The Determined Virgin

“I did what I felt I had to do to survive,” Garth said in an easy drawl, covering the defensiveness he felt toward his youth behind a mask of indifference. “Growing up on the tough side of Chicago requires ingenuity.”

“What did you do?” Hesper asked.

He shrugged. “A little of this and a little of that. Nothing I ever got arrested for.”

“If I’m to believe Peter, you began working for a local bookie when you were seven. You were an accomplished hustler by the time you were ten and perfected con artist by the time you were twelve,” Jeanette elaborated. “The only thing in your favor is that you never got arrested, or if you did, no charges were ever filed.”

Hesper had known her stepfather would have Garth investigated. Tobias should have known that, too, she fumed. Next time she needed advice about who she could trust, she wouldn’t ask Aunt Eloise!

Garth faced Jeanette DuPree levelly. “I left Chicago when I was eighteen. I’ve been straight ever since.”

Challenge again glittered in her eyes. “Your parentage appears to have a gap as well. There is no father listed on your birth certificate.”

It had been a long time since anyone had questioned him about his birth. He’d thought it couldn’t bother him, but he was wrong. His shoulders straightened with pride. “My mother wasn’t entirely certain who my father was. Even if she had been, he wouldn’t have claimed me. She and I did just fine on our own.”

“Your mother was a prostitute,” Jeanette stated blandly.

Hesper scowled at her stepfather and then her grandmother. They had no right to be so self-righteous. “A person cannot choose their heritage,” she snapped.

Garth turned to her, his eyes cold. “I don’t apologize for my mother,” he said, protectiveness and love evident in his voice. “She was a good woman. Her father abused her and her mother was an alcoholic. She went into the streets to escape from them. She didn’t know of any other way.”

Stunned by this display of emotion from a man she’d begun to think had none, Hesper said quickly, “I didn’t mean anything derogatory toward you mother.” Unable to stop herself, she asked, “What happened to her?”

His expression once again became shuttered. “She died.”

When it became evident Garth was not going to elaborate, Jeanette spoke up. “She developed lung cancer when Garth was eleven and died when he was twelve. His grandparents decided it was their Godgiven duty to take him in. He began running away almost immediately. When he ran away the third time, they washed their hands of him. The next few years are vague, but it appears he went back to his old neighborhood and worked for the local bookie until he was eighteen. At that time he joined the army.”

“An incorrigible child with no morals, who grew into a man who would do anything for personal gain,” Peter snarled.

Garth’s jaw tensed in his effort to control his temper. “I did what I had to do. I won’t claim I was perfect, but I had my reasons.”

“So it would seem.” Jeanette frowned at Peter. “According to my investigator, Garth’s grandparents felt that he had been born in sin and that the evil had to be exorcised. According to an elderly neighbor, they chose beating as the best method to instill their righteous values. There are hospital records confirming that he was brought in twice with sprained wrists, once with a concussion and once with a broken arm, all supposedly accidents that happened in the home.” Her frown darkened as she continued to frown at her son-in-law. “Surely you must have known I’d have checked into Mr. Lawton myself.” Her attention returned to Garth. “Although, I can sympathize with you in some respects, I must also admit, a person of your background is not what I would have chosen for my granddaughter.”

“I guess it’s time for me to make my departure.” Garth was on his feet. “Can I assume my bags are on the front porch? Or perhaps, they were never taken out of the car?”

Hesper rose with him. “I’m really sorry about this,” she apologized while silently promising herself that she would give Tobias a piece of her mind…a very large piece.

Jeanette motioned for them to sit down. “Your bags are being unpacked as we speak.” She smiled encouragingly at Garth. “I simply thought it would be best to get all of the unpleasantness out in the open. Now there will be no pretense and I can get to know the real you.”

Hesper stood frozen, staring at her grandmother. Jeanette DuPree was smiling…actually smiling. A closer look revealed the smile had not gone to her eyes, those were still sharply watchful, like a hawk coveting it’s prey, but the corners of her mouth had turned upward and to someone not looking any further than that, she appeared to be smiling.

