Valley of the Moon

by Bronwyn Archer

  “Okay, here’s one—if we’re supposedly family, why did it take so long for anyone to look for me?”

  He shrugged and shook his head. “My father said that Georgette tried to, but mentally, she went downhill fast after her sister died. According to my parents, she became a complete recluse. She got weird. She refused to speak English and only spoke French—I guess her mother had been French. She started collecting things—especially dolls. She had hundreds of them. I think your mother made it clear she wanted nothing to do with the old biddies. According to Severine, they didn’t even know where Tanith lived.”

  “But Ramona did.”

  He chuckled to himself. “Ah, your stepmother—sorry, ex-stepmother—she is an interesting woman. She’s been pretty helpful, actually.” I shook my head in disbelief.

  “She lied to Severine! She told her I was out of the country.”

  He rubbed his chin. “She was a friend of your mom’s, right? So maybe she was trying to do what your mother did—hide you from the Ambrose family.”

  “I doubt it.” I tried to think of how explain the fact that Ramona was a poisonous snake he needed to avoid at all costs. On the stage, the orchestra music swelled for the father-daughter dance and girls rushed by us on their way to the dance floor. I watched Martin Crawford twirl Cressida across the floor. She looked out-of-character happy. I saw Ramona across the room, talking to Headmaster Wimbish. She caught my eye for a second and her scarlet lips stretched into a thin smile.

  I shivered and turned back to Alexander. It was hard to look at him without staring. I wasn’t used to being this close to someone who looked like he did.

  “But, why bother looking for me at all, Alexander? Just to tell me my great-great-great something or other is dead?”

  He grinned at me. Those dimples. “I was just getting to that part. When Claudette died, her granddaughter and ward—your mother—showed up at the funeral, but that was the last time anyone saw her—or you. No one knew she had changed her name and moved to Sonoma. You were there.” He regarded me intently. “Do you remember? I was there, too. It was snowing that day. You must have been two or three.”

  People streamed past us the watch the dance, but I was lost in another world. As I tried to absorb what he was telling me, I felt the first infant tinglings of thrilling possibility.

  He continued. “Anyway, Georgette left her entire estate to her sole heir.” He unleashed a face-splitting grin. “Her goddaughter.”

  I stared at him blankly. His words failed to penetrate my brain, hitting an impenetrable wall of disbelief.

  “You’re her goddaughter, Lana.”

  “Oh.” My stunned reaction seemed to delight him. I felt like I was floating and falling at the same time. My hands ached and I realized I’d been gripping the edges of my seat as if I was on a roller coaster.

  “Hey—are you okay? Do you understand what that means?”

  Nope. I didn’t understand. I didn’t believe him. I considered telling him my godmother had already said hi—from beyond the grave. But I’d save that tidbit for when he knew me a little better. I just closed my eyes and shook my head.

  He grimaced. “That was probably a lot to take in. Maybe we should get some air.” He stood up and helped me to my feet. My eyes refocused just as a cluster of people headed straight for us.

  Just act natural. Like your mind hasn’t been blown to absolute bits. Maya, Piper, and the Blodgetts crowded towards me. Piper gave me a huge hug while her parents congratulated me and asked about my dad.

  Piper whispered in my ear, “Dude, who is your date? Everyone is freaking out about him!”

  “Oh! He’s my…wait, I’ll introduce you.” I turned back to the table, but Alexander was gone. It was a dream. You dreamed it.

  Then I felt his arm was around my waist. Relief rushed through me. I had this crazy feeling that I never wanted his arm to move. Alexander extended his free hand to Maya.

  “Hello, ladies,” he said, as though this was all normal. “Congratulations. My name’s Alexander.”

  Piper stared slack jawed in the full glare of his Alexander-ness.

  “My cousin,” I added.

  “And I’m…um…I’m… ” Piper stared at him, her name forgotten.

  Maya recovered and stepped forward. “She’s Piper. I’m Maya. It is so nice to meet you!” She reached over and grabbed my forearm, digging her nails into it hard. “Come with us to the bathroom right now. I really think you need to go.”

