All That Glitters (Landry 3)

you came along. He loved me," she whined. "That

was all the truth we needed . . . love."

A pall fell among us for a moment. Gladys

sucked in her anger and closed her eyes.

Beau decided to proceed. "Your son, realizing

the love between Ruby and myself, agreed to help us

be together. When Gisselle became seriously ill, he

volunteered to take her in and pretend she was Ruby

so that Ruby could become Gisselle and we could be

man and wife."

She opened her eyes and laughed in a way that

chilled my blood. "I know all that, but I also know he

had little choice. She probably threatened to tell the

world he wasn't my son," she said, her flinty eyes

aimed at me.

"I would never. . ."

"You'd say anything now, so don't try," she

advised.

"Madame," Beau said, stepping forward.

"What's done is done. Paul did help. He intended for

us to live with our daughter and be happy. What

you're doing now is defeating what Paul himself tried

to accomplish."

She stared up at Beau for a moment, and as she

did so, the gossamer strands of sanity seemed to shred

before they snapped behind her eyes. "My poor

granddaughter has no parents now. Her mother was

buried and her father will be interred beside her." "Madame Tate, why force us to go to court over

this and put everyone through the misery again?

Surely you want peace and quiet at this point, and