Chapter1

Tansy Deverel was missing again. In fact, she'd been missing for a week. It disturbed Christopher
Deverelwhenhecouldn'tfindhismother,whowasinherseventies.Morepar-ticularly,itdisturbed
himwhenthefamousLassiterDetectiveAgencyofHouston,Texas,couldn'tfindher.Chrishadcome
homefromatriptoSpaintofindthefamilyinanuproaroverthematriarch'sdisappearance.Tansy
was known for her madcap life-style, and she tended to cause scandals wherever she went. Chris's
older brother Logan lived in Houston with his wife, Kit, and their new son, Bryce. Since Logan's
marriage,Tansyhadbecomeevenwilderthanusual.Shewasadiabeticwhowasoninsulinandhadto
watchherdietverycarefully,andChrisworriedthatshemightindulgetoomuchinhertravels.Her
last escapade had almost landed her in a harem in the Middle East. For a woman in her early
seventies, Tandy was adventurous indeed. Old age, she often said, would have to run very fast in
ordertocatchupwithher.Shewasn'tkidding.

Onawhim,ChrishadtraveledtoJacobsville,Texas,toseehiscousinEmmettDeverell,Inthepast,
nobody visited Emmett unless they were nuts, but now that Emmett had married Melody and they'd
settled down nicely with his three children from his first marriage, Emmett had mellowed. He
managedaranchforTedRegan,inwhichhenowhadapartnership.Thingswerelookingprosperous
there,andTansymighthavedetouredtovisitthem.Butshehadn't.

Chrismetwithdisappointment.Emmetthadn'tseennorheardfromTansyinmonths.

Chrisdroveintotownandhadlunchatthe

local high-class restaurant, sitting alone at a comer table with his steak and salad while he brooded
abouthismother.Loganhadn'tbeenoverlyconcerned.Itwasamusinghowthebrothershadchanged
overtheyears.Inthepast,Loganwasthestraitlaced,worryingone.

Now,hewasmorerelaxedandlessanxious,especiallysincehismarriage.Ontheotherhand,Chris
hadbeenalmostasmadcapastheirmotherwhenhewasyounger,andwomenhadpassedthroughhis
life like butterflies. He was thirty-three, and a devastating automobile accident had left him with a
different view of the world. His once-handsome face was now less pleasing to the eye, two long
furrows having been carved into one lean cheek by shattered glass. He'd lost the sight in one eye,
althoughplasticsurgeryhadsparedhimdeformity.Butnothingseemedtoerasethescarscompletely,
andhewastoowearyofhospitalsandskingraftstopursuethemfurther.

Hewasn'trepulsivebyanystretchoftheimagination.Hissmootholivecomplexionwasenhancedby
liquidblackeyeswiththickblacklashesandeyebrows,andachiseledmouththatwasmoresardonic
thanamusedmostofthe

time.Hehadaleanfaceandatall,lean,muscularbodythatwasmoreattractivethaneversincehis
weeksofsailingnearthecoastofSpainwithanoldfriend.Heenjoyedthechallengeofthesea,where
hecouldpithismuscleagainstthewavesandwind.Amanwithasmuchmoneyashe'dinheritedfrom
his father could do whatever pleased him. Unlike Logan, who enjoyed working at the family
investmentfirm,Chrishadinvestedhisinheritanceinmultinationalcorporationsandtripleditinless

thantenyears.Hecouldlivecomfortablyofftheinterest,andhe'dneverfoundanadequatereasonto
work a routine job. He dabbled in designing yachts with the friend with whom he'd been sailing in
Spain. His ideas were in-novative, and one of his designs had taken its owner into the finals of the
America'sCuprace.

Hewaspaidforthatidea,andforseveralothersthathadsoldwell.

Hewatchedhisinvestmentslikeahawk.Butincreasinghismeansnolongersatisfiedhim.

Thecarefreebachelor'sexistencethatwassuchfuninhisearlytwentieswasdistastefultohimnow.
He no longer sized up women as potential conquests or enjoyed the attention of pretty fortune-
hunters.Hefeltjadedandlifewassuddenlyempty.

Hefingeredhiscoffeecupabsently,themotionbringingthewaitresswitharefill.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked pleasantly, sizing up his expensive suit and shoes with
practicedexpertise.

Heshookhishead."Thanks.I'mfine."

He didn't encourage her to stay and chat. She was young and pretty, but so were dozens of other
women.HeenviedLoganhisfamilylife.Maybemarriagewasn'tsobadathing.

Certainlythatbabywasadelightfullittlebundle.Chrishadneverbeenaroundchildrenmuch,buthe
adoredhisnewnephewandspentalotoftimeshoppingforeducationaltoystobringhim.Thathad
amusedTansy,who'dsuggestedthatChrisgetmarriedandhavechildrenofhisown.

He'donlyshruggeditoffwithasmile.He'dneverhadaseriousrelationshipwithawoman.

Hisromanticencountersovertheyearshadbeenlightandpleasantandbrief.Nowhefeltasifhe'd
missedsomething.Exceptforhisfriendwhobuiltyachts,hehadnoonewhowasclosetohim.Most
ofhisoldgirlfriends

weremarried.Hetraveledalone,atealone,sleptalone.Hefeltancient,especiallysincethewreck.

"Excuseme,butaren'tyouChristopherDeverell?"

Thevoicewasquiet,unhurried,withapleasanthuskiness.Heturnedhisheadtofindthefacethatwent
withit.Notbad,hethought.Palegrayeyes,prettycomplexion,roundedchin,bowmouth,shortblond
hairwithawaveoverthepencil-thineyebrow.

Shelookedlikesomethingoutofthethirties,hemused.

"HowwouldyouknowwhoIam?"heaskedindifferently.

"It'smyjob."Sheproducedapadandpen."IworkfortheWeatherbyNewsService.

We'renotasbigastheAssociatedPress,butwe'reworkinghardtocatchup,"sheaddedwithafaint

smile.Thesmilefadedquickly."We'retryingtolocateyourmother,asithappens."

Heliftedhishotcoffeetohismouth."Jointheclub."

"She'sgoneintohiding,"shecontinued.

"NotthatIblameher,underthecircum-stances,but..."

"Sitdown,"hesaidcurtly."You'reonmyblindside."

"Your...what?"

Heturnedhisheadandlookedfulyather,sothatshecouldseetheextentofthedamagetheaccident
had done to his once-handsome face. The black eye in the socket above the two deep scars and just
belowasmaleronestaredstraightahead,butwithoutsight.Thenervedamagehadbeenextensive.

Shecaughtherbreathaudiblyandsatdown,visiblyflustered."I'msorry!"shesaid."Ididn'trealize..."

"Mostpeopledon't,untiltheylookatmeforawhile,"headdedwithamockingsmile.

Heleanedbackinthechair,pulinghisjacketawayfromthethinwhiteshirtthatcoveredhisbroad,
hair-roughened chest. In the position, the muscles were visible, and the woman quickly averted her
eyes,asiflookingathimthatwayembarrassedher.

"Aboutyourmother,"shecontinued.

"Firstthingsfirst.Whoareyou?"

Shehesitated."I'mDeliaLarson."

Henodded."Doyouhavesomeideawheremymothermightbe?"

"Of course." She turned back a few pages in the small flip notebook. "When last seen, she was in a
littletownjustoutsideLondon,calledBackWallop."Sheglancedathim.

"That'savillage."

"Andwhatwouldshebedoingthere?"

"That'swherehelives,"shereplied,surprised.

"He,who?"heaskedwithabroadscowl.

"Lookhere,she'syourmother,"shereturned."Don'tyouknowthatshewasinvolvedwithanMP?"

"AMemberofParliament?"heexclaimed.

"Oh,yes,LordCecilHarvey.HebelongedtotheHouseofLordsandwasarelativeoftheWindsors."

Sheshookherhead."Ican'tbelieveyoudon'tknowthis!"

"I'vebeenonholidayinSpain,"hesaid.

"It'sbeenalloverthetabloids,"shecontinued.

Hisfacehardened."Idon'treadthescandalsheets,"hesaidtersely.

"Consideringhowmanytimesyou'refeaturedinthem,Iguessnot,"sheagreedpleasantly."Youhad
thefrontpageofmostofthemfortwoweekswhenthatItaliancountessaccusedyouoffatheringher
child—"

"Wewerediscussingmymother,"heinterruptedcurtly.

Shegrimaced."Sorry.Iguessthathitanerve.Anyway,Mrs.Deverellwasphoto-graphedcomingout
ofaLondonhotelwithLordHarvey.Therewererumorsthathewasgoingtodivorcehiswifeand
marryher."

Heputthecoffeecupdownaudibly."Mymother?"

"Yourmother."Shestudiedhimcuriously."Youdon'tlookatalllikeher,"shecommented."Shehas
blueeyesandaveryfaircomplexion,almostgirlishlypretty."

"MybrotherandItakeafterourfather.HewasSpanish."

"Spanish?"Shefrownedandflippedquicklythroughthenotebook."That'snotwhatIwastold.They
saidyourfatherwasFrench,amemberofthenobility."

"Our stepfather was French," he returned, and refused to even think of the man, despite the many
yearsithadbeensincehe'dseenhim."OurfatherdiedwhenIwaspretty

young.Tansyremarried.Severaltimes,"headdeddrollyandpickeduphiscoffeecupagain.

"Oh,Isee."Shewaswatchinghimclosely."Whyisn'tyourfathermentioned?"

Hechuckled."Hewasaminorbusinessmanuntilheboughtafewcheapsharesofstockandputthem
awayinasafe-depositbox.Longafterhisdeath,theboxwasdiscoveredandopened,andLoganandI
inheritedasmalfortune."

"Whatwasthestock?"sheaskedsuspiciously.

Heliftedthecoffeecuptohischiseledmouth."StandardOil."

Shegrinnedathim."Amazingforesight."

Heshookhishead."Sheerdamnedluck.Hedidn'tknowbeansaboutinvestments."

"Theysayyourbrotherdoes.Andsodoyou."

He chuckled. "I dabble. Not much." His dark eyes narrowed. "Why are you trying to track down
Tansy?"

"WhydoyoucallherTansyinsteadof'Mother'?"

"Sheisn'toldenoughemotionallytobe

anyone's mother," he said simply. "Logan and I grew up trying to keep her out of trouble, with
occasionalandbriefassistancefromherfivehusbands."

"Five?"Sheglancedathernotes."Ionlyfoundfour."

"Youhaven'tansweredmyquestion."

Shefingeredthenotebookandstaredatitinsteadofhim."Iblewastory,areallybigone.I'mgoing
to get fired unless I can make amends somehow. I can't lose my job. I have...responsibilities." She
lifted her pale eyes to his. "I want to find your mother before the rest of the media can. I want an
exclusiveinterview."

"Askherforone."

"Ican'tfindher.She'sleftBackWallopandnobodyknowswhereshewent"

He finished his coffee. "Don't look at me. I can't find her, either, not even with the help of the best
detectiveagencyinthestate."

Shegnawedherlowerlipworriedly."Iguessit'sunderstandablethatshewouldn'twanttobefound."

"Thank you for noticing," he said in a tone that dripped sarcasm. "A woman being accused of
breakingupamarriagewouldn'trushtofindthemedia."

Her eyebrows went up. They were pencil thin, very dark despite her blond hair, and quite
interesting."That'snotwhyshe'srunning,ofcourse."

"Itisn't?"

Shesighedheavily."Mr.Deverell,Ialreadyknowthetruth.There'snosenseinpretending you
don'tknowwhat'sgoingon."

"I'mnotpretending."

"Haveityourownway."Sheputthepadintoherlargepurseandstoodup,slingingitoverher
shoulder.

"Givingupsosoon?"hetaunted.

"I'vegottogettoEnglandbeforesomebodybeatsmetothestory.Itwillmakemy career if I
cangetitbeforetheothersdo."

