Kendall and Bianca were seated on the sofa in Kendall's office nearly a week after Zach had left for England. It had taken Zach longer to gain the confidence of Stanley Ramsey than he had initially anticipated, and he was still stuck in London working with the Cambias attorneys to resolve the issues surrounding the many lies and innuendos under which Ethan had made his claim to the Cambias fortune. Fortunately, Ethan's will had been overturned and now it was just a matter of Zach relinquishing his rights to the estate.
"So Edith Ramsey was really Ethan's mother all along… that's unbelievable. I know that he told you she was a cold and unfeeling woman, and he told me about how she sacrificed herself for him… but I never really thought of her as anything but the woman who raised him for Hannah Nichols," Bianca commented. "Was Hannah ever pregnant with Zach's baby? Or was that another lie?"
Kendall leaned over Miranda's stroller and gently caressed the sleeping baby's head before answering, "That's the one thing we'll never know. She never told anyone in her family that she was pregnant… and Stanley Ramsey never met her. Zach has decided to believe it was a lie, but I'm not so certain. I think this whole scam had to have some foundation in truth – the best lies always do. But Zach doesn't even know what or how to mourn anymore…"
"But when he hears your news that will all change for him, Kendall," Bianca answered her quietly. Kendall had found herself quickly needing a confidante, finding that she could not contain the news of her pregnancy. Once she realized that she would have to wait to tell Zach, she told Bianca – swearing her to secrecy until she had a chance to tell her husband, but feeling tremendous relief in being able to discuss the coming child and look to the future with optimism.
"I hope so, Bianca… but he's been so sad. I've heard it in his voice over the phone. There's nothing I can do to help him except listen, but I wish he would come home. As it is he's going to miss my first appointment with Dr. Baldwin tomorrow… and I had so been looking forward to going together," Kendall replied.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Bianca offered.
Kendall smiled and nodded her head, "Unless by some miracle Zach gets away and makes it home tonight, I'd love for you to go with me. It will be like old times, won't it?"
"I'm going to be making lots of trips back and forth from Paris, I can tell that already. I want to be here when your baby's born… and I want Miranda to be a part of her cousin's life," Bianca answered. "Now… you promised to tell me the whole sordid story of Ethan's lies. You and Zach are the only ones who know everything… so spill it before Miranda wakes up from her nap."
"Okay… from the very beginning. When Zach and Hannah were seventeen they spent the summer on the Cambias estate in this country, and found comfort with each other because they were both miserable. Zach went back to school and Hannah went back to her family in England. She may or may not have been pregnant, but if she was Zach's father ordered her to get an abortion. That secret went with Hannah to her grave.
"Edith Ramsey was also a maid on the estate, and she was a friend of Hannah's. They had come over from England together, but Edith was more outgoing than Hannah and wasn't as homesick. I guess Zach's father had a roving eye and Edith caught his attention. While Zach and Hannah were spending time together, Edith was with Zach's father. She did become pregnant, and the old man sent her away… making it very clear that he wanted no part of her or the child," Kendall said.
"She must have been devastated," Bianca commented. "To be so young, alone and pregnant – and to be rejected by her child's father. I'm sure she expected Alex to at least support her and the baby."
"I'm sure she did… or else she saw Ethan as an opportunity for blackmail. Considering what a tyrant the old man was, I'm guessing that she found out too late that he couldn't be squeezed. Then she was stuck with a baby and no payoff – that might explain why Ethan told me she was cold and distant. Every time she looked at him she saw what she lost instead of what she gained," Kendall speculated.
"No wonder Ethan was so bitter… and no wonder he tried to go after Cambias. It must have driven him crazy that Zach walked away from it when it's all that he or his mother ever wanted," Bianca said.
"I'm sure it did… and it certainly explains his unreasoning hatred toward Zach. When he finally got Stanley to open up, Zach said that he always knew that Alex Sr. was Ethan's father. Edith and Stanley divorced when Ethan was little, but he tried to stay a part of his life… and that's why Ethan called him periodically," Kendall continued. "According to Ethan's juvenile records… and confirmed by Stanley… he and Edith were involved in cons and swindles pretty regularly. I guess that's what broke up the marriage to start with. When Alex Sr.'s will was made public, Edith saw her chance to get the fortune that she felt was denied to her and Ethan – and made Stanley promise not to reveal the truth. Then she and Ethan worked out the details of the biggest sting in their career."
