Scandal and Secrets

by Miranda Lee

  She raced over and plumped up the mattress, straightening the quilt with sweeping strokes, her color and emotions high.

  How dared he speak so disparagingly of Damian? she thought agitatedly. Perverse, indeed! The man was a saint compared to Nathan. A misunderstood and genuinely kind man. The only pervert in this house today was her husband. No, ex-husband. She couldn't divorce him quickly enough. If she felt she could make the charge stick, she would have him charged with rape. Men should not be allowed to get away with treating their wives like that!

  But Gemma was wise enough these days to know she had no hope of getting a conviction. It was a man's world all right, she thought bitterly.

  As she turned to leave the room, Cora's crumpled note in the corner caught Gemma's eye. Swooping on it, she stuffed it in her pocket and hurriedly left the room. She couldn't stay here any longer, she decided. She would talk to Celeste when she got home tonight, ask her for a job at one of her interstate stores and make the move as soon as possible.

  With this thought in mind, she went back into her room and packed, leaving nothing out but her nightwear and toiletries. She was coming back downstairs to put her soaked robe out on the clothes line when Cora came home.

  Gemma schooled her face into a blank mask, surprising herself when she was able to conduct a normal conversation with Cora as the other woman went about preparing the evening meal. So it came as a considerable shock that when Celeste and Damian came home, Gemma immediately found her iron composure crumbling. When Damian disappeared upstairs to change and Gemma found herself briefly alone with Celeste in the living-room, she promptly burst into tears.

  Celeste was stunned.

  Gemma had seemed happy enough when they'd arrived home, yet suddenly, here she was, in floods of tears. All she could think to do was to hold her. At first the action felt awkward, but when the girl dropped her head on to her shoulder with a shuddering sigh, the most amazing wave of maternal love swept through Celeste and she found herself embracing Gemma quite naturally and without embarrassment.

  'You poor darling,' she murmured, holding her close and stroking her back. 'It's Nathan again, isn't it?'

  'He ... he was here today,' she choked out.

  Celeste pulled back in shock. 'Here? In this house?'

  Gemma nodded, her misery obvious.

  'But how? I mean ... you must have let him in.'

  She shook her head in vigorous denial. 'He said he came by boat. He ... he just appeared upstairs. I nearly died.'

  'Where was Cora?'

  'Shopping.'

  'Oh, yes, it's Wednesday. She always does the grocery shopping on Wednesday. So what did he do?' Celeste was appalled when the girl looked stricken and then blushed. Blushed, mind you.

  The awful reality came to Celeste in a rush and she almost vomited on the spot, gagging down her revulsion with great difficulty. 'He raped you, didn't he?' she said, her voice shaking.

  The girl stared at her, making Celeste aware that she must have been looking very peculiar. 'He ... he didn't beat you, did he?'

  The girl looked horrified. 'Oh, no! Nathan wouldn't do a thing like that!'

  Celeste pulled herself together but she still couldn't quite get a grasp of the situation. Why was she defending this monster? He should be hung, drawn and quartered!

  'He was upset because he found me in Damian's bathroom,' Gemma explained shakily. 'I'd just had a shower and had gone in there to find some aspirin. I. . .I only had a thin robe on. He thought Damian and I had been having an affair, even before I left him. He was ... most upset.'

  'Which gave him the right to rape you?' Celeste gaped in disbelief.

  'Of course not,' Gemma countered. 'But I can see now that there were mitigating circumstances leading to the incident.'

  'The incident,' Celeste repeated weakly. Dear God ...

  She stood there, incredibly shaken, till gradually her tottering emotions came together with a vengeance. 'He must pay,' she bit out. 'He can't be allowed to get away with this.'

  Gemma shook her head. 'I thought that at first but my wish for revenge, or justice if you will, is beginning to weaken. No judge or jury would convict him anyway. Besides, there's nothing to be gained by locking Nathan up. He's not really a criminal. He's no danger to society or even to me. I'm sure he'll never do again what he did today. It's not as though he even hurt me physically. There's not a mark on me.'

  'There is on your mind!' Celeste protested.

  'My mind is quite clear now,' Gemma insisted with such conviction that Celeste was staggered. 'It is Nathan's mind which will be affected by what transpired here today. I think it will live with him for a long, long time. He's not some brute or monster, Celeste. Underneath that cool facade he wears, he's a very vulnerable human being, but I think he's very mixed up when it comes to his concept of love. I don't think he knows what love is. I don't think he ever did ... '

  'My God, you still love him, don't you?' Celeste said.

  Gemma's smile was so sad that Celeste almost burst into tears herself. 'I will always love him,' the girl admitted.

  Celeste stood there, shaking her head and feeling hopelessly confused - till she remembered her own incredible weakness in still loving Byron. How could she sit in judgement when she was guilty of the same blind stupidity?

