Forever (54 page)

Outside, the weather was picture-postcard
perfect, so sun-drenched and cloudless that the sea around looked
like liquid mercury. She imagined, momentarily, that it was the sea
of a faraway planet, molten silver and precious and uninhabited,
but the distant triangular sails tacking into the wind, and the
blinding white hulls and superstructures of passing motoryachts
killed the fleeting illusion while still providing the visual proof
of the watery distances between this, her floating fortress, and
the rest of humanity. It made her feel safe. Sound. Protected as if
by a vast impenetrable moat.

Then the automatic sliding doors hissed open
and a current of warm humid air rippled through the icy room,
followed by the sharp intake of a breath. As the doors sighed shut
again, a voice said, 'Oh! I am sorry! I didn't realise anyone was
up here -'

Her!
Zarah felt a burst of bile in
her throat.
Of all people, it would have to be Monica Williams!
Oh, the temerity of that woman! Was there no escaping her? Was no
place sacred with her around? Infuriating, that the fragile veneer
of privacy must be shattered even up here, where she came to be
alone!

Zarah turned her head slowly, her face
carefully bland and composed. There stood her nemesis: hesitant and
slightly confused. Really! The sight of Monica Williams was almost
more than one could be expected to bear!

Stephanie gave a nervous smile and a little
half-wave. 'I'm sorry to have barged in. I was just looking for
Eduardo.'

Zarah's eyelids lowered, hooding something
hard and cold and calculating.

Forcing a smile, she said smoothly, 'I am
afraid Eduardo is still busy with Ernesto. They may be a while yet.
Some pressing matters concerning Banco da Veiga have come up.'

Stephanie said, 'Nothing serious, I
hope?'

'Serious enough for a flurry of telephone
calls and faxes to fly back and forth. But earth-shattering? No, I
do not believe so.' Zarah extended a gracious hand in welcome, her
gold bangles jangling. 'Come. Sit with me until the men are
finished. It is sometimes so boring to be alone! And besides, this
gives us the perfect opportunity to talk!' Her eyes were glowing
now.

Stephanie hesitated. 'Well ... I really
don't want to intrude . . .'she murmured dubiously.

'Intrude!' Zarah laughed chidingly and
clapped her hands softly together. 'You dear child. How could you
even think such a thing? Here. Take this chair -' Leaning sideways,
she patted the arm of the empty throne next to hers.

'Well, if you're positive . . .' Stephanie
said, and stepped onto the carpeted turntable of a floor.

For a moment she stood there looking down at
it. 'Oh, I see,' she said, glancing over at Zarah. it revolves!
Like one of those rooftop restaurants!'

'Yes.' Zarah's smile held. 'But we're
afforded far more privacy here than in any restaurant, wouldn't you
say?' She waited until Stephanie was seated. 'Now then,' she said,
folding her hands in her lap. 'May I offer you some refreshment?
Coffee perhaps, or tea? Or maybe you would like something stronger?
No? As you can see, I myself am alternating between distilled water
and freshly squeezed juice from organically grown vegetables. Dr
Vassiltchikov is a great believer in the mixture's cleansing
properties.'

Stephanie smiled. 'I'm fine, thanks.'

'Oh, but I insist you try the juice. It is
unbelievably nutritious and really quite good.' Zarah pressed a
button hidden in the arm of her chair. Almost instantly, the
electronic doors hissed open and a steward in formal attire
entered.

'Mesdames?
' he enquired
solicitously.

'A vegetable juice for Ms Williams, Cesar.
And perhaps a plate of fruit and crudites? Or would you prefer
something sweeter?' Zarah looked at Stephanie with questioningly
raised eyebrows, but Stephanie shook her head. 'The juice will be
all, Cesar.'

'
'Mesdames?
,' Cesar murmured, and
withdrew.

The floor revolved clockwise a foot and was
then still.

'You are enjoying the cruise?' asked
Zarah.

'Oh, very much so,' Stephanie assured her.
'I'm having the most incredible time. I really can't thank you
enough.'

'Ah, but it is Eduardo who deserves your
thanks.'

'Yes, but surely you and Senhor de Veiga
deserve them also.'

A veil seemed to slide down over Zarah's
eyes. 'Yes,' she said softly, as though speaking to herself, 'I can
understand why you and my son get along so well together.' She
nodded slowly. 'Your manners are like his . . .exquisite.'

