The Determined Virgin

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After a slight but deferential bow toward Garth, Alfred returned his attention to Hesper. “Your grandmother has had the white room prepared for you. I’ll have Charles bring your bags up.”

Hesper was not surprised to discover that her grandmother had noticed her preference for that particular room. Most people thought the elderly woman was too engrossed in herself to pay any heed to the likes and dislikes of others. But Hesper knew her grandmother’s eyes were much sharper and her interest in others much keener than she led people to believe. “Thank you, Alfred.”

His expression never changing, he added, “You have fifteen minutes to freshen up. Then Mrs. DuPree expects you to join her and your stepfather in the rose garden.”

“Pleasant fellow,” Garth muttered under his breath as he accompanied Hesper up the wide winding staircase.

“Beneath that frosty exterior is an honest, trustworthy man with a very kind streak,” she replied, keeping her voice low. “When I was nine, I stayed with my grandmother while my parents went to Paris. One night I was late for supper and my grandmother sent me up to my room without allowing me anything to eat. A little while later there was a knock on the door and when I opened it, there was Alfred with a tray. No one else in the house would have had the courage to go against my grandmother’s wishes. But I have discovered through the years that Alfred has a very strong sense of what is right and wrong and when he believes my grandmother has acted wrongly, he lets her know.”

“Your grandmother, obviously, values him.”

They reached the landing and Hesper turned down the hall to their right. “I’ve always thought she put up with him because good help is hard to find, but I think you’re right. I think she does value him more than she wants people to know.” She recalled feeling certain Alfred had enjoyed throwing Eloise’s third husband out of the house. Had he been influential in her grandmother’s decision? she wondered. Mentally she shrugged. No one had liked Homer. Even Eloise had divorced him after barely six months. And while her grandmother might ask someone else’s opinion, she always made up her own mind. Still, Hesper found herself trying to recall any hint of what Garth’s first impression on Alfred had been.

Entering a door on the left, she glanced over her shoulder as Garth followed her inside. He’d been polite but cool when she’d introduced him to the butler. Alfred, she was fairly certain, liked silent, authoritative men. So far, so good, she assured herself.

Garth could easily see why this was called the white room. The walls were white with a decorative white molding along the top. The quilted bedspread on the queen-size four-poster bed was white as were the arched lace canopy overhead and the matching lace curtains at the windows. Touches of blue and pink added a softness to the stark whiteness of the room. Mixed in with the assortment of lace-covered pillows at the head of the bed were some smaller white throw pillows with tiny blue and pink flowers embroidered on them. And the white rug covering the major portion of the hardwood floor also had tiny blue and pink flowers worked into its design. The wooden furnishings were of the highest quality, all of the same dark cherry in a Queen Anne design. Through a door to his right, he could see a private bath. It, too, was basically white with pink and blue accents. “Nice room.”

“I like it. It reminds me of spring. It has a spacious, airy feel to it.” At least it used to feel that way, Hesper amended as her gaze came to rest on the bed. Suddenly that piece of furniture seemed a great deal smaller than she remembered. At her apartment, they’d had different rooms. And while the scent of his aftershave had lingered in the bathroom, arousing a few unwanted embers to threaten to spark into life, for the most part, she’d been able to control her unwanted reactions to the man. In these close quarters, ignoring him was going to be more difficult. Her jaw hardened. However, she could do it.

Noticing he’d followed her line of vision to the bed and was now watching her with an eyebrow raised in a questioning expression, she said coolly, “My grandmother will expect us to sleep together. By not sharing the same bed, we’ll run the risk of discovery. But as long as you stay on your side and I stay on mine, we’ll get along just fine.”

“Yes, ma am,” he replied.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” she said, beginning a quick inventory of the clothing he was wearing. She’d chosen the outfit so that he would not need to change but a sudden bout of nervousness forced her to make a final inspection. His top was a short-sleeve cotton, collared pullover. It fit nicely, not too tightly, still the strength of his shoulders was evident as well as the flatness of his abdomen. Her gaze traveled to his slacks. Definitely a very masculine male, she mused. Again an unwanted heat began to build within her. She forced her gaze to his loafers then back to his face.

“Is there a problem?” he asked curtly. He’d been scrutinized by women before but her gaze had been different, somehow more personal, almost like a physical touch. And the feminine appreciation in her eyes wasn’t helping, either. It had caused an answering response from his own body, awaking the lust he was trying hard to keep dormant. She isn’t making staying away from her easy, he grumbled silently.

“No, you’ll do fine,” she replied hastily, heading into the bathroom to brush her hair and check her lipstick.

