La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower (17 page)

"Hang in there. There'll be a right time," Zack assured her. "We'll take care of everything here till you get back."

Hildy gazed fondly at Zack. "What would I do without you? You've become such a good friend. I depend on you for so much."

He smiled. "That's the way I like it."

Hildy looked radiant as they returned to the restaurant. She nodded to Jay, who extended his hand to Zack. "Thanks, Zack," he said. "I'll take good care of her."

Zack nodded. "I know you will, Jay. I'm glad she's going with you. It will be good for her to get away from the grind for a while."

As soon as Hildy got back to her room there was a ring on the telephone. Jenny’s excited voice came over the wire. "Jay wants you to meet his parents? Does this mean what I think it means? Oh, Hildy, I'm so happy for you! I knew this would happen! Just be careful," she warned. "If you can manage to stay away till Greg returns to New York I'll feel a lot better about your safety. I really think this is the best thing that could have happened."

"Zack said the same thing. I'll feel a lot safer once I'm on that plane headed for Scotland with Jay."

"We all will. And who knows," Jenny chuckled, "maybe you'll get engaged while you're away."

Hildy laughed. "I don't think there's a chance of that. He hasn't mentioned marriage. Although if he asked me, I'd marry him in a heart beat!"

"Well, be prepared," Jenny said. "He could pop the question when you least expect it. Look what happened to me!"

CHAPTER XXIII
 

Hildy woke up the next morning bright and early. This was the day she was leaving for Scotland with Jay! She showered and blow-dried her blond hair before donning her dark wig. Her horn-rimmed glasses lay on the dresser, ready to put on before she left the room. How she wished she could dispense with this whole disguise. She was tempted to do so once they got to Scotland. She hated keeping secrets from Jay. But wisdom took over. I have to put my safety first. If Jay realized what was going on he would want me to. She did, however, decide to take off her horn-rimmed glasses once they boarded the plane.

Greg will be gone by the time we return! she exulted. The next time I see him will be in a court of law when I sue him for plagiarism. She felt a freedom she hadn’t thought possible.

She appeared in the lobby with her suitcase. There was a glow about her that had been missing for the past two years. She was looking forward to meeting Jay’s folks. She felt a slight pang of loneliness, thinking how nice it would be to have a family she could visit - to have a sense of belonging. She shook it off.

* * *

Jay was still trying to figure out what he termed Hildy’s sudden mood swings. “She’s holding something back,” he muttered. “Why doesn’t she trust me enough to confide in me? What is she concerned about? There’s nothing that could change my love for her. Nothing. Oh, well,” he mused, “it will be different when we’re married.”

Married? The thought took him by surprise. “Yes!” he declared out loud. “I want to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her!” This sudden realization hit him so hard it made his head spin, but he knew beyond a doubt that this was what he wanted. The very idea of their not being together forever was inconceivable.

* * *

When Jay joined Hildy in the lobby Jenny, Peter, and Zack were already in the restaurant waiting to have breakfast with them and wish them a bon voyage.

Greg was nowhere around.

“If you don’t mind, we’ll just drop you off at Orly Airport on our way to the studio,” Peter told them. “We need to get an early start, now that Hildy will be away for a couple of weeks.”

Traffic was light and the limousine arrived at the airport in plenty of time for the scheduled flight. After checking their luggage at curbside, Hildy and Jay said their goodbyes and the limo, with Peter, Jenny, and Zack on board, drove off to the studio to continue filming.

Hildy and Jay were comfortably seated in the First Class section of the plane as it lifted gently off the runway and headed for Scotland. The moment they took off, Hildy removed her glasses.

Jay stared at her. Her soft brown eyes stared back at him. How lovely she looked! “I’ve never seen you without your glasses. Do you have any other surprises for me?” he teased.

Hildy managed a smile before turning away to hide her misgivings. The longer this deception went on, the more guilty she felt.

