Mystery Present

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Aye, that one. Just because she looked and sounded foreign, and there happened to have been Gypsies in the area just before her appear ance, some folks got that silly notion. But the marquis, he put a stop to that rumor when he married her. After all, a lord like him would never marry so far beneath him, now would he?"

Donald intercepted his son's grin just before Andy remarked, "Depends on the lord." Donald gave him a quelling look. The rest of

the family didn't need to know-yet-that he,

too, hoped to put his heart first.

John shook his head. "Back then it just wasn't done, Lord Andy. Today, maybe, but eighty some years ago, a scandal like that would ruin a man."

"Well, rumor was all it ever was," Donald pointed out, "since it's never been proven, one way or the other. The rumor wasn't completely put to rest, though, or it wouldn't still be known. But as you say, it hardly matters in this day and age, whether Anna Sullivan was Gypsy or of Spanish descent, as most assumed. Only she could answer that, but my grandparents died before I was born. I'm sorry I never knew them.

"I've always wished to know the truth about her myself," Amy said. "I can remember being fascinated by the possibility when I was a child, and before you ask why again, recall that I take after her, or so I've been told. I wanted to think she really was a Gypsy-I still wish it was so. That would at least explain where I got such unusually perceptive instincts from, that are never wrong. And it must have been true love."

"Hell, if it's true love, I'm glad our ancestor realized it," Andy put in. "For some men, it takes years . . . and years . . . and-"

Donald didn't miss the subtle prodding directed his way, but before anyone else noticed, he said pointedly, "Didn't you say you had a bit of shopping to do while we were in town, Andy?" To which his son just grinned again, unre pentantly.

Donald sighed inwardly. He knew Andy was just teasing him. Actually, Andy was the only one in the family who ever dared tease him. And no one else, being aware of who Biancareally was, would guess that he was teasing his father. But then Andy knew that Donald had been after Biancafor a long time now to say yes to marrying him.

"Hmmm, wonder why I never thought to do that with Anna Sullivan," Amy remarked to her

self, drawing everyone's attention again. "Do what?" more than one Sullivan asked in unison.

"Make a bet that we'd learn the truth about her. Anyone care to take up the wager?"

But Donald interrupted with, "I'd prefer this speculation ended here."

Amy frowned. "You really don't want to know the truth, Uncle Donald?"

"I didn't say that, m'dear. I just don't want to see you break your perfect win record on something that can't possibly come to light. You would be devastated if that happened, now wouldn't you?"

Her sigh answered him, but didn't quite reas sure him. After all, he was well aware that hor rible odds had never stopped her from following her instincts in the past.The family was spread out in the large country mansion that evening after dinner. Biancahad carefully unpacked most of the Christmas paraphernalia from the attic earlier in the week, and it was Molly, just reaching the bottom of the stairs, who heard the horse come to a galloping halt out front and went to see who was visiting this late in the evening. Just as she reached to open the door, it was opened from without and Donald's brother James nearly knocked her over as he stomped in out of the cold.

Nonetheless, she was delighted to see he had arrived at last, even at that late hour, and of fered a cheery, "Merry Christmas, Ja-"

To which he immediately cut her off with very testy, "b****y hell it is." Though he did halt his progress to offer her a brief smile, add ing, "Good to see you, Molly," then in the same breath, "Where's that worthless brother of mine?"

She was surprised enough to ask, "Ah, which brother would that be?" when she knew very well he would never refer to Edward or Donald, whom the two younger brothers termed the el ders, in that way. But then, Donald shared every thing with her about his family, so she knew them as well as he did.

So his derogatory answer didn't really add to her surprise. "The infant."

She winced at his tone, though, as well as his expression, which had reverted to deadly men ace at mention of the "infant." Big, blond, and handsome, James Sullivan was, just like his elder brothers, and rarely did anyone actually see him looking angry. When James was annoyed with someone, he usually very calmly ripped the person to shreds with his devilish wit, and by his inscrutable expression, the victim had absolutely no warning such pointed barbs would be headed his or her way.

The infant, or rather, Pedro, had heard James's voice and, unfortunately, stuck his head around the parlor door to determine James's mood, which wasn't hard to misinterpret with the baleful glare that came his way. Which was probably why the parlor door immediately slammed shut.

"Oh, dear," Biancasaid as James stormed off. Through the years she'd become accustomed to the Sullivans' behavior, but at times it still alarmed her.

What ensued was a tug of war in the reverse, so to speak, with James shoving his considerable weight against the parlor door, and Pedro on the other side doing his best to keep it from opening. Pedro managed for a bit. He wasn't as hefty as his brother, but he was taller and well muscled. But he must have known he couldn't hold out indefinitely, especially when James started to slam his shoulder against the door, which got it nearly half open before An thony could manage to slam it shut again.

But what Pedro did to solve his dilemma produced Molly's second "Oh, dear."

When James threw his weight against the door for the third time, it opened ahead of him and he unfortunately couldn't halt his progress into the room. A rather loud crash followed. A few moments later James was up again dusting pine needles off his shoulders.

Reggie and Molly, alarmed by the noise, soon followed the men into the room.