Show CAR CIA L MOW leitha mallory RN arrives at tannahill estate ot of mason alason tannahill georgia millionaire lie he has been injured Injure dand and leitha was engaged to care for him andres handsome nephew of tannahill proposes to her although she is sure he cares for his distant cousin tanis a lovely but cynical countess tier her locket containing a picture of her mother Is stolen when her patient suffers a heart attack she notices a switch in n labels on his rie dicine lne bottles she Is hurt when the family suggest she take a rest and have some other nurse suddenly one night tannahill Tanna hlll tells her she Is his granddaughter her mother having been the daughter he turned away when she married a man of who whom to he disapproved roved CHAPTER X and she was not at all certain how she would feel about it even after time had accustomed her to it she saw that she had hurt him for that she was sorry but her disbelief the daze in which she found her mind was too deep for her to attempt to sa say or do anything about that hurt she had that strange nightmare feeling of falling into a bottomless pit that feeling that recurred zo so often in her dreams and you have been happy well cared for mason tannahill said he spoke gently quietly 1 I have known about your welfare throughout the years through my lawyer joseph clairmount I 1 could not find it in my stubborn heart to send for you before not until after your fathers death until you of your own wn accord came south back to this land where you belong but I 1 dont belong herel here she had not meant to say that either it was a cruel thing to say yet it escaped her she knew that she was still suffering from shock ali ah but you do there was mild reproach in the gentleness of his tone she his grandchild might no yet accept him but she could not nol disown tannahill so that is why you asked for me as your nurse leitha said the quentio que stio she had made up her mind to ask him had indeed been answered the old man nodded 1 I determined to atone for the wrong I 1 had done I 1 postponed the matter almost too long As soon as I 1 realized I 1 might soon have to leave this world he gave a mirthless chuckle 1 I also realized I 1 dared not put it off any longer and so I 1 sent for you 1 I did not tell you right away he went on because I 1 wanted to get to know you first my dear I 1 wanted to see how you reacted to tannahill and yes to me I 1 hoped to win your affection before I 1 told you 1 I 1 I do like you leitha managed she felt that she had hurt him enough she knew that she must shake herself out of this fog and face the facts im sorry to have reacted as I 1 did its just well I 1 can hardly believe it that you are my grandfather saying it made it seem a little more true and leitha also recalled how she had felt from the first moment of their meeting she had liked the old man at once she had not been afraid or even in awe of him she had seen through that fierceness to the goodness of his proud old heart that is worth waiting tor for almost worth the long years of loneliness to have you say that mason tannahill said with the same humility that had been in his voice before then in his usual commanding manner 1 I shall make it up to you leitha not the past that cannot be brought back but bul the future your future that at a least I 1 can give to you and au all that I 1 have tannahill this house my worldly possessions all shall be yours ai as I 1 already have ar ranged in my will oh no leitha pushed back her hei chair got to tier her feet her hands gripped the table as if for its sup port yov cannot you must not nol do thail she could not face the tact fact that thai he meant to leave tannahill and au all its wealth and power to her all that responsibility there are the others she reminded him seeking something someone to help her for she began to feel that she heeded help the the others are not so close to me as you my own granddaughter mison mason T tannahill an said his voice was strong once more his old eyes fierce they are waiting all of them for me to die you would not feel that way toward me no not even it if you had known all along who you were leitha becomes an heiress there is only one other person who knows about this besides ourselves he continued my lawyer joseph clairmount I 1 wrote him only this morning and in that letter leitha I 1 enclosed my last will she made an effort to listen through the daze 1 I have left tannahill everything to you he repeated she had to sink down into her chair again oh ob she wished he had not done that she said dully 1 I wish you 1 I you ill have to have time to get used to it all she grasped at this eagerly if no one else knows please lets not tell them not just yet 9 even as she made this suggestion doubt seized her perhaps they did know or suspect all of them since all had been so curious so full of questions could andres have asked her to marry him because he suspected she might be the tannahill h heiress air but mason tannahill had said he had made his will only that morning so no one could have known that he intended leaving his entire estate to her I 1 something she thought weakly would have to be done about that just as you like my dear her grandfather wai was saying no one need need know immediately if that is your wish you must have time as you said to accustom yourself to all this mason tannahill leaned back in his chair the emotional strain of revealing to leitha that she was his granddaughter had been something of an ordeal for him he felt old and tired gates must be right about his heart after all he thought perhaps it was true that he much longer to live with this in mind he said we must not delay llo long in telling the others who you are and that I 1 intend for you to inherit my estate ill put it off for a while since what you wish but im beginning to feel that my days may be numbered and I 1 want to be the one to tell them I 1 want to be here to stand by you to guide you my child it may not be easy for you they are bound to resent you no matter how they will pretend they may even suspect already who you are he paused then added slowly vly one thing you can remember my lawyer joseph clairmount is absolutely sol trustworthy leitha wondered why he should tell her that it was true she supposed that all of the family even justin and andres would resent tae th e fact that she had robbed them of their share of the tannahill fortune but she meant to change that it if possible to arrange things so that they would get a share when they knew that and how she felt about so much money and power surely they would accept her graciously realizing that her patient was tired she said now we wont discuss it any more tonight tomorrow evening you are to go downstairs again and so tonight I 1 think it would be wise to