A few minutes later, they entered the rose garden at the back of the house. Garth saw two people seated at a table in a gazebo at the center of the circularly laid out beds of flowers. One was a slender, whitehaired, elderly woman wearing a long-sleeve, sky blue dress with a lace collar and lace cuffs. Garth judged the man to be in his late fifties who looked to be in good physical condition, no potbelly and no sag at the shoulders, and was dressed in a short-sleeve, buttondown shirt and slacks. As he rose and approached them, the smugness of his expression bred an instant dislike in Garth. His instincts told him that this was a man who was used to winning and would go to any lengths to do so.

Reaching Garth and Hesper halfway, the man extended his hand to Garth. “I’m Peter Lowell, Hesper’s stepfather.”

Garth smiled a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Garth Lawton,” he said, accepting the handshake.

The handshake completed quickly, Peter turned to Hesper, grinned slyly and said in a lowered voice. “On the surface it appears you have made a reasonably good choice. I suppose most women will find him passably good-looking but not really handsome. That’s a mark in his favor. Your grandmother never did like pretty men. And he seems to have decent manners. I suppose I should be worried.”

Hesper caught the hint in his voice that suggested he knew something about Garth that would ruin her chances. She hid her uneasiness behind a falsely confident smile. “You should be.”

Peter continued to grin like the cat who’d caught the canary. “Come along, your grandmother will be angry with me for keeping her waiting.”

Allowing her stepfather to precede them by a few feet, Hesper edged closer to Garth and asked in whispered tones, “Does Tobias know all there is to know about you?”

“Yes.” A curl of guilt wove through him. Maybe he should have told her more about his past. But it was too late now.

“Then I’ll just have to trust his judgment once again,” she muttered as she mounted the short flight of steps to the gazebo. Her grandmother had risen to greet them. Hesper gave her the required, dutiful hug, then stepped back to stand beside Garth. “You’re looking well, Grandmama.”

“The years have been good to me,” Jeanette DuPree replied, coolly. Her gaze traveled critically over her granddaughter. “You’re looking well yourself.”

Garth had ordered himself to relax but his back muscles tensed as the elderly woman’s attention turned to him. He could see the family resemblance between her and Tobias in the blue color of her eyes and the shape of her mouth. But that was where the similarity ended. When meeting new people, Tobias exhibited a friendliness that put them at ease. This woman’s expression grew harsher and bleaker as her gaze traveled over him. She made him feel like an interloper…an unwelcome interloper. He glanced toward Peter Lowell and saw the amusement in the man’s eyes. There was no doubt left in his mind that Jeanette DuPree was aware of his past and clearly did not approve.

“So you’re the man who married my granddaughter,” she said, finishing her inspection.

“This is Garth Lawton, Grandmama.” Hesper made the introduction.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Garth extended his hand to the elderly woman.

“We shall see.” She accepted with a firmness that surprised him.

Hesper heard the challenge in her grandmother’s voice. The gauntlet had been cast.

“Please be seated.” Jeanette motioned toward the two unoccupied chairs at the table.

Instead of obeying, Garth stepped behind Jeanette DuPree’s chair before Alfred had a chance and held it for her.

“I can see my brother has taught you manners,” she said, watching him round the table and seat himself next to Hesper. Never taking her eyes off him, Jeanette performed a small backward wave of her hand toward Alfred. “You’re dismissed.”

As the butler gave his usual, modified bow, then left, she continued to study Garth. “I understand you work for Tobias.”

From her tone he knew this was merely a rhetorical question, still she paused as if expecting a response. “Yes.”

Jeanette poured two cups of tea. The first she handed to Hesper, barely giving her granddaughter a glimpse. The second she handed to Garth, her gaze locking onto him once again. “I spoke to my brother but he was not as helpful as I’d hoped. Still, he did tell me you were in the military for a number of years. You served with the Military Police.”

Again she paused and again he replied with a polite “Yes.”

“And over the years, you were assigned to several different embassies both in South America and Europe,” she continued. “That must have been interesting.”

“They were uneventful assignments.” This was an automatic, schooled response, one all of Tobias’s people had been taught to make.

“I suppose you would have preferred something a bit more adventurous?”

Garth heard the sharpening inflection in her voice and was suddenly aware she was not making idle chatter. Maintaining a polite, unworried demeanor, he shrugged. “I was satisfied with my assignments.”

Hesper’s uneasiness grew stronger as she saw the challenge glittering in her grandmother’s eyes.

“I suppose there were opportunities at the embassies you would not find on a base or on the battlefield.”

