Tread softly Page 17

  “Aye, aye, sir,” Cady said with a mock salute.

  “Brat.” Rafe swatted her backside, then strode toward his own room, calling behind him to Cady to check if there was ice to make her father a drink before they left for Durra.

  Trock had seen to the ice and had already handed Professor Nesbitt a glass of wine when Cady entered the room. She smiled as her father talked to the two dogs that lay sprawled at his feet.

  “What do you think of those two now?” Cady walked into her father’s arms.

  “You’d never recognize either of them from the rag-and-bone condition they were once in.” The professor sipped his wine, then nodded his thanks to Trock, who turned at once to fix a glass of mineral water for Cady.

  “Trock.” Rafe strode into the room, looking vital, strong, and very handsome, Cady thought. “I want you to accompany us this evening and bring the dogs,” Rafe said calmly, making his father-in-law’s brows arch and his wife gasp.

  “You can’t,” Cady pointed out. “Emmett hates dogs. So does Bruno.”

  Rafe grinned at her. “So they do. And so does Greeley.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Durra was a Christmas fairyland of green and red. Green and red lights festooned the trees, the hedges, the colonnades, the windows. A huge spruce at the curve of the drive was draped in green and white with red. The rest of the decorations were all red and green.

  “You’ll be the belle of the ball, my love,” Rafe whispered to Cady as she hesitated on the fan-shape steps leading to the front door.

  “I’ll stick out like a sore thumb,” Cady gulped, glad of his hand at her back as they stepped into the foyer, which was also ablaze with green and red. Her father stepped forward first and shook Emmett’s hand. He bent over Lee Terris’s hand in a courtly manner. If he looked surprised at the effusive welcome the twins gave him, he quickly masked it.

  “That’s something I have to tell you, later,” Cady muttered to Rafe. “Bruno and the twins.” Rafe nodded, his face grim.

  Then Emmett was looking at Cady, his eyes widening in shock. Before he could speak, Cady grasped his hand, shook it, said, “Nice to be here,” and turned to Lee Terris. Emmett was still looking at her, open-mouthed, as his son wrung his limp hand.

  “My dear Cady.” Lee looked pained. “Has no one ever told you that we wear green and red at Durra?” She was dressed in red velvet.

  “Has no one ever told you that being repetitive is dull?” Cady retorted. She gave Lee a wide smile and patted her on the arm, then moved toward the twins, who were grinning at the red-faced Lee.

  When Cady heard Emmett bellow behind her, she braced herself and turned slowly.

  “No, damn it, Rafe, you can’t bring those mutts into this house. And what’s he doing here?” Emmett fulminated, the angry red of his face fitting right in with the decorations. “What? What surprise are you talking about? What do you mean I’ll understand later?” He glowered at his eldest son. “I don’t like it. You’d better make sure neither of those mutts chews up my guests.” He threw an angry glance Cady’s way, then glared at the placid animals who were sitting on either side of Trock as he stood behind Rafe.

  Since the long guest list for the Durra Christmas get-together made it more a mob scene than a party, Emmett was soon distracted from the dogs. A ten-piece band provided music, though most of the guests would wait until after dinner to dance. Still, a few couples had eschewed cocktails and were on the solarium floor swaying to the big-band sound.

  “Shall we, Mrs. Densmore?” Rafe kissed her ear.

  “I thought you would want to talk to some of your—” Cady was delighted when Rafe interrupted her by sweeping her onto the dance floor. Her heart was fluttering wildly when he began to sing the words to “Everything I Have Is Yours” into her ear, his sure baritone caressing and deep.

  “I like it when you sing to me, Rafe.” She leaned back to look up into his face.

  “Do you, angel?” His eyes roved over her. “I like it when you do anything to me… except ignore me, of course.” He pressed her closer. “Did I tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman here?” He swung her away from his body as the tempo changed, then brought her back, dipped her, and swung her away again.

  Breathless, Cady laughed up at him. “I never ignore you.”

  Rafe nodded, then caught her close to him again, concern etched deep on his face. “I forgot for a moment. Is it all right for you to dance fast like this?”

  “Of course it is.” Cady twirled around him. “Dancing is good exercise.”