geibach get back into bed early he submitted with the obedience chehad he had come come to give div i e to her when she had helped him into bed he said now that I 1 am better union will have to do these 1 11 11 JJ they may even suspect already who you are menial things tor for me I 1 cannot you know have my granddaughter nursing me as it if I 1 were a troublesome child impulsively leitha bent over and laid a light caress on his forehead you could never be that she rebuked she hoped her action might make up a little for having hurt him as she knew she had it was not that she meant to hold any grudge because of what he had done to her mother and to her beloved father grudges were childish and leitha was of a forgiving nature thank you my dear mason tannahill said he saw that that little goodnight good night gesture was meant to express more than she could yet put into words she did a few little things to put the room in order she still was a nurse even if she had suddenly become one of the Tanna hills sudden wealth brings suspicions this thought was like a heavy weight leaving the room she wal walked ked with a slow step as though that weight were difficult to carry she went along the dim hallway her head bent completely absorbed in the thoughts that whirled inside her mind she almost collided with charlene kast outside her door leitha you act like a sleep wal kerl charlenas Ch arlenes plump pink and white face had a queer look 1 I know you kept your door locked I 1 was going in to leave a note for you I 1 wanted you to come to my room to have a little chat and something to eat please dont say no leitha refused however im sorry I 1 eat anything I 1 have hae a headache that was almost true her brain was throbbing certainly 1 I keep my door locked she added this deliberately because cabie I 1 found that someone had tampered with some of my personal belongings now there was a reason for the dockets lockets lock ets removal someone had wanted to see if the picture inside resembled the tannahill women how ow awful dh charlene arlene exclaimed why you say some thing about it before this all of our servants have been here for years but of course I 1 shall summon them in the morning and question them I 1 id rather you le leitha itha was sorry she had given in to a foolish impulse she had wanted to see if charlene would look guilty nothing was stolen only a chest drawer disturbed a bit As she spoke she unlocked her door charlene without being invited followed her in leitha switched on a lamp the sitting room sprang into a soft golden glow she saw it now through new eyes it was her room her very own it might have been her mothers room before her this thought was so sudden so overwhelming that she sank down on the small love seat that faced a twin by the fireplace why you do look ill charlene hurried across to a table where a carafe and glasses stood she poured some water to take to leitha drink this dear you must take something for that headache ive got some marvelous pills ill be only too glad to get them for you if you P ill be all right leitha assured her she could not continue behaving so ridiculously she must snap out of it is as rich would say rich a longing to see him laugh with him swept over her he would make even this strange pr predicament e di in which she found herself appear normal and sane find some way to laugh it off escape it even if you ever need me call me rich had said she wished she could but she had her pride he had called her and hung up and she had heard not so much as a word since 1 I have something to take if I 1 need it she told charlene she was grateful tor for the older womans comans solicitude how could she feel that charlene was anything but the friendly person she appeared to be yet tanis had said so charlene is making up to you already is she why should she or any of them make up to her unless they suspected who she was 1 I did so want to talk to you tonight charlene saida said about justin you know he admires you so much and I 1 am anxious as any mother would be to have my boy fall in love with the right girl you know I 1 1 I am sure he will leitha interrupted erupted firmly i was charlena charlene eager to help because she thought leitha might one a da day be a very wealthy young woman leitha thrust the thought aside if tills this was what the knowledge of her identity would bring her ugly suspicions and doubts about everyone it was no wonder she felt in need of help some other time it if you don mind she smiled on charlene woj 1 I 1 cannot talk about anything to night im really tired of course honey I 1 understand perfectly charlene gave her a quick little squeeze ill run along and maybe do you suppose now that uncle mason is so much better that have more time to talk with justin he has only a few more days leave you know ill have more time for everything leitha said she put down the glass she held in sudden distaste she had taken only a few sips from it the water had a bitter taste after charlene had left leitha lifted the glass again and held it beneath her nose the water had a queer smell too she sampled it once more with the tip of her tongue and put it aside even m mr quickly A f someone tampers with the water there was no doubt about it the water had something in it something that might be dangerous leitha stared at the suspicious glass of water there were poisons that would make water taste and smell like that but surely there could not be poison in this water in her room you are going nutty my girl she told herself she crossed the room to pick up the pitcher yes the entire contents had that odd odor a sickly sweet one who would want to put anything in her water and why suddenly she had a longing to talk to rich she would put in a call it kasnot was not too late only going on ten she ought to be able to reach him the heck with pride she wanted to hear his voice it would help just to talk with hini him As she waited for the operator ta put the call through confusion still whirled in her head no one could have been in her room in her absence her door was always locko d except when she was in there antol f when she had changed into 6 fresh uniform before dinner fos wick had come in offering assistance hovering around and while she had been doing her hair andres had come into the sitting room for a few minutes he had asked how his uncle was getting on then picked up a book lying on a table to inquire it if leitha was reading it her back had been turned most of the time as she had been adjusting in 0 her cap before the mirror over the fireplace it might have been possible for him to drop something into the carafe but it was preposterous to suppose such a thing of andres she remembered then that she had met tanis outside her door just as she was locking it TO BE CONTINUED |