He stared at her with something like contempt. "By all means, ruin a life. You and your
colleaguesputahigh priceonyour owncareers,don'tyou? Nobodyelse'spainor suffering is
toomuchtoask."

Sheflushed."Youmakeussoundperverted."

"Idon't,actually."Hiseyesdarkened."Youareperverted.Allofyou."

Shestiffened."Wedon'tmakethenews."

"No,youjustspreaditaround,withasmanyembellishmentsandenhancementsasyour editors
seefit."Hegottohisfeet,too,andlookeddownather.Shebarelycametobischin.Shenoticed
thediscrepancyintheirheightsandsteppedbackafewinches.

"Frightened?"hechided,hisblackeyesglitteringashesmileddownather."I'mnotmuchofa
threatthesedays."

"You'dbeathreatifyouweremissingbothlegs,"shemuttereduncomfortably.The proximity
wasmakingherlegswobble.Shebackedupagain."I'mnotresponsibleforwhatafewrenegade
reportersdo."

"I know several families, including one royal one, who could give a chilling response to that
remark."

Her fingers clutched the strap of her shoulder bag tightly. He noticed her nails, short and
roundedandunpolished.Thesuitshewaswearingwasofthechain-storevariety,andnot new.
Hershoeswerescuffed,vinylinsteadofleather,tikeherpurse.Hestaredatherwith

newinterest.Shewasn'tasuccessfulprofessional,judgingbyherlooks.

"As unfair as it seems, we are judged by the company we keep," he said quietly. "Some of your
colleagueshavenoscruplesandnoconscience."

"I'mnotlikethat."

"Yes, you are," he said simply. "Other-wise, why would you be chasing my mother over an
indiscretion?"

"That'sarawerweakthingtocallit,"shepointedout.

"What,awould-beaffair?"

Herlipsparted."Mr.Deverell,LordHarvey'sbodywasfoundjustthismorningfloatingnakedinthe
Thames.YourmotherisScotlandYard'snumberonesuspect."

Hecaughthisbreath.Theshockandterrorhefeltwereinhisstiffexpression,hisclenchedjaw.

"Youreallydidn'tknow,didyou?"sheaskedworriedly."I'mmostdreadfullysorry.Ithought..."

Hecaughtherbytheupperarmlongenoughtolookathischeckandlayafive-dollarbilldownwith
itbeforehepropelledheroutthedoor.

"Acupofcoffeedoesn'tcostfivedollars,"shemurmuredashetookheroutthroughthedoorway.

"Iknowhowlittlewaitersandwaitressesgetpaid.Whatbusinessisitofyours?"heaskedcurtly.

"Couldyouletmego?"

"Notonyourlife.You'renotmakingmymotherfrontpagenews.I'vegotyouandI'mkeepingyou
untilIgettothebottomofthis."

"Youcan't!It'skidnapping.It'sagainstthelaw!"

"Bigdeal,"hemuttered."Comeon."

HeputherintohisbigLincolnonthedriver'ssideandgotrightinbesideher,quicklypressingthe
master lock switch on his door so that she couldn't open hers. She fumed and pushed, but she was
trapped.

"Putonyourseatbelt,"hesaid.

Shedid,onlybecausewhenheputthecarintogearandtookoff,shedidn'twanttogointotheback
seatthehardway.

"Youdrivelikeamaniac!"sheexclaimed.

"SoI'vebeentold."

"Listenhere,I'mnotgoinganywherewithyou.Letmeout!"

"Whenwegettotheairport,"heassuredher.

Hereyebrowslifted."Theairport?"

"We're going to London. You're resourceful and you have contacts that I lack." He glanced at her
formidably."You'regoingtohelpmefindTansy."

"Oh,amI,now?"shereturnedhaughtily."AndwhatamIgoingtogetoutofit?"

"Afrontpagescoopwhenweclearhername."

"You'renuts!"

Henodded."Apparently."

"ButIcan'tleavethecountry.Notlikethis.Itoldyou,Ihaveresponsibilities."

"SohaveI.They'llwaituntilyougetback."

"ButImuststay,"shepersisted.

He lifted the cell phone from its cradle in the floorboard and handed it to her. "Call somebody and
makearrangements."

Shehesitated,butonlyforaminute.Shecouldn'taffordtomisstheopportunityofalifetime,which
thiscertainlywas.Onceshe

gotthestory,she'dfileitnomatterwhathetriedtodo.Ifshedidn'tgowithhim,hemightfindsome
waytoblockher,tokeepherfromfindinghismother.Thatwouldn'tdoatal.

Shepunchedinthenumberandthenthebuttonthatwouldsendthecalalongtheairways.

Itrangonce,twice,threetimes.

"Hello?"

Shesmiledatthepepperinthatsweetoldvoice."Hi.It'sme.IjustwantedtotellyouthatI'mgoingto
beoutoftownforadayortwo.YouletMrs.Harriscomeoverandcookforyou.I'llmakeitright
whenIgethome."

"Chasingafterthatmadoldlady,areyou?"Adeepchucklecamefromtheotherendoftheline."Just
likeme,whenIwasyounger."

"Notjustlikeyou,"shereplied,smiling."YouusedtohangoutinbarswiththeLafay-etteEscadrile
andtheSAS.Ijustwalkinyourshadow."

"Flatterer!"

"Don'tforgettoputthechainlatchonatnight,"sheaddedworriedly."Andifyouneedme..."

Chrisalreadyhadthepicture,fromthebriefsnatchesofconversationheoverheard.

"Give

himthisnumber,'hetoldherwithouttakinghiseyesfromtheroad—agoodthing,atthespeedthey
weregoing.Herecitedthecellphonenumber,andthenaddedonewithaforeignexchange."That'sin
London.Hecancalanytimeifheneedsyou.I'lmakesurethecalisforwardedimmediately."

Sherelayedtheinformation.

"Soundsyoung,"theoldmancackled."Ishe?"

"Sortof,"sherepliedwarily."Staywarm,too.Don'tworryaboutturninguptheheat.

Okay?"

"Okay.Nowstopworryingaboutmeandgetthejobdone.Don'tshameus."

"Iwouldn'tdare!"shechuckled."I'llseeyouwhenIgetback,Grandad."

"Youtakecare,too.You'retheonlyfamilyIgotleft."

"Same here." She smiled as she put the receiver down. She glanced at the taciturn man beside her
warily."Thanks."

He shrugged. "You'll do better sleuthing if you're not worried. Your grandfather sounds like a
character."

"Hewas,andstilis.Hewasareporterdur-

ing the gang wars in Chicago, during Prohibition, and after that he was a war correspondent." She
laughed."Hecantelsomestories.Ifolowedinhisfootsteps,butnotverywel.I*mnotsureI'mcut
outforinvestigativereportingafterall."

"Whatdidyoudobefore?"

"Ididpoliticalnewsandfeatures."Shegrimaced."Iwasgoodatit,too,butGrandadsaidIwaswilting
on the vine and wasting away. He wanted me to do something exciting and risky while I was still
youngenough."

"Don'tyouhaveanyotherfamily?"

She shook her head. "My parents died overseas. They were touring the Middle East when the plane
theywereinwasshotdownaccidentaly.GrandadtookmeinwhenIwasjusttenandraisedme."

"Toughluck,"hesaid."Nobrothers,sisters,unclesoraunts?"

"Anaunt,"shereplied."ShelivesinCaliforniaandneverwrites."Sheglancedathim.

"Atleastyouhaveabrother."

"Abrotherandamother,"hereplied.

"What'sshelike?"

"She'sahel-raiser,"hereturnedamusedly.

"I'veneverknownherwhenshewasn'tintrouble.Butshedoesn'tkilpeople,"headdedfirmly.

"Ihopeyou'reright,"shereplied.

"IknowIam."Buttherewasthefaintestdoubtinhisvoice.Heturnedthecarontothehighwaythatled
totheJacobsvileairport,newlinesinhisworriedface.

Chapter2

Heathrow Airport was busy, especial y for the time of year. Summer was high season for most
tourists, and as Chris passed along the crowded path to the customs line, he heard accents from
countries all over the world. He glanced at Delia, surprised by the look on her face. She seemed
overlyaffectedbyhersurroundings,bythepeoplearoundher.Somewerewearingexoticdress,and
sheseemedtofindthosefascinating.

He had a sudden thought. "You have your passport, but you've never been out of the States before,
haveyou?"heasked.

Sheglancedathimwithashysmile."Actualy,Ihaven't.Ialwayswantedtotravellikemygrandfather
did, so I applied for my passport, but I couldn't afford to go anywhere until I landed this latest job.
NowthatIcan,I'vebeentooafraidtoleavehimonhisown.He'sdiabetic,yousee,andhewon'tleave
sweets alone. He's been in a coma twice in the past three years, because he's too stubborn to admit
there'sanythingwrongwithhim."

"Thatsoundsfamiliar,"Chrismurmuredunderhisbreath.Heglancedatthelinebesidethem,which
hadthinnedconsiderably.HetookDelia'sarmandsteeredherandherwheeledsuitcasetotheshorter
line.

"Youknowhowtodothis,don'tyou?"sheasked,impressed.

"Ispendalotoftimeoverseas,"hecommented."Gotyourticket?"

"Righthere."Shehelditup.

Theypassedthroughcustomsandbaggagecontrolwithaminimumoffuss,andChriswentrightto
therentalcaragencytohireavehicle.Minuteslater,theywereonthewaytotheirhotel,tocheckin.
Heseemedtofinddrivingontheleft-handsideoftheroadvery

easy.ItmadeDelianervous,butafterthefirstfewminutes,sherelaxedandbegantopayattentionto
thesights.

"We'lleavetheluggage,getabitetoeat,andheadoutforBackWallop,"hesaid.

"I'mgladtoseeyouaren'tplanningtoletjetlagholdyouback,"shecommenteddryly.

Heliftedaneyebrowandsmiled."Whatdoyouknowaboutjetlag?"

"I'vereadlotsoftravelbooks.Besides,mygrandfatherisanauthority.AsImentionedbefore,hewas
awarcorrespondent."

"Inwhichwar?"

''WorldWarII,Korea,Vietnam,andseveralotherlittlewarsinHispaniccountries."

"I'mimpressed."

"Hecantellsomestories,"shemused."It'skillinghimthathecan'tdoitanymore.

He'sseventy-three,andhe'sgotarthritisaswelasdiabetes.It'slikehe'sgivenuponlifebecausehe's
beensloweddown."

"Tansyhasthesameproblem,"heconfided."Shethinkslikeasixteen-year-old,butherbodycan'tdo
whathermindwantsitto."

"Shemustbeafascinatingperson."

"I'vealwaysthoughtso,"hesaid."My

earliestmemoriesofmymotherareflamboyant,colorfulimages.Shewasalwaysgoingsomewhere,
hosting parties, dragging us to cultural events like opera and the theater." He shook his head. "She
usedtobejustalittlelessreckless."Hisfacesobered."Ican'tbelieveshe'dgetherselfmixedupina
murder.It'snotlikeher."

"Anyonecangetinacircumstancewhereviolencebecomestheonlyanswer,"shesaid,glancingout
thewindowatthecrowdedstreets."Arewedowntown?"

"Yes. And here's our hotel." He pulled off the road into an elegant courtyard, where a man dressed
likesomethingoutofmedievaltimeswasopeningandclosingcardoorsforguests.

"It'sveryelegant,"shecommented.

"When I travel, I always go first-class," he said carelessly. "I find it's less wearing to be pampered,
especialyifyou'vebeentomorethanoneortwocountriesonbusiness."

"Ithoughtyoudidn'twork,"shesaid.

Hegaveheranincredulousglance."Iinheritedmoney,butIhavetoworkatkeepingit,"hesaid."I
own interests in businesses al over the world, in several multinational corporations. I tike to know
wheremymoney'sgoing,andhowit'sbeingspent"

"Sothat'showit'sdone,"shemurmured.