  “Don’t you whirl like that again. Your legs showed clear up to the thighs,” Rafe growled, catching her close as the music died.

  Dinner was a noisy gathering of round tables of ten each that filled the ballroom to overflowing. The centerpieces were spruce greens and red carnations. Some tables had red candles; others had green. Cady was seated at a table with Rob Ardmore. At a nearby table sat Todd Leacock, his smile knowing when he caught her eye. It was all Cady could do to keep a bland look on her face.

  “That’s Leacock.” Cady smiled at Rob as though she were telling him a joke. “The one with the cranberry-color dinner clothes.”

  Rob smiled and lifted his glass to her to acknowledge that he knew whom she meant. “Bruno isn’t here yet.” Rob’s smile widened. “I sure hope he gets here soon.”

  “He will.” Cady’s voice held more confidence than she felt. She had a shivery feeling that Bruno had somehow discovered their plans and was at that very moment winging his way to Katmandu.

  Later Cady sipped her after-dinner Cointreau and listened to Emmett relate how well the merger between Densmore Ltd., a British affiliate, and Werrings Electronics had gone, that profits were up at every quarter.

  Cady couldn’t help but think her father-in-law looked like one of the strutting peacocks that roamed the front lawn at Durra. She had to fight back a laugh as his friend Greeley wiped crumbs from his portly front and announced that he, too, was proud of his efforts in the past year. Much of the legislation that his group of lobbyists had backed had been pushed through Congress.

  “Great country, America.” Greeley belched delicately.

  Cady could feel Rafe looking her way, but she knew that if she looked at him she would laugh out loud.

  Feeling more at ease now, Cady was not prepared for Bruno’s entrance into the room. One moment she was sipping her liqueur and listening to Gavin talk about a course that was giving him trouble, then she looked up, choking on the hot, sweet liquid. Bruno! As he stood in the doorway leading to the hall, to Cady he looked like a vulture in a tuxedo.

  She took a deep breath and glanced from Bruno to Todd, realizing at once that Bruno hadn’t seen his cohort.

  “Take a seat, Bruno,” Emmett roared, flapping his hand to bring the man forward.

  Bruno relaxed against the doorjamb. “I won’t bother, since you seem to be through.” He straightened from the door and left, presumably for the solarium.

  Cady exhaled a shuddering sigh, not aware until that moment that she had been holding her breath.

  As the diners rose and separated into chatting groups that moved leisurely toward the solarium and the music, Cady stretched her neck to watch Rafe. He winked at her but made no attempt to join her. He was smiling and seeming to maneuver several people, including his father, toward the library. Aveen and Aileen, as their father’s hostesses, had gone immediately to the solarium.

  “I think the time is near,” Rob said in a mock-sepulchral tone. Cady could sense his excitement.

  The twins were waiting in the doorway leading from the ballroom as Cady and Rob approached.

  “Rafe said to come to the library.” Gavin leaned down toward her and added in a whisper, “Gareth is bringing Leacock last. Leacock thinks he’s meeting Bruno there.”

  As Gavin pushed open the door, Cady could hear Emmett growling at Rafe that he had to get back to his guests. Then, as Cady and the twins stepped through the door, Bruno’s eyes fixed on them
, narrowing. He was standing with Emmett, a bored-looking Lee Terris next to him.

  When Trock walked through the door with the dogs, Bruno’s face had a ferret cast to it. Cady had the feeling that he had penetrated every mind in the room and sniffed out danger to himself. When she saw him turn in a casual way toward the double doors leading from the library to the terrace, she turned to tell Trock.

  Trock had already whispered a command to the Doberman, who needed no urging. Graf flung himself at Bruno, taking a growling stance between the doors and the man.

  “What the hell… ” Bruno snarled. “Get this dog out of here. Emmett, are you going to let this beast—”

  “Rafe,” Emmett roared, “what did I say about those dogs?”

  “Simmer down, Dad. Graf is only following orders. My orders.” Rafe’s voice was bland, but there was a hard glitter in his eyes as he turned to Cady, then watched as the door opened and Gareth almost pushed Todd Leacock through it, followed him, and closed and locked it behind him. Todd’s face was a hunted mask as he watched Trabold’s face.

