“Of course not. A calm bull doesn’t give you enough points for a winning ride.” Why on earth was she talking about this with Drew?
“Does it happen often?”
Tears welled. Maggie shook her head convulsively. “I... no. Maybe once with Tris when he was hurt so bad. But not like this. I meant to calm Tris. He was in such pain and it was a long way to the ER in Reno. Here... I was aiming for the horse and it was like I went out of control.” The tears spilled. She swallowed a sob.
“Do you know what it is?” Drew asked, her voice kind.
“I think it’s hypnosis or something.” It had better be something like that.
Drew looked like she might say something, and then thought better of it. She began again. “Well, it’s over now. And you can’t drive when you’re upset. So there’s nothing for it but to come back with us and have a good time tonight and avoid disappointing my mother.”
The offer was very nice. And she didn’t want to insult Mrs. Tremaine. And she did want to see Tris again. Just about more than anything. What to do? She’d be the topic of whispered conversations all night. Almost nothing worse. But she was so weak-willed. She sighed. “I’m not sure I can take more probing questions from the Prince of Wales.”
Drew broke out in peals of laughter. “You got that from Tris.”
Maggie nodded, unable to suppress an uptick at the corner of her mouth.
“Swear to God and hope to die, no one will ask probing questions. I’ll drive you back myself.” She grinned. “And I’ll even keep my speed to fifty. Deal?”
“No prying questions from you either?”
“Silence the whole way if that’s what you want.”
Maggie liked this girl who was so different than she was. “Deal.” Or maybe Maggie was different now from the Maggie she’d always been. What had happened in there?
“Don’t think too hard about it right now,” Drew said, as if reading her thoughts. “After the party, talk to Mother. She knows something about just about everything. She’ll help you.”
Maggie wiped at her cheeks again. She was not going to talk to Mrs. Tremaine about her problems. She wasn’t going to talk to anyone, actually. Whom could she talk to? Elroy?
Not likely.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Kemble stood with his father looking out over the ocean from the terrace. The house was momentarily quiet. The guests wouldn’t start arriving for another half hour. The wait staff clustered in the kitchen. The portable bars had been set up. The late dinner buffet would magically appear at nine. The girls were upstairs engaged in some secret ritual of preparation which involved occasional giggles from Tammy and Kee drifting out the upstairs windows. He had no idea where the boys were. Lanyon was probably trying some new hair product designed to slick down his cowlick, or tease his entire head of hair up into spikes or something.
But here, with ice clinking in their glasses and a light breeze off the ocean, it was relatively quiet. The scent of his mother’s roses filled the air. Gulls wheeled in the evening updrafts, silhouetted against a sky so pale blue it was almost green around the streaky cirrus clouds. It would be a good sunset. He sipped his gin and tonic.
Kemble himself was not peaceful. Tris had found his mate. He might not know it. He might run screaming from the room if anyone suggested it. But he had found her. Kemble, two years older than Tris, had never felt even a whisper of true love. It was all he could do to seem interested in the girls with whom his mother set him up. Kemble was jealous of Tris about something Tris didn’t even want. And now it fell to him to tell his father. That seemed most unfair of all.
“You missed the fun today.”
“What fun?” His father continued to stare out over the steel-gray sea. He was smiling. Brian Tremaine always enjoyed giving his wife parties. They’d been married thirty-one years. And to their soul-mate. Kemble couldn’t imagine how that felt.
“We went out to a camp for disabled children to deliver Maggie’s horses.”
His father chuckled. “Doesn’t sound like your cup of tea.”
“Glad I went though. We have more of an issue with Maggie than we thought.”
His father frowned. “Do I need to buy her off?”
“She doesn’t want his money.”
“Then what?”
“Well, apparently neither of them realize it, but she’s got a power.”
His father’s eyes opened wide. Now Kemble had his father’s full attention.
“He thinks she’s some kind of horse whisperer or something. But it’s more than that. There was an injured horse thrashing around in a stall. She calmed it.”
