Casteel 05 Web of Dreams (17 page)

me the truth about her past. She turned back to me.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Momma."
"You look sad. How can anyone look sad at an
occasion like this?" She paused and sighed. "Still
worrying about everything, aren't you? Can't help but take after your father, I suppose." I couldn't help wincing. She could lie with such sincerity. Maybe because she had been doing it for so long, I thought. But how long could I keep what I knew to myself?
"Come with me," she said suddenly.
"What?"
"Just follow me. Quickly. I want to show you
something." She took my hand and led me out of the
ballroom. We went to the stairway and up the stairs
quickly.
"Where are we going?"
"To my suite," she said. When we arrived, she
went to her wall safe. "I had Tony install this for my
jewels," she explained, "and," she added turning back
to me, a wry smile on her face, "my documents." "Documents?"
She just continued to smile impishly and
opened her safe. Then she reached in and produced a
very important-looking file. Inside were three pages
of long paper clipped together. She handed it to me
and I read the title: "A Prenuptial Agreement." "What is this?" I asked.
"It's a contract between Tony and me," she said
proudly. "I had my attorney prepare it."
"A contract?"
"Yes. If we should divorce, for any reason," she
said pointing to some words in the second paragraph
of the first page, "I get half of what he is worth. Half!"
she repeated. "Half of all this," she said extending her
arms. "You can read it right there," she added pointing
to the papers in my hands. I looked down at them, but
the words were gibberish to me, not only because I
didn't understand the "Whereas's" and "Resolved's,"
but because it was so shocking to learn that Momma
and Tony's love affair was written down in legal
language like a deed to a house.
"I don't understand, Momma. Why do you need
this?"
"Insurance," she said taking the papers back,
obviously not pleased with my confusion. She
restored them to her wall safe. After she closed it, she
turned back to me. "There is no man in the world I
would trust. Absolutely none. I thought I had taught
you that."
"But aren't you in love with Tony?"
"Of course, I'm in love with him. What's that
got to do with it?"
"But if you're in love, why do you need such a
contract?" was still dumbfounded.
"Honestly, Leigh. For an A-plus student, you act so stupid sometimes. I told you . . never trust a man, no matter what. I love Tony and he loves me, but that doesn't mean that some time later on, he might not do something to displease me or manufacture something I supposedly did to displease him, just so he could get his way with me. This is insurance," she said pointing to the safe. "He knows he can't send me packing without losing half of what
he has and that helps to keep a man under control. "I wanted to show you this now to make you
feel better about the future. You will have everything
now, Leigh. You don't have anything to worry about
anymore."
"But wasn't Tony upset when you asked for
this?"
"He was, but he loves me so much, he
swallowed whatever bad feelings he had about it," she
said proudly. "That's why I love him--I'm the most
important thing in his life. Understand?"
I didn't know what to say. I had thought love
meant trust. Were you really in love if you had to
have lawyers and judges looking over your shoulders? "So, now that you know everything, you can be
happy, too," she said. "Come on. We've got to get
back to the reception. I've instructed the servants to hand out the Tatterton memento now and I want to see the looks on the faces of the guests when they each
receive one.
"Be happy, Leigh. Please. Just for one day, put
aside any dark thoughts and be happy for me." "I'll be happy for you, Momma." She brushed a
quick kiss on my cheek, then we hurried downstairs. I
was stunned by Momma's revelation. Was everything
good and true and honest only in storybooks? Nothing
seemed to be what it appeared to be. Life was as
complicated as . . as the maze outside. No wonder it's
so easy to get lost, I thought.
Grandma Jana left just before the wedding
reception actually ended. She was anxious to get back
to her home in Texas, even though everyone treated
her like a queen here. Tony had arranged for Miles to
drive her to the airport. I walked out to the awaiting
limousine with her, since Momma was too busy to say
a proper goodbye.
"Goodbye, Grandma," I said. "Have a good trip
home."
She stood there staring at me thoughtfully, and
then she hugged me to her so tightly, she nearly took
my breath away. She looked at me and then her eyes
narrowed and hardened. For a moment I thought she was going to tell me everything, just blurt out the truth of all of Momma's dreadful lies and why she had been upset to learn of Momma's divorce and new marriage, but her eyes softened and her grip on my
shoulders loosened.