Garth knew where the old woman was heading. He glanced over his shoulder to see if any of the stable hands were waiting in the bushes. He saw no one. Refusing to play into her hands, he said, “I did learn a lot about other cultures and picked up some smattering of foreign languages.”

Jeanette DuPree’s gaze became colder. “I do hope, for the honor of our country, that was all you picked up. I would hate to think they came up short on their silver after you left. Or perhaps, some unsuspecting diplomats discovered they’d bought the equivalent of the Brooklyn Bridge?”

The accusations her grandmother was making caused Hesper’s uneasiness to turn to anger. She’d expected a few barbs to be cast Garth’s way, but she had not brought him here to be maligned. “Grandmama. That was unkind even for you.”

Jeanette’s attention swung to her granddaughter. “You don’t know about him, about his youthful activities, do you?”

Hesper’s insides felt shaky. “No.” But Tobias did, she reminded herself. At least, Garth had said he did. Of course, Garth could have been lying. No turning back now; she had to see this through. “But I know he’s a good man.”

“Being good in bed, doesn’t prove a man’s character. I’ve known of some real blackguards who were fabulous lovers but hadn’t an ounce of honor,” Jeanette replied patronizingly.

“I did what I felt I had to do to survive,” Garth said in an easy drawl, covering the defensiveness he felt toward his youth behind a mask of indifference. “Growing up on the tough side of Chicago requires ingenuity.”

“What did you do?” Hesper asked.

He shrugged. “A little of this and a little of that. Nothing I ever got arrested for.”

“If I’m to believe Peter, you began working for a local bookie when you were seven. You were an accomplished hustler by the time you were ten and perfected con artist by the time you were twelve,” Jeanette elaborated. “The only thing in your favor is that you never got arrested, or if you did, no charges were ever filed.”

Hesper had known her stepfather would have Garth investigated. Tobias should have known that, too, she fumed. Next time she needed advice about who she could trust, she wouldn’t ask Aunt Eloise!

Garth faced Jeanette DuPree levelly. “I left Chicago when I was eighteen. I’ve been straight ever since.”

Challenge again glittered in her eyes. “Your parentage appears to have a gap as well. There is no father listed on your birth certificate.”

It had been a long time since anyone had questioned him about his birth. He’d thought it couldn’t bother him, but he was wrong. His shoulders straightened with pride. “My mother wasn’t entirely certain who my father was. Even if she had been, he wouldn’t have claimed me. She and I did just fine on our own.”

“Your mother was a prostitute,” Jeanette stated blandly.

Hesper scowled at her stepfather and then her grandmother. They had no right to be so self-righteous. “A person cannot choose their heritage,” she snapped.

Garth turned to her, his eyes cold. “I don’t apologize for my mother,” he said, protectiveness and love evident in his voice. “She was a good woman. Her father abused her and her mother was an alcoholic. She went into the streets to escape from them. She didn’t know of any other way.”

Stunned by this display of emotion from a man she’d begun to think had none, Hesper said quickly, “I didn’t mean anything derogatory toward you mother.” Unable to stop herself, she asked, “What happened to her?”

His expression once again became shuttered. “She died.”

When it became evident Garth was not going to elaborate, Jeanette spoke up. “She developed lung cancer when Garth was eleven and died when he was twelve. His grandparents decided it was their Godgiven duty to take him in. He began running away almost immediately. When he ran away the third time, they washed their hands of him. The next few years are vague, but it appears he went back to his old neighborhood and worked for the local bookie until he was eighteen. At that time he joined the army.”

“An incorrigible child with no morals, who grew into a man who would do anything for personal gain,” Peter snarled.

Garth’s jaw tensed in his effort to control his temper. “I did what I had to do. I won’t claim I was perfect, but I had my reasons.”

“So it would seem.” Jeanette frowned at Peter. “According to my investigator, Garth’s grandparents felt that he had been born in sin and that the evil had to be exorcised. According to an elderly neighbor, they chose beating as the best method to instill their righteous values. There are hospital records confirming that he was brought in twice with sprained wrists, once with a concussion and once with a broken arm, all supposedly accidents that happened in the home.” Her frown darkened as she continued to frown at her son-in-law. “Surely you must have known I’d have checked into Mr. Lawton myself.” Her attention returned to Garth. “Although, I can sympathize with you in some respects, I must also admit, a person of your background is not what I would have chosen for my granddaughter.”

“I guess it’s time for me to make my departure.” Garth was on his feet. “Can I assume my bags are on the front porch? Or perhaps, they were never taken out of the car?”