“I’ve heard of that,” his father said slowly. “It’s force of personality. Not magic.”
“Well, in all the excitement she doused about ten people with so much calm that Lanyon fell down, dead asleep, and Tammy couldn’t speak or even cry.”
His father’s eyebrows rose.
“No, no one was hurt. Just the opposite. It was a great feeling. Drew and I both felt... well. Whole. Sort of certain, I guess. Like everything would be fine. Maggie went in and freed the horse, came out all embarrassed, and ran for her truck. I think she’d be halfway to the middle of Nowhere, Nevada, except Drew gathered her in.”
“The children?”
“They felt it too. Drew threatened them with bodily harm if they accosted Tris about it on the way home. Even Tammy kept her mouth shut and didn’t ask questions.”
His father gave a humphing sound, but he was thoughtful. “They must realize how important this is to the family. I’ve never heard of a power like that.”
“Neither have I. But we can’t ignore it.”
“Does your mother know?”
“Of course I know.” His mother sailed out onto the terrace with a glass of white wine in one hand. She wore a black cocktail dress with a bolero jacket beaded in jet over a plunging neckline. The solitaire diamonds in her ears and necklace were quietly impressive.
“You look stunning, my dear.” His father’s smile went soft. Kemble liked that particular smile. “Not a day over thirty.”
His mother gave a huge sigh. “One can’t deny the creep of time.” Then she too got that smile. “But with one’s family around one....” She took her husband’s free hand. “It’s almost bearable. Drew told me, of course, but she needn’t have bothered. I knew it from the moment Maggie arrived. I confirmed it by casting the cards. I don’t know what her power is precisely. But she’s come into her own. And we know why.”
“Why?” the two men said in unison.
“Because she found Tris, and she’s fallen in love with him.” She said it slowly, as if to children. “And because... well... well I don’t have to say it to you. You’re men of the world.”
Kemble sighed. “Last night,” he confirmed.
His father looked incredulous. “In my house? Under my roof?”
His mother’s eyes twinkled as she nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“Well.” His father’s “captain of industry” demeanor slid back into place. “Since he doesn’t realize she’s magic, I’ll have a talk with him. We can have a quick wedding, and Tris can start assuming his responsibilities.”
“No,” his mother said quickly.
“Bad idea,” Kemble echoed. His father trying to push Tris into anything would be a disaster. But marriage? The one sure way to capsize the boat.
“Well, he’s found his true love and she’s got the gene. What more is there to be said?”
“Have you seen Tris exhibit any powers in return?” Kemble was sorry he had to ask it.
His father grew thoughtful. “He stared at her all through dinner last night.”
“Oh, he’s in love with her all right,” Kemble said. “Stupid jerk thought I was trying to move in on him this afternoon. I’m lucky to be in one piece.”
“But he hasn’t accepted it yet,” his mother said patiently. “And until he yields to his love, I don’t think his own powers will emerge.”
/>
“He felt what happened today, but he insists she’s just a horse whisperer. Definite denial.”
“I hope he’s an Adapter,” his father said, a smile beginning around his mouth.
“Brian....” Here she squeezed his father’s arm. “You know Tristram doesn’t believe in our destiny. He doesn’t think the powers are genetic. Definitely doesn’t believe they trace back to Merlin. He might not welcome the feeling that something bigger than he is rules his life. If you push this on him, it could trigger a rebellion.”
“He was always good at rebellion. Is that a power?” his father asked no one in particular.
“If he refuses her, even though she’s what he wants and needs most... if he rejects his destiny, the effects could be devastating.” His mother was almost pleading.
“He’s been rejecting it for years,” his father said bitterly.
“And look what that’s done to him. He lost interest in his business. He certainly didn’t care about any of the girls he dated. He even left his family. It will get worse if he continues to reject what’s in his very genes.”
Tris would end up a suicide or an addict with no connection to life at all. Kemble didn’t say that. He didn’t have to, from the looks on his parents’ faces.
“Well, what do we do?” his father asked in frustration. Kemble’s sentiment exactly.