Hechuckled."Stickwithme,kid.I'llmakeanentrepreneurofyouinnotime."

"Thatwouldbenice,"shesaid."IthinkI'dtikemakingafortune."Sheshrugged.

"Well,I'dlikethechallengeofmakingit,"sheaddedthoughtfully."Money'snotreallyveryimportant
tome,exceptthatI'dtiketospoilGrandadalittlewhileI'vestillgothim.Hesacrificedalottobring
meup."

TheuniformedmanopenedthedoorforDeliaandhelpedherout,whilehesignaledforaporterto
take the luggage from the boot, which Christopher had already opened auto-matically from the

driver'sside.

ChrisescortedDeliatothefrontdeskandregisteredthem,inseparatedoublerooms.

Hehandedhertheencodedcardkeyandledthewayintotheelevator.

"Youlookembarrassed,"hecommented.

Shewas.Theclerkhadaskediftheyweresharingaroom.Shefeltuncomfortable.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I'm not used to sophisticated circles. I guess they get a lot of unmarried
coupleshereandnobodythinksanythingaboutit.I'malittleoutofstepwiththerestoftheworld."

Hewasgapingather.Shewasananachronism,allright.Itprobablycamefrombeingraisedbyaman
fromadifferentgeneration.

"Nolovelife?"heteased.

Shedidn'trisetothebait."Notnow,"shereplied.

Hepausedwhiletheygotoffonthefifthfloor.Heshowedherhowtoworkthecardkey.

"Thebellhopwillbringtheluggageupshortly,"hepromised."Meanwhile,I'llfreshenupanddropby
topickyouuponthewayoutofthehotel."Hehesitated."Evereatenfishandchips?"

"NotrealEnglishones,"shesaid.

Hegrinned."You'vegotatreatinstore."

Theystoppedataroadsidestandandgobbleddownfishandchipsandstrongteatotheforeignsound
ofproperEnglishbeingspokenalaroundthem.Deliawasdelightedwiththenewexperience.

"Later, we'll have a proper, sit-down meal," he promised. "But there isn't time BOW. I want to find
Tansy,"

"Oh,thisislovely,"sheprotested."I'menjoyingit!"

Hechuckled."SoIsee."

Shewasstandingonhisrightside,sothathecouldseeherandviceversa.Helookedveryworried,
andshewonderedhowshe'dfeelifitwashergrandfatherthepoliceandthepresswerechasing.

Sheputdownhercupoftea,frowning.

"What'swrong?"heasked.

"I was thinking how I'd feel, in your place," she said, looking up at him with darkened gray eyes.
"Grandadismywholelife."

Hesearchedherfaceandnoddedslowly.''TansyandLoganaretheonlyclosefamilyIhave.Ididn't
worrysomuchaboutthemseveralyearsago.SinceI'vehadthewreck,myperspectivehaschanged."
Helookedgrim.

"Lifeisshort,andyouhadn'trealizedhowshortbefore,"shespeculated.

Hiseyebrowsjerked."That'sit,exactly.Ihadaconcussion,internalandexternalinjuries,aswellas
thedamagetomylefteye.It

tookmonthsformetogetbackonmyfeet,andI'llneverregainthesightinmyeye.Itwokemeup."

"Irememberreadingaboutyouinthetabloids,whenyouwereyounger,"sherecaled.

"Youwerelikeyourmother,foreverinandoutofscrapesandscandals."

"Notanymore,"hesaid."Itisn'tworththerisk."

"Whatis?"sheaskedsolemnly.

Heturnedandlookeddownatherpensively."Leavingtheworldalittlebetterthanwefoundit,"he
saidsimply.

Shesmiled."Ilikethat."

He touched his finger to the tip of her smal nose and smiled. "I like you," he said genuinely, and
chuckledwhensheflushedprettily.

"Areyousure?IthoughtIwasatthetopofyourenemieslist."

Heshookhishead."Youdon'tfittheimageofahardenednewshound,"hesaidsimply.

Hefrownedslightly."Infact,Idon'tthinkyouhavewhatittakestodothejobproperly.You'vegottoo
muchheart.Eventually,you'lbewrungoutlikeadampcloth."

Shestiffened."I'vebeenareporterforsev-

eralyearsandIcandothisjob,"sheassertedstubbornly."GrandadsaysIjusthavetoputasidemy
hang-upsandconcentrateontheprocessofgatheringinformation."

"Yourgrandadcanprobablyeatlunchwhilehewatcheswarfootage,"hereplied."Iexpecthe'sgrown
suchahardshellovertheyearsthatnothingmuchaffectshim."

Hewasright.Shehatedadmittingit"Hesaidhewassensitivewhenhestartedout,too."

"Bull. He'd have gotten over that the first day in the field." His eyes narrowed. "Can you real y see
yourselfprintingeverythingyoufindoutaboutpeoples'intimatelivesbehindthesocialmasksthey
wear? Can you destroy a marriage by turning in stories on unfaithful spouses or headline-making
newsabouttheirprivatesexualperversions?Thatsortofnewsdestroyslives,Delia.Areyoureally

hardenoughtohurtpeopledeliberatelyforthesakeofmakingheadlines?"

Hewasaskingthesamequestionsshe'daskedherself.Hemadeheruncertain,unsureofherself.He
madeherashamed.Shedidn't

answerhim.Instead,shewipedhermouthonthenapkinandputitonherplate.

Heglancedathiswatch."Areyoufinished?Weneedtogetstarted."

"Yes.I'mthrough."Shefinishedherlastswallowofteaanddidn'tlookathimasshegotupfromthe
counter and left him to pay the bil . She started down the road toward the thick of the commercial
district,thinkinghowancientthiscountrywasandhowmanyempireshadembracedit.Thehistoryof
GreatBritainhadalwaysfascinatedher,andnowhereshewasinLondonitself,andshewastoosick
athearttopaymuchattentiontosightsshe'dalwaysdreamedofseeing.

ShefeltChris'shardfingersclosearoundherelbowasheescortedherbacktothecarandputherin
whatwouldbe,intheUnitedStates,thedriver'ssideofthecar.Thesteeringwheelwasontheright
side,here.

"Curiousfeeling,isn'tit?"heaskedwithasmile.

"Very."

Hegotinandcrankedtheengine."Telmeeverythingyouknowaboutthemurder,"heasked.

"Well,honestly,Idon'tknowalot,"shehadtoconfess."Iwastoldthatthelatememberofparliament
was found floating in the river with a blunt-force injury to the right temple. The official cause of
deathwasdrowning,though."

"Therighttemple?You'resure?"

"I'msure."

Helookedalittlerelieved,oddly,buthepuledoutintotrafficagainandthemomentforquestions
passed.

DeliawasenchantedwiththeEnglishcountryside.Shewasfullofquestions,towhichChrisseemedto
know most of the answers. . She was surprised to find him something of an authority on Tudor
history.

"I'lbetyouwatcheveryBritishdramaspecialonHenryVIIIthatcomesontelevision,"shesaidwitha
chuckle.

"Ido.Andpickholesinmostofthem,"headded."Historyisn'texcitingenoughforvisualdisplays,
becauseithappensoversuchalongperiodoftime.Inorderforittobepalatableforthemasses,it
hastobecompressed,andthatdistortsit.ButItakefictionforwhat

itis,simplyentertainment,andIenjoyitjustthesame."

"IlikeNativeAmericanhistory,"shesaid."TheIndiansgotarawdeal."

"Everybodygotarawdeal,"hecountered."WhatabouttheIrishwhostarvedbythethousandsduring
thegreatpotatofamineandreceivednooutsidehelp?Howaboutthepoliticalprisonerswhodiedin
concentrationcampsinNaziGermany,ortheRussianpeoplethatStalinpurged?Infact,whatabout
theFrenchHuguenotswhohadtofleeEuropeorbeslaughtered?"

"Goodgrief,"sheexclaimed.

"That's not a fraction of the whole," he continued. "Civilizations long gone had their own vicious
persecutions and slavery. Our own ancestors were probably among that number. Otherwise why
would they have come to America in the first place? They were looking for something they didn't
haveintheirowncountries."

Shesmiledathim."You'reveryinterestingtotalkto,"shesaidunexpectedly.

Heburstoutlaughing."That'snew,"hemurmured.Hedidn'tglancetowardher;shewasonhisblind
side, and it would have been dangerous to turn his head far enough to see her face. But she was
alreadybecomingavividportraitdeepinhismind.

"Idon'tunderstand."

He gave a turn signal and pul ed out onto a long highway. "In my younger days, I was what most
people refer to as a rake," he commented. "And I only dated a certain type of woman, very
sophisticatedandmodern,ifyougetmymeaning."

Shedid.Sheclearedherthroat."Isee."

Hesmiledreflectively."HowI'vechanged,"hemurmured.

Thewrycommentcaughtherattention."Whyhaveyouchanged?"

"PerhapsI'mnotasconfidentasIwas,"hesaidthoughtfuly."Thescarsdepressmesometimes,when
Ilookinamirror.Theycouldprobablygetridoftherestofthem,butIamsotiredofhospitalsand
doctors."

Shestudiedhimcovertlyforamomentbeforesheshiftedhereyesbacktotheroadaheadofthem.
"Thescarslookrakish,youknow,"shemurmured.

"Dothey?"

Hedidn'tsoundamused."Iknowitmusthavebeenterriblypainful,"sheaddedquickly.

"I'mnotoffended.I'vegottenusedtoit,Iguess.ButImisshavingthesightinbotheyes."

"Ofcourseyoudo.Ionlymeantthatyouaren'tdisfigured."

"SoI'vebeentold."HestoppedatasignpostthatindicatedthewaytoBackWallop.

"Well,something'sgonerighttoday,"hesaid,indicatingthesign."Fromthemap,I'dsaywe'reabout
tenminutesaway.Ihopewecantraceher,"headdeduneasily.

"England'sabigcountry."

"You'vealwaysfoundherbefore,haven'tyou?"

"Yes.Butwehadprivatedetectivesonthecase,"hecorrected."AndIdon'tdareinvolvethemagain
now, under the circumstances. Dane Lassiter, who does investigative work for our family, was a
TexasRanger.Regardlessofhissympathies,he'dfolowthelawalthewayandmakenoapologies
fordoingit"

"Inotherwords,he'dturnyourmotherin,"shedecided."Isherealythathard-nosed?"

"Lesssosincehemarriedandhadafamily,buthe'sstillalaw-and-orderman.Ididn'twanttoputhim
onthespot."Hesmiledgrimly."IwishI'dpaidmoreattentiontothoselecturesoncriminaljusticein
colege."

"Didyougraduate?"sheasked.

Heshookhishead."Iwastoobusydrinkingandcarousingtopaymuchattentioninclass.Idropped
out in my sophomore year. It's no great loss," he assured her. "I inherited more than most col ege
graduatesmakeinalifetime."

"Soyoujusthavefun."

Heshrugged."Upuntilthewreck,Ididn'tknowanotherwaytolive."Heturnedfullytowardher,so
thathecouldseeherface."Thingsaremorecomplicatednow.I'mrathersorrythatIwastedsomuch
of my life on trivial things." He searched her soft eyes and smiled warmly. "You're a pretty little
thing,"hemurmured,likingthewaysheflushed.

"I'dhavehadyouforbreakfastafewyearsago.Butyou'dlieonmyconsciencelikelead."

"You'd be lucky," she murmured coolly. "I don't think much of casual affairs or people who have
them."

"Inoticed."

Sheshifteduncomfortably."Shouldn'twebegoing?"

"Weshould."

