by Anne Hampson
A sigh of sheer exasperation escaped Lynn.
‘You have truth on your side, Joanne. That’s sufficient.’
‘You think I should go to Manoel and tell him the truth?’
‘I don’t think—I’m sure!’
‘Well, I’m not going to,’ returned Joanne obstinately. ‘He’s listened to Rosa—’
‘Rosa had the letter,’ Lynn reminded her. ‘He didn’t just take her word without giving you a hearing.’
‘He didn’t give me a hearing, Lynn. He didn’t want my explanation.’
‘From what you tell me you didn’t offer one,’ commented Lynn with a dry edge to her voice.
‘He should have known I wasn’t like that—should have trusted me.’
Leaning across Joanne, Lynn took the letter from the table and read it again.
‘If he loves you, he’d naturally see red on reading this. You must admit it does give a devilishly wrong impression.’ Lynn could not help laughing, and Joanne threw her an indignant glance.
‘If he loved me he’d trust me—and wouldn’t believe a word of that letter.’
‘I give up!’ Lynn tossed the letter on to the table. ‘I daresay you’ll come to your senses in your own good time.’
‘I’m not going to marry him.’
‘Aren’t I going to be a bridesmaid, then?’ Glee asked, and Joanne saw that she was very close to tears. ‘I want you to marry Uncle Manoel, and I want to stay here for always.’
‘You’re going to stay here for always,’ declared Lynn. ‘Because if your stupid aunt doesn’t make up her quarrel with Uncle Manoel, then your Auntie Lynn will take a hand.’
‘If you interfere,’ warned Joanne, looking straight at her, ‘I’ll never speak to you again!’ And, at that moment, she really meant what she said.
CHAPTER TEN
HOWEVER, it was not long before Joanne’s state of mind underwent a complete change and she was able to view the situation from the angle at which it had been presented to Manoel by his cousin. To come home, be told that the letter was addressed to Miss Barrie, and then be confronted by the irrefutable evidence that Glee’s father was not only very much alive, but also corresponding with Joanne, and even sending her his love, must have come as a shock so stunning that, for a while, Manoel’s customary ease of clear thinking must have been impaired. Had she, Joanne, come upon him later the result might have been different. Having had time to think, and perhaps discover some flaw in the picture Rosa had presented to him, he would not have condemned Joanne out of hand, but would have required a statement from Joanne herself before passing judgment upon her. Coming swiftly on this more reasonable view of her fiancé’s behaviour was the admission that her own conduct had been both foolish and inexcusable: foolish because she had let pass the opportunity of turning the tables on her enemy, and inexcusable because she had deliberately allowed Manoel to remain misinformed regarding the true position. The more she dwelt on her own culpability—even while at the same time reflecting dismally on the disparaging remarks she had made about his character—the more she began to wonder if she had placed herself quite beyond his pardon.
She managed to avoid him until dinner. During the meal several frigid glances came her way, but whenever possible Joanne avoided his eyes. Rosa sat there, her hatred and anger seeming to pervade the whole room, and Joanne knew there had been serious trouble between them over the question of Glee’s accident.
When the meal was finished Manoel said curtly, ‘We’ll have coffee in my room, Joanne. I want to speak to you.’
Although she wished for nothing more than to clear up the whole miserable business, she took fright on noticing the severity of his expression and said hastily,
‘I’m rather tired ... perhaps in the morning ...?’
‘Now!’ he snapped, and went out, expecting her to follow.
Rosa stood up and left the table; her dark eyes swept insultingly over Joanne’s slender figure.
‘You look quite pale,’ she sneered. ‘Aren’t you feeling well?’ Joanne ignored that and Rosa went on, cool triumph in her eyes, ‘I’ve been endeavouring for weeks to think of a way of unmasking you, for you were making a complete fool of Manoel.’
‘So you made an unlawful entry into my house and stole my letter?’ The contempt in Joanne’s voice registered and Rosa’s face darkened with anger.