“Well, I’m appalled that Hesper would marry someone she knew so little about,” Peter said with harsh reprimand. “I thought she had a more sensible head on her shoulders.”

Jeanette turned to him, her smile gone and in its place a censorious frown. “Sometimes a person cannot help listening to their heart.” Her voice mellowed and she offered him a plate of cakes. “I’m not saying that’s wise. However, I feel to be fair to Hesper, I should not make a snap judgment. Eat something and let me talk to my new grandson-in-law.”

Peter scowled, waved away the cakes and sat back, studying Garth with a critical eye.

Noticing that both Garth and Hesper were still standing, impatience showed on Jeanette’s face. “Please, sit down.” It was an order.

Hesper looked to Garth. “Are you willing to remain?”

A part of him had had enough of Jeanette DuPree and her son-in-law. His life had, many times, depended on him reading people and he’d known that her smile had been merely a polite facade to coax him into remaining so that she could study him further like an animal she found amusing but was not certain she wanted in her zoo. As for Peter Lowell, the man was clearly willing to play dirty to get what he wanted. But as much as Garth would have preferred to leave, a stronger part disliked allowing Lowell to win without a fight. The man was smug and devious and willing to rob his own stepdaughter. “Since we’re here, we might as well remain a while.”

Hesper sank back into her chair. She’d been certain Garth would walk and she’d lose the bet. She still could. It was possible her grandmother was bored and willing to keep them there simply for a diversion. But there was also a chance she could win. Years ago, she’d given up trying to determine Jeanette DuPree’s motives.

Garth waited until Hesper was again seated then eased himself back into his chair. Tobias’s sister was a great deal more like his employer than he’d first thought. He was certain she’d staged this whole business just to study his reaction and Hesper’s.

“Now, tell me about my brother. I understand he’s running some sort of detective agency these days,” Jeanette said, offering him a slice of cake as she spoke. “What type of cases does he handle? Just anything that comes along?”

“Only those cases he finds interesting,” Garth replied.

The elderly woman nodded as if this was what she suspected. “The mundane always bored him.” Interest glistened in her eyes. “And what kind of cases does he find interesting?”

“Missing persons, murders the police have given up on and, once in a while, a theft the authorities cannot solve.”

“And you do his legwork for him?” Jeanette persisted.

“I’m one of his operatives,” Garth confirmed.

“My grandson, Hagen, is another, I believe?”

“Yes.”

Jeanette scowled. “When he told me he was going to work for Tobias, I assumed it was in a legal capacity. He has a law degree, graduated top of his class. He could have joined any law firm he chose. I’m aware my brother has connections in high places. I thought working for him would be a boon to Hagen’s legal career. Instead he has opted to go running around the world at my brother’s beck and call, toting a gun and placing himself in danger.” She paused and her gaze narrowed on Garth. “You do carry guns, don’t you?”

“It’s necessary.”

Jeanette shook her head. “Boys will be boys, I suppose. But the next time you see Hagen, you tell him that when Steward Schuyler dies, I fully expect him to come here and manage my legal affairs. I want someone I know I can trust.”

“I’ll relay the message,” Garth promised, wondering how that battle of wills would end. Hagen was not a man who could be bullied into doing what he did not want to do. But it was equally obvious that Jeanette DuPree was not used to having her wishes denied. However, that was Hagen’s problem, not his.

“How many men have you killed, Mr. Lawton?” Peter asked abruptly.

“A few. I was a soldier. There were times I was called upon to protect my country,” Garth replied.

Jeanette raised a critical eyebrow in Peter’s direction, indicating she was not pleased with his line of questioning. “My brother thinks very highly of Garth and Tobias is not an easy man to please. Even more, I know you must have been worried about Hesper finding a husband. I know I was. We must give her choice the benefit of the doubt.”

Hesper’s cheeks reddened. Her grandmother had made her sound as if she’d been coming close to stepping over the line into spinsterhood. “A great many women wait to marry these days.”