By: Melissa
 

Disclaimer: Sorry it took so long. No, I don't own Legacy. The quotes are actually from Shakespeare's play "All's Well That Ends Well". Ain't that neat?

   No legacy is so rich as honesty.
    Act III, Scene 5

David sat up in bed, looking at the family surrounding him. “What happened, Uncle Ned?”

“You’ve been in a coma for the past few days,” Ned answered.

“How do you feel?” the doctor asked. “How is your vision? Are you seeing fine? What about your memory? Do you remember everyone here?”

“I’m seeing fine. And, sure, I recognize everyone here. There’s Sean, Clay, Alice, Lexy…Who’s that?” David said, pointing to Madeline, who was standing on the other side of the room, next to
Jeremy.

“Oh, that’s Jeremy,” Lexy said nonchalantly. “He came to live with us a couple months ago.”

“No, I already know about Jeremy from Alice’s letters. Who’s that?” he indicated Madeline again.

“Oh my God,” Alice said.

“Oh cow manure,” Jeremy cursed.

“Oh, get me out of here,” Madeline mumbled.

“Why, what’s the matter?” David asked.

“She’s your fiancée,” Sean told him gently.

“No, she’s not,” he said. “My fiancée is back in..in..uh..well…”

The doctor patted David on the shoulder. “It’s all right. It will all come back in time.”

“I don’t understand!” David shrieked. “What are you saying?” The doctor turned to the bystanders and motioned for them to leave. They all filed out one by one and waited in the hall until the doctor came out.

“He’s resting now. We should try to avoid excitement for awhile,” the doctor announced. “It appears that David is suffering from amnesia. That means he can’t remember certain things.”

“How long will this last, doctor?” Ned questioned.

“Hard to say. A few days, weeks. You can’t tell.”

“So we’re supposed to wait around for him to recover his memory?” Clay demanded.

“Exactly. Just be patient, and above all, don’t pressure him to remember.” He turned to Madeline. “You’re his fiancée? What’s your name?”

“Madeline Locke.” She shook his hand.

“Well, Miss Locke. David has no memory of you whatsoever. You will have to be patient with him and continue to love him through this crisis. Did you plan to get married soon?”

“No…Not for a few months, anyway.”

“Good. I’m confident that David will have recovered his memory by then.”

‘Oh goody,’ Madeline thought, but plastered a smile on her face and thanked the doctor for his concern.

~ Later that day ~

“I can’t believe that David doesn’t remember you.” Alice said to Madeline.

“Uh..neither can I.”

“I don’t know what I would do if the man I loved didn’t remember me.  I would be plum crazy by now if I were you.”

“Yeah, that’s the exact feeling that I’m feeling right now.” Madeline said.

“Don’t worry,” Sean reassured her. “I’m sure David will regain his memory soon enough.”

“And in the meantime, we can plan your wedding,” Alice said excitedly. “Where did you two plan to have your wedding?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t discussed it yet.” Madeline started to hyperventilate, and she tried to breathe normally. What had she gotten herself into? Luckily, Sean and Alice blamed her distress on the current situation.

“Do you need to sit down?” Sean inquired, ever the perfect gentleman.

“No. I need to…” She saw Jeremy heading outside. “I need some fresh air.” She ran outside.

“When are we going to tell them?” Madeline asked.

“Tell them what?” Jeremy asked innocently. Madeline punched him in the shoulder. “Kidding! Don’t worry, I’ll tell them. I’m already part of the family, they can’t kill me.”

“When?”

“How about I tell David first? It’s only fair to let him hear it first.”

“Good idea.”

“What will you do?”

“I’ll help you tell him, if that’s what you want.”

“That’s not what I meant. Where will you go after I tell him? What will you do?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll survive, I always do.”

“Will you be going back home?”

She grimaced, and he wished he hadn’t asked. “Home? Where is home? I haven’t been ‘home’ for years. There isn’t a home for me to go back to. Just tell him”

Jeremy started to head back to the house. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

~David’s Room~

David sat up in bed, trying to read, but he couldn’t concentrate. Did he really lose his memory? A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. “Come in,” he called.

