Private Scandals

communicated from brain to body, her legs folded. How could she run when she could barely stand? The drug was still in charge of her system. It was precisely the kind of detail he would have thought of. Precisely the kind of detail that had made him such an invaluable part of her team.
    “It’s wrong to keep me here, Jeff.”
    “No, it’s not.” He set the tray on the table in front of her. “I’ve thought about it for a long, long time. And this is for the best. For you. I’m always thinking of you. Later on, we can travel together. I’ve been looking into villas in the south of France. I think you’d like it there.” He touched her then, just a brushing caress on her shoulder. Beneath her blouse her skin crawled. “I love you so much.”
    “Why didn’t you ever tell me? You could have talked to me about the way you felt.”
    “I couldn’t. At first I thought it was just because I was shy, but then I realized that it was all like a plan. A life plan. Yours and mine.”
    Anxious to explain, he pulled up another chair. As he leaned forward, his glasses slid down his nose. While her vision blurred, then cleared, she watched him shove them up again—an old habit, once an endearing one, that now chilled her blood.
    “There were things you needed to do, experiences—and men—you had to get out of your system before we could be together. I understood that, Dee. I never blamed you for Finn. It hurt me.” Resting his hands on his knees, he let out a sigh. “But I didn’t blame you. And I couldn’t blame him.” His face brightened again. “How could I when I knew how perfect you were? The first time I saw you on TV, I couldn’t get my breath. It scared me a little. You were looking right at me, into me. I’ll never forget it. You see, I was so lonely before. An only child. I grew up in this house. You’re noteating, Deanna. I wish you would.”
    Obediently, she picked up her fork. He wanted to talk. Seemed eager to. The best way to escape, she calculated, was to understand. “You told me you grew up in Iowa.”
    “That’s where my mother took me later. My mother was wild.” The apology crept back into his voice. “She would never listen to anyone, never obey the rules. So naturally, Uncle Matthew had to punish her. He was older, you see. He was head of the family. He’d keep her in this room, trying to make her see that there were proper ways to do things, and improper ways.” His face changed as he spoke, tightening around the mouth and eyes, growing somehow older, sterner. “But my mother never learned, no matter how hard my uncle tried to teach her. She ran away and got pregnant. When I was six, they took her away. She had a breakdown, and I came to live with Uncle Matthew. There was no one else to take me in, you see. And it was his family duty.”
    Deanna choked down a bite of pasta. It stuck like paste in her throat, but she was afraid to try the wine. He could have drugged it, she thought, like the bottle of juice. “I’m sorry, Jeff, about your mother.”
    “It’s okay.” He shrugged it off like a snake shedding skin. His face smoothed out again like a sheet stroked with careful hands. “She didn’t love me. No one’s ever loved me but Uncle Matthew. And you. It’s just wine, Dee. Your favorite kind.” Grinning at the joke, he picked up the glass and sipped to show her. “I didn’t put anything in it. I didn’t have to, because you’re here now. With me.”
    Drugged or not, she avoided the wine, unsure how it would mix with the drugs in her system. “What happened to your mother?”
    “She had dementia. She died. Is your dinner all right? I know pasta’s your favorite.”
    “It’s fine.” Deanna slipped another bite through her stiff lips. “How old were you when she died?”
    “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter, I was happy here, with my uncle.” It made him nervous to talk about his mother, so hedidn’t. “He was a great man. Strong and good. He hardly ever had to punish me, because I was good, too. I wasn’t a trial to him, like my mother was. We took care of each other.” He spoke quickly now, fresh excitement blooming. “He was proud of me. I studied hard and I didn’t hang out with other kids. I didn’t need them. I mean, all they wanted to do was ride in fast cars and listen to loud music and fight with their parents. I had respect. And I never forgot things like cleaning my room or brushing my teeth. Uncle Matthew always told me I didn’t need