“I will get the soup.” He told her as she was about to do so.
Athena placed the bowl in the middle of the table and set the places near to each other. “Any wine?” She asked as he came back in with the tureen of soup.
“In the ice box.”
“Ice box?” she asked lifting her brows.
He grinned. “I told you this is a combination of rustic and modern. Instead of a wine cellar, there is an ice box in the kitchen. I will get the wine.”
*****
“Rachel darling!” Deidre gushed, hurrying forward with arms outstretched. “I thought you were not coming.”
“I would not miss it for the world.” She said as she returned the hug. “I see it is quite a crush as usual.”
“Tom and Diana are here somewhere.” She said referring to the girl’s parents.
“I know, they told me that they would be coming.” Her eyes shone in admiration as she took in the rich dark blue velvet of Deidre’s dress. “The outfit is to die for.”
“A Paris original,” She said with a pleased smile. “Something I picked up when Daniel and I went there two weeks ago. And that green looks good on you.”
“Thank you.” She looked around the room. “Where is Alan?”
A frown crowded the older woman’s brow and she drew the girl aside. “I thought you would know. He said he had a work thing and was skipping the function. I have been trying to get hold of him and his phone goes straight to voicemail and he has not called me back.” Her dark blue eyes searched the girl’s face. “Do you know who he is seeing?”
Rachel shook her head wryly. “I figured out that he was seeing someone and when I mentioned it, he did not deny it, but he said nothing to me.”
Deidre passed a hand over her elegant chignon in agitation. “You have not seen him with anyone?”
She shook her head.
“I have asked him about it, but he is being very evasive.” She paused. “I am wondering if she is….?” She shook her head. “If… she is one of those African Americans?”
Rachel did not exhibit surprise at the frank statement because she knew the McGregor’s stand on people of color. She had heard stories from her parents about their ancestors and had noticed that it had filtered through the current generation, except Alan. He had always complained bitterly at the fact that his parents barely tolerated people of color and had stated strongly that he was not a part of anything like that.
“You cannot choose for him Deidre,” She told the woman gently.
She pressed her lips together. “I know that things have changed, and I have seen it for myself when I go to the club where Daniel and my son are members. Three quarters of the members there are married to black women and they seem to be doing more than well in their marriages.” She waved a hand at the crowd. “Some of them are here and they are exquisite creatures; but….!”
“But you do not want one of them as your daughter in law.”
“I must sound so awful.”
“You are being honest unlike a lot of people I know. My best friend is a colleague and she is black. I don’t buy into the concept that one race is more superior than the other as I see people as being people. We all have our own ups and downs, it is as simple as that.”
“I had hoped that he would have chosen you.” Deidre said softly.
“I wished that too, but he is obviously not into me that way.”
“Now I have no idea where he is.”
“Let’s go and enjoy your party and put this away for now.”
*****
“Tell me about your family,” She told him quietly as she leaned into him. They had finished dinner and were curled up near the fire where he had spread a blanket.
“What do you want to know?” he was relaxed with his arms around her waist. His head was propped up against several pillows and for the first time in a couple of months, he felt free from anxiety. His phone would not ring, and he did not have to fear that his parents were going to come busting in and seeing them together. They were miles away and would not be disturbed.
“How was it growing up?” She asked as she turned in his arms to look at him.
He touched her cheek, not able to help himself. “It was good. I had a very healthy and lively childhood.” He smiled whimsically. “I was spoilt of course, being the only child, but I never felt the pressure of having all that money until I was almost kidnapped when I was thirteen.”
She propped her head on the arms she had folded on his chest. “I think I read something about that. It must have been scary.”
He smiled slightly. “I was at the park with the nanny and she had just turned away to get me an ice-cream cone. I remembered the day, it was a vividly beautiful day, the first day of spring and I had demanded that she go and get an ice-cream cone from the vendor not very far away from where I was pitching my baseball. This man came up to me and showed me some baseball cards. I was obsessed with the game at that age and he caught my interest. I followed him a distance away because he said he had some more to show me.” He shook his head ruefully. “The park was kind of deserted at that time and I was not thinking. Anyway, as soon as we reached a secluded area, he grabbed me and started to haul me to where his truck was parked.”
“And you fought back.”
“I did. I started to learn jujutsu when I was three years old and pretty much knew how to defend myself. I fought for my life and the fear of being taken and possibly killed gave me a power I never knew I had.”
“Where was the nanny?”
“I thought you read about the incident?” he asked quirking an eyebrow at her.
“Not all of it.”
“The nanny was part of it. She was his girlfriend and that was how he knew that I would be at the park.”
Her eyebrows lifted at that. “Wasn’t she vetted before she was hired?”
Alan nodded. “And had a criminal background check done on her. It was her first offense and the guy was the one who set her up to take the job.”
“Very elaborate planning.”
Alan grinned. “Suffice it to say that my parents never hired another nanny for me.”
“You had the same one since you were a baby.”
“Geraldine.” He said softly. “She was like a second mother to me and very trustworthy. But she died of cancer when I was twelve years old.”