HeturnedthecartowardBackWalop.Hewasgladhe'dinsistedthatDeliacomealongonthistrip,
although he wasn't quite sure why. She appealed to him as none of his casual conquests ever had;
probablybecauseshewasauniquecommodityinhiscarefreelife.Loganwouldsayhewaslosinghis
griponreality,butChristhoughthewasonlyjustfindingahandhold.Herealizedashedrovedown

thenarrowroadthathe'dneverrealythoughtaheadveryfar.Deliamadehimthinkabouthousesin
the country and flower gardens. He scowled, because they were unfamiliar feelings. He'd never felt
themwithotherwomen.Notthathissortofwomanwouldwastehertimeplantingflowers,hemused.
HewonderedhowDeliawouldlookinabluesilkgown,sprawledonblacksilksheets...

Thedirectionofhisthoughtsbroughthimcrashingbacktothepresent.Hecouldn'taffordthatsortof
lapse,notwiththiswoman.

Shewastheweddingringsort.He'dbetterrememberit,too.

They arrived in the small village of Back Wal op fifteen minutes later and parked beside a news
agent'sshop.

"Bestplacetoaskquestions,ifwearen'ttooobvious,"hepointedout,asheopenedthedoorforher
andhelpedheroutofthesmall

car.

"Withouraccents,we'llblendrightin,"shesaid,tongue-in-cheek.

Hechuckledsoftly."NevermindthatJustfollowmylead."Hecurledherfingersintohis,tightening
hisgripwhenshepuledback,andwalkedherintothestore.

"Mornin',"theproprietorgreetedthemwithaspeculativeglance."Needhelp,guv?"

"Just directions, thanks," Chris said with a warm smile. "The wife and I are over here to visit my
cousins, the Duke of Marlboro and his wife, Lady Gail, but we just heard about Lord Harvey and
thoughtwe'dswingthroughBackWalloponthewayandpayourrespectstoLadyHarvey.Couldyou
directus?"

"YourcousinistheDukeofMarlboro,yousay?"Themanwasimpressed.

"Yes. Do you know Georgie?" He cleared his throat. No, he didn't, and even if he had he wouldn't
presumetocalhislordshiptheduke"Georgie."

"LadyHarveylivesjustdowntheroadinCarstairsManor.It'stotheleftjustacrossthebridgeasyou
roundthecurve.Can'tmissit.Sadabouttheoldman."

"Yes,itis.Thankyou,"Chrissaid."Readytogo,darling?''headded,pullingDeliaclosetohisside
and looking down at her with an expression on his face that made her knees wobble. She colored
againandnodded,nottrustinghervoice.

"Newlyweds,aren'tyer?"theshopkeepersaidwithagrin."Anyonecouldseeit.You'reinluck,there,
guv,she'sabeauty."

"Don'tIknowit?"Chrismurmured,withawinkinherdirection."Let'sgetgoing,oldgirl.Thanksfor
thehelp,"headdedoverhisshoulder.

"Surething."Theshopkeeperchuckledtohimself,watchingthemgo.Chrishadputhisarmaround
Delia and pul ed her close, so that she fit nicely under his arm. They looked good together, the tal
darkmanandtheprettylittle

blondwoman.Hesighed,rememberinghisownyouthfulmarriage.Hedidmisshiswife,hethought,
and looking at the couple before him made the ache even deeper. How lucky they were, to have a
wholelifetimetogethertolookforwardto.Chris,unawareoftheshopkeeper'soughts,pulledDelia
evencloserastheypausedatthepassengersideoftheautomobile.Hetiltedhersoftroundchinup
withhisfingertipsandsearchedherconfusedgrayeyes.Theyweresoftassummerrain,hethought,
oblivioustoeverythingaroundthem.Shehadaheartthesizeofthewholeworld,andshefeltsoright
inhisarms.Helookeddownatherbowofamouth,pinkandprettyandjustslightlyparted.Itwould
bestupidtodowhathewasthinking.Herealizedthat,evenashisheadbentandhismouthfastened
gentlyontothoselovelypinklips.Theywereeverybitassoftashe'dimagined,andtheywerejust
faintlyunsteadyunderthegentlepressure.Hehesitated,liftingabreathawaytoseewhatshewanted.
Herfingerswereagainsthisthinshirt,barelytouching,andthenopening,pressingagainsthischest.
Thetinymovementwasaltheencouragementheneeded.Hebentagain,andthistimethepressurewas
neithertendernorbrief.

Deliafeltherheartstopinherchestashisarmcontractedandbroughthermuchtooclosetohistal,
fitbody.Hismouthwaswarmandhardanddevastatinglyexpert.Hedidthingstoherlipsthatshe'd
neverexperiencedwithanyoneelse,arousingthingsthatmadehermoan.

Thesoundbroughthimoutofthetrancehe'dfalleninto.Heliftedhishead,breathingalittleroughly,
andlookedintoherturbulent,shockedeyes.

"Youdon'tknowmuchaboutkissingforawomanyourage,"hesaid,withnoexpressionwhatsoever
inhislean,handsomeface.

Sheswallowedandtriedtosteadyherbreath."Itoldyou..."

"Kissing won't get you pregnant," he continued relentlessly. "Not even openmouthed kissing. You
don'tlikeitatall,doyou?"

Shefeltalltoomuchonthedefensive,gaucheanduntried.Sheglaredupathimfromeyesthatwere
stilhalfshocked."It'sapublicstreet!"shesaidonanervouslaugh.

"Yes,Iknow,andonaprivateone,you'd

have fought me," he said flatly. He eased her away, inch by inch. He was scowling, quiet, almost
grim.Therewasalookinhereyes,inherface,thatdisturbedhim.

"Shouldn'twe...go?"sheaskedbreathlessly.

"Probably,"heagreed.Heopenedthedoorandseatedherbeforehewentaroundthebonnetandgotin
beside her. His lean hand hesitated on the switch. "Someone forced you," he commented, staring at
her.Hereyelidsflinched."Wereyouraped?"

Sheshivered."Please..."

"Wereyouraped?"

Sheloweredhereyestoherlap."Not...quite."

"Someoneyouknew?"

"My fiance," she said dully. "When I broke the engagement two days before the wedding, because I
caughthimwithoneofmybridesmaidsattheweddingrehearsalsupper.Hewasmissingduringthe
toast. I stepped outside to look for him, and I found him, and her, in the back seat of his car." She
sighed.Itfeltgood,somehow,totelsomeonethetruth.Shehadn'tbeenabletotalkaboutitwithher

grandfather. ' 'He took me home. Grandad was out that evening, and when I told Bruce I wouldn't
marry him, he was furious and tried to have his way with me. Luckily, he backed down. He said I
wouldn'tgiveout,sohefoundsomebodywhowould,anditwasjustaswelthatIwasbreakingthe
engagementbecausehedidn'twanttospendhislifetryingtogetmearoused."

Thepaininhervoicesoftenedhim.Hestaredatherquietly.Afteraminute,hisfingersliftedtoher
shorthairandtouchedit,lightly."Sometimespeoplefallintorelationshipsbecausethey'relonely,or
frightened.Butmarriagehastohaveaphysicalaswelasanemotionalfoundation.Didyoueverwant
him?"Sheshiftednervously."Not...thatway."

''Thenitwouldhavebeenadisasterifyou'dmarriedhim.Surelyyouknowthatnow?"

She turned her head and looked at him. She seemed unusually vulnerable. "Al that...is wrong," she
said."Isn'tit?Imean,aftermarriageyou'resupposedto,butoutsidemarriageyou..."

Hishandstilled."Don'ttellme.Youwereraisedbymissionaries."

Hewasbeingfacetious,buthedidn'tknowhowclosetothetruthhewas.

"Yes,myparentsweremissionaries,"sheagreed,wide-eyed."Howdidyouknow?"

Chapter3

Chrissmiledruefullyafterthesurpriseworeoff."Well,well,"hemurmured."Sothat'sit."

"Iguessyou'veforgottenmoreaboutlovethanI'lleverlearn,"shemused.Sheshrugged.

"ItoldyouIwasadeadbustasamodemwoman."

"No,you'renot,"heargued."You'vegotpotential,"headdedinadeep,sensuoustone."Allit
needsisdeveloping."

"Areyouvolunteering?"sheaskedwithawrysmile.

He tugged on a lock of her hair. "Don't tempt me. We've got enough complications without
addingthattothem.Tansy,remember?"

Shegrimaced."Sorry."

"Noharmdone,"hesaidwithachuckle.Heletgoofherhairandcrankedthecar.

"Firstwe'llfindTansyandsolveherproblems.Thenwe'llhavetimetodevotetoourown."

"Idon'thaveaproblem."

He gave her a look of mild astonishment. "You don't like French kisses, and you don't think
that'saproblem?"

Sheglaredathim."Itisn't!"

Hesmiledslowly."SeewhatImean?"

Shedecidedthatitwouldbebestifsheignoredhim,soshetrieditforthefiveminutesittookto
gettothemanorhouse.

"This is where things get a little sticky," he said thoughtfully, as they sat at the closed gates
wherethreecarloadsofreporterswerecampedout.

"Can'tyouusethephoneoverthereandtellherwe'relostandneeddirections?"shesuggested.

"That wouldn't work. I'll guarantee every one of these newshounds has already tried that angle. I
suppose the direct approach is always the best one." He got out of the car, smiled genial y at the
reportersasheworkedhiswaypastthem,andpickedupthetelephoneatthegate.Hespokesoftlyso
thatthereporterscouldn'thearhim.Afteraminutehenodded,putthephonedown,andgotbackinthe
carwithDelia.

"She'ssendingamandownforus.IdescribedthecarI'mdriving,"Christoldher.

"Whatdidyousaythatgothertoopenthegates?"sheasked,astonished.

"IsaidthatIwasarelationoftheDukeofMarlboroandIneededtospeaktoherurgentlyabouther
latehusband."

"Andshebelievedyou?"

Hechuckled.''Asithappens,weknoweachother,"headmitted."Ididn'trealizeshe'dmarried,which
iswhyIdidn'trecognizeherasLadyHarvey.IknewherasjustplainClot-hildeElmore."

Deliawasimmediatelyjealousanduncomfortable.Hedidn'tsaythatthewomanwasanoldlover,but
sheprobablywas.Shehatedthe

thoughtofthoseotherwomen,andthatwasdangerous.Shehadtorememberthatshewashereona
job,andnottotrytocatchtheeyeofthisreformedrake—ifhewasreformed,whichshedoubted.

"Whatareyougoingtotellherwhenwegettothehouse?"shepersisted.

Hestaredatheramusedly."You'rethereporter.Hadn'tyoubetterstartformulatingsomehard-nosed
questions?"

"IguessIhad,"sheagreed,andpuledoutherpad.

He covered her hand with his before the other reporters got a look at it. "Not here," he said softly.
"Theycan'tknowwe'reinfiltrating."

"Oh.Sure."Sheputthepadup."I'lljustdoitmentally."

Helookedasifhehaddoubtsaboutthat,buthedidn'tsayanotherword.Inafewminutes,asmalcar
withtwopassengersshotdownthedriveway.OnemancametoChris'scarandclimbedintheback.
Theothermanopenedthegate.Chrisshotthroughtheopeningbeforethereporterscouldpushtheir
way

through.Thegateclosedtoachorusofjeersandcatcalsfromthefrustratedonlookers.

"Neat,that,"Chrismusedashefollowedtheothercarupthelongdriveway.

"Damnedvultures,"themaninthebackseatmutteredinathickCockneyaccent.

"Poor Lord Harvey not even buried, and all this going on. The poor old man. He did so hate
publicity."

"SomethingIsharewiththelatelord,"Chrismuttered.

Themaninthebackseattookagoodlookatthedriverintherearviewmirror."Iknowyou,"hesaid
suddenly."You'rethatDeverelfromAmerica,theonewhowascaughtinbedwith..."

"Nevermind,"Chrissaidicily."That'spasthistory."

"Well,sureitis,guv,butyoumustknowhowherladyshipfeelsnow,"headded.