It was Jeremy. “Hello, David. We haven’t met formally, I’m Jeremy.” He looked at the chair by David’s bed. “Can I sit down?”

“Of course. What did you want to talk about?”

“It’s like this…David, you’re a real idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“The way you are treating Madeline. Can’t you show any respect to your fiancée?”

“But I don’t remember her,” David protested.

“Details, details,” Jeremy said dismissively. “Are you willing to throw away the future with the woman you love over a little memory lapse?” David still looked unconvinced. “It only took a moment for the family to fall in love with her. I’ll tell you what. I’ll ask Madeline to come in here, and I want you to talk to her. And if you can’t see what it took us only a moment to see, well, you can break it off. Shall I ask her to come in?” David nodded slightly. Jeremy smiled and stood up. “You won’t be sorry.” He left the room.

Madeline entered a few minutes later, a little hesitant. “I guess Jeremy told you. I’m sorry about everything.” David didn’t respond. “I’ll go now.”

“No, don’t go…Madeline,” David said, testing her name. He patted the chair invitingly. “Let’s talk, catch up, okay?” She sat down and David reached over and squeezed her hand.

(Outside)

Clay and Gauntlet crossed the finish line, or to be more accurate, a line drawn in the dirt on the practice track a few feet in front of Sean and his horse. “Time,” he called, panting.

Lexy looked up from the watch. “Two minutes, thirty two seconds.”

“Not bad,” Sean commented. “Keep working him like that, and he’ll be ready for the race next week.”

“Maybe,” Clay conceded. “Let’s go around again.”

“Again? Why don’t we give the horses a chance to rest first? We’ve been working them hard for most of the afternoon.” Sean stepped off the horse and sat on the fence by Lexy.

“Or maybe you just need the rest,” Clay jeered, even though he joined Sean.

“Do you know what Jeremy and Madeline were arguing about?” Lexy asked.

“They were arguing?” Clay shot a glance at Sean. “When?”

“Earlier this afternoon. Madeline followed Jeremy outside and started yelling at him.”

“And you don’t know what they said?” Sean asked skeptically. She shook her head. “Lexy, were you spying?”

The ten-year-old blushed. “No, I wasn’t. Well, not on purpose. I was up in my tree and I just happened to be looking in that direction.”

“I’m sure you were.” Sean changed the subject. “When do you think David will get his memory back?”

“I don’t know,” Clay replied. “But it’s pretty strange, that the only thing David doesn’t remember is his fiancée. He can remember exact details of events that took place years ago, but he has no
memory of Madeline what so ever.””

“Selective amnesia. That’s what the doctor said it was called,” Lexy put in.

“Whatever it is, it’s strange.”

Sean looked at his brother shrewdly. “Exactly what are you getting at? Because I think you should come out with it now.”

Before Clay could answer, Lexy said, “There they are again.” Jeremy and Madeline were walking out of the house, engaged in a heated argument. Madeline looked ready to throttle Jeremy. Nobody could make out what they were saying, but it was obvious neither was happy. “Jeremy, Madeline!” Lexy called. The two jumped apart, startled, but walked over to the track anyway.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Lexy,” Sean muttered. “I think they wanted to be alone.”

“What’s going on with you two?” Clay demanded.

Jeremy and Madeline exchanged a guilty look. After a moment, Jeremy answered smoothly; “Nothing is going on with us. I have no idea what you are talking about.” He threw Madeline a
warning glance, and turned to Lexy. “Want to take a walk, Lex?” she nodded and climbed on to his back. With another look at Madeline, Jeremy departed.

“Hey, I thought you were going to time us,” Clay called.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to call it quits for the day. The horses need a rest anyway.” Sean said.

“Unless of course, Madeline will time us. What do you say?”

“I’d be happy to, that is of course, if I had a watch on me.”

“It just so happens that I have one-”

“I have one on me.” Clay said, interrupting Sean. As he handed the watch to Madeline, their fingers touched, longer than necessary before he pulled away.

As Clay and Sean mounted the horses, Sean said, “Are you sure we should race again? After all, they do seem a little tired.”

 “Like one more race isn’t going to kill them.”