  “Now I think we’re all here.” Rafe looked around the room, giving a grim smile to his fellow legislators and their wives and husbands, who were clustered near the Adams fireplace.

  “Actually, not all the people who volunteered to get involved in our little experiment are here,” Rafe announced. “There were too many volunteers, but I think most of you recognize Senator Jack Van Orden and his wife, Senator Bill Darien and his wife, Congresswoman Gilda Reeves and her husband, Senator Mary Lake and her husband and, of course, Congressman Rob Ardmore. I have a list of many others who—”

  “Rafe, what the hell are we doing here?” Emmett bellowed.

  “I’m getting to that, Dad. First I want you all to see some pictures. Gavin, bring over that corkboard standing in the comer.” Rafe smiled at the assembly. “Gavin managed to sneak this into the library for me this evening.”

  Graf growled as Bruno tried to move. When Todd Leacock sidled toward the door, Trock whispered to the pit bull, who at once stood spread-legged in front of Leacock. The dog’s mouth was open in a snarling threat.

  When the board was turned toward the assembled group, there were gasps, groans, hisses, imprecations.

  Cady closed her eyes, unable to look at herself in that promiscuous pose, even though the other wives and female legislators were on the board with her. She clenched her fists and opened her eyes.

  “Really, Cady, you might have considered the family name.” Lee stepped closer to Emmett.

  “Shut up, Lee,” Rafe said lightly, his voice friendly but his eyes agate-hard. “What you’re seeing is an abortive attempt at blackmail. An attempt by—well, let’s just say, for the moment, very criminal type people—to put pressure on my wife, who would, in turn, put pressure on me to pull my support away from an environmental bill that would help my state and the country.” Rafe turned to Gareth. “Bring Greeley in here, along with Dave and Harrison. If Aileen and Aveen want to come, let them. Tell them to let Cousin Michaeline play hostess.”

  “She’d love that,” Gareth said cheekily before closing the door behind him.

  Emmett was red-faced and pop-eyed as his graze traveled from the pictures to Cady to Rafe to the other women to Rob Ardmore. “Why are you calling Greeley?” he demanded. “He would have none of such stuff.”

  “But you do see what a phony setup this is?” Rafe took a cheroot from his gold case and lit it. Then he looked at Professor Nesbitt, who stood off to one side, stony-faced and silent. “Only you and I, sir, would know that a picture of Cady would have to include her most interesting mole.”

  “Rafe!” Cady exclaimed, mortified. She wasn’t placated when her father chuckled.

  “Sorry, darling.” Rafe’s smile was tender.

  A sudden silence filled the room, so that the rather hoarse breathing of Todd Leacock was abrasive to the ears.

  Greeley came through the door, his bald pate having a pinkish sheen in the red and green decorative lights from the foyer. The cigar in his mouth flapped up and down as he looked at the people in the library. His button eyes, lost in the folds of fat on his cheeks, stared from Emmett to Bruno. It was Gareth’s ungentle urging that propelled him into the center of the room after his shifting eyes found the corkboard with its interesting array of pictures.

  “I want to talk to my lawyer,” Greeley snarled, glaring at Bruno. “I didn’t want any part of this, Rafe. It was that damn fool who thought he could sink you.”

  Bruno snarled and turned toward the door. At once the Doberman rose to attack. Rafe yelled at the dog and threw himself forward at the same time. “Back, Graf. I want him for myself.”

  When Bruno heard this, he turned around and launched himself at Rafe. It seemed to Cady that they met in midair.

  She stood there, mute. The snarling, whining dogs, prevented from helping their beloved master, quivered with frustration. Emmett yelped when a small table with some of his precious Belleek china crashed to the floor. Lee Terris moved to get some of the other precious artifacts out of the way. Cady was frozen to the spot. She wanted to kill Rob Ardmore when he urged Rafe to “Let him have it with a left.” Rafe, be careful, she screamed in her mind.

  The noise increased as the twins egged their older brother on to the kill. Gareth stood close to Leacock, telling Hobo what a good boy he was for watching the “bad man.” Hobo only snarled.

  Cady felt fright and anger when Rafe’s fellow legislators and his twin brothers formed a loosely knit ring around the fighting men. For a moment Cady couldn’t see, even stretching her neck and standing on tiptoe. Finally she stepped onto one of Emmett’s fine needle-pointed Sheraton chairs. Graf whined at her feet.