“We wait. And we’re nice to Maggie O’Brian.” This was said pointedly to both of them. “You can’t tell me you don’t like her. I saw you watching her at dinner last night.”
His father rolled his eyes. “I like her. I admitted that.”
“Then don’t scare her away.” She turned on Kemble. “I heard you accused her of gold-digging on the way out to the camp.”
Maggie must have spilt the beans to Drew. Drew was such a snitch. “I was thinking of the family,” he sputtered. He’d been doing what his father wanted him to do, distasteful as it was.
His father sighed. “I asked him to do it. Not directly. But he knew.”
That was the good part about his father. He had courage. His mother shook her head at them. “I’ll be nice,” Kemble promised.
“Well, actually, be nice, but not in a courting way, for the sake of peace in the family.” His mother tapped one finger against her lips. “Be... brotherly.”
“Brotherly. Check.” If Maggie was even speaking to him after the ride to Anaheim Hills.
His father’s gaze drifted to the horizon and Catalina. “I can’t believe it was Tristram before any of you.” For the first time, Kemble heard pride in his father’s voice when he talked about his middle son. Kemble had always been second best to his father. Now it looked like he was second even to his ne’er-do-well younger brother.
“He’s the only one who doesn’t want it.” Kemble hoped he didn’t sound bitter.
“Sometimes embracing what you fear most is the only thing that will make you whole,” his mother said quietly, leaning her head on her husband’s shoulder.
“Tris, afraid?” Tris had never been afraid of anything.
His mother smiled, a little sadly. “Oh, yes. He’s afraid. And that’s why you two can’t push him. Promise me?” She looked up at her husband. Kemble could see the sigh in the rise and fall of his father’s shoulders.
“When have I been able to refuse you anything?”
“I just hope he doesn’t fall apart when he realizes what’s happening,” his mother said.
*****
“How many people are down there?” Maggie asked in a small voice. She pulled the big terrycloth robe around her body and went to stand beside the window where she could see but not be seen. The sun had set. Fiery clouds traced across the sky. Down on the terrace the light was fading into dusk. Heaters glowed. Warm lights popped on around the garden. The deck was covered with beautiful women and handsome men, all dressed exquisitely, laughing and talking with perfect ease. Maggie shuddered. Presents of all sizes covered a table at the far end of the terrace. What did someone get a woman like Brina Tremaine?
“Only about a hundred.” Drew wore a strapless cherry silk dress, what there was of it, that fitted her form exactly, and the highest-heeled red sandals Maggie had ever seen. Her legs went on forever. Her hair was up in a complicated knot. The dangly earrings hadn’t come from Target. Maggie was pretty sure they were rubies. Her lipstick matched them perfectly. The effect of all that red with her black hair and creamy skin was intimidating. She waved a dismissive hand. “Mother insists on keeping it small when it’s at the house.”
“A hundred?” What had she gotten herself into? She didn’t fit here. She hadn’t felt like herself all afternoon, even though she’d lain down in her room and tried to rest. She felt kind of... tingly. Had she had a stroke or something? That must be it. Or maybe it was a kind of migraine. She didn’t have the money to go to a doctor. So if her normal self didn’t fit at a Tremaine party, what about someone who didn’t even feel like Maggie O’Brian? She’d probably have some epileptic fit or something and put them all to sleep again. Having a connection to animals was one thing. She was okay with that. But what had happened today.... She didn’t know whether to be more afraid of what she might be (whatever that was) or the hundred people on the terrace.
Her eyes were drawn to a man just turning away from the bar with what looked like a glass of neat whiskey. The bartender was putting away a bottle of Jack Daniels. But she knew who it was before she saw the Jack. She wondered what blackmail had been applied to get him into a tux, but she applauded the sentiment. The man filled out a tux real good. It wasn’t all wrinkled like the rental Phil the Rat wore to the prom. The way it was so smooth across those broad shoulders, it looked like it was made just for him.
It probably was.