Hesper rose with him. “I’m really sorry about this,” she apologized while silently promising herself that she would give Tobias a piece of her mind…a very large piece.

Jeanette motioned for them to sit down. “Your bags are being unpacked as we speak.” She smiled encouragingly at Garth. “I simply thought it would be best to get all of the unpleasantness out in the open. Now there will be no pretense and I can get to know the real you.”

Hesper stood frozen, staring at her grandmother. Jeanette DuPree was smiling…actually smiling. A closer look revealed the smile had not gone to her eyes, those were still sharply watchful, like a hawk coveting it’s prey, but the corners of her mouth had turned upward and to someone not looking any further than that, she appeared to be smiling.

“Well, I’m appalled that Hesper would marry someone she knew so little about,” Peter said with harsh reprimand. “I thought she had a more sensible head on her shoulders.”

Jeanette turned to him, her smile gone and in its place a censorious frown. “Sometimes a person cannot help listening to their heart.” Her voice mellowed and she offered him a plate of cakes. “I’m not saying that’s wise. However, I feel to be fair to Hesper, I should not make a snap judgment. Eat something and let me talk to my new grandson-in-law.”

Peter scowled, waved away the cakes and sat back, studying Garth with a critical eye.

Noticing that both Garth and Hesper were still standing, impatience showed on Jeanette’s face. “Please, sit down.” It was an order.

Hesper looked to Garth. “Are you willing to remain?”

A part of him had had enough of Jeanette DuPree and her son-in-law. His life had, many times, depended on him reading people and he’d known that her smile had been merely a polite facade to coax him into remaining so that she could study him further like an animal she found amusing but was not certain she wanted in her zoo. As for Peter Lowell, the man was clearly willing to play dirty to get what he wanted. But as much as Garth would have preferred to leave, a stronger part disliked allowing Lowell to win without a fight. The man was smug and devious and willing to rob his own stepdaughter. “Since we’re here, we might as well remain a while.”

Hesper sank back into her chair. She’d been certain Garth would walk and she’d lose the bet. She still could. It was possible her grandmother was bored and willing to keep them there simply for a diversion. But there was also a chance she could win. Years ago, she’d given up trying to determine Jeanette DuPree’s motives.

Garth waited until Hesper was again seated then eased himself back into his chair. Tobias’s sister was a great deal more like his employer than he’d first thought. He was certain she’d staged this whole business just to study his reaction and Hesper’s.

“Now, tell me about my brother. I understand he’s running some sort of detective agency these days,” Jeanette said, offering him a slice of cake as she spoke. “What type of cases does he handle? Just anything that comes along?”

“Only those cases he finds interesting,” Garth replied.

The elderly woman nodded as if this was what she suspected. “The mundane always bored him.” Interest glistened in her eyes. “And what kind of cases does he find interesting?”

“Missing persons, murders the police have given up on and, once in a while, a theft the authorities cannot solve.”

“And you do his legwork for him?” Jeanette persisted.

“I’m one of his operatives,” Garth confirmed.

“My grandson, Hagen, is another, I believe?”

“Yes.”

Jeanette scowled. “When he told me he was going to work for Tobias, I assumed it was in a legal capacity. He has a law degree, graduated top of his class. He could have joined any law firm he chose. I’m aware my brother has connections in high places. I thought working for him would be a boon to Hagen’s legal career. Instead he has opted to go running around the world at my brother’s beck and call, toting a gun and placing himself in danger.” She paused and her gaze narrowed on Garth. “You do carry guns, don’t you?”

“It’s necessary.”

Jeanette shook her head. “Boys will be boys, I suppose. But the next time you see Hagen, you tell him that when Steward Schuyler dies, I fully expect him to come here and manage my legal affairs. I want someone I know I can trust.”

“I’ll relay the message,” Garth promised, wondering how that battle of wills would end. Hagen was not a man who could be bullied into doing what he did not want to do. But it was equally obvious that Jeanette DuPree was not used to having her wishes denied. However, that was Hagen’s problem, not his.

“How many men have you killed, Mr. Lawton?” Peter asked abruptly.

“A few. I was a soldier. There were times I was called upon to protect my country,” Garth replied.

Jeanette raised a critical eyebrow in Peter’s direction, indicating she was not pleased with his line of questioning. “My brother thinks very highly of Garth and Tobias is not an easy man to please. Even more, I know you must have been worried about Hesper finding a husband. I know I was. We must give her choice the benefit of the doubt.”

Hesper’s cheeks reddened. Her grandmother had made her sound as if she’d been coming close to stepping over the line into spinsterhood. “A great many women wait to marry these days.”