Elizabeth August - The Determined Virgin

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.