When the Devil Drives

'Yes.' She paused. 'Cal—I found out the truth for myself. I wanted totell you that. I know that they really loved each other. That she onlystayed with Grandfather for my father's sake. And I suppose for thebaby?' she added questioningly.'The baby?' Cal's eyebrows lifted. 'Then you don't know all of it,Joanna.'She bit her lip. 'I—wondered. It was something Daddy said.' Shehesitated. 'You're telling me that it was Callum's child she wasexpecting, not Jonas's?''Of course it was.' His face was fierce suddenly. 'Don't judge them tooharshly, Joanna. My grandfather was a widower, and lonely. Yourgrandparents hadn't shared a room, or much of a life, since yourfather's birth. Once Jonas had his son and heir, he assumed any decentwoman would be thankful to be done with that kind of thing. He hadwomen in the village he used when he felt the need.'He sighed harshly. 'I suspect that being loved— being wanted was arevelation to her. She assumed, naively, that as Jonas no longer caredabout her he would let her go once he knew the truth. But she misreadthe situation. When she told him she'd fallen in love with one of hisemployees and was pregnant by him, he nearly went mad. But itwasn't his marriage he was trying to preserve. It was his pride, hisstanding, his damnable self-importance. So he used the only weaponhe had. He told Joanna if she left him, she would never be allowed tosee her son again, and that he'd make the boy suffer for his mother'swickedness.'Joanna Shuddered. 'That's—monstrous!''Yes,' Cal agreed bleakly. 'No woman should be asked to cope withthat kind of blackmail. To protect your father, she gave in. She sawGrandfather once more—to explain and say goodbye. It must have