'She wanted her career,' Janet scorned. 'Mark should never have married an actress. It was obvious a woman like that could only be interested in his money.'
Morgan gasped. Janet was more like her mother than she had previously realised, both of thern
seeming to take delight in insulting the dead Glenna. 'Must I remind you that Glenna is—was—my sister?' her voice shook a little, and she saw the other woman's Mouth twist derisively at this show of weakness.
Janet gave a dismissive snort. 'You don't need to remind me of anything; you're like Glenna in a lot of ways.'
This time the insult was a personal attack, and Morgan didn't hesitate to retaliate. 'Did she also think you were a vicious bitch?' she asked coolly.
Angry colour flooded the other woman's cheeks. •Glenna had more sense than to be openly hostile,' she snapped.
She raised her brows, the brightness of her hair secured at her nape. 'And I don't?' she drawled. 'I'm sorry, Mrs Fairchild, I thought this was honesty time.'
'It is.' Blue eyes flashed their dislike. 'I don't like you any more than I did Glenna. We'll certainly never make the mistake of letting another McKay into the family!'
'Courtney is half McKay.'
'I meant you, Morgan.' Janet looked at her with dislike. 'I'm telling you this in case you got the wrong idea from the newspapers.'
'That I marry Alex!' she gasped.
'Exactly.' , ,
'Wouldn't he have some say as to who he married?' she derided.
'Of course,' Janet snapped her impatience. 'And I can tell you now that he doesn't intend marrying anvone.'
Morgan gave a bored shrug. 'You're safe then, aren't you?'
'Unless you try to force the issue,' the other woman studied her with narrowed eyes, 'Alex will allow no harm to come to Courtney.'
'I would never harm him!' she bit out angrily, tiring of this conversation with this vindictive woman. 'Must I remind you that this is a funeral, Mrs Fairchild? Hardly the place for the things you're saying!'
'I can think of no better place,' Janet rasped. 'Glenna has created trouble, as always, she snapped. 'She must have known the havoc this joint guardianship would cause,'
'She was hardly in any condition to think of hitting back at the Hammonds at the time,' Morgan told the other woman tautly.
'Your sister was an embarrassment to my family from the day she came into it!'
Her mouth twisted. 'Didn't she come up to your strict family standards?'
•No!' Janet snapped. 'And she never would have done. If she hadn't become conveniently pregnant I doubt if the marriage would have lasted as long as it did.'
'Conveniently .. .?' Morgan echoed sharply. 'Axe you implying that Glenna became pregnant on purpose?'
'Exactly. Providing the Hammond heir was guaranteed to keep her the wife of a wealthy man. Except that I know for a fact that Mark didn't want children yet.'
Morgan shrugged. 'Accidents happen.'
'Not to Mark,' Janet told her pointedly.
Morgan paled, swallowing convulsively. 'Arc you saying—Are you implying '
'That someone else was involved in Courtney's conception?' the other woman drawled. 'Someone other than Mark? I'm saying it's a distinct possibility,' she shrugged.
'I don't believe it! Morgan said heatedly. 'You're just saying these things. Glenna would never have an affair. She loved Mark very much.'
'And she knew her marriage was failing. She wouldn't be the first woman to deliberately have a child in order to keep her marriage together—even another man's child.'
'I don't believe that,' Morgan repeated coldly. •Glenna wasn't capable of what you're accusing her of.' Janet's mouth twisted derisively. 'Believe me, she was,' she taunted.
Morgan was breathing deeply, so angry she wanted to actually hit this woman. The character of Mary-Beth would know how to handle this situation with a confidence that would strip this woman of all her arrogance. Unfortunately she didn't have an ounce of Mary-Beth in her! 'Arc you really serious about Courtney not being Mark's child?' she frowned.
'Very serious,' the other woman nodded. 'But my mother believes he's Mark's son, and that's all that matters.'
'A blood test——'
'Might prove my point,' Janet acknowledged tauntingly. 'And then again it might not. But could vou do that to your own sister, your dead sister?'
Morgan paled, knowing that Janet Fairchild was right. Even supposing Glenna had done such a thing— which she seriously doubted!—she couldn't do anvthing to hurt her sister's memory. Her parents would never forgive her if she did that. Besides, she didn't believe for one moment that Glenna had been involved with another man; despite her unhappiness in England Glenna had continued to love her husband.