  'I can't stay here any longer, Celeste,' Gemma said simply but firmly. 'I'm extremely grateful for all you and Damian have done for me but I think it best if I got right away, away from Nathan and Sydney. Much as I'm quite sure Nathan won't assault me again, he might make a nuisance of himself. I'm all packed,' she went on with a down-to-earth bravery Celeste could only admire. 'I'll call a taxi after dinner and go to the airport Hilton. I've already called them and booked a room. And I've booked a ticket on a flight back to Lightning Ridge tomorrow.'

  'But you said you hated it there.'

  'It's where my roots are. And there's something unfinished there that I have to finish to my satisfaction before I can even think of going on with my life.'

  'What? What do you have to finish?'

  'I'm sorry but I'd rather not discuss that. It's very private and quite painful to me. I think if, I started talking about it tonight I'd really break down. So please, don't press me about it.'

  'I wouldn't dream of it, my dear. I just wanted to help, that's all. You must know how very fond of you I've grown, even in this short time we've had you here.'

  The girl's smile was so sweet that Celeste again struggled to contain her emotions. 'I've grown very fond of you too. And Damian's the best friend I've ever had. He has almost single-handedly restored my faith in the opposite sex.'

  Celeste remained diplomatically silent on this score. If there was one plus about Gemma moving out it would be that she wouldn't have to keep feeling uneasy about Damian's intentions.

  'I-er-I think it might be wise to keep your immediate destination a secret from Damian though, don't you? The fewer people who know, the better.'

  'What? Oh ... all right. But what will I tell him?'

  'Nothing. I'll tell him after you're gone that I've sent you away on a little holiday. A cruise, perhaps, so that he can't even think about following you.'

  The girl looked startled, then slightly worried. 'You think he might try to follow me?'

  'I think,' Celeste said drily, 'that Damian might want eventually to deepen your friendship into something else. You're a lovely-looking girl, Gemma, and not nearly as naive as I originally thought. Don't disappoint me by underestimating your attractions, or Damian's weakness for beautiful women.'

  Those big brown eyes widened before becoming steady and thoughtful. 'I won't, Celeste. Thank you for speaking plainly. I appreciate it.'

  'I have a reputation for speaking plainly.' She smiled a wry, lop-sided smile. 'I have a reputation for a lot of things!'

  'None of them deserved, I'm sure. You're a good person. I won't believe any of that horrible gossip about you any more.'

  Celeste kept smiling even while her heart
flipped over. 'A girl of rare judgement.'

  'You can't fool someone from the bush. Or children. Or dogs. Dogs always know a good person when they see one.'

  There was rueful note in Gemma's voice that piqued Celeste's curiosity. But it didn't seem the right moment to question her. Maybe one day, they'd have the chance to have a real heart-to-heart. Celeste knew she would like that. Very much.

  'What are you going to do after you settle whatever you have to settle in Lightning Ridge?'

  'I'm not sure. That will depend on how things pan out.'

  'Will you promise to keep in touch, let me know what you decide to do with your life when you do decide?'

  'You really want me to?'

  'Of course!'

  Her smile was dazzling. 'Then I will be happy to.'

  'Good. Now I must pop upstairs and get into my swimming costume. I've been very naughty this week, not keeping up my exercise routine. Care to join me in the pool?'

  'I'll come with you and watch, if you like, but I don't feel much like swimming.'

  'All right. Why don't you stay here and watch TV while I change and I'll pick you up on the way through?'

  ,

  Celeste was hurrying along the hall and had one foot on the bottom step when the telephone rang. Instant intuition warned her to take the call.

  'I'll get that, Cora!' she called out and bolted down the end of the hall to pick up the receiver.

  'Yes?' she said rather breathlessly.

  'Is that you, Celeste?'

  Her breath caught. Byron. It was Byron, ringing her.

  She hadn't heard from him since he'd hung up the previous afternoon, and she'd had too much pride to contact him. But with the sound of his voice, her heart had stopped for a moment, only to pulse back to life with a galloping rate. Dear lord, this was definitely getting out of hand, but how was she to stop herself? Her feelings for Byron had never responded to logic or common sense or even pride. They had the impetus of a runaway roller-coaster and about as much stability

  'Yes,' she said, sounding like a schoolgirl who'd just been telephoned by the captain of the football team. 'It's me.'

  'Would you be able to come over here this evening after dinner?' he asked abruptly.

  'To Belleview?' she was shocked. She hadn't been invited into those hallowed walls since...

  Any feelings of excitement or pleasurable anticipation were immediately tainted by dark memories from the past. Belleview was the last place she would choose to be with Byron.

  Still, if he wanted her to go there, if he wanted her as much as she was instantly wanting him, then she simply had to go.

  'That's right,' he said curtly. 'And I want you to bring Gemma.'

  These last words flicked a stinging rebuke across Celeste's silly heart. Her presumption that Byron had rung to organize a romantic rendezvous had been premature, and typically female. After witnessing Gemma's blind love for Nathan, she was extra-sensitive to her own stupidity regarding this man who had done nothing but hurt her.