‘Had I been able to visit my friends in England I’d have taken the opportunity of making some inquiries about you. With the postponement of my visit this was the only way.’
‘So you do admit taking the letter from my house?’
‘Yes,’ was the surprising confession. ‘Your letters never came here, and for some time I’ve been puzzled about that. It was obvious you had something to hide, and naturally I concluded information could be gleaned from your letters—And I certainly did glean information,’ she added, ‘because I learned at once that you’d never been married.’
‘That must have afforded you immense satisfaction,’ commented Joanne, imperturbably folding her napkin and slipping it into the ring. Her calm manner struck Rosa forcibly and she regarded her in puzzlement for a while before saying,
‘It was entirely for Manoel’s sake, and fortunately it’s brought him to his senses. He knows now what you are, and so it seems—Miss Joanne Barrie—that you’ll be the one leaving the Solar de Alvares, and not me, after all.’
‘I don’t think so, Rosa.’ Standing up, Joanne faced the girl who, from the moment of their first meeting, had shown her nothing but open hostility. ‘You’ve wasted your time. I’m afraid, because your little scheme has failed.’
Rosa glanced sharply at her, a frown appearing on her brow.
‘Surely you’re not supposing he still wants to marry you?’
‘Did Manoel tell you he didn’t now want to marry me?’ inquired Joanne curiously, for the moment diverted from what she had meant to say.
The dark lashes fluttered down and Rosa thought carefully before she spoke.
‘Not in so many words ... but it’s obvious, isn’t it? An Alvares could never marry anyone with a stain like that on her character.’
Joanne’s eyes kindled dangerously, and her anger rose to form a tightness in her throat that made speech impossible for a second or two. An Alvares ... Who did he think he was—? Just as that obstinate streak threatened to take possession she pulled herself up. Unless she practised caution she would find herself walking out on Manoel ... and bitterly regretting it for the rest of her days.
‘When he hears what I have to say I feel sure Manoel won’t want to break our engagement.’ Despite her outward confidence, she knew a tremor of fear. Manoel could not be blamed if he refused to forgive her. But his one object was to get Rosa out of his house, she instantly reminded herself. Yes, he would still want to marry her, once he knew Glee was only her niece, Joanne felt she need have no doubts about that.
‘What have you to say?’ Rosa’s eyes glinted with amusement. ‘You can’t possibly have any explanation for—Glee!’
That choking sensation in her throat again. Joanne determinedly kept her temper.
‘It so happens, Rosa, that both you and Manoel are under a misapprehension about Glee. She’s my brother’s child.’
‘Your—?’ The amusement was wiped from Rosa’s eyes. She stared at Joanne in utter disbelief. ‘Your brother’s child? Do you expect to get away with a story like that?’
‘It’s the truth. The letter you stole was from Roger, my brother. Glee came to us—to my mother and sister and me—when Roger’s wife died—’
‘Why, then, the necessity for assuming the role of widow?’ interrupted Rosa sceptically.
‘I had a reason for that.’
‘Glee calls you Mummy,’ Rosa reminded her in the same sceptical tones. ‘What explanation can there be for that?’ Joanne told her, though only as briefly as possible. She also told Rosa how she came to be the one to have Glee, and even explained why she was reluctant to let the child go back to
her father and stepmother. But when she had finished Rosa was shaking her head, apparently determined to disbelieve the story, and Joanne began to regret having taken the trouble to relate it to her.
‘Are you expecting a tale like that to carry any weight with Manoel?’ she asked with a lift of her brows.
‘I have in my possession Glee’s birth certificate. That should suffice.’
Confounded by this news, the only thing Rosa could find to say was,
‘In that case, you’ll be sending Glee back to her father?’
‘It is my intention to keep Glee with me.’
‘You actually expect Manoel to make himself responsible for your brother’s child?’
‘I believe he will do so.’ But would he? Sudden fear entered into Joanne. This question of Glee had troubled her whenever she had thought about an eventual marriage for herself. And hadn’t Chris doubted the willingness of any man to take Glee, knowing she was only Joanne’s niece, and that her father was still living?
