Read Online The Jade Dragon by Nancy Buckingham - Free Book Online

scornfully. “Joanneira was too ashamed to admit the true facts.”
    “Mama was not ashamed.” I burst out angrily, for by now I’d had more than I could take of this harping upon my mother’s disgrace. “The shame was not my mother’s, Tia Carlota. She had every right to marry the man she loved. It is the Milaveiras who should be shamed, for being so unforgiving. When I was born Mama wrote to her parents to tell them that they had a granddaughter. She pleaded for a reconciliation with them and begged for their blessing upon her marriage. She asked if she could bring me to Portugal so that they might see me.” I was shaking, and I had to blink back tears. ‘That letter was returned to her without a line, without a single word. It was the cruelest thing her parents could possibly have done to her.”
    There was a shocked silence, and I saw the look of horror on Vicencia’s face. Then my uncle said in a doubting voice, “How can you know all this, Elinor? Only a moment ago you were telling us that your mother never spoke to you about her family.”
    “It was not my mother who told me, Tio Affonso. I only heard about this recently, just before I came to Portugal. From Dr. Carlisle, my benefactor. It was he and his wife who brought me up after my parents were killed.”
    “And this Dr. Carlisle—how did he come by such an extraordinary piece of information?” my uncle demanded.
    “He and my father were close friends,” I explained. “And Papa told him in confidence many years ago.”
    Carlota had been staring at me with disbelief. Now she said dismissively, “Utter nonsense. The entire story is a fabrication. I can remember your mother very well, Elinor. She was a willful, hot-headed girl—very much as you yourself appear to be. I can remember the deep distress she brought her poor parents when, in spite of all their pleading, she went off and married this penniless foreigner. A girl so thoughtless and uncaring would never have written this conciliatory letter you speak of, unless—” her eyes gleamed with spite, “—unless she did so at the prompting of your father, who was probably thinking of the wealth that would come his way if only Joanneira could persuade the Milaveira family to accept him.”
    “That is a wicked thing to say,” I cried, springing to my feet. But across the table I met Vicencia’s gentle gaze, beseeching me not to leave the dining room, not to cause an open breach that would be difficult to heal over.
    “I am sure Carlota did not mean to imply,” she said placatingly, “that your father was a dishonorable man, Elinor. It is just that ... well, I think the only possible explanation is that there has been a misunderstanding somewhere.”
    My uncle swallowed down his wine and signaled a footman to refill his glass. His face was serious as he adjusted his monocle. “If what you maintain is true, Elinor, it would mean that my father, the Conde da Milaveira—and possibly my stepmother too—acted in a totally uncharacteristic manner. So you will appreciate that it is difficult for either your aunt or myself to accept this possibility. You, on the other hand, quite naturally feel the same about your parents, and I am sure you have every confidence in the word of Dr. Carlisle. Therefore, I am certain that what Vicencia suggests is the truth of the matter—that there was a most regrettable misunderstanding.”
    Carlota flicked her fan and seemed about to make another scathing comment, but she managed to restrain herself. After a brief pause, my uncle went on thoughtfully, “I think I must ask you not to mention any of this to your grandmother, Elinor. We dare not risk making her ill again. As I say, I am sure there has been a ... a misinterpretation of what occurred. But let us suppose that this unhappy incident took place exactly as your informant related—nothing could be gained by raising it with Dona Amalia. If she herself had any hand in it, we cannot expect that she would be