Where was his cast? Had he managed to fit it under that tux? Not that she could see. But he was limping a little. As she watched, he put one finger into his collar and tugged. She had to smile. She knew how he felt. He took a slug of the Jack and braced himself as two women whispered together and then approached with simpering grins on their faces. They were both real pretty. That made Maggie’s smile disappear.
“No more procrastinating,” Kee said, coming into the bedroom with an armload of dresses. “You’re next.” Kee was wearing midnight blue—kind of a shiny material with a full skirt. Her hair waved down her back. Did all the Tremaine girls have to be drop-dead gorgeous? “Tammy went down to promise we’d be right there.”
Maggie backed up to the window like a cornered animal. “I... I think I’ll just stay up here and enjoy the view,” Maggie said. “Your mother won’t miss me.”
“Of course she will.” Drew began sorting through the dresses Kee had dumped unceremoniously on the bed. They were all frightening colors like fuchsia, or white with bold splashes of color that might have been flowers, some so short they didn’t look like dresses at all.
“I don’t have a birthday gift.” Fear was turning into panic. She could not go down there. What would she say to those people? Everyone would know she’d borrowed a dress. No one like Maggie O’Brian could own a dress like those that belonged to the Tremaine sisters. Her stomach started doing flip flops.
“Like that matters.” Drew glanced up at Maggie and frowned. She shot a glance to Kee. “Why don’t you go down and help Tammy buy us some time, Kee?” she said with exaggerated calm. “Send Jane up, will you?” She took both Maggie’s upper arms and pushed her onto the big bed. “Sit down and relax.” The furniture in Drew’s bedroom was all sleek and modern. The spread was covered with appliqués of stars and moons, like a wizard’s robe. “No one buys Mother real gifts anyway. Those boxes are filled with certificates and cards, or maybe stuffed animals.” Drew was making conversation while she rifled through the dresses. “Mother insists that people make charitable contributions instead of buying presents.”
Maggie realized her breath was coming shallow and fast and tried to slow it. She didn’t want to throw up all over Drew’s bedroom. “So... why stuffed animals?�
�� she managed to ask.
“Oh, that’s just symbolic. They pledge a herd of goats to some village, or some cows or chickens or something, then just stick a representation in a box with a note. That’s one of Mother’s favorite charities. Makes the village self-sufficient.”
Jane slid into the room and shut the door. She was wearing soft blue that draped around her. It had long, transparent sleeves. Drew held up a vibrant orange scrap of fabric, looking desperate. Jane shook her head and Drew tossed it into the pile with an exasperated sound.
Oh, this was just awful. Poor Drew was trying to make Maggie fit in here, and she’d never fit in. Never. Maggie got up convulsively.
Jane sat on the bed, smiling, and pulled a wild-eyed Maggie down beside her. “Kee is an art major. You know how dramatic they are,” she apologized. She glanced up to Drew. “Why don’t you get out that lavender dress you bought last month for the Finnegan wedding?”
“The one you said wasn’t me?” Drew looked puzzled. “You were right. It was terrible.”
Jane sighed.
“Oh, right.” Drew cleared her throat. “It wasn’t exactly terrible.” She disappeared through a door into another room. When the light went on it was revealed to be one huge closet stuffed full of clothes. “But I’m so much taller than Maggie.... Do you think...?”
She emerged with a pile of lavender chiffon, looking doubtful.
So not Maggie.
Jane must have seen Maggie’s look of horror. She began making soothing, clucking sounds. “Now, now, just try it. Call it a whim of mine.” She pulled Maggie up and glanced to Drew. “Can you go find your studs and the matching necklace?”
“Right, right,” Drew muttered and went to a tall cabinet. When she opened it, lines of hooks with necklaces, and rows and rows of earrings on posts or stuck into velvet were revealed. The whole thing was a gigantic jewelry box.
Jane was pulling off Maggie’s robe. “This seems like a bad idea,” Maggie protested.
“Now just step into this,” Jane said. “You won’t need a bra.”
01 Do You Believe in Magic - The Children of Merlin Page 22