'You're too kind,' Stephanie murmured.

'On the contrary. I am merely stating a
fact.' Zarah smiled. 'You need only ask Eduardo; he will verify
that I have a habit of speaking my mind.'

'You must love Eduardo very much,' Stephanie
said huskily.

Zarah's voice was hushed. 'More than the
sun, the moon, and the stars put together.'

The declaration hung in the air, like
something live and electric, and it remained there even as Cesar
returned with a glass of pinkish juice on a silver salver. As he
placed the glass on the small table, Stephanie smiled up at him.
"ITiank you,' she said.

He bowed his head gravely and then turned to
Zarah. 'Will there be anything else, madameT

'No, Cesar. That will be all.'

'Mesdames.
' Cesar withdrew on silent
feet.

Stephanie saw that Zarah's gaze had not
changed; it was as if the steward's interruption had never
occurred. And, as if to prove it, Zarah picked up the thread of
conversation exactly where she had left off.

'Eduardo is very special, you know,' she
said. 'He is handsome. Brilliant. Decisive. Kind. Sensitive. So
mature and manly that it almost hurts. Yet at the same time, he is
like a wonder-struck child in the way he pursues life's pleasures.'
She allowed herself a small amused smile. 'But why am I telling you
all that? Surely you must know it already.'

Stephanie nodded slowly. 'Yes,' she said.
Picked up her glass and sipped. The juice was thick and pulpy and
tasted almost like fruit. She set the glass back down.

'Do you like it?' Zarah enquired.

'Oh, yes.' Stephanie nodded. 'It's
delicious.'

'I'm glad.'

And to Stephanie's dumbfounded amazement,
Zarah once again picked up the conversation precisely where she had
left off.

'And Eduardo is stubborn too, of course,'
she said quietly, giving a little sigh. Her hands fluttered briefly
in her lap, like delicate wings. 'In fact, I often fear that he is
too stubborn and far, far too trusting for his own good.' She
stared intently at Stephanie.

Stephanie could have sworn that the
temperature inside the revolving lounge had suddenly turned chill,
and the air itself somehow menacing - as though invisible bacilli
were multiplying by the billions.

She was wary now, and watched Zarah
carefully through guarded eyes. 'Stubborn?' she said.
'Eduardo?'

'Oh, yes!' Zarah laughed softly. 'You are
still young, of course,' she continued, sailing smoothly ahead.
'But someday, when you have children of your own, you will
doubtless understand why I wanted us to have this little talk.'

Warning bells raised a cacophony in
Stephanie's head, and she thought,
Oh-oh. Here it comes. We're
skating out on the thin ice now.
'I - I'm not sure I quite
follow you,' she said carefully.

'Then I will try to explain.' Zarah half
smiled, and in one feline movement, changed position. There was the
soft rustling of silk and the jangling of bracelets, and then she
was sitting forward, on the very edge of the throne. Her spine
ruler-straight. Her hands cupped over the upholstered arms. Regal,
she looked, and intimidating. Totally in command.

Zarah's voice was deceptively soft. 'You
see, Ms Williams, mother love is unlike any other kind of love; it
is, out of necessity, based on protectiveness. For that is a
mother's duty - to do everything within her power to nourish her
child and shelter it from harm. So when harm does befall her child,
is it any wonder that she - the mother! - feels the physical pain
as severely as her loved one? She does.' Zarah nodded definitely.
'I know, because I speak from experience. And I will tell you why
this is. You do not mind?'

She raised her eyebrows questioningly, but
did not give Stephanie time to reply.

'It is because, in the face of life's daily
catastrophes, a mother is so helpless - yes, helpless! For what can
she do but catch her little one when he stumbles? Have him
inoculated against childhood diseases? Apply unguents and
compresses and bandages when he is hurt? And how woefully
inadequate, the means at her disposal! For what can she dispense
but kisses - kissesl I ask you! How are kisses supposed to heal
broken bones or mend sundered flesh?'

'Perhaps they don't,' said Stephanie
quietly, 'but they can comfort. Mothers the world over know it is
possible to kiss away some of the hurt.'