"And it almost worked… it would have worked if Zach hadn't been alive," Bianca said. "I wonder… if Ethan hadn't been killed in the car accident, though… would we have ever found out the truth? Or would he have just systematically stolen from Miranda until he had her share of the estate as well?"
"Only Ethan knows the answer to that, Bianca," Kendall answered. "I guess we just have to be grateful that things turned out the way they did."
"It's hard to be grateful when there's been so much hatred and revenge… I have to admit that I want to protect Miranda from being a Cambias even more now than ever before," Bianca mused quietly. "To have her grandfather, her father, and her uncle be such terrible men… no wonder Zach calls it a curse."
"The problem is that Zach thinks he's just as tainted as they were… somehow we have to convince him of the truth. He isn't like them at all, but he doesn't believe that. Any ideas about how I convince him that it's safe to become a father? That he won't pass on the curse of his family to our child any more than Michael passed it on to Miranda?" Kendall asked her sister with fear in her voice.
"Well… it's going to take a lot of love," Bianca answered. "But you've got plenty of that to give him. Maybe it's time to let him out of the pre-nuptial agreement… tell him that you don't want anything from him but his love."
Kendall nodded, "That would be a good start. I think I'll take you up on that suggestion… there's really no reason to continue the agreement anyway. With Ethan gone and the entire estate in trust for Miranda you don't need protecting. The casinos are doing beautifully, and there's no reason to change the gaming licenses out of my name. Not a single clause in the pre-nup applies to our current situation, and the rules we agreed to before marrying don't apply anymore either. I guess there's really no business or financial reason to stay married… which ought to thrill Mother."
At a sound from outside the office, Kendall jumped and accidentally kicked Miranda's stroller. The little girl was startled awake and began to cry. Kendall immediately picked her up and started crooning to her. She and Bianca spent several minutes concentrating on comforting Miranda before she fell back to sleep… and by the time that happened they had forgotten about the sound that had startled Kendall in the first place.
"Okay… where was I? Oh yeah… Mother will be thrilled to find out that our business arrangement is over – but she's going to completely lose it when she finds out that we've fallen in love with each other and are expecting a baby together," Kendall said with a smile. "Bianca… thank you so much for being with me on this. I think that Zach and I will need your support when we tell Mother… telling her scares me more than telling Zach. I wish he would get home already… if he doesn't get here soon I may just break down and tell him over the telephone…"
"…Or you could fly to London," Bianca suggested. "If he doesn't have a return date by the time you finish with Dr. Baldwin tomorrow… why don't you take the Cambias jet to London and surprise him. It doesn't matter where you are when you tell him… but you definitely want to see his face."
"You're right… I do," Kendall answered. "And I want to hold him in my arms and hear him tell me how much he loves me and our baby… I miss him so much. We hadn't spent a single day apart since our marriage until he went to London. I don't think I'm ever going to let him go away again."
"I envy you," Bianca answered. "To love someone so much that you want to spend every minute together… even after all this time. I'll never understand how Mom can ignore what you and Zach have together – everyone else can see it. Why can't she?"
"Maybe she can… but she doesn't want to admit it," Kendall answered, realization dawning on her face. "Maybe that's why she's been so adamantly opposed to the marriage all along… because I do love Zach. Maybe our love is more terrifying to her than our business deal ever was. It's something to think about."
"Definitely something to think about," Bianca answered. "I need to get going. I have to meet with Uncle Jack and Livia and sign the final papers giving Miranda all of Cambias. Ryan signed the new documents yesterday… so after that Ethan will just be a bad memory."
"Instead of a nightmare," Kendall said with a smile. "Have you decided what you're going to do with Chandler Enterprises?"
"Mm-hmm," Bianca answered. "We're selling it. If JR wants to go after it again, he won't do it through Cambias or Miranda. He'll have new owners to deal with… and he won't be our problem anymore."
"That's an excellent idea," Kendall replied. She stood up with Bianca and they hugged briefly before Bianca left with Miranda still asleep in her stroller. Kendall sat behind her desk and concentrated on business while counting down the hours until her daily phone call with Zach.