  What Cady saw made her knees turn to jelly. “Father, stop them, stop them!” Cady was sure her father couldn’t even hear her hoarse whisper.

  All at once the fight was over. Rafe was standing there swaying, the back of one hand dabbing at the corner of his mouth.

  Cady jumped down from the chair and pushed her way through the knot of men just as Jack Van Orden hoisted Bruno to his feet.

  For a moment Cady paused, then she catapulted herself onto Rafe. “Did he hurt you? Did he hurt you?” She ran her fingers over the swelling under his left eye, not even trying to check the tears coursing down her cheeks. “Oh, Rafe, your poor face.” She slipped her hands around his waist, cradling him to her. “That monster marked your cheek,” Cady railed, turning in front of him to glare at the staggering Bruno. “You—you—louse.” Cady lifted her hands like claws, feeling anger fill her veins. Before she could move, two arms clamped around her waist.

  “Easy, darling,” Rafe muttered into her hair. “The fighting is over for today… and I feel so damn good.”

  Cady looked up at him. He was glowering at Bruno. “Rafe, Bruno tried to blackmail the twins, too,” she told him. “He accused Gareth of shaving points in a game. It’s a lie. Todd was in on it, too.”

  Emmett’s angry roar drowned out Rafe’s answer. “You viper! Try to destroy my boys, will you? I’ll have you put away for a thousand years.”

  ———

  By the time Bruno and Todd had been led away by the security people that Emmett employed, Aileen and Aveen, who had come to the library to see what was keeping their father from his guests, had a fair idea of what had taken place. White-faced, they stared at Bruno as he walked past them.

  “We trusted you,” Aileen accused. Aveen nodded in agreement.

  “Which shows how foolish even you can be at times, darling,” Dave said mildly, putting an arm around his wife.

  Aileen swallowed and nodded. “In more ways than one.” She leaned against her husband, her eyes misty.

  “I never expected Cady to be such a ruffian,” Aveen mumbled to her husband.

  “Don’t be a fool. She’s more a lady than anyone I know… except you, of course.” Harrison squeezed her hand, but Aveen’s smile was shaky.

  “Aveen and Aileen have just passed throu
gh a belated puberty of the soul,” Gavin whispered to Cady. “Maybe now their spiritual growth will pull even with the ego growth—they might mature.”

  Emmett began ushering his guests out of the library, vowing to each one to see to it that Bruno and his cohorts were punished.

  Gavin grinned at Cady. “One by one, you’ve turned the Densmores into humans, Cady dear. Now if you’ll find me a girl just like you, I’ll be content for life.”

  “Me, too,” Gareth said, lifting Cady high in the air.

  “Hey, be careful with her.” Rafe was there, taking Cady out of Gareth’s arms into his own. He held her against his chest, chuckling at her flustered look. “She’s going to have a baby. I don’t want her handled roughly.”

  The twins whooped, making Emmett, who was standing at the library door with Lee Terris, turn and glower at them. Dave and Harrison kissed Cady. Aileen and Aveen kissed Rafe. Rafe kissed Cady and didn’t release her. Still, he managed to shake hands all around. Thomas Nesbitt watched his daughter, a contented smile on his face.

  Cady was sure that Rafe would be worn out and she suggested that they leave rather then go back to the solarium and dance.

  “Not on your life, my love. I’m celebrating. The only reason I’ll leave is if you tell me you’re tired. Then I’ll go.” His face seemed to have an aura all its own as he looked at her. “Aveen said she would mend the tear in my jacket. Aileen put peroxide on my face. Now I want to waltz with my beautiful wife and discuss a trip to Santo Tomas the day after Christmas… just the two of us.”

  “I’d love to dance for a while.” Cady glowed at the look in her husband’s eyes. “As for Santo Tomas, it can’t come too soon for me.” She swallowed and looked deep into his eyes as he swept her onto the floor to the waltz music that Emmett was so addicted to. “The best Christmas present I could ever have would be to have you all to myself. You see, I love you so much, I can’t see straight.” She gulped a laugh as Rafe stopped dead in the middle of the dance floor.