"I hope you will be happy here, Leigh, but if for
any reason you're not, just remember, you can come
to me. I don't live as fancy as all this, but I'm quite
comfortable," she said, sounding far from the ogre
Momma often made her out to be. How much of the
rest of what Momma had told me about her early life
in Texas had really been true, I wondered.
"Thank you, Grandma."
She kissed me again and got into the limo. I
watched it go off and then went back inside. Soon
after, guests began to leave.
I heard Momma call my name and saw Tony
and her coming down the stairway together. Momma's
heels clicked on the marble stairs. How worldly and
confident she appeared as she sauntered down arm in
arm with Tony. She was wearing her black wool crepe
suit trimmed with a mink collar and cuffs. From
beneath her jacket peeked a white chiffon blouse that
glittered. In contrast to all this darkness, Momma's
face was dazzling to behold. She seemed a diamond
set against black velvet.
Tony wore a black leather jacket and a bright
white scarf. Just like Momma, he appeared fresh and
alert. I imagined they were both still buoyed by the
day's excitement and the excitement yet to come.
They both looked so young and alive and so very
happy together.
"Can you believe it's over?" Momma asked.
"You are now looking at Mr. and Mrs. Tony
Tatterton. How do we look together, Leigh?" She
squeezed herself up against Tony.
"Wonderful," I said, in as excited a voice as I
could manage, but Momma wasn't satisfied. Her smile
wilted.
"Well, we're off. You have everything you need
and need to know. I wish I could be here with you
Christmas morning when you open your presents, but
I know you understand."
"Try to keep Troy from opening them until
Christmas morning," said Momma's handsome new
husband, with his eyes that followed me everywhere
and his smile that seemed to mock and know so much. "You promised him he could open the wedding
gifts," I reminded Tony, my own eyes breaking the
stare between us.
"We were going to do that when we got back
from our honeymoon," Momma groaned. "He'll just
have to wait."
"Oh, I don't see how it could hurt if he unwraps
some," Tony relented. "Just don't let him make a mess
of it."
"He's sure to, being a little boy," Momma
complained. "Oh well, I don't want to think of
anything that's the slightest bit unpleasant right now.
Goodbye, Leigh honey." She embraced me and even
with all my pent-up anger I hugged her back tightly,
with a ferocity that I think surprised her. All of a
sudden I didn't want her to leave, needed her in my
heart of hearts to be my mother and warm me with
hugs and kisses and little touches.
"'Have a nice Christmas and New Year's in
your new home. Don't be afraid to explore," Tony
said. "It will take you almost as long as our
honeymoon to do it."
"But please . stay out of the maze," Momma
warned.
"Okay, Momma. Have a good time," I choked
out.
"May I kiss my stepdaughter goodbye?" Tony
asked. "Goodbye, Leigh. See you soon." His long arms held me and even through the leather they felt strong and muscular. He kissed me on the cheek, but very close to the corner of my mouth. Momma seemed impressed with how long he held me and how soft and lovingly he kissed me. Then she threaded her arm through his and they were off. Curtis opened the big doors for them and then shut the doors behind
them. He nodded at me and walked away.
I heard the voices of some servants and staff
echo from the ballroom as they carried things back to
the kitchen. Doors were closed and suddenly a great
hush fell over the enormous entryway. I looked
around. It was as if all the spirits of Tattertons past
were sucked back into their portraits and eternal
places. The new silence became deafening. I gazed
out a front window and saw that the Christmas lights
were turned on. The grounds, the hedges and trees
were ablaze with reds and greens and blues. It was as
though a rainbow had shattered and bits of it had
rained down all over Farthinggale.
Mrs. Hastings came down and told me Troy
was fast asleep. She went off to join the other
members of the staff, who were, I gathered, now
having a celebration of their own and feasting on
leftovers in the kitchen.
I went to the music room where Tony had had
the ten-foot Christmas tree placed and decorated. Its
light had been turned on and it looked lovely with its
glass angel shining brightly on top. Gifts were
scattered and piled around it. There was a fire going in
the marble fireplace. The room looked all set, readymade for a family.