"IndeedIdo,"Chrisreplied.

"She'l be glad of company. Had to live like a hermit these past two days, what with the inquisition
fromtheYardandall."Heshookhishead."Pooroldman,pooroldlord,"

hesaidsadly,"nakedasajaybirdandfloatingin

theriver,allthosepeopletakingpicturesofhim.Hewassostately,suchagentleman....Deverell,"he
repeatedsuddenly,staringatChrisharder."You'reherson!

Itwasyourmotherkilledthepooroldman!"

"Mymotherwon'tkillaflyonhersalad,"Chrissaidwithutterdisgust."Shemaybealicensedlunatic,
butshe'snomurderess."

Themanlookedvaguelyplacated."Yousureofthat?"

"I'dstakemylifeonit.IfLordHarveywasmurdered,mymotherdidn'tdoit."

"Hadtobemurder,don'tyousee,"cametheheavyreply."Hadabruisethesizeofmyfistontheside
ofhishead.Hedrowned,buthewasunconsciouswhenhedrownedtheysay."

"Hewashitontherightsideofhishead,too,wasn'the?"Chrisaskedcarelessly.

"Surewas.Rightatthetemple.Theblowwassoharditbroketheskull.Sorry,miss,"

headdedwhenhesawDeliagowhite.

Chrisglancedather."Itoldyouthatyouweretoosoftforthesortofworkyoudo,didn'tI?"heasked
bluntly.

"Whatsortofworkdoesshedo,then?"thepassengerasked.

"She'stryingtomakeitasacrimenovelist,"Chrisliedwithastraightface."Butshegetssickather
stomachwhenshehastoreadaboutrealcrimes.Ithinksheshouldwritepoliticalthrillers,myself."

"That's my sort of book," the passenger said smugly. "Politics is the most interesting thing I know
about.Notthatmostofwhatyoureadinthepapersisthetruth.

No,sir."

"I'llagreewiththat,havingbeenavictimofthegutterpressmyself,"Chrissaid.

"It'snotallgutterpress,"Deliafeltcompelledtosay.

"No,therearesomegoodjournalists,"Chrisagreed."Butthen,theydon'twriteforthetabloids!"

WhichleftDeliawithoutacomeback.Shestaredatthegraystonemanorhousewithrealinterest.It
was the closest she'd ever been to affluence on this scale. The place was surrounded by landscaped
lawnsandgardens,evenafountainwherethedrivewaycircledthehouse.Therewasanelegantporch
withflower

urnseverywhere,andahugegarageandtenniscourtandswimmingpoolintheback.

"Nicegardens,aren'tthey?"thepassengersaid.''ThelateLordHarveywasanavidgardener,always
putteringoutthere,hewas."

"My mother has the same passion," Chris said, "although she rarely stays home long enough to
indulgeit.Shelivedoverheresomeyearsago,whenIwasinboardingschool."

"YouhaveEnglishties,guv?"

"I'macousintotheDukeofMarlboro."

"Well,I'llbe!"

"Andacousintotherulingroyalfamilyaswell,"headdedonachuckle."Soyousee,GreatBritain
isn'tsoforeigntomeafteral."

"Ishouldsaynot,sir!"

They pul ed up at the front door and the passenger got out quickly to help Delia from the smal
automobile,smilingathershythanks.

"I'll put the car around back for you, sir," the passenger said, taking the keys. "Just give us a ring
whenyou'rereadytoleave.Right-o,then."

A butler answered the door and escorted Delia and Chris into the elegant, antique-furnished living
room, where the mourning Lady Harvey lay sprawled across the sofa in a gauzy rainbow-colored
loungedressthatwouldhaveprobablyfinancedtheentireannualbudgetofaThirdWorldarmy.

Chris introduced himself, naming Delia as his traveling companion with a finesse that made her
blush.LadyHarveyextendedherwhitearmandalowedChristokissherknuckleswithacontinental
air.

"Sonicetomeetyou,"theformerClothildeElmoredrawledinaculturedaccent."I'minmourning,
youknow,butIlookterribleinblack.Dositdown."

"I'msorryaboutyourhusband,"Chrissaid.

She waved a hand. "He was in his early seventies, you know, and his health was failing," she said
languidly.''NotthatIwon'tmisshim,ofcourse,buthewassomucholderthanI."

Thatwasdebatable,Deliathought.Thewomanhadobviouslyhadseveralface-lifts,butherthroatand
handsshowedhertrueage,andshewasnospringchicken.

"I'mlookingformymother,"Chriscontin-

ued."Iunderstandthatshe'simplicatedinthehomicide."

"Homicide?Whathomicide?"LadyHarveyexclaimed,sittingstraightupwithahandtoherthroat.

"Butthetabloids..."Deliabegan.

LadyHarveyburstoutlaughing,althoughmerewasanoddflushinherface."GoodLord,Ihadno
idea they were spreading such drivel. Harvey was waterski ng in the lake day before yesterday. He
came loose, hit his head on the stern of the boat your mother was driving, and drowned. That's all
thereistoit."

Chrisalmostfelloverwithrelief."ThankGod!"

"I cannot imagine how anyone could construe this as anything other than a tragic accident," she
continued curtly. "What motive would your mother have to murder him anyway? They were old
friends through her late husband. The three of them were great pals, although they stopped
correspondingwhenCecilandImarried,ofcourse.Ihadnothingincommonwithsuchhijinks,quite
honestly.Yourmotherwasalwaysinthemiddleofsomeoutrageouscircumstance."

"Shedoesn'tknowanyotherwaytolive,"Chrisagreed.Hescowled."Butifthere'snohomicide,why
ismymotherbeingsought?"

LadyHarvey waved ahand. "I haveno idea. The policequestioned her, andmyself, and went away.
Myattorneytelsmethatthereisnoevidenceoffoulplayandnofurtherinvestigationiswarranted."

"ThenI'vemadeatripfornothing,"hesaidwithasmileashegottohisfeet"I'mverygratefultoyou.
Butyousayyouhavenoideawheremymothermightbe?"

"None whatsoever, she left the country just after the police came, or so I heard. She didn't tel me
whereshewasgoing."Shethoughtforaminute."Bainbridgemightknow.

SheandCecilwerefriendswithhimaswell.Yes.YoumighttryLordBainbridge.Helivesjustdown
theroad,anyonecandirectyou."

"Thank you. You've been most gracious, and at such a trying time," Chris said, bending to kiss her
handagain.

"Oh,nottoworry,I'mgratefulforthecompany.Thosedreadfulreporterswon'tgoaway,Godknows
why."

'They'ltireeventualyandworrysomeoneelse,"Chrisassuredher."Goodday."

Thecarwasbroughtaroundbythesamemanwho'daccompaniedthemtothemanorbouse.Hewaved
themoff,thegateswereopened,andChrisandDeliadrovethroughthemassedpresscorps.

"Waitjustaminute,please,"Deliaaskedashestartedtopulloutintothemainroad.Shemotionedtoa
womanjournalistandroledthewindowdown.

"She says that there was no murder, and that Scotland Yard has determined that it was an accidental
death,"shetoldthebrunette."Ifthat'sso,whyareyouallstillouthere?"

"Shesaidthat?"thejournalistasked."It'snewstous.Wehadwordthismorningthataccidentaldeath
hasbeenruledoutandmurderchargesarependingagainstawomannamed..."Shepuledoutherpad
andread,"TansyDeverell,anAmerican."

"ShesaidthatLordHarveywaswaterski-ing,fellandhithisheadontheboat'ssternanddrowned,"
Deliapersisted.

"Hewasknockedunconsciouswithabluntobjectsuspectedtobeasilvercanehead,"

the

womanreplied."Mrs.Deverellwasknowntopossesssuchacane.Thepolicehaveitnow.AndLord
Harveywasfoundintheriver,notinalake,starknaked."

"Idon'tunderstandanyofthis,"Deliasaidheavily.

"Neither do we. But her ladyship up there stands to inherit ten mil ion pounds, and even with
inheritancetax,that'sabundle.Furthermore,she'smixedupwithsomeblokefromamilitantworkers'
party—"Shestoppeddead."Whoareyou?"

"I'manAmericanjournalist,"Deliasaidhonestly."MypapersentmeheretoseewhatIcoulddigout.
Well,yousee,Mrs.DeverellisanAmerican."Shelettheimplicationsinkin.

"Isee.Wouldn'tknowsomethingabouther,wouldyou?"thewomanaskedcagily.

"Justthatshehasclaimedtohavebeenkidnappedbyaliensonce,andasheikhtriedtoaddhertohis
harem."

The woman journalist laughed delightedly. "Thanks! She doesn't sound like a murderess, does she?
Whatadelightfuloldbird!Iwishshewasmymum."

"SodoI,"Deliasaid."Thanks."

"You,too!"

ChrisdroveoffwhileDeliawasclosingthewindow."Youdidn'thavetobesoforthcoming!"

"Yes,Idid.Shegavemeinformation,Igaveherinformation.We'reeven."Sheglancedathim,saw
thelinesofstrain."Istilldon'tthinkshedidit,evidenceornoevidence.I'dliketoknowmoreabout
thisblokefromtheworker'sparty."

"YoulookedrelievedwhentheysaidtheMPwashitontherightsideofthehead.

Why?"sheaskedcuriously.

Hegrinned."BecauseTansyisleft-handed.Let'sgoseeBainbridge.Maybehecanclearsomeofthe
detailsupforus."

LordBainbridgecould,anddid.HewasnofriendofLadyHarvey,butheknewquiteabitabouther.

He brushed back his thick white mustache and leaned his bulk back in his huge armchair by the
fireplace."Tramp,sheis,beggingyourpardon,ma'am,"hetoldDelia.

"Nothing but a tramp. I warned Cecil about her, but he was so obsessed with her beauty that he
wouldn't

restuntilhe'dmarriedher.Face-liftsandtummytucksandwarpaintandpadding,that'sallshewas,
withamercenaryeye.Allofuscouldseeit.Nowshe'skilledhimandshe'llblamepoorTansytosave
herself."

"Tansyisn'takiller,"Chrissaidcurtly.

"Iknowthat.Weallknowthat.Butshe'stheprimesuspect.Itseemsherladyshiphasanironcladalibi.
Shewasgivingaspeechatachildren'sbenefitatthetimeCecildied."

"Nobodycanbethatpreciseaboutthetimeofdeath,"Deliasaidflatly."Especiallyifhisbodywasin
thewaterforanylengthoftime.Thewatertemperaturecoulddistortthetimeofdeathbyatleasttwo
orthreehours."

Heshookhishead."Hewaswearingawristwatchandapparentlyliftedhisarmtowardofftheblow.
Hiswatchfacewascrackedandstoppedatwhattheypresumewasexactlythetimeofdeath."

"Howconvenient,"Chrismuttered.

"Notconvenient.Planned,"Deliacountered."Anddevilishlyclever."

"IfonlyTansyhadn'trun,"Chrissaidheavily."It'smadeherlookguilty,evenifsheisn't."

"I don't think she ran," Lord Bainbridge confided. "I think she's been taken somewhere for
safekeepingsoshecan'ttellhersideofthestory.Ithinkshesawthemurder."

Twopairsofeyeswidened."Bywhom?"

"Byherladyship'sboyfriend,"theoldmansaid."TonyCartwright.He'sayoungstreettoughwitha
loudmouthandafollowing.Heheadsoneofthemilitantgroupsthatwantstoousttherulingparty.
He'sbeentossingmoneyaroundlikecornflakesjustlately,andhehasnovisiblemeansofsupport.
MyguessisthatLadyHarveyhasbeenfundinghimandherhusbandfoundoutandmadethemistake
ofconfrontingherwithit.Ormaybeheevencaughtthemtogetherinacompromisingsituation.Cecil
wasneveronetokeephismouthshut.He'dhavegoneinheadfirst"

"Anddiedforit,"Chrissupposed.Hiseyesnarrowed."Whatcanwedo?"

