Mystique (27 page)

"That can't
be true!" Misty exclaimed.

"Of course
it's true," Ted said, looking hurt. "Cousin Lipscomb was one of the
most renowned ichthyologists in all of Nevada."

"An
ichthyologist? In Nevada?" Misty said faintly.

Deirdre shrugged,
sidestepping an energetic dancer who had come too close. "Strange, isn't
it? He
was
eccentric."

"And subject
to seasickness," Luc finished.

Misty looked
blank as Ted chuckled and Deirdre smiled.

"Hadn't we
better dance or something?" Misty suggested.

"I'd rather
eat," Ted said, distastefully eyeing the jouncing couples on the floor.

"Would you
like something to eat, darling?" Luc glanced down at her, his eyes alight.

"I'm not
hungry, but I
would
like something to drink." As Misty
took his arm, she noted that several women were assessing her husband from the
dance floor. They passed into a smaller room with a round table set with
assortments of canapés. "I can't believe anyone could want more food after
the dinner we just ate."

"I heard
that," Ted said, spearing a shrimp. "I'll have you know,
sister-in-law, that I need continual sustenance when dealing with the Harrison clan."

"Amen to
that," Luc murmured.

"Do you
really have a cousin named Lipscomb?" Misty asked Luc when Ted and Deirdre
had turned away to speak to someone else. "Or were you just trying to make
me laugh?"

Luc paused, a
glass of Irish whisky and water poised at his lips, his eyes sparkling with
amusement. "You know me too well, dear wife."

"And I like
what I know." Her eyes widened, and she watched fascinated as Luc's face
flushed with embarrassment.

He leaned closer
and whispered, "Tell me that tonight, will you, when I'm holding you in my
arms and your bare skin is rubbing against mine."

"Luc!"
Misty gasped and looked around to see if anyone had heard. "Stop
that."

"Too late.
The image of you naked on our bed is implanted in my brain." He tipped
the rest of his drink into his mouth and set down the glass. "Enough of
that."

"But, Luc,
you haven't had much of anything to drink. Just a few champagne toasts and this
glass of whisky."

He grinned at
her. "Checking up on me? But you're right, I haven't had much to drink. I
find I don't want much when I'm with you. I want nothing that will cloud my
thinking or blunt my awareness. You're all the stimulation I need. In fact,
sometimes you're too much stimulation."

"Oh, dear, I
do hate to interrupt you, but I was wondering, Mystique dear, would you play
for us?"

Startled out of
their tête-à-tête, Misty and Luc turned to see Althea. "Mother," Luc
warned, obviously not approving of her suggestion.

"I know, I
know. You don't want any of us to bother Mystique in any way. You made that
very clear. But, Luc, surely it isn't a bother to ask her to play for us."

"Of course
I'll play for you, Mother," Misty agreed.

Luc's mother beamed.
"Did you hear that, Luc? She called me Mother." She stretched up and
kissed Misty on the cheek. "We all love you, dear, and you needn't play if
you don't want to. You're such a beautiful woman. I just know your babies will
be beautiful, too."

"See?"
Luc led Misty across the massive solarium and into a front room, where a piano
stood on a small platform. "I'm not the only one who knows what a
wonderful mother you'll make."

"Oh,
Luc," Misty said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Don't
cry," he whispered, "or I'll have to carry you out of here and up the
stairs to make love to you."

She gave him a
watery smile. "Oh, Luc, Luc,
I
 
love you
so..."

Misty's
mother-in-law had just finished quieting the guests, and Misty began to play,
her eyes rarely leaving Luc's face. Afterward, her enraptured audience burst
into enthusiastic applause.

As Misty rose
from the piano bench and accepted Luc's kiss, she felt that her world was
complete. She had Luc, a loving family, and, coming soon, a baby she would love
with all her heart. She'd come so far in such a short time— and all because of
Luc's fierce and unwavering love. "I adore you," she whispered, the
words coming easily to her now.

With a brilliant
smile, amid the compliments and congratulations of the guests, Luc led Misty
out of the room and home to their bedroom, where they made love far into the
night.

Two years later,
Misty and Luc went on a skiing trip to Sweetgum Lodge. As they removed their
heavy clothing after spending a morning on the slopes, Misty turned to find her
husband's eyes on her. "What is it, darling?"

"I can't
believe we've had two children only ten months apart. Ten months!" Luc
shook his head. "You leave me reeling. My mother and father are still
bragging to all their friends, and your husband is at your feet."

"Never,"
Misty exclaimed in mock disbelief, happiness welling up inside her. "You
don't regret having Mary Deirdre so soon after Stuy, do you?" she asked.

"I regret
nothing, my lovely wife, except that
I
wish we had more
time alone." He grimaced when she chuckled. "Even though I work at
home two days a week,
I
still don't have
as much time with you as I'd like."

"You'll get
tired of me," Misty predicted, teasing him. She had perfect confidence in
Luc's loyalty to her. He had made her whole. She knew that she was a good
mother and, although Lucas Stuyvesant Harrison II was a little devil who kept
his mother and his nurse chasing after him every waking moment, Misty was
confident in her dealings with both children.

"How is it
that your waist is still so tiny after having had two babies? Your legs are so
slender, so long." Luc tossed his ski vest toward a corner of the room.
The thermal shirt he was wearing emphasized his muscled chest. "You're
still the sexiest woman in the world."

"I always
want to look attractive to you. That's a thrill for me," she said softly.

Luc stopped cold
and stared at her. "I'm five feet away from you, yet I feel as if we're
making love. I'm most alive when I'm in your arms, my sweet. Your very special
loving aura surrounds me," he whispered. "I'm constantly captivated
by the mystique of your personality. That's the main reason I continued to call
you Mystique even after you told me your name was Misty." His voice
dropped lower. "From the first moment I saw you that night in the
Edwardian Room of the Terrace Hotel, I was drawn to you, and I've never wanted
to leave you since then. At first, I thought it would be great to have you as a
lover. Then I imagined the moment when I would have to leave you, and I
realized I could
never
leave you." He took a step closer.
"That realization had the impact of a bomb dropped on my life." He
smiled. "You're my Mystique, and I belong to you, No matter how many
wonderful children we have, no matter what challenges we face, that will never
change."

"I know,
Luc. And I love you."

Misty smiled
serenely as she glided into his arms.