Authors: Shirley Wine
"Two weeks later, I was undergoing chemotherapy and later, radiation after being diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a common cancer to affect teens."
Victoria's breath backed up in her throat, hands clenched in her lap. Dear God. How would she cope if it something so awful happened to Connor?
"Why me?" Melanie shook her head. "Believe me I went through all the stages of grief, anger, disbelief, denial and ultimately acceptance. The chemo made me so ill. My hair fell out," she touched a hand to her hat, "the tiniest cut bled like crazy. Insect bites became running sores."
Melanie's soft voice never faltered as she described the nightmare of her day to day battle with the cancer that was ravishing her body and would one day soon, claim her life.
Tears stung Victoria's eyes.
A surreptitious glance confirmed she wasn't the only person moved to the point of tears. What courage.
Her gaze sought out Keir and she saw him wipe away tears. Under his hard exterior beat a soft heart. She glanced at Logan, but his face was set and impassive, his grip on Piper's hand, tight.
Women throughout the room were wiping their eyes.
"This is why we're asking for donations. More research is so desperately needed. It's too late for me, but maybe with further research, more young people can be saved in the future."
With those words, Melanie beckoned to four young people all dressed in black, standing to one side.
They bounced up onto the stage two standing either side of her. The tallest one grabbed the mike. "We agreed to come to Darkhaven tonight for our friend, Mel."
Melanie made a show of grabbing the mike back.
"Tom always steals my thunder. He started when we were at playschool, filching cookies from my lunchbox. Ladies and gentlemen, The Tin Roof Toms."
There was a ripple of laughter and applause.
Tom grabbed the mike back. "We're asked so often how we came by the group's name. What can we say? All blame lies with our mothers. I'm Thomas Abercrombie and play the violin."
He beckoned to the second man. "Thomas Martin who plays cello."
"Thomas Davies who plays violin-cello." The third guy stepped forward and waved. "And last, but by no means least, our lovely vocalist, Tomasina Shaw."
It was only then Victoria realized a fourth member of the group was a woman.
"We started life with the very unoriginal name, The Four Toms. And then one day as we practiced in a shed, Tomasina's mother came out, hands clamped over her ears."
He mimicked a wild woman to titters of laughter.
"You kids sound worse than tomcats caterwauling on a tin roof," she screamed at us.
Tom Martin ran his hands across the cello.
Laughter greeted this sally.
"And so The Tin Roof Toms were born. Thank you Mama Shaw."
A burst of applause greeted this.
"Tonight, our Mel has requested we start with her favorite song, an old 1940's Louis Armstrong hit."
He handed Melanie the mike.
"Take it away guys," she said quietly and left the stage to a burst of applause.
As the haunting jazzy notes of
What a Wonderful World
in
a deep mezzo-soprano filled the room, tears leaked from Victoria's eyes.
But the moment of melancholy was soon dispelled as the room rocked to the sound of The Tin Roof Toms. Their music and humor brought Darkhaven alive.
This was chamber music as she'd never heard it before.
Some considerable time later Victoria realized Logan and Piper had quietly slipped away.
The evening wound down, visitors left, and house guests sat in small groups, enjoying a champagne nightcap.
Some of the men opted for spirits, Keir one of them.
As waitresses in crisp black and white uniforms moved through the crowd, offering canapés and drinks, Keir swirled amber whisky in his glass, listening but not joining in the conversation.
"Well I intend finish my Master's," Piper said, addressing the young man who was heckling her. "There's no way I'm going to let my brothers beat me in the education stakes."
"What are you studying?" Victoria asked intrigued, and too aware of a stirring of envy.
"Business management." Piper pulled a wry face. "Caleb's the brainy one in our family. He's a doctor doing his intern year at Auckland Hospital. He's going to specialize in family medicine."
"And your twin?"
Piper gave Logan a hard look. "Matt's in London, as you're well aware."
"Doing what?" Logan taunted. "Living off his trust fund?"
"No. He's gaining valuable overseas experience."
There was no mistaking Piper's tart hostility. Victoria glanced from one to the other. What had taken place when they absented themselves from the concert?
"Experience?" Logan scoffed. "And you, you're prepared to give up your life of pampered luxury? Actually work for a living? For sure I thought your ambition was to be a kept woman?"
The biting edge to Logan's teasing brought a flush to Piper's face. Victoria frowned, glancing from one to the other, unsure what to make of the undercurrent of tension arcing between them.
"And when that cozy relationship turns to custard, how am I expected to manage then?" Piper shook her head, red gold curls escaping their confinement. "No way will I be reliant on any man's goodwill for my bread and butter."
"Bravo, a wise young woman." Victoria came to Piper's aid. "You stick to your guns." She turned to Logan. "Have you always been a closet Neanderthal, Logan? Most modern women do have careers."
His teasing worried Victoria. This was a side to him she'd never seen. She watched Muriel through the screen of her lashes. The slight curve of her lips, the satisfied gleam in her eye revealed that the barbed exchange pleased Logan's mother.
What Victoria didn't understand was why?
She glanced at Caine. He watched Logan and Piper, his mouth crimped tight with disapproval.
Thoroughly unsettled by these observations, she stared at the champagne in her glass.
"So how do you earn your living?" Davina asked, in a pseudo interested tone.
Victoria gave a start as she realized the comment was addressed to her.