The chauffeur was waiting when they arrived in Scotland. After picking up their luggage from the carousel they were whisked away to the family Castle. The air was cold, and they were glad for the warm coats they had brought.

Hildy was excited. Jay had told her about Courtney Castle that had been in his family for years, and she couldn’t wait to see it. After a forty-five minute drive through the lush countryside, the chauffeur stopped in front of a huge iron gate that bore a large plaque that read, “To Lord and Lady Stuart on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, a gift from the staff.”

The chauffeur pressed the remote button inside the limo, and the gate opened. They entered a long, winding driveway, with giant trees which provided a majestic archway overhead. The sound of a roaring brook rushing alongside the Castle was almost deafening. The water tumbled eagerly over the giant boulders on its way to the River Dee. A more delightful setting Hildy couldn’t possibly imagine as she realized that this was where Jay had spent his boyhood. How was he ever able to leave such a beautiful place? she marveled.

As they drove under the porte-cochere, the front door opened and a gray-haired gentleman dressed in kilts of the Stuart tartan came out to greet them. “Welcome! Welcome!” he exclaimed as he shook hands with Jay. He smiled at Hildy. “So,” he said, “this is the young lassie you’ve been telling us about.” He studied her for a moment. “My, she is a bonnie lassie!” he told Jay. “You certainly know how to pick them, my lad!”

He motioned them inside. While the chauffeur took care of their luggage, Jay’s father led them up the stairway which was covered with carpet of the Stuart tartan. The drapes bore the same design.

As they entered the drawing room, Hildy looked around. A fire leaped gaily in the fireplace. She had never seen a room quite like it. A large room whose ceiling was painted with scenes from centuries ago, in beautiful hues of blue, rose, and white. Much like a miniature Sistine Chapel, Hildy mused. It was furnished with a Victorian style decor, and gave Hildy the eerie feeling that she had stepped back into a former century.

“I know just the drink to warm you up,” Jay’s father told Hildy as soon as they were comfortably seated. “Have you ever had Scotch Malt?”

“I don’t think so,” Hildy replied.

“You don’t think so? You would know if you had!”

“Scotland is famous for it,” Jay explained. “Pure Scotch, not blended with anything as they do in the States. You’ll like it. It’s just the thing to take away the chill.”

While Jay’s father went to the mirrored table that housed the Scotch and the sherry, the door opened, and a beautiful, middle-aged woman walked in, a broad smile on her face, arms outstretched. As she moved, the delicate scent of exquisite perfume gently wafted its way across the room. “Jay!” she greeted her son.

Jay rose and enveloped his mother in a bear hug. Hildy saw her quietly hand Jay a tiny box. Without a word he quickly deposited it in his pocket and led his mother over to the sofa where Hildy was sitting.

Hildy rose to her feet when she saw them approaching.

“Mother,” Jay said, “this is Hildy Swenson.”

Hildy found herself looking into beautiful, loving, blue eyes that reminded her of her own mother, and she liked her immediately.

Jay’s mother shook her hand warmly. “My dear,” she said, “I’m so glad to meet you at last. Jay has told us so much about you. You’re every bit as lovely as he said.”

Hildy was at a loss for words. How gracious they are! She felt she was in the presence of nobility. Their titles were truly fitting. “Thank you!” she said when she finally found her voice. “You’re just as Jay described you, Mrs. Stuart - uh - or is it Lady Stuart?” she asked.

Jay’s mother laughed a delightful musical laugh that sounded almost like singing. “Oh, dear me, no, Hildy!” she replied. “Please call me Margaret. And that’s John,” she said, gesturing toward Jay’s father. “We’re delighted to have you visit us. Please, sit down and let’s get acquainted.” She gestured toward the sofa.

“Margaret,” Hildy said, once they were seated, “I had no idea that you and John were titled until I saw the inscription on the gate. Jay never told me.”

Margaret smiled. “We don’t make anything of it,” she said. “As Shakespeare so aptly put it, ‘What’s in a name?’ Or a title?”