'Well, perhaps,' Zarah allowed. Then she
sighed, and in her lap, her hands fluttered again. 'But the horrors
growing up entails! Scrapes, falls, bruises, cuts, broken bones!
Knowing they are all part and parcel of the maturation process
still does not make them any easier to bear! No.' She shook her
head almost angrily. 'When an accident befalls her child, a mother
blames herself for not having anticipated it! For is it not a
mother's God-given duty to lift her young out of harm's way?'

She paused, her eyes intense as lasers, and
when she spoke again, her voice was a whisper. 'Do you understand
what I am trying to say, Ms Williams?'

'I think so.' Stephanie nodded. 'Yes.'

Zarah reached for her juice and took a
delicate sip. Then she set the glass back down and licked her upper
lip with the tip of her tongue. 'I would like, if I may, to share
something truly fascinating with you, Ms Williams,' she said.

'By all means.'

'Did you know, a mother never loses her
maternal instincts?' When Stephanie shook her head, she said, 'You
didn't? Nevertheless, it is true. No matter the age of her child,
the mother continues to feel the need to protect him as long as she
is alive. Do you not find that truly fascinating?'

'Yes, but surely a child reaches the point
where he is able to take care of himself,' Stephanie protested
mildly.

Zarah's laughter was almost musical. 'Ah!
Try telling that to a mother!' Her eyes were alight and her lips
formed an exceedingly superior and, Stephanie could almost swear,
pitying smile. 'A mother who truly loves her son knows differently.
Yes! I speak from experience.' She laid a hand on Stephanie's arm.
'Believe me, Ms Williams. A mother always knows what is in the best
interests of her son! Always!' she repeated. 'Even when her son
does not!

'Tell me something, Ms Williams.' Zarah's
voice had become a purr and her eyebrows were elegantly raised.

'Yes?' Stephanie said.

Zarah said, very, very quietly: 'You like my
son, do you not?'

There. The purpose of all the verbal
hopscotching was finally out in the open. Like something
potentially lethal uncoiling itself and hissing.

'Y-yes,' Stephanie replied cautiously, aware
that she was now in the very middle of the minefield, with hidden
trip-wires all around her. 'Why wouldn't I like him? Eduardo is
extremely likeable.'

'Yes,' Zarah sighed, 'that I fear he is. My
son is an idealist, you know. He makes friends easily and tends to
think only the very best of people.'

'And is that bad?'

'It is, if it results in his being hurt.'
Zarah nodded and added pointedly, 'The world is not as kind and
inherently good a place as his ideals sometimes lead him to
believe. Nor, Ms Williams, are the people he meets and takes a
liking to always what they . . . ah . . . seem?'

Stephanie said, 'Eduardo hardly strikes me
as helpless. If anyone can take care of himself, I'm certain he
can.'

Zarah did not reply to that. 'I only want
what is best for my son,' she said firmly. 'After all, I am his
mother. I alone have his very best interests at heart.' She met
Stephanie's gaze directly. 'I do not need to tell you that Eduardo
is heir to one of the world's greatest fortunes. I believe that is
quite obvious. You have only to look around.'

Zarah gestured with one encompassing hand
and then leaned sideways, her eyes flashing.

'Do you have any idea of the
responsibilities that entails, Ms Williams?'

Stephanie tilted her head. 'I imagine
they're quite great.'

Zarah sat up straighter, once again grasping
the arms of the throne and looking every inch the queen. 'Eduardo,'
she said, 'has been groomed since childhood to take over one of the
largest privately held corporations on earth - a corporation more
powerful and wealthy than many countries. It is only natural and
fitting that every step of his life - his schools, university,
sporting activities, friends, manners, even cultural activities -
has been carefully planned expressly with his future in mind. It
has taken hard work, dedication, and even deprivation on Eduardo's
part, but he has excelled, as his father and I expected.' She
looked at Stephanie questioningly. 'Has he told you that he is
Ernesto's most trusted senior executive and second-in-command?'

Stephanie nodded. 'Yes, he has.'

Zarah smiled. 'Then perhaps you are under
the impression that as the son of Grupo da Veiga's chief executive,
the position was naturally his. If you are, let me assure you, Ms
Williams. It was not.' She shook her head emphatically. 'Had
Ernesto harboured any doubts as to his son's abilities, he would
have hired an experienced outside executive. But Eduardo merited
it! He has proved himself time and time again!'

'I don't doubt that at all,' Stephanie said.
'However, I still don't see what that's got to do with me.'