"I've worked the entire thing out."Helena was saying.
"Worked what out?"Dana asked.
"What else?"sighed Helena. "You're obviously being…not very smart?"
"What do you mean not very smart?"
"Exactly that. If you were, you would have lost no time, and seen to it that you were not fooled."
"Fooled by?"
"That's simple. I've decided it is true. Terry must see someone else. I have seen that happen."
"What do you mean, you've seen that happen?"
"It can be easy, of course. Especially when you're too trusting."
Dana stared.
"He's not seeing anyone else."said Dana, shaking her head.
"And you're sure? Because I'm sure he is."
"I'm sure. You're just imagining that."
"Oh, I really do wish I was just imagining it!"
"Something, or I should say someone, then must take up quite a bit of his time. I've known people just like that."
"Well,"said Dana. "Terry's not like those people you've known. He's just busy."
"Busy."
Helena looked so sure, that despite herself, Dana began to feel uneasy and had to ask.
"Have you seen something?" she asked.
"No." Helena admitted.
"Then I don't believe you."
"Yet you asked me if I had seen something. You should believe me. I would be more concerned, and keep a much closer eye on him."
"I'm not possessive."
"Of course not. Because like I said, you're too confident."
"Yes, I am."Dana affirmed.
Dana looked away as Helena stared.
"You really are very confident. Why?"she insisted. "You discard it so easily. You're sure. You must know something I don't, then?" Helena decided.
"Wasn't your mother confident?"asked Dana.
"I'm really not sure what you're talking about. There's no reason Mai wouldn't have been."
"Did she think your father saw someone else? Didn't-"
Surely, she thought Lady Selina would have gone through the same thing, if not something similar when she had dated .
Helena stood up, furious with herself. That was forbidden.
"Didn't what?" she demanded.
"Nothing."
But maybe Helena didn't know anything about her father's secret. Maybe the Lady didn't, either?
"No! Finish your sentence! Now!"
Dana really hadn't seen Helena get so angry before. She looked furious.
"You were going to stay something! I know! I know you were! It was about," Helena looked around, as though afraid someone were around to overhear. "what you were going to say was about-about him, wasn't it?"
She always said 'him', but Dana knew Helena was referring to her father.
"Calm down! You're scaring me."
Helena sat down, feeling furious with herself. She shouldn't have acted that like that, but it was hard for things to go one's way when there were other people involved. No matter how hard you tried, they were always so unexpected.
She reached up, and stroked Adela. Cats were different. So different.
It was certainly comforting to know there was someone there who was 'safe' as she thought to herself. She could always count on her cats. And they would certainly would never do or say anything hurtful to her, she knew.
Her mother, and Maven, whom she had known all her life were the only people she could feel just as comfortable as she felt with her cats.
Dana could see she was very disturbed over something, as her hand reached up to where her cat was wrapped around her shoulders.
"That's a subject that is absolutely forbidden." Helena finally said. "And must never be mentioned. Ever."
"Fine, fine. But I know Terry's not seeing anyone else."Dana said.
Although she knew that wasn't so, Helena spoke so convincingly of it, Dana couldn't help but wonder.
She really had a way of convincing other people she was telling the truth, and getting them to believe her. But she wouldn't let Helena convince her.
Despite everything, this was actually something that had never crossed her mind, actually. She'd thought things like he didn't care. Or he was always too busy.
"I guess if you say so." Helena said.
"I do say so."
"Then it's possible he's simply a workaholic. Something like that?"