“What does that make you?” Hildy asked, turning to Jay. “Are you a Lord, too?”

Jay shrugged. “I suppose I’ll inherit the title some day, but as Mother said, we don’t make anything of it. It’s really not that important.” He looked at her with a tender, but slightly mischievous gleam in his eye. “Who knows? Maybe some day you’ll have the title of Lady.”

Hildy was confused.

Jay sat down and put his arm around her. “Now that we’re all here together there’s something I’d like to say. Hildy, you may not think this is the time or the place to ask you, but I think it’s perfect.” He looked at his parents, who smiled encouragingly. He reached out and took Hildy’s hand in his. “Hildy Swenson,” he said, “I’ve been in love with you since I first saw you. Will you marry me?”

Hildy was stunned. At first she didn’t know what to say. She looked at Margaret and John who were beaming, then back at Jay. Tears came to her eyes and brimmed over, running down her cheeks. She brushed them away. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!”

Jay lifted her up from the sofa and swung her around the room. Hildy was so happy she thought she would burst. She loved Jay more than she ever dreamed she could love a man. After her frightful experience with Greg she was positive she would never feel the deep love for a man that she now felt for Jay. But she was wrong. Jay wasn’t anything like Greg.

As soon as Jay stopped spinning her around and put her down she looked at his parents, her eyes twinkling. “I’m going to love being part of this family. I don’t have any family of my own left. No brothers - no sisters - and my parents died in an automobile accident a few years ago. I’ve been alone ever since.” Again her eyes filled with tears as it took her back to that awful day. She tossed her head, dismissing the hurt, and smiled.

Margaret rose quickly from her chair and embraced Hildy. “I never had a daughter,” she said, “and now I will!”

“Welcome to the family,” John said, holding out his arms. “This calls for a toast!” he declared. “Time for another Scotch!”

Jay stopped him with a gesture. “Dad, there’s something I’d like to take care of first.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue, velvet box that his mother had slipped to him when she entered the room. He handed it to Hildy.

Hildy’s eyes widened with surprise as she took it from him.

“What is this?” she asked him.

“Open it,” Jay told her.

As she lifted the lid she gasped. Tucked inside the fold was an exquisite three-carat diamond surrounded by twenty small diamonds in a unique antique setting. Sitting beside it was a matching wedding band with diamonds in the same antique style. “Oh, Jay!” she exclaimed, “they’re beautiful! Where did you get these? And on such short notice?”

He smiled, pleased at her reaction. “I’m glad you like them,” he said. “Mother has been saving these for my future bride. I called her first thing this morning and asked her to have them ready when we arrived.” He took the engagement ring out of the fold. “Here,” he said, taking her hand in his, “let me put it on your finger.” It fit perfectly. “Honey,” he told her, “these rings belonged to Lady Elizabeth Stuart two hundred years ago. They’re priceless. They’ve been in the family all these years just waiting for a gem like you to come along and claim them.”

Hildy threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, her eyes glowing with happiness.

Jay shut the box with the matching wedding ring still in it and deposited it in his pocket. “I’ll give this to you later,” he told Hildy.

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the Castle. There were forty rooms, each one with its own fireplace. Hildy was awestruck as she turned to Jay’s parents. “When we’re married with our own home, you’ll have to come and visit us, but I’m afraid it won’t be as grand as this,” she apologized.

“Thank God!” said Margaret. “Do you have any idea what a burden this place is to maintain? It’s beautiful, and we love it, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone - especially newlyweds.”

After spending a delightful evening getting better acquainted and enjoying a delicious dinner prepared by the staff and served in the ornate dining room, they retired for the night.

CHAPTER XXIV
 

Early the next morning, Jay surprised Hildy by taking her to the town of Forfar where the foremost expert on tartans, Allan MacPherson, a friend of the Stuarts, greeted them. As they walked into the store, Hildy saw row after row of tartans of every clan. They covered the shelves and the racks.