Tempting Fate by Nora Roberts Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nora Roberts
disadvantages." Serena gave Diana's shoulders a squeeze. "But if you love Justin and give yourself some time—"
"I resent him every bit as much," Diana countered as she turned around. "Maybe more. I resent him for every day of all those years I did without him."
"Diana, don't you see he did without you as well?"
"His choice; I never had one." The emotions began to push at her so that she swung away to pace the room. "He turned me over to my aunt and went his own way."
"You were six, he was sixteen." Frustrated, Serena tried to balance her loyalties. "What did you expect him to do?"
"He never wrote, never phoned or visited. Not once." As the words she'd held inside for years tumbled out, Diana whirled back. "I was so sure that if I did everything I was told, he'd come for me. Those first few years I was the picture of the model child. I minded my manners and studied my lessons and waited. But he never came. While I was waiting for him, he never gave me a thought."
"That's not true!" Serena said heatedly. "You don't understand."
"No, you don't understand," Diana fired back. "You don't know what it's like to lose everything that belonged to you and have to live on someone else's charity! To know every mouthful of food you ate, every stitch of clothing on your back had a price."
"Who do you think you owe for the food and the clothes, Diana?" Serena asked evenly.
"Oh, I know whom I owe," Diana retorted. "She never let me forget it, in her own discreet way. Aunt Adelaide doesn't believe in generosity without strings."
"Generosity?" Serena crossed the room as her temper snapped. "She doesn't know any more about generosity than you do."
"Perhaps not," Diana agreed with a faint nod. "But she gave me everything I've ever had."
"Justin paid for it all." The words came out on a crest of temper she couldn't control. "He sent her a check every month from the time she took you in until you graduated from Harvard. The checks might have been small in the beginning," Serena continued coldly. "He was living on little more than his wits then and dodging social workers. But they got larger—he's always been very good at what he does. She took his money, and you, on his word that he'd stay out of your life. He paid, Diana, with a great deal more than money."
She seemed to be frozen. Diana was afraid to move for fear that she would crack and scatter into a dozen irretrievable pieces. "He paid her?" Her voice was very quiet, very disciplined. "Justin sent Aunt Adelaide money, for me?"
"He had nothing else to give you. Damn it, Diana, you're a lawyer. What would have happened to you if he hadn't arranged for your aunt to take you in?"
Foster homes, she thought dully. An orphanage on the reservation. "She could have taken him in, too."
Serena gave her a long, steady look. "Would she?"
Diana pressed her fingers to her eyes. She didn't know when the headache had begun, but it was pounding mercilessly. "No." With a sigh, she dropped them again. "No. Later, when I was older, he could have contacted me."
"He thought you were happy, and certainly better off in Boston than you would have been trailing around the country with him. Justin chose his own life, it's true, but he did what he thought was best for you the only way he knew how."
"Why didn't he tell me?"
"What do you think he wants, your gratitude?" Serena demanded impatiently. "Can't you see what kind of a man he is?" She dragged a hand through her hair. "He won't thank me for telling you. I wouldn't have," she added in a calmer tone, "if you hadn't said you still loved him." As her temper cooled, Serena noted the wide, distressed eyes, the pale cheeks, me frozen expression. Without question, she reached out. "Diana—"
"No." Diana held up a hand to hold her off. Her voice was frigid, her body stiff. "You've told me the truth?"
Serena met her eyes levelly. "I've no reason to lie."
A brittle laugh escaped, but perhaps she wouldn't have bothered to suppress it. "How odd, when it
"I resent him every bit as much," Diana countered as she turned around. "Maybe more. I resent him for every day of all those years I did without him."
"Diana, don't you see he did without you as well?"
"His choice; I never had one." The emotions began to push at her so that she swung away to pace the room. "He turned me over to my aunt and went his own way."
"You were six, he was sixteen." Frustrated, Serena tried to balance her loyalties. "What did you expect him to do?"
"He never wrote, never phoned or visited. Not once." As the words she'd held inside for years tumbled out, Diana whirled back. "I was so sure that if I did everything I was told, he'd come for me. Those first few years I was the picture of the model child. I minded my manners and studied my lessons and waited. But he never came. While I was waiting for him, he never gave me a thought."
"That's not true!" Serena said heatedly. "You don't understand."
"No, you don't understand," Diana fired back. "You don't know what it's like to lose everything that belonged to you and have to live on someone else's charity! To know every mouthful of food you ate, every stitch of clothing on your back had a price."
"Who do you think you owe for the food and the clothes, Diana?" Serena asked evenly.
"Oh, I know whom I owe," Diana retorted. "She never let me forget it, in her own discreet way. Aunt Adelaide doesn't believe in generosity without strings."
"Generosity?" Serena crossed the room as her temper snapped. "She doesn't know any more about generosity than you do."
"Perhaps not," Diana agreed with a faint nod. "But she gave me everything I've ever had."
"Justin paid for it all." The words came out on a crest of temper she couldn't control. "He sent her a check every month from the time she took you in until you graduated from Harvard. The checks might have been small in the beginning," Serena continued coldly. "He was living on little more than his wits then and dodging social workers. But they got larger—he's always been very good at what he does. She took his money, and you, on his word that he'd stay out of your life. He paid, Diana, with a great deal more than money."
She seemed to be frozen. Diana was afraid to move for fear that she would crack and scatter into a dozen irretrievable pieces. "He paid her?" Her voice was very quiet, very disciplined. "Justin sent Aunt Adelaide money, for me?"
"He had nothing else to give you. Damn it, Diana, you're a lawyer. What would have happened to you if he hadn't arranged for your aunt to take you in?"
Foster homes, she thought dully. An orphanage on the reservation. "She could have taken him in, too."
Serena gave her a long, steady look. "Would she?"
Diana pressed her fingers to her eyes. She didn't know when the headache had begun, but it was pounding mercilessly. "No." With a sigh, she dropped them again. "No. Later, when I was older, he could have contacted me."
"He thought you were happy, and certainly better off in Boston than you would have been trailing around the country with him. Justin chose his own life, it's true, but he did what he thought was best for you the only way he knew how."
"Why didn't he tell me?"
"What do you think he wants, your gratitude?" Serena demanded impatiently. "Can't you see what kind of a man he is?" She dragged a hand through her hair. "He won't thank me for telling you. I wouldn't have," she added in a calmer tone, "if you hadn't said you still loved him." As her temper cooled, Serena noted the wide, distressed eyes, the pale cheeks, me frozen expression. Without question, she reached out. "Diana—"
"No." Diana held up a hand to hold her off. Her voice was frigid, her body stiff. "You've told me the truth?"
Serena met her eyes levelly. "I've no reason to lie."
A brittle laugh escaped, but perhaps she wouldn't have bothered to suppress it. "How odd, when it
Similar Books
Protect Me
Selma Wolfe
This May Sound Crazy
Abigail Breslin
Chocolate Fever
Robert Kimmel Smith
A Man of His Word
Sarah M. Anderson
Public Enemies
Bryan Burrough
For Life (Reclaimed Hearts Book 1)
L. E. Chamberlin
Kissing Arizona
Elizabeth Gunn
Christmas Moon
J.R. Rain
15 Targeted
Evangeline Anderson
