"He doesn't know?" Terry asked.
Ferrando left, and it was now only the two of them talking.
"Nope. And I never knew, either."
"I don't understand. I thought you told me you'd always known who your father is." said Terry.
"I have." replied Helena. "You and I both know I do know. How could I not? If you and I are agnate half siblings. We would both have to know. Wouldn't we? Otherwise, it makes little sense, doesn't it?"
"But Ferrando thinks you don't know?"
"To his knowledge, I don't. I simply have one, just as everyone else does. As to whom he could possibly be, I have no clue. That's the impression he has, anyway. And we must keep it that way."
Terry didn't see why they had to keep it so secret.
"I don't see why you have to keep it all a secret. Did Lady Selina tell you to keep it secret?"
The only reason he could think of was that she knew about Bruce's being Batman, and she'd been told to keep quiet.
"Why would she do that? Is there any reason why it should be kept a secret?"
Her cats perked their ears up. The cats' interest was enough to tell him that she wasn't faking, and honestly didn't know.
"No reason."
"Of course there would be no reason."
Helena sounded disappointed, and the cats turned their attention away from Terry.
"You look disappointed."
"Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked.
"You look just like you did when Ferrando told you this Diana wasn't running from the law, for one thing."
"You read me, don't you? I hate people who read other people well. But no one ever told me to keep it secret. I guess I just happen to have an affinity for keeping secrets?"
That much was true. Helena kept a lot of things. And it wouldn't be too surprising.
"No one knows, because no one should know. It's no one's business." she continued. "Other than my own. If you're worried he may ask your, then don't, because he won't. I will already never forgive for coming here of all places. But he didn't know, and he does know just how unpleasant I find that particular subject, and how much I hate even thinking about it."
"Unpleasant, and you say you don't like to talk about it, but you almost always want to hear about him all the time."
Helena did always want him to tell her about Bruce. She was so stubborn, and always said she would never see him. Her curiosity only went as far as talking to Terry.
"I only want to know." she said. "And I only discuss it with you."
Neither of them spoke for a while.
"Outside of us, no one knows. At least, not to my knowledge. Ferrando knows a little more about it than most people, but he also knows much, much better than to be meddling into that." she looked at him. "But outside of Mai, Maven, you and myself, and of course, Adela, and all my other cats know too, of course, but outside of us, no one knows. Because they don't, do they? You wouldn't share that kind of information with anyone!" she demanded.
"No." he answered.
She relaxed.
"Good. Like I said, we must always keep it that way. You mustn't tell anyone either, no matter what. You must promise me that no matter what, you will never tell anyone. For any reason."
"He could find out since like you said, we're agnate siblings."
"No! He won't! He's an actor, not a detective! He may do detectives in his work, and all that, but that doesn't make him one."
She looked nervously in the same direction Ferrando had disappeared.
"I don't understand why you're so afraid if he will."
He thought she looked and sounded more angry than scared.
"I'm not afraid of anything! And is it even important why I would like to keep that information to myself?" she demanded.
She continued her sentence, in Aragonese.
"I didn't understand what you said." he said, exasperated.
She nodded.
"I said nothing. Nothing. I've actually thought," she continued. "I should do something very, very, very bad, and then I would allow people to know. Can you only imagine what people would say? However, it would be no good if he doesn't care what people say, would it?"
"You don't care what people say." Terry said. "That's obvious."
"I don't. But many others do. And I've always known he does. He must. And a lot."