"MysuggestionwouldbetohireaprivatedetectiveandhaveTonyandherladyshipwatched,"came
the immediate reply. "In fact, I have just the man for you. He was with In-terpol for a while, and
beforethat,rumorhas

it,theSAS.He'scostly,buthe'swortheverypenny.Icanputyouintouch,ifyoulike."

"What'shisname?"

LordBainbridgesmiled."YoucancallhimSeth."

"Doeshehaveanoffice?"

LordBainbridgeshookhishead."Hedoesalotofhush-hushgovernmentwork,asafreeagent.He
takestheoccasionalprivatecase,ifitinterestshim.Frankly,hedoesn'tneedthemoneyanymore."

"Youthinkhe'lltakethiscase?"Chrisasked.

Theoldmannodded."Ithinkso.LetmehavethenameofyourhotelandI'laskhimtocontactyou
tonight."

Chrisletoutalongbreath."You'vetakenaloadoffmymind.Mymotherisalunatic,butIloveher."

"Manyofushave,andlosther,"theoldmansaidwistfully."Yes,evenme.Youhavenoideawhata
beauty she was fifty years ago. I met her in Madrid one summer and never got over her. I'd do
anythingIcouldtohelpher."

"DoesLadyHarveyknowthat?"

Heshookhisheadandchuckled."Doubt

she'd have sent you to me if she had. She thinks I was best friends with her husband and might feel
vengeful.I'msureshethoughtI'dslamthedoorinyourface.Toughluckforher,"headdedgrimly.

DeliaandChristhankedtheoldsoldierandwentbacktotheirLondonhotel.

ChriswasdejectedasheleftDeliaatherdoor.''I'lphoneyouifSethgetsintouchwithme,"hesaid.
"Try to get some rest. I don't know where this will lead us, but I hope Lord Bainbridge was wrong
aboutTansybeingheldprisoner.Thiswholedamnedthingiscrazy!"

"Most crimes are, but they make great sense to the perpetrators." She put a soft hand up to his lean
cheek."Trynottoworry.Itwillbeallright."

Histeethclenched.Hecaughtherbytheupperarmsandpuledhertohim."Idon'tknowhowI'dhave
gottenthroughthedaywithoutyou,"hesaidhuskily,andbenttohermouth.

Thewordssoftenedherasmuchastheslow,sweetkisshepressedonheropenlips.Shegaspedand
hisownlipsopened,pressingdeeper.Hemadeasoundunderhisbreathandhishandsletgoofher

armstocatchherhipsandpulthemdeliberatelyintohis.

Shepulledaway,breathless."It's...public,"shestammered.

He was having trouble getting his own breath. She was delightful, pretty and sweet and intelligent.
He'dlookedatwomenasacquisitionsuntilthewreck.Nowhesawwhathe'dbeenmissingformostof
his life—a woman with a heart. Perhaps he had to grow old enough to appreciate what was inside
insteadofoutside.

Hecaughtbothherhandsinhisandliftedthemtohislips."You'reatreasure,"hesaidquietly."Thank
youforcomingtoEnglandwithme."

"Wel,Ididn'thavealotofchoice,remember,"shestammered,becausethekisshadshakenher.

Hechuckled."Soyoudidn't."Thesmilefaded."Goingtostay?I'llsendyoubackhomeifyoureally
wanttogo."

"Oh,no,notyet,"shesaidquickly."Wehavetoclearyourmotherfirst!"

He was tracing the simple silver-and-turquoise ring she wore on her right middle finger. "Did you
meanwhatyousaid,aboutlikingTansyforamother?"

Shenodded."Ibarelyremembermymom.Shewasalwaysawaywithdadsomewhere.

Weneverreallykneweachother.NotlikeIknowGrandad,anyway.He'smybestfriend."

"I'dliketomeethimwhenwegohome,"hesaidsincerely."Hemustbeonespecialguy."

"Heis."Shesearchedhiseyeswithherwarmgrayones."Soareyou,"sheaddedsoftly.

Hiseyesweresmilingnow,aswellashismouth.Helookedupanddownthehallandthenbentand
kissed her once more, briefly and tenderly. "I'll take you down to dinner when they open the
restaurant,"hesaid."Wearsomethingpretty."

She laughed uninhibitedly. "It'll have to be this," she indicated her beige pantsuit. "I didn't bring a
dress."

Hecockedaneyebrow."Sizeten?"

Shegasped."Youroue!"sheaccused.

Heshrugged."WhatcanIsay?Ispentalotofyearsasaplayboy.Guessingsizesisonlyonefacetof
myenormousstoreofknowledge."Hegaveherawickedgrin."I'llhavethemsendsomethingover."

"Lookhere,youcan'tbuyclothesforme,"shesaidatonce."PeoplewilthinkI'makeptwoman!"

''Nobody,anywhere,couldlookatyouandthinkthat,"hesaidflatly."Youdon'thavethehardedges
ofanybody'smistress."

"Whathardedges?"

"Sophistication,"hesaid."It'snotasalluringastheglossymagazinesmakeitouttobe.It'sartificial
andcold."Hesearchedhereyes."You'reawarm,welcomingfireonacoldandrainynight."

Hereyebrowswentup.

"Toocorny?"heaskedwithaflashofwhiteteeth."I'lworkonmyapproachbeforedinner.Consider
the dress a loan, a stage prop. We wouldn't want people to think we were trailing a murderer, now
wouldwe?Afterall,wehavenocredentialsandnopermissiontointerfereinthecase."

"She'syourmother,"shesaidquietly."Youhaveeveryright."

Hetracedhersmal,straightnose."Stilgoingtosmearherinthepress?"

"Don'tbesilly,"shereplied."Ionlywanttotellthetruth."

"Youreditorwon'tlikeit."

"Some editor, somewhere, wil ," she said. "Integrity is and should be part of every journalist's
makeup.Iwon'tslanderanyoneforastory."

"NowonderIlikeyou."

Hekissedthetipofhernoseandsaunteredoffdownthehall.

Shewatchedhimgowithmixedemotions.Sheknewhe'dbeenaplayboy,thatheknewaltoomuch
aboutwomen.Buthewasattractiveandsensitiveandhehadawonderfulsenseofhumor,eventhough
hewasworriedabouthismother.Thatconcernwasjustasalluringashissmileandcharm.Herealy
cared about Tansy, and he was willing to take chances to save her. No wonder women fell over
themselvestogettohim.Shewasonthevergeofitherself.

Sheunlockedherdoorwiththecardkeyandsteppedinside.Andjustasshecloseditbackagain,a
shadowyfigurerosefromthesofainthesuite'ssittingroomandcametowardher.

Chapter4

"Whoareyou?"Deliaaskedatonce,herhandstillonthedoorknob.

Themancamecloser.Hehaddarkhairandeyesandafaintlyforeignlook.Hetiltedhisheadtoone
sideandstudiedher,fromhershort,wavyblondhairtohersmallfeet."I'llaskthequestions,"hesaid.
"WhyareyoulookingforTansyDeverell?"Shehesitated.

"HowdidyouknowIwas?""YouarrivedthismorningwithChristopherDeverel.Iknowofhim,and
Iknowhisangleinthis—she'shismother.Idon'tknowyours."

"I'majournalist,"shesaid."IgetanexclusiveinterviewifIcanhelpfindher."

Hestudiedhernarrowlyforseveralseconds."IdidsomeresearchonyouandDeverelbeforeIcame
over.TansyDeverel'shusband—andthefatherofhertwosons—wasinMoroccoduringWorldWar
II,"hesaid."HesavedthelifeofayoungArabwhowasspyingfortheFrenchresistance."

"That'sveryinteresting,butwhatdoesithavetodowithTansy?'sheasked.

He moved into the light, and she could see the foreign look of him. "That young Arab was my
grandfather," he said. "Ordinarily I don't get mixed up in high-profile cases, and Deverel wouldn't
havehadenoughmoneytobuymyhelp.ButI'ltakethecasebecauseofDeverell'sfather.Iowethe
familyafavor."

"Whoareyou?"sheaskedbelatedly.

"Oh,youcancallmeSeth,"herepliedcarelessly.

Hereyebrowswentup."LordBainbridgetoldusaboutyou."

"Not much, I'l wager." He moved back to the phone and with economical, graceful ease, lifted the
phoneandcalledChris."I'min

Delia'sroom,"hesaidwhenChrisanswered.Hehungup.

Itdidn'ttakeChristwominutestosprintthedistancefromhisroomtohers.Hewasadmittedatonce,
andhegaveSethacalculatingscrutinywhileheheldontoDelia'ssmallhand.

Sethnotedtheprotectiveattitudeandsmiled."Shewasperfectlysafe,"heassuredChris."Ineverhurt
women."

"Whydidyoucometoher,andnottome?"Chriswantedtoknow.

"Idon'tknowyoupersonally.ButIknowofyou,"herepliedwithafaintsmile.

"AndIknowofyourfather,"hereplied."Hesavedmyfather'slifeduringWorldWarII.

Smallworld."

"Very,"Chrisagreed.

Sethmovedbackintotheroomandtoatraythatwassittingonthetablebythewindow.

"Iorderedhightea.Helpyourselves."

Theyjoinedhimatthetable,warily.

Hesatbackwithasconeinonehandandacupofteaintheother,studyingthemwhiletheysugared
theirowntea.

"That'sbadforyou,"heremarked."Sugaristhecurseofthetwentiethcentury.Emptycalories."

"Lifewithoutsugarisnolifeatall,"Deliasaidwithagrin."Sorry."

He glanced at Chris as he sipped tea. ' 'Your mother is being held by some cronies of Tony
Cartwright's," Seth said abruptly. "They've got her in a garage on the Manchester road, and they've
just become desperate fugitives. Lady Harvey cal ed a press conference twenty minutes ago to
publiclyblamethemurderonTony,viathepresscampedoutsidehermanorhouse.Herstoryisthat
Tonykiledandrobbedtheoldmanandthenplannedtosayshediditbecauseherhusbandwasgoing
todivorceherandshe'dloseherinheritance.

TonygotwindofitandsnatchedTansy,whohasfriendsinhighcirclesinGreatBritain,touseasa
hostage. They plan to turn her over to the police in return for an airplane to fly them out of the
country."

Chriscursedunderhisbreath."Dothepoliceknowaboutthis?"

"Notyet,"Sethsaideasily."ButtheyhaveaccesstothesamesourcesIusedtogettheinformationand
they'llfindoutwhatTony's

uptoveryshortly.Meanwhile,LadyHarvey,havingfreedherselffromherhusbandandhergreedy
lover is busily making plans to stash her inheritance in Swiss bank accounts before it can be
enjoined."

"Whatabouttheinheritancetax?Surelysheusesbanks,"Chrisprotested.

"Shedoes—banksintheBahamas.Asharplittlelady,indeed,nolooseendsexceptTansy,andshe's
arrangedthingssothatTonywilbetakingcareofthatone."Hefinishedhissconeandleanedforward
abruptlywiththecupinhishands."Youknowthey'llkillherwhentheygetwhattheywant,don'tyou?
Hissortdoesn'ttakechances."

Chris had already guessed that. His face set in grim lines. "Damn them all," he said in a deep, low
undertone."InevercheatedorthreatenedanyonetogetwhereIam,andIdidn'tinheritallthatmuchto
beginwith."

Sethnodded."Iknow."Hepursedhislipsandstudiedtheyoungermanquietly.Helookedhard.His
eyeswerelikeblackcoals."Icantellthepoliceallthis,includingwheretofindTansy,ifthat'swhat
youwant."

Chrisstaredathimlevelly."There'sanalternative,"heguessed.

Sethnodded."Myself,twomen,youandDelia."

ChrisglancedatDelia."I'llgo.Sheshouldn't.Thisisn'therfight."