‘Then you’re more optimistic than I would be in your position. I can’t conceive how you could expect Manoel to have Glee. Your brother’s married—I gathered from the letter—so naturally Manoel will expect the child to go to her father and stepmother.’
A little pale now, Joanne said doggedly,
‘I’m sure he’ll want to keep her.’
‘You’re not sure at all, are you?’ she said gloatingly. ‘In fact you’re fast becoming convinced that he definitely won’t take Glee.’ She laughed on seeing the consternation enter Joanne’s eyes. ‘You’re in a bit of a quandary, aren’t you? Tell Manoel the truth and he’ll insist on your sending the child away; let him believe she’s yours and he won’t marry you at all—’
‘Joanne!’ Manoel’s imperative voice interrupted her and Joanne went swiftly from the room. He stood at the end of the hall, by the open door of his room. ‘I told you to come here!’ Turning on his heel, he went back into the room; Joanne followed, closing the door behind her and standing by it, looking across at her fiancé, who was now seated at the small table, his coffee cup in front of him. ‘Where have you been?’ he demanded, and then, indicating the chair opposite to him, ‘Sit down.’
‘I was talking to Rosa,’ she answered quietly, and poured herself some coffee. ‘Manoel, I’m very sorry for all those awful things I said to you. I didn’t mean them.’
He eyed her darkly, his mouth compressed and his jaw set in a tight and rigid line.
‘It was fortunate for you that Rosa was there. You have things to learn, apparently, and one of them is that I don’t allow anyone to speak to me like that—not even my wife!’
‘You still want to marry me, then?’ Even though he had not yet learned the truth about Glee, she thought, watching him curiously.
Manoel’s expression changed. Gone was the harshness and anger Joanne had encountered on entering the room, and a strange hurt took their place. He spoke to her quietly, and Joanne felt that if it had been his original intention to upbraid her he had now changed his mind. It was as if he had swiftly recognized the situation and decided there was nothing to be gained by adopting an attitude of angry reproach.
‘We’re engaged, Joanne. Certainly I want to marry you.’
This left Joanne speechless. Was this obsession to rid himself of Rosa so strong that he would marry Joanne, even while believing she had a ‘past’?
‘I’m extremely disappointed in you,’ he went on, still in the same quiet tones, ‘for the way in which you’ve deceived me. On thinking the matter over I can understand your wanting to be thought of as a widow, and I’m willing to make allowances for your earlier deceit. But latterly, when you knew we were to be married—You must have realized you couldn’t appear in church as a widow?’
‘Yes, of course I did—and I’ve been trying to tell you, Manoel, but I was ... afraid.’
He considered this, and in the belief that there was much more to it than the mere confession that she was not a widow, he thought he understood.
‘It would be difficult for you to approach me, I admit—’ He broke off, glancing at her in bewilderment and shaking his head. ‘I would have had to know some time.’
‘I intended telling you immediately on your return.’ She remained staggered at his willingness to marry her while still under the illusion that Glee was hers, and she hesitated, recalling Rosa’s firm assertion that Manoel would refuse to have Glee, once he knew there was no obstacle in the way of her return to her father. She glanced across at him, her mind in a state of terrible uncertainty. He looked tired, she thought, and dispirited—and that was not like Manoel. But he had received a severe shock, and it had left its mark. She must tell him the truth, she decided, for surely he would not let Glee go to parents who did not want her.
‘Manoel,’ she began, ‘it’s not as bad as you think—oh, I know I’ve done wrong—’
‘I couldn’t take it in, even though I had the letter in my hand, and Rosa had said it was addressed to Miss Barrie.’ He regarded her like a man dazed. ‘It just didn’t seem to fit you—not as I had come to know you and at first I actually deceived myself by assuming there was some mistake, by thinking that Glee must be someone else’s child. But of course I was merely clutching at a straw; there’s the resemblance, for one thing, and in any case, you would be most unlikely to saddle yourself with a child who wasn’t yours. No one in their right mind would.’