“On your marks, get set, go!” Madeline yelled. A cloud of dust engulfed her, and she had to rub her eyes with her handkerchief before she could look at the horses.

Sean persuaded his horse to increase its speed so he could catch up to Clay. “Clay, Clay!” He yelled. “You’re going too fast, you’re going to wear Gauntlet out!”

“I know Gauntlet better than you do. Don’t worry about me!” Clay yelled back.

“And risk not riding in the race?”

“This race today is far more important than the one a week from now.”

“Why?”

“Just because.” And with that remark Clay urged Gauntlet to go even faster, leaving Sean behind in a cloud of dust.

(Inside)

“Lexy, your friend Barbara is here.” Alice called. A moment later Lexy appeared with a big grin on her face.

“Come on, Barbara, let’s go outside and watch my brothers race their horses!” Lexy said. Barbara and Lexy ran outside. “Hey, Barbara, what’s in the box you’re carrying?”

“It’s a secret. My brother gave it to me. He said that maybe your brothers might want it since he’s got so many.”

“Please, please, let me see it,” pleaded Lexy.

“Oh, alright. I guess one peek won’t hurt.” She lifted the lid and pulled out the garter snake that was inside. Lexy screamed and threw it as far as she could, right onto the track. “What did that snake ever do to you?” Barbara asked.

   *  *  *

Clay was turning around the bend. He could see Madeline at the finish line, smiling at him. He pushed into Gauntlet with his feet, ignoring the sweat that was racing off of him. Suddenly he saw it, a snake.

Apparently Gauntlet had seen it to because he began to rear and buck. “Easy boy, easy.” He said as he tried to regain control. Clay looked over at a frightened Madeline right before he was bucked off.

Sean, who had seen the whole incident, was the first to Clay’s aid. He jumped off his horse and ran to his brother’s side. “Clay, Clay, can you hear me?”

He was soon joined by Madeline, Lexy, and Barbara. Lexy was hysterical, screaming that it was all her fault. Barbara was trying hopelessly to calm her down.

“Lexy, Lexy!” Sean said. “Go get a pitcher full of water. Barbara, you go with her.” Suddenly Clay sat up.

“What happened?” He said, still a little dizzy. Before Sean could answer, all three girls had enveloped Clay in a hug.

“You were thrown off Gauntlet.” Sean answered.

“Well, maybe I should fall off horses more often if I get this kind of treatment!” Madeline quickly pulled away, blushing, and Lexy hit him in the shoulder. Meanwhile, the little garter snake began to
wind itself around Clay’s arm. He noticed a pressure on his forearm and looked down.

“Ahhh, ahhh! A snake, a snake! Get it off, get it off!” Clay yelled frantically as he waved his arm around. The snake, realizing soon that Clay’s arm wasn’t the most stable place, soon unraveled itself
and fell to the ground. When he looked around, he found Madeline and Sean holding each other for support as they laughed. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

“It was. You should have seen yourself, dancing around and waving your arm!” Madeline said.

“And all because of a little snake!” Sean finished.

Clay stood up and stalked away.

“Oh, come on back Clay. We were just joking with you.” Sean called.

“Joking and making someone look like an idiot are two different things. Have fun putting the horses away.”

“What? Hey, I’m not you’re stable hand.”

“Oh yes you are. As you can see with your very own eyes, my horse is across the finish line, rider or no rider. Therefore, you are my stable hand for the next week.” Sean looked over at the finish line
and lo and behold, there stood Gauntlet, across the finish line.

“See you at dinner, Sean. And I believe Gauntlet’s stall needs to be cleaned out!”
 

A young man married is a man that’s marred.
Ibid

(Inside, Dinner)

“Well, it’s good to see you up and about again, David” Ned said when the family began to sit down for dinner.
 
“And it’s good to see all of you again.” David began to sit down but Ned stopped him.

“No, no, David. Your seat is over here, by Madeline. Why don’t you take Clay’s seat?”

“But, Pa, I always sit here,” Clay whined.

“Would you like some cheese with that wine? You’ll have to excuse Clay, it’s been a long time since we’ve had dinner guests.”

“Here, David, you may have my seat.” Sean offered.