  “Go ahead—I’ll talk to you later,” I said. They reluctantly walked away and I turned back to Alexander. I had a few billion more questions for him. But before I could say another word, a familiar perfume stung my nose.

  “May I offer you my congratulations, too?” Ramona’s jet-black hair was swept back into a glossy ponytail. Her smile glittered with sly intent. She had removed her suit jacket to reveal a tight black sheath, cut low.

  “Ah, thank you, Ramona.” Over her shoulder, I watched Cressida slinking over to join us. My heart sank.

  “Salutatorian, that’s quite something,” Ramona purred. I could sense her coiled pounce. She casually glanced up at Alexander and unleashed a blinding smile.

  “Alexander! How lovely to see you again. How were my directions?” My hatred for her boiled. Why was she even talking to him? He was my cousin. This was my life. She had interfered enough.

  “Got here a little late, but I made it,” he said. Ramona firmly guided Cressida so she stood right in front of him.

  “May I present my daughter, Cressida?” Maybe this is why Ramona wanted him here. To meet his future bride.

  “Very nice to meet you, Mr. Ambrose,” Cressida said in a quiet voice. “My mother has told me so much about you.” I rolled my eyes. She held out a limp hand and Alexander shook it politely.

  “Your mother told me how close you and Lana were growing up,” he told her. I almost laughed out loud. What other lies had she told him? Cressida shot me a quick look.

  “I’m sorry about your dad, Lana. Tell him I said hi, okay? He was always really cool to me.” She glanced away and bit her lip. Alexander wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

  “Ladies, will you excuse us? I need to talk to Lana about some private family business.” He took my hand and as we walked away, I experienced a fierce burst of joy. My family—not the Crawford family. I had a real family. The unreality of the previous 24 hours—my dad’s heart attack, the hospital, graduation, meeting Alexander, the prospect of being someone’s heir—it was all too much.

  And the inheritance—my mother’s inheritance. An entire catalog of disasters that could have been prevented spun through my mind. My dad would never have taken out loans from Victor. He wouldn’t have struggled to raise me. I wouldn’t have been forced to pull all-nighters to keep my scholarship at a school I hated.

  And I would never, ever have met Ramona Crawford.

  How could my mother have done this to us?

  Alexander handed me his pocket square and I blotted my tear-streaked face. He smiled at me tenderly. “It’s a lot, I know. I shouldn’t have dropped this bomb on you here. You can yell at me on the plane.”

  “What plane?”

  “I’ve been asked to escort you all the way to New York. We leave tomorrow.” I gaped at him.

  “New York?”

  He grinned. “You don’t want to miss the reading of the will, do you?” Okay, now we are entering the realm of the surreal.

  “But how can I leave my dad?”

  “I have your address. I’m staying at the Carneros in Napa, so I’ll pick you up in the morning and we’ll go see him before our flight.” He leaned in close and whispered, “Don’t make me handcuff you to my wrist and drag you, Lana.” I pictured being handcuffed to him. I had to take a steadying breath and remind myself he was my cousin. He is not flirting with you. He is NOT flirting with you.

  But what if he was flirting with me? We were pretty distant cousins, after all.

  “It’s just—this is
just so crazy. It’s a little hard to believe,” I said.

  “Believe it.” He stared at me for a second and then pulled me into a hug. “And happy early birthday, Lana.”

  I tried to process the totally new and incredibly pleasant sensation of being pressed against him. It felt good—and oddly familiar. That’s because you’re related, you dummy. Don’t get any ideas.

  “Looks like I can’t keep the wolves away much longer,” he murmured. “Here comes one of your many suitors now.” He gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Don’t forget to pack. Oh, and Severine said you have to bring the dove.”

  “Dove?” He winked at me and disappeared into the crowd. “What dove? Alexander, wait!” The crowd closed around him. I wanted to run after him but my leg muscles had turned to mush.

  I turned around to see who my supposed suitor was.

  My stomach lurched when I saw him. Caleb Weaver.