"I own and manage a floral boutique." Victoria refused to let the other woman ruffle her composure. "Like Piper, I value my independence."
"You own it?" The innuendo, the arch expression was deliberate. "You’re very young to have accomplished what would daunt many, much more experienced retailers."
Tamping down temper, Victoria took the query at face value. "I found it a real struggle to first, but
Victorian Grace
is now doing nicely."
"Such a cute name." Davina selected another canapé from the tray of a passing waitress. "Dreams of grandeur?"
Sadness tugged at Victoria.
"It's a combination of my name and my late mother's," she said softly shaking her head. "It was my way of honoring a very special lady."
Davina's eyes narrowed. It was obvious she didn't like, or expect that answer.
"What happened to your dreams of University?" Keir asked, watching her intently. "And that lucrative scholarship you'd won?"
Victoria met his gaze, expression limpid.
For one hell raising moment she was tempted to tell him, oh-so-sweetly that his son’s birth had scuttled those dreams. "Life has a way of changing dreams."
One glance at Davina warned she wasn’t about to allow the subject to languish. Her next barb wasn't long in coming.
"University studies are
so
expensive." She selected another canapé with such exquisite care that Victoria knew it was designed to create maximum impact. "Your family couldn't afford to help you?"
"My father has a young family to support."
It was the truth, partly. Her father had grudgingly given her monetary support until her business was established. And Daphne's baby was due soon.
She was aware of Logan’s restless movement.
"Yet you could set yourself up in business and wear designer dresses. Or did Logan buy them?" There was no mistaking the malicious implication. "One wonders what favors he received in return."
Trust Davina to recognize my An’Ville gowns
.
Logan spluttered in protest and Victoria put a restraining hand on his arm.
She'd never been insulted as often and as thoroughly as she had since she’d accepted a simple invitation to visit this house.
No one
cast aspersions on her character as this offensive woman did, and escaped unscathed.
"I can't begin to see what my personal circumstances have to do with you, Ms. Strathmore." Victoria smiled. Logan took a sharp breath and muttered her name in warning, but she was too angry to retract. "But let me spell it out for you. Nice and simple so even you can understand."
A slow wash of color rose up under Davina's fair skin.
"I dropped out of university after an unexpected trauma and the shock of my mother's death caused me serious health problems."
Victoria saw Keir clench a fist but refused to meet his eyes. You could have heard a pin drop on the expensive Aubusson carpet.
"Without any formal qualifications I was unemployed and almost unemployable. I used the small life insurance pay-out my mother bequeathed me to start my own business. My father helped out until
Victorian Grace
became established."
"I never meant to offend you. Ms. Scanlan." Davina, cheeks scarlet with embarrassment, rushed in when Victoria paused.
"I'm not stupid, Ms. Strathmore. You’ve been deliberately offensive from the moment Logan brought me here." Victoria stood up, struggling to rein in her temper. "No man, other than my father, has ever bought me clothes. I prefer to leave prostitution to people like you, who trade favors for possessions."
"Why, you ignorant—" Davina spluttered furiously.
"You asked for that and more, Davina," Caine said, anger in his quiet voice. "Victoria is my son's guest in my home. That's all the character reference she requires."
"Thank you, Mr. Donovan." Victoria gave him a grateful smile. "I'm so very sorry your hospitality has been abused in such a disgraceful manner."
With an infuriated huff, Davina slammed her crystal goblet on a side table and stalked from the room.
Piper winked at Victoria.
It was Keir who stood, breaking the embarrassed silence Davina left in her wake. "I'll need to turn in too, Dad. I've some international calls to make."
With a polite nod to everyone he left.
Victoria turned to Logan. "I'll say goodnight."
Logan, mouth compressed and blue eyes glittering, rose and offered his arm.
Ignoring him, head held high, Victoria swept out of the room. In the hallway, she turned to Logan. "Leave me. Go back to your guests."
Logan gave her a searching look. "You sure?"
"Your concern is a little late, Logan," she said with icy formality. "I expect you to take me home in the morning."
Logan gave her a level look and then smiled. "Okay."
Once he'd gone, she took a shaken breath and put icy hands on cheeks hot with embarrassment.
I'll never forgive Logan for precipitating this nightmare. I've a good mind to call for a taxi now.
Indecisive, she walked down the corridor past the library. The door was ajar and she heard the murmur of voices.
When she heard her name, she stopped and cautiously looked around the door.
Muriel and Davina were huddled together near Caine's desk. The younger woman’s shoulders were shaking.
Is she upset about that clash with me?
Victoria shrugged.
Not my business.
But before she could move away, Muriel’s hand smoothed across Davina’s shoulder, the younger woman glanced up, murmuring something Victoria couldn’t catch, their intimacy obvious.
Neither woman saw her and, greatly troubled, Victoria swiftly retreated. Not for the first time, she fretted over the strange undercurrents permeating this house.
The Donovan family may be wealthy, but Darkhaven certainly lived up to its name. It was a dark place and a haven for secrets. It was not a happy home.
She was about to begin undressing when a soft tap on the door made her start.
Who could it be?
After that clash with Davina, Victoria was cautious about opening the door. Nerves made her wary. She opened the door a slither, prepared to shut and lock it.
Fast.
It was Piper.
With a relieved sigh, Victoria opened the door so the younger woman could enter.
"What's the matter?" she asked, concerned by Piper's obvious distress. "Is it Logan? Has something happened?"