“Thank you. It’s good to finally sit down and have a home-cooked meal. I had so few of those when I traveled all over Europe.”

“Europe? Did you really travel all over Europe?” Alice asked, intrigued.

“Well, no. Only Paris, but Paris is mainly Europe. And once you’ve been to Paris, you’ve seen all of Europe.”

“Oh. But I bet you saw all the sights and all of the glorious buildings.”

“Well, actually no. I really didn’t have time for sightseeing. After all, I was trying to start a business.”

“You didn’t even see the Eiffel Tower? Or the Arc de Triomph?”

“What’s the use? We have the Statue of Liberty right here. And you can always look at the Eiffel Tower in a book. Speaking of books, have you read Shakespeare in your studies yet, Alice?”

“Yes, in fact-”

“I always got high marks in my studies, especially in English. Which is probably why I’m so educated in it.”

“That’s wonderful David. Oh, here comes dinner now.” Ned interrupted.

(An hour later)

“So anyway, I found out a day later that he had bought many shares in that business. Isn’t that terribly funny?” David said, wiping the tears of laughter out of his eyes.

“Yes, terribly.” Ned said. He looked around to find many of his dinner companions bored or sleeping.

“You know, that reminds me of another story, would you like to hear it?”

“No!” Everyone replied.

“Uh, they mean that you won’t have time to talk because Alice made a special apple pie. Right, Alice?”

“Right, I’ll go get it now. Lexy, why don’t you come with me?”

“Gladly,” Lexy said underneath her breath.

David’s volubility increased during dessert, along with his consumption of wine. He said to Madeline, leering slightly. “Where have you been my entire life, angel face?”

Madeline locked eyes with Jeremy for a second, and he smiled sympathetically. As David’s fiancée, Madeline had to pay the most attention to David’s conversation. For a second, Jeremy thought she would answer, ‘Hiding from you’, but instead she told him she was living in London.

“Oh that gloomy, rainy place. The English are so stiff and snobby…” David took another gulp of his wine. “Paris is so much better. Beautiful weather, beautiful wine, beautiful women.” David nudged Ned knowingly.

Ned winced. “Why don’t you lay off the wine for awhile?”

“Oh, Uncle Ned. J’ai demande souvent a` des vins capiteux. (I turned to wine for respite, I drink, and I drink deep.)”

“David, stop it,” Madeline told him quietly.

“Stop it,” David mimicked. “Can’t she have any fun? Typical stiff necked English. Au nom des seremns de tendresses, Dont rien ne peut nous delier, Et pour nous reconcilier, Comme au beau temps de notre ivresse. (By the first tender vows we swore, from which there can be no release, and that, for once, we make our peace as in the wild, glad days before.)”

“Go to hell.”

This amused David further. “How do you know that wasn’t a love poem, my dear? Ces robes folles sont l’embleme De ton espirit briole`, Folle dont je suis affole’, Je te hais autant que je t’aime! (These wild clothes are the emblem of your motley spirit, ungoverned child, by whom I too am driven wild, whom equally I hate and love!)” Then he promptly fell forward, unconscious.

Everyone started talking; then stopped. Madeline stood up and stared to clear the table. “You don’t have to do that,” Alice answered taking the plates from her.

“What would you have me do, then?” Madeline asked tightly. Alice shrugged, not knowing what to tell her future cousin-in-law.

Madeline turned to David, who was snoring loudly and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Good night, David. Dors en paix, e’trange creature, Dans ton tombeau mysterieux. (Sleep; sleep in
peace; I leave you lying as you, mysterious unfortunate.)” She gave a thearetical bow and left the room.

(Later that evening)

Jeremy hustled Madeline into the parlor. “What the hell happened?”

She shook his arm off. “What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about that love scene that went on during dinner. I thought you were going to break the truth to him. Why does he still think…well, you know…”

“How am I supposed to tell him the truth? Yeah, you’re just making it so easy for me, Jeremy. And if I remember our deal correctly, you were supposed to be the one to break the unfortunate news. And, as for that dinner scene, that was not my fault in any way whatsoever.”

“Fine, fine. I’m sorry! I thought you’d be able to handle it.” To calm her down, he added, “You’ve handled everything else so well.”