' thought not,' the other woman derided. 'Go back to America, Morgan. You aren't wanted here.' She strolled off, smiling at several of the other guests as she went, just as if she hadn't just dealt Morgan a wounding blow.
Morgan looked up as she sensed someone watching her, and her eyes clashed with questioning grey ones. Alex stood across the room talking to an elderly man, but his attention was only half held by the - conversation, the rest of it concentrated on her. She turned away from that probing glance, needing to escape, needing to be alone to think of all that Janet Fairchild had so enjoyed telling her.
She moved to the doorway, glancing round, suddenly aware that Alex was making his way towards her. She didn't want to talk to him now, and she breathed a sigh of relief as one of the numerous relatives waylaid him, slipping out of the room unnoticed by any but those ail-seeing grey eyes.
Mrs Ford was in the nursery with Courtney, cuddling the unusually fretful baby. 'I think he ate too much,' she smiled as Morgan came into the room.
'Probably,' she smiled, knowing her nephew's appetite well. 'Would you like to go down to the kitchen and get yourself a cup of tea?' she offered. 'I'll stay with Courtney.' Well, if you're sure...?'
'Very,' she nodded, knowing that after Janet Fairchild's vehemence Courtney's innocence was what she needed.
"Thank you,' Mrs Ford smiled. 'I won't say it wouldn't be very welcome.'
Morgan took the crying Courtney from the other woman, her expression softening as she gazed down at his cherubic features; he had filled out in just the last week. He stopped crying as soon as she took him into her arms.
'He knows.' The nurse looked down at them, her own expression softened by the lovely picture Morgan made holding the baby.
Morgan was bemused by the perfection of the tiny human being in her arms; she never ceased to be amazed by how beautiful her nephew was. 'Knows?' she echoed softly, deep blue eyes staring up at her as Courtney sucked on his fist.
"That you love him,' Mrs Ford murmured. 'Oh, I love him too, but he senses that it isn't the same as what you feel for him. Babies are very intelligent when it comes to the people who care for them.'
She wondered if that were the reason Courtney invariably cried when Rita Hammond or her daughter picked him up. And why he slept in Alex Hammond's arms? Alex was a part of this hateful family too, and yet Courtney instinctively trusted him.
'I shouldn't be long,' the nurse nodded.
Morgan didn't mind how long she was, she had no inclination to go back downstairs and join the vultures, would much prefer to spend the time with Courtney.
But she couldn't stop herself from looking for some resemblance to Mark in the sleepy features beneath her. The bright red hair was strictly Glenna, the blue eyes, normal in most newborn babies, could have come from either parent. Of course there was the determination in the little chin that the nurse at the hospital had noticed, but Glenna had been very forceful, and Morgan had a stubborn streak herself. No, there was not one feature to distinguish Courtney as a Hammond.
'I thought I might find you here.'
She looked up at the sound of that familiar raspy voice, looking straight into Alex Hammond's harsh face. He leant against the door-jamb watching her. She wondered how long he had been standing there; she hadn't been aware of his presence until he spoke.
Colour flushed her cheeks as she recalled her thoughts of a few minutes ago. Did this man also think Glenna had had an affair, that Courtney wasn't his brother's child? He gave no indication of harbouring any such thoughts about Glenna, but then he wasn't a man who gave away much of his thoughts, about anything. And perhaps if it were the truth his mother's resentment towards Glenna needed no further explanation.
'I couldn't stand that circus any longer, she told him coldly, at once on the defensive.
His mouth tightened, but he gave no other indication of his anger, and his voice was mild when he spoke. 'Would you rather no one had shown their respect?'
'Respect I could understand. That,' she nodded in the direction of downstairs, 'is no better than a farce. They act as if this was a party!'
'Would you rather they all stood about crying?'
'At least it would be more natural!'
He gave an impatient sigh. 'You call hiding in here natural?' he scorned. 'You can put Courtney down now,' he derided. 'He's been asleep for several minutes.'
She glanced down at the sleeping baby, then stood up to place him in his crib, putting her hands awkwardly together now that she had nothing else to occupy them. She faced Alex uncomfortably across the room.
'Why is it wc always meet in the nursery?' he asked softly.
Morgan moistened her lips. 'I—I spend a lot of my time in here.'
'I wasn't criticising,' he said gently, 'Merely stating a fact.'
'The facts are, Mr Hammond, that the funerals are no more than a valid .excuse for your mother to act the gracious hostess,' all her resentment came to the fore to be directed at this man, 'and that I have just been highly insulted by your sister.'