Shegavehimherbestglare."Igo,"shesaidshortly."ItwouldbethebeststoryIeverwrote!"

"Maybethelast,too,"Chrissaid.Hedidn'tliketothinkofDeliaindanger.

"TellhimIcango,"DeliasaidtoSeth.

Sethshrugged."YoucanasfarasI'mconcerned.YoutwowilldomylegworkformewhileIsetup
thehit."

"Youwon'tshootanybody?"Deliaasked.

"That'suptothecaptors.Iftheyshoot,weshootback,"hesaidwithfinality."I'mnotriskingmymen's
lives."

"IthoughtpeopleinEnglandweren'tallowedtocarryguns,"Deliapointedout.

"Mostpeoplearen't.Somepoliceandotheragenciesdo."HemetChris'ssolemngaze.

"I'llclearitwiththerightpeoplebeforeIgoin,"hesaid."I'mnotanoutlaw,incasethat'swhatyou
werethinking.Ialwaysworkwithin

thelawwheneverpossible.Especiallyinthiscountry,"headdedwithasmile.

"Allrightthen.DeliaandIwilldowhateveryouneed.Nameyourprice,"Chrissaid."I'llmortgage
everythingIownifthat'swhatittakestogetTansyback."

Theothermanstudiedhimlikeazoospecimen."That'sunusualthesedays,didyouknow?"

heasked."Mostwouldratherhavethemoney."

"Tansy'sworthherweightinit,"Chrissaidsimply."Evenifsheisaroyalpainintheneckfromtime
totime."Hechuckledsoftly."Atleastshe'sneverboring."

Sethlaughed.Heputdownhiscupandstoodup."It'sbeenapleasure.I'llbeintouchassoonasI've
workedthingsout.Stickclosetothehotelforthenextday.I'llhavetogetafewthingstogetherand
contactmymen."

"Willdo.Butwhataboutthepayment?"Chrisasked.

"Theransom,youmean?"

Chrisfrowned."That,too,butImeantyourfee."

"Oh,that.I'llsettleforhighteaattheRitz,atyourconvenience,"hesaid."Noskimpingonthecream
andbutter,either,"headdedwithaliftedfinger."First-class."

Chrislookedatthemanasifhewerecrazy."Hightea?"

Seth shrugged. "I love high tea. I can't get enough of it. I've already got more money than I like to
have."HeglancedatDeliaandsmiled."ThesedaysItakecasesonlywhentheyinterestme.You'rea
dish."

"Thankyou,"shesaid,flushing.

Hesighed."Iloveblondes,"hemurmured.HeglancedatChriswryly."Pityshedidn'tseemefirst."
Henoddedandwentoutoftheroomassilentlyasabreathofair.

"Whataveryoddman,"Deliaexclaimedwhenhewasgone.

"Ihopewecantrusthim,"Chrismurmured."AlthoughIdon'treallyseethatwehaveachoice.Tansy's
safetyhastobemyfirstconcern."

"Whatdoyousupposehe'llaskustodo?"shewondered.

Hegotupandwenttothewindow,tostaredownatthebusystreetbelow."Ataguess,he'llwantusto
gotothehideoutposingasacoupleoflosttourists.Itmightjustwork.

Whilewe'vegotthemdistractedatthefrontdoor,heandhismencangointheback."

Delia leaned forward with her forearms across her knees. "I just can't believe people would do
somethingthisvileformoney."

"Theymightnot,ordinarily.LadyHarveyseemstobeplayingbothendsagainstthemiddle.Nohonor
amongthievesthere,I'llwager."Heturnedbacktoher."IhatetothinkofTansyinsuchhands."

"Iknow."Shegotupandwenttohim,hergrayeyessoftandcompassionateastheymethis."Butshe's
beeninalotofscrapesovertheyears.Ifanyonecancomeoutontop,it'syourmother.Theseguys
areamateurs.Yourmotherisaprofessionaltroublemaker."

Heforcedasmile.''Yes,sheis.Butthisisanewkindofsituation,evenforher.She'sdiabetic,"he
addedworriedly."Idon'tevenknowifshe'sgotherinsulintabletswithher."

"Shedoesn'ttakeinsulinshots?"

Heshookhishead."Forawhile,shedidn'tevenhavetohavepils,butshewouldn'tleavesugaralone.
Emotionalupsetsplayhavocwithhersugarlevels,andshewon'tbeeatingproperlyasacaptive."He
slammed one fist into the palm of the other hand. "I'd love to get my hands on those guys for five

minutes."

"We'llgetherout,"shesaidfirmly."Youhavetothinkpositively."

Helookeddownatherthroughamusedblackeyes."You'reatonic,"hemurmured.

"Arealtonic."

Shesmiled."Thanks."

He reached out and touched her wavy blond hair lightly. "I haven't thanked you for letting me drag
youintothis."Hewassolemnalatonce."Listen,ifthislookslikebeingdangerous,Iwantyouright
outofit.Iwon'triskyourlife,eventosaveTansy's."

She was taken aback by the unexpected, and touching, concern. She searched his face quietly. "You
mightnotbelieveit,butIcanhandlemyself,"

"Notifyougetinthewayofabullet,"heassuredher.

Sheliftedherthineyebrows."Haveyoueverbeenshotat?"

"Severaltimes,"hevolunteered.

"Inthearmy?"

Heshookhishead.

"How,then?"

"Ididabriefstintasamercenary,"heconfided."Backinmywildyouth,rightafterIgotoutofthe
service.IwasinbeforeDesertStorm.TheonlyserviceIsawwasinGermany,whereIhitasmany
nightclubsaspossible.AfterIgotout,Imetupwithsomecareersoldierswhowerehiredforalittle
jobinAfrica.Iwentalong."Heshookhishead."Onetasteofthelifewasenoughtoconvincemeit
wasn'tworththepriceitexacted.IsawthingsI'llneverbeabletoforget.WhenIcamehome,Iwent
wildforatime.Lifewassuddenlyshort,andIwasdeterminedtosqueezeeverydropofpleasureout
ofeachday."

Thatremindedheroftheplayboyhe'doncebeen."Youdidn'tholdlifeverydearuntilthen,didyou?"
sheaskedshrewdly.

He shrugged. "Not really," he agreed. "I didn't think very far ahead." His eyes were reflective as he
staredoutthewindow."Lookingback,itseemstomethatIdidn'thavemuchgraspoftheimportant
thingsevenafterAfrica.Ilivedfromdaytodayandburnedthecandleatbothends.Ifithadn'tbeen
forthe

wreck,Imightneverhavestrayedfromthatpath."

"I'msorryittookawrecktowakeyouup."

He sighed. "That makes two of us." He put his hands in his pockets and jiggled his loose change.
"Well,weseemtobestuckinthehoteltomorrow.Whatwouldyouliketodotopassthetime?"

"Wecouldinvestigatethegymfacilities,"sheoffered.''Inoticedonthewaydownintheelevatorthat
theyhaveahealthclubforvisitorshere."

"Ihadenoughphysicaltherapyafterthewreck,"hesaid."I'llpass."

"Theyhaveaswimmingpool,"shesaid.

Helookeduncomfortable."Idon'tswim."

Shegloweredathim."You'rejustmakingupexcuses.Ihappentoknowthatyouswimlikeafish.You
spentamonthatthatItalianactress'svillainRome,andyouswamwithhereveryday."

Hisblackeyesflashed."Yes.Idid.Thatwasbeforethewreck."

"Youmeanyoucan'tswimbecauseoftheinjuries?"sheasked,puzzled.

"Ican'tswimbecauseofthescars,"hesaid

throughhisteeth.''Thewreckwassobad,thecarhadtobecutaparttogetmeout."Headded,"AsI
mentionedearlier,Ihadinternalinjuriesaswellasexternalones,andtherearegashesonmystomach
andupperthighthatIdon'twantanyonetosee."

Shelookedupathimquizzically."Notevenme?"

Hehadn'tthoughtaboutherseeinghiswounds.Deliawasn'tlikesomewomenwhowouldhaveturned
awayoravertedhereyes.Shewouldn'tbeintimidatedbyafewscars.Whenshelookedathim,she
wouldn'tevenseethem.

"Ihaven'twornswimmingtrunkssincethewreck,"hemurmured.

"It'stimeyoudid.Afewlapsinthepoolwillbegoodforyou."Shegrinnedathim."Youcanteachme
howtoswim."

"Youdon'tknow?"heasked,aghast.

Sheshookherhead."Therewasneveranyonewhocouldteachme.Grandadcan'tswim,either."

"Didn'tyoutakeclasseswhenyouwereinschool?"

"Sure.Allsorts.Butnotswimming."

"Youshouldknowhow,"hesaidseriously."Itmightsaveyourlifeoneday."

"Thenteachmehow."

"Idon'twanttoswimaroundpeople,"hesaiddoggedly.

"Okay.Let'swaituntiltonight,justatbedtime,"shecoaxed.

Hestaredatheruneasily.Hedidn'tspeak.

"Thinkaboutit,"sheadded,andthenletthesubjectdrop.

Theyhadaleisurelysupperinthediningroom.Truetohisword,Chrishadboughtheralovelydress
to wear. Delia had a huge prawn cocktail, followed by Beef Wellington with exquisitely cooked
vegetablesandhomemadebreads.Thedesserttablewasalmostherun-doing.Shesatandstaredatit
foralongtimebeforeshedecidedwhattoorder.

Chris watched her with undisguised delight. She ate the same way she did everything else,
wholeheartedlyandwithoutinhibition.Whencoffeewasserved,shesatbackwithalongsigh.

"The food here is just delicious," she said fervently. "I can't remember when I've eaten anything so
wonderful."

"Ican'trememberwhenI'veenjoyedwatchingawomaneat,"hemurmureddryly.

"Overtheyears,mostofmydateshavefanciedrabbitfood."

Sheglowered."I'mnoteatingbeansproutsandtofuuntilIbreakascale,"sheinformedhim."Food
shouldbeapermissiblevice."

"Especialyatyourage,"heagreedwithachuckle.

"Youaren'tthatmucholderthanIam."

"Notchronologically,"hesaid."Butyou'realifetimebehindmeinotherthings."Hesmiledwithpure
cynicism."Youstillhaveillusions.Ilostmineyearsago."

"IhopeIneverdo,"shemurmuredasshetoyedwithhernapkin.''Ithinkthatonepersoncanmakea
differenceintheworld."

"AndIknowforafactthatseveralmillionpeoplehavetriedandfailed."

Shelookedupintohiseyes."Howdidyougetsocynical?"

"Ilivedinthefastlane,"hesaidwithanunfamiliarhardness."Yougrowupprettyfast."

Shesearchedhisblackeyescuriously."Tansywasmarriedfivetimes,yousaid."

Henoddedcurtly."Ourfatherwasmucholderthanshewas.Butthen,TansywasaboutfortywhenI
wasborn.Nobodythoughtshecouldgetpregnantanymore—especiallyTansy."

"Wassheagoodmother?"sheasked.

He shrugged. "She wasn't around much. When Dad was alive, I have a faint recollection of how he
tookherwithhimmostplaceshewentonbusiness.TheyspentagooddealoftimeinSpainwithhis
rich relatives, or in England with hers. Logan and I were pretty much raised by a succession of
housekeepersandgovernesses."

"Isyourbrotherlikeyou?"

"Oh,no,"hesaidwithasmile."Logan'sthesolemnone.Hewasalwaysresponsibleandmature.Iwas
thegadfly.Maybethat'swhyTansyandIgotalongsowel.Shesawherselfinme."Hiseyesdarkened.
"After Dad died, she went wild. She'd always been outgoing and cheerful, but she col ected and
discarded men like paper napkins. After she divorced the last one, she seemed to enjoy creating
scandals. Not that I can throw stones," he added in a soft, sensual tone. "I've done my share of
headlining."