It didn’t work. “You call this handling? I’m barely holding on by my fingertips. Something has got to give-” They heard someone pass by the parlor door, and she fell silent.

“This way,” Jeremy whispered, taking her arm. He pushed her under the piano.

“What the hell are you doing?” Madeline hissed. He motioned for her to be quiet. The parlor door opened, and Madeline’s heart skipped a beat.

Alice entered the parlor, Madeline could tell by the hem of her dress. “Jeremy, could you give Pa a hand? David is still, uh, asleep.”

“Sure,” he answered, eager to get her out of the room.

“Jeremy, what went on tonight?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, David, he was an entirely different person-”

“He was drunk, Alice.”

“But there’s more to it. Before he started acting that way… I don’t know, maybe I was just imagining things.”

“Imaging what?” Jeremy asked carefully.

“I don’t know.” Alice threw up her hands, tired. “It seemed almost like Madeline wasn’t happy to see David. She acted like she was merely tolerating his presence, because she had to.”

“You’re crazy. Why would she act like that? Of course she would be happy to see David alive and well.”

“No! I didn’t mean she wanted him dead or still sick. Nothing like that. Watching them at dinner was like watching two strangers at a tavern, forced to eat together. No intimacy or closeness.”

“Alice, are you absolutely sure of what you saw?”

“No, not really.”

“Then I don’t think you should mention this to anyone else yet. If you’re wrong…well, you could cause a lot of problems.” She frowned; it was clear she wasn’t happy with his answer. “I think I
should help your Pa now. Ready?” Alice nodded reluctantly and followed him out.

(Simultaneously)

After dinner, Clay had retired to the parlor, feeling tired. Perhaps it was the hard workout he gave Gauntlet, or maybe it was the wine. The wine, Clay smiled, remembering the way David had acted during dinner, spouting off French poetry as double entendres. His behavior was quite shocking, but understandable given the amount of wine he consumed. He sat down in the wingback chair that faced the fireplace, drowsy.

Clay had almost fallen asleep when he heard some people enter the parlor. Disoriented, he sat up, but nobody saw him, or at least acknowledged his presence. After a few seconds, he recognized the
occupants as Jeremy and Madeline.

They were arguing; this was hardly a surprise. The two had been as thick as thieves ever since David had regained consciousness. Clay was about to announce his presence when Jeremy said, “…I
thought you were going to tell him the truth.”

This woke Clay up. He listened carefully to the rest of the conversation, but what was said wasn’t particularly revealing. One thing was for sure; Jeremy and Madeline were hiding something. And it had to be something wrong, why else would Jeremy force Madeline to hide under the piano when Alice entered the room? Clay was gratified to hear that Alice had also noticed something strange was going on. He made a mental note to talk to Alice later.

Finally, Alice and Jeremy left. Clay stood up and moved the piano bench, exposing Madeline. “Come out, come out,” he called.

She shrieked with surprise, started, and banged her head against the piano. “Damn you, Clay Logan,” Madeline swore.

“Such language,” Clay said in mock amazement. “How would those wealthy aristocrats react when they hear on of their own speak with such gutter talk?”

She crawled out from under the piano and held out her hand. Clay jerked her up a little too roughly, causing her to cry out in pain. Madeline smoothed out her dress. “They wouldn’t be surprised, for I am not ‘one of their own’. Remember that my father was a manufacturer. I’m from the vulgar commercial class.” She stopped suddenly. “Did you just come in? I didn’t hear you come in.”

“That’s because I’ve been here for awhile.”

Her lips trembled slightly. “How long is awhile?”

“At least an hour,” he smirked. “Now, what is going on between you and Jeremy Bradford?”

“Nothing.” Madeline recalled what the Wife of Bath said: the best offense is a good defense. “What were you doing eavesdropping? You should have made your presence known.”

“Wait a second. I overhear you conspiring with Bradford, and I’m the bad guy? That’s the most perverse brand of logic I have ever seen. Now, fess up.”

“Isn’t conspiring a little strong of a word?” she rejoined. Remembering her conversation with Vivian Winters at the party, Madeline asked, “What’s going on between you and Vivian Winters?”

