Scandals and Secrets

'You poor darling,' she murmured, holding her close and stroking her back. 'It's Nathan again, isn't it?'

'He ... he was here today,' she choked out.

Celeste pulled back in shock. 'Here? In this house?'

Gemma nodded, her misery obvious.

'But how? I mean ... you must have let him in.'

She shook her head in vigorous denial. 'He said he came by boat. He ... he just appeared upstairs. I nearly died.'

'Where was Cora?'

'Shopping.'

'Oh, yes, it's Wednesday. She always does the grocery shopping on Wednesday. So what did he do?' Celeste was appalled when the girl looked stricken and then blushed. Blushed, mind you.

The awful reality came to Celeste in a rush and she almost vomited on the spot, gagging down her revulsion with great difficulty. 'He raped you, didn't he?' she said, her voice shaking.

The girl stared at her, making Celeste aware that she must have been looking very peculiar. 'He ... he didn't beat you, did he?'

The girl looked horrified. 'Oh, no! Nathan wouldn't do a thing like that!'

Celeste pulled herself together but she still couldn't quite get a grasp of the situation. Why was she defending this monster? He should be hung, drawn and quartered!

'He was upset because he found me in Damian's bathroom,' Gemma explained shakily. 'I'd just had a shower and had gone in there to find some aspirin. I. . .I only had a thin robe on. He thought Damian and I had been having an affair, even before I left him. He was ... most upset.'

'Which gave him the right to rape you?' Celeste gaped in disbelief.

'Of course not,' Gemma countered. 'But I can see now that there were mitigating circumstances leading to the incident.'

'The incident,' Celeste repeated weakly. Dear God ...

She stood there, incredibly shaken, till gradually her tottering emotions came together with a vengeance. 'He must pay,' she bit out. 'He can't be allowed to get away with this.'

Gemma shook her head. 'I thought that at first but my wish for revenge, or justice if you will, is beginning to weaken. No judge or jury would convict him anyway. Besides, there's nothing to be gained by locking Nathan up. He's not really a criminal. He's no danger to society or even to me. I'm sure he'll never do again what he did today. It's not as though he even hurt me physically. There's not a mark on me.'

'There is on your mind!' Celeste protested.

'My mind is quite clear now,' Gemma insisted with such conviction that Celeste was staggered. 'It is Nathan's mind which will be affected by what transpired here today. I think it will live with him for a long, long time. He's not some brute or monster, Celeste. Underneath that cool facade he wears, he's a very vulnerable human being, but I think he's very mixed up when it comes to his concept of love. I don't think he knows what love is. I don't think he ever did ... '

'My God, you still love him, don't you?' Celeste said.

Gemma's smile was so sad that Celeste almost burst into tears herself. 'I will always love him,' the girl admitted.

Celeste stood there, shaking her head and feeling hopelessly confused - till she remembered her own incredible weakness in still loving Byron. How could she sit in judgement when she was guilty of the same blind stupidity?

'I can't stay here any longer, Celeste,' Gemma said simply but firmly. 'I'm extremely grateful for all you and Damian have done for me but I think it best if I got right away, away from Nathan and Sydney. Much as I'm quite sure Nathan won't assault me again, he might make a nuisance of himself. I'm all packed,' she went on with a down-to-earth bravery Celeste could

only admire. 'I'll call a taxi after dinner and go to the airport Hilton. I've already called them and booked a room. And I've booked a ticket on a flight back to Lightning Ridge tomorrow.'

'But you said you hated it there.'

'It's where my roots are. And there's something unfinished there that I have to finish to my satisfaction before I can even think of going on with my life.'

'What? What do you have to finish?'

'I'm sorry but I'd rather not discuss that. It's very private and quite painful to me. I think if, I started talking about it tonight I'd really break down. So please, don't press me about it.'

'I wouldn't dream of it, my dear. I just wanted to help, that's all. You must know how very fond of you I've grown, even in this short time we've had you here.'

The girl's smile was so sweet that Celeste again struggled to contain her emotions. 'I've grown very fond of you too. And Damian's the best friend I've ever had. He has almost single-handedly restored my faith in the opposite sex.'