Saddle ... no one in their right mind would ...
‘You’d never take anyone else’s child?’ She seemed no more than a child herself, looking across at him, quite unconscious of the plea in her voice. Manoel heard it—and mistook its meaning.
‘I still want to marry you, Joanne, and naturally I shall take your child.’
Joanne helped herself to sugar, and slowly stirred her coffee. What should she do? As things were, Manoel was willing to have Glee; he cared for her, and he would be a father to her. Here, in the lovely Portuguese mansion, she would have a good life. Should Joanne reveal the truth, then she would be faced with the terrible decision of parting from Glee or parting from Manoel. Her love for Glee was strong; her love for Manoel stronger. But her decision would not be so simple as that, for there was the child herself. Could she, Joanne, place her own happiness first and hand Glee over to a couple who did not want her?—and who in fact were not even happily married, from all accounts? No, she would not condemn Glee to life in that kind of environment. Here at the Solar de Alvares she had fitted in; everyone loved her, from the servants in the house to the workers in the vineyards. Even the stolid Diego had fallen victim to her charms. As for Manoel himself ... hadn’t he told Glee he loved her? But if he loved her, then perhaps ... What should she do? Joanne asked herself again. The deception could continue for a while, she felt sure, but the day must dawn when Manoel learned who Glee really was. But if by that time he had come to love her, then he would not hesitate to let her have her own way over Glee. If by then he loved her? Recalling how he had said that love might enter their relationship, Joanne made her decision. Manoel was willing to take Glee, so she would leave it at that.
They talked for a while, with an element of reserve ever present, which under the circumstances was only natural, but no real tension was felt by Joanne until Manoel forbade her ever to communicate with Glee’s father again. She made the promise, mentally noting two things she must do: write to Roger explaining the situation and asking him not to get in touch again until she gave him permission to do so, and tell Glee she must not talk about her daddy unless they were alone. The first request would be carried out ... the second would be a matter of luck. However, Glee had been away from her father so long that he was fast becoming a nebulous figure, and in fact Glee only talked about him when Joanne read his letters to her, or when she herself read the notes he enclosed. In the absence of letters from her father it would be unlikely that Glee would talk about him at all.
To Joanne’s surprise Manoel suggested a walk before they went to bed, and h
e seemed more relaxed when they were outside, though at times he seemed a long way from her, his thoughts deep, and private. They sat on a seat under a tree, for the night was pleasantly warm with a cloud blanket keeping in the heat of a day which had been unusually hot for the time of the year. To Joanne’s surprise he took her hand, and there was a strange gentleness in his touch. She just had to say,
‘Manoel ... I don’t understand. Aren’t you very angry?’
He turned from his contemplation of the illuminated fountain in the middle of the lake.
‘Why did you shield Rosa over the accident?’ he asked, ignoring her question.
‘There didn’t seem anything to be gained by telling you,’ she answered, surprised by his change of the subject.
‘That’s not all of it. Kindly give me a fuller explanation, Joanne.’
‘She said she’d deny it,’ Joanne submitted after a long moment of indecision. ‘And I didn’t think you would accept my word against hers.’
‘Why?’ he asked simply, and she went on to explain that she was under the impression he and Rosa were engaged to be married.
‘Ah, yes, you did think that once. I remember your telling me.’ His eyes wandered to the fountain again and he fell silent. What was he thinking? Perhaps, she mused disconsolately, he was wondering about Glee, and about Joanne’s age when she was born. How right her mother had been when she prophesied that Glee would some day cause her a great deal of embarrassment!
‘She said she’d deny it?’ Manoel spoke softly, reflecting on his words. ‘Nevertheless, you did shield her, for although she might have denied it your word would have carried more conviction, being true. She on the other hand made no attempt to shield you.’ Joanne remained silent, for indeed there was nothing she could find to say to that. ‘I suppose this is part of the reason I’m not angry,’ he added, almost to himself. ‘I do abhor tale-carrying.’