But where was this family and who had done
all this? It was almost as if the house had a life of its
own, each of its rooms coming to life in its own way
when its time came. Was everything set on some
automatic switch, I wondered. At Christmas, the tree
spontaneously lit itself and the fireplace self-started.
As if the house were really toying with me, Christmas
music suddenly began playing through the speakers
built into the walls.
I laughed. I felt so silly all of a sudden. Was
there a mechanical Santa Claus set to come down that
chimney every Christmas Eve too? Curtis must have
been nearby and heard my laughter because he
suddenly appeared in the doorway with a look of
confusion on his face when he saw I was alone. "Is there anything I can get you, Miss Leigh?" Yes, I wanted to say. Get me my daddy and my
mommy. Get me the happiness we once knew. Put us in this warm room together, laughing and smiling, kissing and embracing each other with love and
tenderness. Make this a real Christmas for me. "No, Curtis. Not right now. Thank you." "Very good, Miss. Just ring if there is anything
you want" "Thank you."
He nodded softly and was gone. I looked at the
Christmas tree and the presents and then gazed up at
Momma's murals. My heart felt heavy and leaden and
my throat ached from holding in my sobs. I left the
room quickly and went up to my suite. I was so very
tired. I got into my nightgown and then crawled under
my covers in my new bed. After I put out the lamp at
the side of my bed, I looked through the sheer curtains
on one of my windows and saw the moon peeping
through a cloud. It drew me to the window.
I gazed out at the vast expanse that was
Farthinggale Manor. From here I could look down at
the long winding driveway. Tonight, because of the
melted snow, the driveway gleamed like a silver metal
ribbon. It was easier to be lonely in a place that was as
big and as rich as Farthy, I thought. My friends back
in Boston would never think so, but I couldn't
remember ever feeling as small and alone as I did
right this moment.
I looked up and saw the North Star, and I
recalled Daddy explaining how sailors depended on it
whenever they were lost. Could I depend on it? It
twinkled back down at me. Maybe somewhere Daddy
was looking up at it too. Maybe he threw me a kiss
and that kiss bounced off the North Star and came
back to me here at Farthy.
"Good night, Daddy," I whispered.
"Good night, Princess," I pretended I heard him
say.
And I crawled back into bed, and for the first
time in my life, I wasn't so anxious for Christmas
morning that I couldn't wait to fall asleep.
I felt myself being jolted awake and opened my
eyes to see Troy tugging on my hand.
"Wake up, Leigh. Wake up!"
"What?" I scrubbed my eyes with my fists and
gazed around. It would be a while before I was used
to waking up in such a big bedroom.
"It's Christmas. Come on. We've got to go
down and open our presents. Come on. Hurry." "Oh Troy," I groaned. "What time is it?" I
looked at my clock. It was just seven A.M.
"Hurry up," he pleaded.
"All right. Okay, Troy. Give me a few minutes. Girls take longer to get up than boys," I said, hoping
for a small reprieve.
"Why?" He swung his dark brown eyes
skeptically at me.
"Because they have to fix their hair and their
faces and look presentable. Actually, young men do
the same thing."
He thought for a moment and looked down at
himself still dressed in his pajamas, bathrobe and
slippers.
"Okay.I'll brush my hair and meet you here in
a few minutes!" he exclaimed and scurried off. I
laughed and got
out
of bed. I washed my face free of
sleep, and brushed my hair a little, knowing that
Momma would never leave her room looking like I
did. But Momma wasn't always right, I thought. More
than ever, I was thinking that now. I put on my robe
and found Troy waiting impatiently for me in my
sitting room. He seized my hand the moment I
appeared and led me downstairs. Then he attacked the
presents. Mrs. Hastings appeared behind me,
laughing.
"Merry Christmas," she said.
"Merry Christmas."
"I'll see about breakfast, if you'd like," she offered. "Thank you, Mrs. Hastings. Let's hope we can pry him away from the gifts long enough to eat," I added. I knelt down beside Troy and helped him
unwrap his presents first.
His biggest present was his own television set.
There was one in the den, but now he would have one
for his own room.
"I've got to get it up to my room," he said
excitedly.
"Wait. There's time for that, Troy. Look at the
other gifts first."