  18

  Oceanus Procellarum ~ Ocean of Storms

  Caleb ran A hand through his hair as he approached me, and a surge of my old attraction hit me. A few months earlier, I would have done anything to get him to say he loved me, but I had strangled my feelings for Caleb Weaver to death. I steeled myself to face him.

  “Hey, Lana.” Sweat beaded his tan forehead.

  Righteous anger, white and hot, flooded through me. “I have nothing to say to you, Caleb.” He grabbed my arm and I yanked it out of his grip. “Don’t you dare touch me!” I hissed.

  “Lana, please! I need to talk to you! I need to know—I need to know what happened to you that night.” He had dark circles under his eyes.

  “I hoped at least one of us would remember,” I snapped.

  “You passed out and then you…disappeared. So no, I don’t know.”

  I stared at him in disbelief. “You still can’t admit what you did?”

  He blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “What do I mean? When I woke up after you were done with me, I went to the house go find you. I heard noises. I saw you—with Cressida. That’s what I mean.”

  He looked like he was about to cry. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I was completely out of my mind.” His forehead creased and rubbed his chin. “I think she gave me something that night.”

  “Yeah, an STD.”

  He looked around, his eyes darting. “No, something in my drink.”

  “Probably Viagra then. You’d need it for her. Did you need it for me, too?” I was in a transformative state of rage. My anger swelled until it felt like my skin would burst. “I guess you like it when girls are unconscious.” I squeezed my eyes to stop the tears.

  His grip loosened on me. I opened my eyes and he was standing with his arms slack at his side, mouth open, brow furrowed.

  “What are you talking about???” he said, his voice louder.

  I rolled my eyes. “Never mind, Caleb! Just forget I ever existed, okay?”

  He grabbed my hand but I yanked it away.

  “LEAVE ME ALONE!” A group of parents standing nearby turned to gawk at our fight.

  “First tell me what you meant!” His face was twisted in anger.

  Cressida ran up to us and latched onto his arm like a leech. “There you are, Caleb! Saying hi to our mutual friend?”

  I pushed my way past them and ran towards the back doors of the gym that led out to the vegetable gardens. Shaking in the cool night air, I took some deep breaths to calm myself. I held onto one of the garden trellis pillars so I wouldn’t collapse in a sobbing heap.

  I could smell the basil and the tomatoes and the marigolds.

  And cigarette smoke.

  I whirled around. The woman was standing in the middle of the path that cut through the vegetable garden behind the gym, half-hidden by towering tomato plants. She stepped towards me and into the weak outdoor light. She wore a bright red skirt and matching jacket, and her strawberry-blond hair hung down in perfect mermaid waves to the middle of her back. It was the lady from the car shop. Victor’s henchwoman.

  Then I saw him. The tall guy, wearing all black. In the pale light I could see a white scar on his buzzed scalp. The woman cocked her head and regarded me stonily, while the man just grinned. The two of them approached me. I decided they couldn’t do anything to me—there were hundreds of adults just a few feet away.

  “Hello, Miss Goodwin,” the woman said, in a thick Slavic accent. “Please, you come with us.” She reached out and tried to take me by the arm. I took a step back, did a 180 and walked as fast as I could down the path that led to the corner of the Athletics Pavilion. They moved to follow me, but two girls rushed out of the back exit, momentarily blocking me from their view.

  I ran, wobbling in Candy’s heels. If I could get to the corner, the path would take me straight to the parking lot, where my car was waiting. My very fast car.

  I rounded the corner and heard heels clacking behind me, faster and faster. Just as I turned the corner, the man stepped in front of me and I almost ran into his chest. He stank of smoke and body odor.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” I yelled, trying to sound tough. He laughed in my face and I pressed my back against the wall. Where was everyone? The walkway was dimly lit and there was no one in sight. I could hear the music coming from the other side of the wall, from inside the gym.

  Even in her sky-high high heels the Russian woman was shorter than me. She stood in front of me with her arms crossed, tapping her long nails. They were painted in a leopard-print design. Close up, her face was beautiful but hard, with pronounced cheekbones and wide-set blue eyes.

  The guy was just plain scary. I could see a neck tattoo peeking out of the top of the black t-shirt he wore under his blazer. It looked like the head of a dragon.

