact that you cannot
force feelings. Either they re there or they re not. The other is to learn to
trust. There s no telling the damage done by a lack of trust.
How can I trust him when all Tamara Golding has to do is crook her little
finger and he races to be by her side?
Monique swiveled her chair to face the window that looked out on the
orchard at the side of the house. Beyond it rose the belt of cypress trees
that separated the property from Belvoir.
Listen to me, Emily Jane, she said. For years I believed your
grandfather was having an affair with Beatrice. Yes, you might well gasp
like that, but I thought I had good cause.
Early one morning I happened to look out of my bedroom window and I
saw them together. He had his arm around her and suddenly, as if he could
feel my gaze on him, he looked back at the house, then hurried her out of
sight among those trees over there.
It was a long time before they came back again, and when they did she
was weeping. He held her in his arms and she leaned against him and
sobbed her heart out, the way a woman does when something has hurt her
deeply. Eventually, he put her from him and gave her a little push, as
though to say, It s over. Go home to your husband .' "
Beatrice and Grand-pere? Emily said in hushed disbelief. But you and
he always seemed so happy together, so in tune with each other!
We were, Monique said. That is why I waited for him to come to me
and tell me what it was I d witnessed, because I was sure there must be an
explanation beyond the obvious. But he never did, although I gave him the
opportunity over and over again. He never referred to seeing Beatrice that
day and when I came right out and asked him what had kept him so long
past the time he usually was gone for his morning swim he made up some
story about not realizing how late it was.
Why didn t you confront him?
Because I loved him and was afraid of losing him. I should have known
better, of course, because by then we d been married long enough to have
grandchildren running about the place and he d never once given me
reason to doubt him in all that time. But I never set foot in Beatrice Flynn s
house again and I made sure she never set foot in mine. Two years later,
your grandfather was dead, but they weren t happy years, Emily Jane.
What had happened put such strain between us and he didn t understand
how or why.
She sighed and a tear rolled down her cheek. Emily was appalled. In all the
years of her growing up she d never seen her grandmother cry. You
should have talked to him, Grand-mere. Brought it all out into the open.
Yes, Monique said as another tear slipped down her face. Instead I
waited twenty-one years for an explanation, and found out the other day
that I d punished two people who meant the whole world to me. And why?
Because they loved me enough to want to protect me from hurt.
Oh, Grand-mere, it was all about the fawn! Emily put her arms around
the thin, stooped shoulders. How sad!"
How wicked, Monique declared, some of the starch returning to her
voice, to have wasted all that time. Don t make the same mistake with
Lucas, Emily Jane. If you think you can make a life with this man, don t
spoil it with doubt and jealousy.
Lucas as good as said the same thing the night after he went rushing over
to help Tamara s son.
He was right to do so. Jealousy can undermine even the strongest of
bonds.
Emily sighed unhappily. Before that night, he and I talked and it seemed
as though there was a chance for us. He asked me to give him time to be
sure that we both wanted the same thing, and I said I would. I meant it at
the time, but now. . . I don t know. When I was eighteen, I was prepared to
wait for him for ever; at thirty I m not so naive as to think that s possible.
Do you love him?
That, at least, was simple to answer. Yes, Emily said. I have always
loved him and I always will. But I m afraid he might not feel the same way
about me.
Lucas Flynn is strong-willed, just as his grandfather was, and he won t be
coerced. Try to rush him and you ll lose him. Monique spun the chair
back to face her and, taking her hand, chafed it gently with her own. I
hope he deserves your love, Emily Jane, but the only way you ll find out
for sure is to give him the freedom to walk away from it.
* * *
Advice didn t come much better than that, Emily decided early the next
evening as she eased her toes into sheer silk stockings the color of morning
mist. And in another two hours she d have the chance to show whether or
not she was equal to the task of following it.
She d spent the day at the winery, supervising the final details for the
evening ahead. Among the hastily assembled staff of twelve whom she d
hired, she d been lucky enough to find two women who d worked for years
in the hotel business. At half past five, with everything ready except for the
finishing touches, she d felt confident enough to leave things in their hands
while she went back to Roscommon to dress. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
I ve kept it pretty plain. Beef tenderloin, and local fruit and vegetables-the
kind of things that most people enjoy. I ll wait until I m set up in my own
establishment with a permanent staff before I branch out into more exotic
menus.
Beatrice nodded. The men will be pleased. It s been my experience that
they prefer plain food.
Speaking of men, Emily said, trying to sound only marginally interested,
where s Lucas these days? Or is he avoiding me?
Of course he s not, darling! He s up to his neck in some important
experiment at the lab and staying in the city till he s finished. He does that
occasionally when things get hectic.
I see. Emily nodded, then added with feigned nonchalance, Will he be
too busy to attend the banquet?
Heavens, no! When he phoned yesterday, he mentioned that he d spoken
to Tamara and would be back no later than noon on Saturday. Plenty of
time for him to get out of his lab coat and into his dinner suit.
Emily digested that item of news with difficulty. So he d had time to talk
to Tamara, but not found a minute to let her know he was going to be in the
city for a few days. It was enough to sour anyone s hopes!
She said as much to Monique on the Friday. I half dread tomorrow night,
Grand-mere.
I d have thought you d be looking forward to it. It s your chance to dazzle
the entire community. After this, I shouldn t expect you ll have any trouble
picking up clients, Emily Jane.