He shut up. “Touché” It was obvious he wasn’t going to learn anything by bullying her. He would have to try another tactic. Who said: ‘keep your friends close, but your enemies closer’? Perhaps befriending Madeline would be a better choice for now.

She edged to the door. “Wait, don’t go yet,” Clay said.

Madeline looked at him warily. ‘Why not?”

“How about we just talk for awhile?”

“Talk?” She knew exactly what Clay’s mercenary intentions were. How stupid did he think she was? Fine, she would ‘talk’ with him. It didn’t mean she had to give him the answers he wanted. “All right. Let’s talk.”

How was he supposed to have a conversation with her when she was looking at him like that? Clay racked his brain for a solution. “How do you feel about a midnight ride?” Good thinking; he always felt most comfortable on a horse.

“Sure I’m game. But what will the neighbors say?” She gave him a knowing look.

Clay flushed, he hadn’t thought of that. “I won’t tell, if you won’t tell.” He offered her his hand.

Madeline shook it. “Discretion is the password.” Good, she was now conspiring with another member of the Logan family! “Let me get my coat.” She started out the door. “Which I do not have, thanks to those thieves.”

Clay opened up a closet door. “Here, you can borrow mine.” She slipped it on. “There’s a scarf in the pocket,” he pulled it out and began to wrap it around her face and neck.

“Clay! It’s not that cold. Take it off!”

“Yes ma’am.” He started to unwind it slowly. It was a special moment for both of them; all either was aware of was the soft yarn of the scarf, the sound of the other’s breathing, and the touch of his hand against her cheek, and her fingers brushing against his hand.

Clay rolled the scarf into a ball and slipped it back in the coat pocket. Madeline looked up at him expectantly, waiting. Waiting for what? “Let’s go,” he said, breaking the hold.

Her face fell slightly, disappointed. ‘”Sure.” She turned on her heel.

Clay wondered if he should have kissed her when he had the chance.

They rode out to a small lake. “Beautiful area,” Madeline commented. “Do you come here often?”

“Not really.” He dismounted. “Help me find some firewood.”

“We’re stopping?”

“Of course, we’re going to talk, aren’t we?” he teased. “And it’s hard to carry on a conversation, when you’re trying to beat the other.”

She rolled her eyes and dismounted as well. “Fine.”

In ten minutes, they were warm and relaxed. Madeline felt more at ease than she had all week, so she was content to stare at the flickering flames of the fire. She looked up suddenly; realizing Clay was speaking to her. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked you,” he said patiently, “What were you and Jeremy were talking about in the parlor?”

“Next question, please.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Okay, I have one for you. What is your dream, Clay?”

“To win the Kentucky Derby,” he said immediately.

“Anything more specific?”

“I’d like to break Stokes’ record.”

“Stokes?”

“Yeah, John Stokes. Don’t you know who he is?” She shook her head. “Youngest Kentucky Derby winner. He was twenty three when he won.”

“Well, you got less than three years. Do you think you’re close to obtaining your dream?”

“It depends. Some days I feel this close to the Kentucky Derby. Other days, I still feel like I have a lot to learn,” he explained. “I’m not going to pretend to be modest. I know I’m the best rider in this
city, maybe in the state. But what’s the point in winning countless local races if I can’t compare with the out of state competition? I’m aiming higher than ‘The Annual Lexington Jockey Club Derby’.”

“The best rider in the state, huh?”

Clay grinned. “I’m not going to try false modesty with you. There’s no point. You’ll see right through it.”

“That’s for sure. Clay Logan, modest? Humble?” she laughed. “You are one of the most arrogant, cocksure boys I have ever met.”

“Thank you.”

She laughed some more. “Well, at least you’re honest.”

“What is your dream?”

“I don’t know,” Madeline answered truthfully. “I wish I knew, like you.”

“Do you want to be a socialite in the big city? Spend your time giving parties and entertaining the snobs of high society?”

“No! My own family is snobby enough. Why would I want to associate with any of the other harridans of the upper class?”

“Then why are you marrying David? That will be your role as his wife, you know. Why did you say yes?”

To Be Continued...