  'And why should I do that?' she lashed out. 'If you want to see Gemma, then come here.'

  'That won't work, I'm afraid. I have no way of contacting Lenore back. And she's coming here.'

  'What's Lenore got to do with this?' Celeste demanded, though she had a feeling she already knew. The bitch was going to deliver a whole lot of lies to whitewash Nathan.

  'Lenore thinks she knows what Gemma overheard between Nathan and herself the other day. She says it would have sounded bad but is perfectly explainable.'

  'Is that so?'

  'She only just found out this afternoon what happened between Gemma and Nathan. Apparently, Nathan's totally shattered. Can't work. Can't do anything.'

  'I'm so sorry for him.' Celeste's words dripped with an acid sarcasm.

  Byron sighed. 'I do realize a man would never get your sympathy, Celeste, but we do have feelings too, you know.'

  'Only below the waist.'

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Byron what that appalling boy he'd so nobly adopted had done to his wife this afternoon, but she bit her tongue. Gemma's amazing understanding of that bastard's vile actions meant she was sure to want to keep the 'incident' a secret. Celeste herself could not imagine such understanding, but she had to admire the girl for her stance and would not dream of betraying her trust simply to gain a petty victory over Byron.

  'Well, are you coming or not?' Byron asked curtly. 'I would suggest you send Gemma over in a taxi but I don't have any faith in her turning up.'

  'You honestly expect me to bring that poor child over to have a face-to-face meeting with a lying adulterous whore?'

  'People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Celeste,' Byron bit out.

  'I do not sleep with married men,' Celeste snapped before she realized what she'd said.

  'You mean not any more, don't you?' came the inevitable remark, delivered in a bitterly cutting tone.

  'That's right.'

  'How very fortunate that I'm widowed, then. I wouldn't like to be the one to spoil your wonderful moral standards. But we digress,' he went on with crushing coolness. 'Will you bring Gemma here or not? I suppose I could always wait till Lenore arrives and bring her over there, but that's a lot of time wasted, isn't it?'

  'When do you expect her?' Celeste asked sharply.

  'Around nine.'

  'I don't drive these days. I'll have to take a taxi.'

  'Gemma can drive. And she knows the way. Do you have a car she can use?'

  Celeste thought of Damian's Ferrari and dismissed it. And the Rolls was too big. 'We'll come in a taxi,' she decided aloud.

  'Whatever you prefer. Just come. It's important.'

  'Ok, I'll come, Byron. I wouldn't miss the chance of seeing you again.'

  'There won't be any of that tonight, Celeste. And definitely not here.'

  'We'll see, Byron. We'll see.'

  Celeste hung up, aware that she was shaking. That man, she decided angrily, needed taking down a peg or two. He also needed a salutary lesson on who was running this affair. Did he honestly think he could control his desire for her any more than she could control hers for him? If she wanted Byron to make love to her tonight-at Belleview or any other damned place-then that was what was going to happen.

  Muttering her frustrations to herself, she was about to flounce off back down the hall when the reason for Byron's call in the first place flooded back into her mind. Her groan was full of guilt and dismay. What was the matter with her? God, but she was a selfish bitch.

  A severe mental lecture followed, after which she forced her thinking processes back on to the serious matter at hand: Gemma's happiness. What if Lenore could genuinely whitewash what Gemma had heard or seen that day? What then? Would she go back to that bastard? Celeste did not feel at all confident that she wouldn't.

  But I suppose that's up to her, she realized with a resigned sigh. We all have to do what we have to do. And how can I sit in judgement? When it comes to matters of love, I've made the biggest mess of my life. I'm still making the biggest mess of my life!

  Love, she thought savagely, has a lot to answer for! Gathering herself, Celeste strode back down the hall and into the living room, knowing in her heart that she wouldn't have much trouble convincing Gemma to go with her to Belleview. That girl was as much in love as she was. This meant she was doomed to make stupid decisions and do stupid things!

  'I really will have to start driving again,' Celeste muttered under her breath when the taxi lurched into the adjacent lane and accelerated with hair-raising speed up the next hill, only to have to brake madly when the lights ahead changed to red.

  It had begun to drizzle as they left Campbell Court

  and the roads were becoming dangerously slick. When the lights turned green and the driver screeched off, she leant forward and tapped him on the shoulder. 'We'd like to get where we're going in one piece, if you don't mind.'

  'Sure thing, lady.' He grinned at her in the rear-view mirror, withou
t changing his speed one iota.

  Celeste sighed and sank backwards.

  Gemma gave her a weak smile. 'We'll be there soon,' she whispered.

  'And none too soon. '

  In an attempt not to have her heart jump right into her mouth every few seconds, Celeste tipped her head back, closed her eyes and tried to think of other things.

  Damian had not been too thrilled with her news that she was taking Gemma out to meet with Lenore after dinner. When she refused to explain further, he'd said some very rude things, then stormed out of the house and taken off in his Ferrari.