Perhaps, but...well, with Tamara Golding Haunting herself .... Emily
lifted her shoulders in mute disgust.
Why do you care how she chooses to behave? her grandmother asked.
You don t normally concern yourself over such trivial matters.
Emily had the grace to look embarrassed.
I see, Monique observed, that normal doesn t apply in this case. You
perceive her as a threat, do you, Emily Jane? Not to the success of your
professional undertaking, but as someone who might come between you
and Lucas Flynn?"
Yes, Emily said, and, when her grandmother went to interrupt, insisted,
I know I m not mistaken, Grand- mere. A woman in love always senses
when someone else is after her man, don t you think?
Not always, Monique said, somewhat to Emily s surprise. Things aren t
always as they seem, ma chére. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving.
But she s so obvious! She as good as told me to back off. Rubbed my
nose in the fact that he d accepted an invitation to sit at her table tomorrow
night and that, even if I did manage to get my act together well enough to
spend part of the time as a guest, I needn t expect there d be room there for
me.
There s nothing you can do about that, Emily Jane. It s up to Lucas to tell
her he s not interested, if that is indeed the case.
And I should sit back and do nothing, the way I did before, and watch
another woman walk off with him?
For a relationship to stand any chance at all, there are two things a woman
must learn to do, Emily Jane. One is to accept the fact that you cannot
force feelings. Either they re there or they re not. The other is to learn to
trust. There s no telling the damage done by a lack of trust.
How can I trust him when all Tamara Golding has to do is crook her little
finger and he races to be by her side?
Monique swiveled her chair to face the window that looked out on the
orchard at the side of the house. Beyond it rose the belt of cypress trees
that separated the property from Belvoir.
Listen to me, Emily Jane, she said. For years I believed your
grandfather was having an affair with Beatrice. Yes, you might well gasp
like that, but I thought I had good cause.
Early one morning I happened to look out of my bedroom window and I
saw them together. He had his arm around her and suddenly, as if he could
feel my gaze on him, he looked back at the house, then hurried her out of
sight among those trees over there.
It was a long time before they came back again, and when they did she
was weeping. He held her in his arms and she leaned against him and
sobbed her heart out, the way a woman does when something has hurt her
deeply. Eventually, he put her from him and gave her a little push, as
though to say, It s over. Go home to your husband .' "
Beatrice and Grand-pere? Emily said in hushed disbelief. But you and
he always seemed so happy together, so in tune with each other!
We were, Monique said. That is why I waited for him to come to me
and tell me what it was I d witnessed, because I was sure there must be an
explanation beyond the obvious. But he never did, although I gave him the
opportunity over and over again. He never referred to seeing Beatrice that
day and when I came right out and asked him what had kept him so long
past the time he usually was gone for his morning swim he made up some
story about not realizing how late it was.
Why didn t you confront him?
Because I loved him and was afraid of losing him. I should have known
better, of course, because by then we d been married long enough to have
grandchildren running about the place and he d never once given me
reason to doubt him in all that time. But I never set foot in Beatrice Flynn s
house again and I made sure she never set foot in mine. Two years later,
your grandfather was dead, but they weren t happy years, Emily Jane.
What had happened put such strain between us and he didn t understand
how or why.
She sighed and a tear rolled down her cheek. Emily was appalled. In all the
years of her growing up she d never seen her grandmother cry. You
should have talked to him, Grand-mere. Brought it all out into the open.
Yes, Monique said as another tear slipped down her face. Instead I
waited twenty-one years for an explanation, and found out the other day
that I d punished two people who meant the whole world to me. And why?
Because they loved me enough to want to protect me from hurt.
Oh, Grand-mere, it was all about the fawn! Emily put her arms around
the thin, stooped shoulders. How sad!"
How wicked, Monique declared, some of the starch returning to her
voice, to have wasted all that time. Don t make the same mistake with
Lucas, Emily Jane. If you think you can make a life with this man, don t
spoil it with doubt and jealousy.
Lucas as good as said the same thing the night after he went rushing over
to help Tamara s son.
He was right to do so. Jealousy can undermine even the strongest of
bonds.
Emily sighed unhappily. Before that night, he and I talked and it seemed
as though there was a chance for us. He asked me to give him time to be
sure that we both wanted the same thing, and I said I would. I meant it at
the time, but now. . . I don t know. When I was eighteen, I was prepared to
wait for him for ever; at thirty I m not so naive as to think that s possible.
Do you love him?
That, at least, was simple to answer. Yes, Emily said. I have always
loved him and I always will. But I m afraid he might not feel the same way
about me.
Lucas Flynn is strong-willed, just as his grandfather was, and he won t be
coerced. Try to rush him and you ll lose him. Monique spun the chair
back to face her and, taking her hand, chafed it gently with her own. I
hope he deserves your love, Emily Jane, but the only way you ll find out
for sure is to give him the freedom to walk away from it.
* * *
Advice didn t come much better than that, Emily decided early the next
evening as she eased her toes into sheer silk stockings the color of morning
mist. And in another two hours she d have the chance to show whether or
not she was equal to the task of following it.
She d spent the day at the winery, supervising the final details for the
evening ahead. Among the hastily assembled staff of twelve whom she d
hired, she d been lucky enough to find two women who d worked for years
in the hotel business. At half past five, with everything ready except for the
finishing touches, she d felt confident enough to leave things in their hands
while she went back to Roscommon to dress. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]