  The woman cocked her head. “I am Nastia. This is Arkady. We are friends of Victor.” I took a step forward, but the guy shifted to block me. Nastia put her hand on my elbow and squeezed.

  “I told Victor I’d meet him tomorrow, so what are you doing here?” Nastia’s grip tightened. She spoke to Arkady in furious Russian. He pursed his lips and nodded.

  “Victor wants to see you tonight. You Americans make too many excuses. Just like father,” she said.

  I fingered my clutch and felt my car keys through the fabric. I took a deep breath, wrenched my arm away from her, and darted away. A second later, a rough hand clamped down on my shoulder.

  “Get your hands off me!” I screamed. Arkady pushed me hard against the wall and my head cracked against the cold brick wall. My hand reached up to the back of my head. A huge, tender lump was already forming. Arkady held up his hand as if he was about to slap me. As his jacket flew open, I noticed something strapped to his chest—a gun holster. With a gun in it.

  Nastia spat something at him in Russian and he froze.

  She ticked her leopard-print nails back and forth along the links of her chunky gold necklace. A faint bruise was visible on her jaw underneath the thick base makeup she wore.

  “Victor make deal with your father. And now, time’s up. Victor decide he don’t want to wait.” Arkady snorted. Nastia shot him a venomous look. “We take you to him now,” she said.

  My throat was so dry I couldn’t speak, but I was not about to be dragged away from my high school graduation to some Russian kingpin. Nope, not going to happen. I looked around and saw down the pathway an emergency exit door that led into the front entrance of the Athletic Pavilion.

  I stood up straight and took a deep breath. “Fine, let’s go,” I said. “Lead the way.” Nastia looked surprised. Arkady pushed me forward and I started heading down the path. I could hear crickets chirping in the bushes lining the path. They were oblivious to my plight.

  As we passed the emergency exit, I pretended to stumble. I fell against the door handle and pulled. Somehow it was unlocked and I slipped inside, yanking it closed behind me as hard as I could.

  Just before the latch caught, the entire bulk of Arkady came flying through the door. I jumped out of the way, tripped on m
y dress, and slid backwards across the floor. The door smashed against the interior wall with a deafening crash. The window in the top half of the door shattered and the glass exploded out into tiny shards.

  Arkady, his cigarette clamped firmly between his lips, acted like nothing had happened. He stepped over the glass shards and held the door open for Nastia. She stepped through the destroyed doorway like a queen, her heels crunching on the glass confetti. We were in the empty front room. Trophies filled the cases along one wall.

  I scrambled to stand but slipped on the glass, breaking my fall with my hands. Chunks of glass bit into my knuckles. Arkady came up behind me and pulled me up. “We go now.”

  Nastia took my other arm. They started pushing me towards the front doors. I struggled to break free, and I was about to scream for help when I remembered Arkady’s gun. Would it be better to be shot at Briar, or be shot later and left on a dirt road somewhere?

  Then, I heard the rustle of stiff taffeta behind us. I craned my neck and saw Miss Grimm marching towards us with a furious look on her face.

  She tapped Arkady on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir, but you absolutely cannot smoke in here,” she scolded. Her moussed, stiff curls shook with indignation. “I’m going to have to ask you to put that out IMMEDIATELY!” Nastia nodded to Arkady and he spat his cigarette out. It dropped to the floor. Nastia squashed it out with the tip of her shoe.

  Miss Grimm gasped and looked at me. “Lana? Are these people your guests?”

  “No, Miss Grimm. They’re not.” I mouthed the words “call the police.” She stared hard at me and put the walkie-talkie to her mouth.

  “Security, please report immediately to the front. Code Red.”

  Arkady started hurling what sounded like Russian curses at poor Miss Grimm, but she stood her ground and faced down Nastia. Her cheeks were bright pink. Arkady started to pull me toward the doors again.

  “Let me go!” I shouted.

  “Remove your hand from my student THIS INSTANT.” Arkady froze and I yanked my arm free. Two security guards came through the destroyed side door and started running towards us, but I didn’t wait around. I kicked off my heels and dashed away.