"Shemusthavecaredforyourfatheragreatdeal,"Deliaobserved.

He frowned and then laughed hollowly. ' 'Amazing that you knew that at once. It took me years to
workitout."

It occurred to her belatedly that many of his stepfathers might not have liked a ready-made family.
"Thosestepfathers,weretheyveryhardtotake?"

Henodded."Forme,morethanforLogan.BythetimeTansyremarried,Loganwasoutonhisown.I
wasn't.EventuallyTansydecidedthatamilitaryschoolwouldbejustwhatthedoctorordered.Iliked
it,butIresentedTansytoomuchtostaythere.IjumpedshipafterthefirstyearandendedupinSpain
withoneofmyfather'sbrothers.Tansyletmealone.

Eventually I wandered back to the States, just in time to register for the draft. By then, the military
seemedasgoodachoiceasany,soIenlisted."

"Nobodycansayyourlifehasn'tbeeninteresting,"shepointedout.

Hechuckled."It'sbeenuseless,forthe

mostpart,"hereplied."Justlately,I'vebeenfeelingmyage.Makingmoneyisnice,butIwanttodo
somethingelse."Hiseyesheldafarawaylook."Iwanttobuildyachts.Racingyachts.It'sbeenadream
ofmineforyears,butI'veneverhadthecommitmenttotryit.

AfterspendingtimeinSpainthissummer,I'vealmostcometoadecision.Myfriendwhoracesinthe
America'sCupcompetitionshasofferedtogointopartnershipwithme.I'mverytempted."

"Youshouldfollowyourdreams,"shesaid

seriously.

Hesearchedherface."Doyouknow,I'mbeginningtothinkIhaveafewofthemleft."

Shesmiled."I'mglad."

Thepool,asDeliahadguessed,wasdesertedlateatnight.SinceChrisdidn'thaveswimmingtrunks,
hehadtobuyapair—buttheywereconservative,blackwithwhitestripesandaslongasboxershorts.
Despitethescarsthathewassoself-consciousabout,helookedgoodintrunks.Hisnaturalolivetan
madehiseyesandhairlookevendarkerthantheywere,andhisbodywasmuscularwithout

beingexaggerated.Deliafoundhimexcitingandhadtoforceherselfnottostare.

Shewaswearingaone-piececanaryyellowsuitthatoutlinedherhourglassfigureverywell.

"Notbad,MissLarson,"Chrisdrawled,givingherasensualappraisalthatmadeherkneesfeelweak.
"Notbadatall."

"Icouldsaythesamething,"shemurmuredwithashysmile.

Hemovedcloser,sothatshecouldseethethinwhitescarsthatcrisscrossedhisabdomenandwhatshe
couldseeofhisthighs."Couldyou?''heaskedwithfaintcynicism.

''Ifyouthinkafewscarswouldputwomenoffyou,you'renuts,"shesaidflatly."You'redevastating."

Hechuckled."Plainspeaking,andhereIthoughtyouwereshy."

"Iam,mostly.Butyou'recreatingaproblemthatdoesn'texist,"sheadded."Thescarshavefadedso
muchthatyouhavetolookclosetoseethem."Shesearchedhiseyes."Anditisn'tnoticeablethatyou
onlyhavevisioninoneeye,"shemurmured."I'msorryaboutthewreck.Butyou'restillthemanyou
were,aren'tyou?"

Hemovedevencloser."AmI?Let'ssee."

Before she could decide whether or not he was teasing, he bent and lifted her off the tile floor,
holdingherclosetohiswarmbody.

Shegrippedhisshouldershard."Youaren'tgoingtotossmein?"sheaskedworriedlyashemoved
closertotheedge.

"Iwasthinkingaboutit,"heconfessed.

"I'mafraidofdeepwater,"shetoldhim.

"Okay."Heputherdownatthestepsthatledintotheshallowendofthepool."Goatyourownspeed."

Shesmiled."Thanks."

She eased down into the cool water, feeling it absorb her like wet silk. She sighed and spread her
arms,enjoyingthefeelofit,butstillonherfeet.

Chrismovedclosetoherandliftedherarmsaroundhisneck."Iwon'tletyoudrown,"hepromised,

andstruckofftothedeeperwater."You'reanelementalperson,aren'tyou?"heaskedquietly."You're
sensual."

Shelaughednervously."I'veneverbeencalledthatbefore!"

Hedidn'tsmile.Hiseyeswerelockedwithhersashepausedatshoulderdepth,holdingherlightlyby
thewaistsoshedidn'tsink."I'msureyou'venevergivenyourselfmuchopportunitytofindout.It's
purelossofcontroltoletyoursensesgofree."Hebroughtherclose."Butit'stimeyoulearnedhow
sweetitis."

"Idon't..."

Hismouthcoveredhers,stoppingthewordsinthebackofherthroat.She'dbeenkissedbefore,but
Chriswasatotallynewexperience.Henibbledatherlips,teasedthemwithhistongue,savoredthem
untiltheypartedandbegantorespondshylytothelazyinsistenceofhiswarm,hardmouth.

Shemadeafeebleefforttosaveherself,pushinggentlyathisbroadshoulders,buthedidn'tstop.If
anything,hebecamemoredemanding.Onasoft,harshgroan,hishandswentdowntoherhipsand
pressed them firmly into the aroused contours of his own. He held the kiss, built it into something
devouringandfrightening.

Deliacriedoutsoftlyashishandsbecame

invasive,teasingundertheelasticatherlegstofindthesoftskinofherthighsandhips.

Heliftedhismouth.Hiseyeswereblackandhisbreathingwasn'tquitenormal.Hishandsliftedfrom
herthighs,buttheyslidupandkeptgoinguntiltheyfoundandcaressedherhigh,firmbreasts.

"Chris...!"shechoked.

Histhumbandforefingertestedthehardnessofasmallnipplewhilehesearchedhershockedeyes.
He bent and kissed her at the same time that his hand slid inside the deep V of the bathing suit and
foundsoftbareskin.Hisotherarmimpelledherevenclosertohisarousedbody.

Deliawasflying.Sheknewthatifshelivedtobeahundred,therewouldneverbeanothermoment
likethis, another manlike this. Hewas experienced, but itwasn't his waywith women that attracted
her.Itwaseverythingabouthim.

The sound of voices broke them reluctantly apart. He moved his hands back discreetly to her waist
andheldherthere,fightingforbreath,asapartyofpeoplecameouttothepoolareaandputdown
towelsanddrinksonnearbytables.

"What will you do," he asked softly, "if I suggest that we go back to my room and finish what we
started?"

Shesmiled."I'dsuggestthatyouteachmehowtoswiminstead."

Hechuckled."AsIsuspected.Well,dashmydreamstobits,whydon'tyou?"hemurmured."I'llnever
sleep."

"Youwillifyou'retiredenough,"sheassuredhim.Shemovedbackalittle."Comeon.

Teachme."

"Thisisn'twhatIwanttoteachyou,youlittleblondwitch,"hemuttered.

Shegrinned."Sureitis!Justthink,ImightmakeittotheOlympics,andyoucouldtelleveryonethat
youtaughtmeeverythingIknow."

Heletoutalong,wistfulsigh."Okay,youwin."Heshookhisheadashelookedather.

"Whatrawpotential."

Shemadeafaceathim."Swimming.Teachmeswimming."

"Wouldyoubelievethatyou'rethefirstwomanwhoeverturnedmedownflat?"

"There'safirsttimeforeverything,"sheassuredhim.

Heshookhisheadandmovedherintoapositiononherback."We'llbeginwithfloating,"

hesaid."Thiswillgiveyouconfidenceinthewater."

Itdidn't,atfirst.Butastheywentalong,shebegantofeellessintimidatedbythedeepwaterbeneath
her. The pool was lighted, and there were lamps on long poles all the way around it. Chris seemed
bothrelaxedandpleasedwithhercompany.Agorgeousbrunetteinthepartyofpeoplenearbyfound
himattractiveandtriedtoflirtwithhim.ToDelia'ssurprise,hecutheroffabruptlyandinsuchaway
thatshedidn'ttryitagain.

Astheyweregoingupintheelevatortotheirrooms,Deliastudiedhimfromthefoldsofherbeach
robewithcuriouseyes.

"Shewasgorgeous,youknow,"shetoldhim.

Hesearchedhereyes."You'regorgeous,"hereplied,andhewasn'tteasing."Insideandout.Afteryou,
Idon'tknowthatIcouldlookatanotherwoman."

Shecaughtherbreath."Isn'tthissudden?"

Henodded."Likelightningstriking.Youneverseeitcoming.Thenithits,andyourlifechanges."

"Changes,how?"sheaskedhesitantly.

"I'mnotsureyet."Hestudiedherovalfacequietly."Iwouldn'thavegoneintothewaterifyouhadn't
insisted,"hesaid."I'mgladyoudid.Idon'tlookasbadasIthought,apparently."

"Ofcourseyoudon't,"shescoffed."You'restilldevastatingtowomen,scarsandall."

"Inoticed,"herepliedwithaspeakingglanceatherbody.

Shefeltuneasy."Youaren'tangry?"

Hiseyebrowslifted."Atwhat?"

''Atme,fornotwantingtogobacktoyourroomwithyou."

Heonlysmiled."I'mdisappointed.I'mnotangry."Theelevatorstoppedandhecaughtherhandinhis
and held it until they reached her door. He turned to face her after she'd inserted the card key and
openedit."Ilikeyouthewayyouare,Delia,"hesaid."Old-fashionedhang-upsandall."

"I'mglad."

Hebentandkissedhergently."Getsomesleep.Ihaveafeelingwe'regoingheadfirstintothefirein
themorning."

"You,too,"shesaid.Shereachedupandbrushedbackalockofunrulydarkhairfromhisforehead.
Herheartwasinhereyes."Youneedsomeonetotakecareofyou,"shesaidquietly."Youdon'ttake
careofyourself."

Hisfingerstouchedhercheek."Youmighttakeonthejob,"hesaidsoftly."There'savacancy."

Shesmiled."I'lthinkaboutit.Goodnight.Sleepwell."

"You,too."

Hegaveheralonglastlookbeforehewanderedoffdownthehalinhisownbeachrobe,lookingas
elegantashedidinasuit.Deliawatchedhimuntilhewasoutofsight.Itoccurredtoherthatshewas
inlovewithhim.

Chapter5

Ihedaydawnedrainyanddreary.Deliaorderedbreakfastfromroomserviceandsatdownbyherself
toeatit.ShewasstillelatedfromthenightbeforeandanxioustoseeChris,toseeifheregrettedhow
farthingshadgonebetweenthem.

Herangthebelljustasshewasdrinkingasecondcupofcoffee.Shewenttolethimin.Hisdarkeyes
approvedthesoftyellowsuitshewaswearingwithalacywhiteblouseandwhitehighheels.

"Youlookelegant,"hemused.

She liked the way he looked in slacks and a navy jacket with a roll-neck sweater. "So do you," she
replied.

Heclosedthedoorbehindhimandpulledherclose,bendingtokissherwithtenderwarmth."Good
morning,"hewhispered.

"Goodmorning."Shepulledhisheaddownandkissedhimback,meltingintohistall,hardbodywith
obviouspleasure.

"Morningisalwaysthebesttime,"hemurmuredagainsthermouth.

"Isit,really?"

He wrapped her up against him, loving the smallness of her in his arms, the way she clung to him.
"I've avoided commitment all my life," he said at her ear. "Trust me to let a gorgeous little blonde
waltzuponmyblindside."

"I'mnotgorgeous."

"You're gorgeous." He held her closer. "Don't think you're going to get rid of me when this is all
over,"heremarked,feelingherheartjumpatthestatement."I'llbetenacious."

"Whatalovelythought,"shepurred.

Hedrewinalongbreath."Isupposeitwill

havetobeorangeblossomsandwhitelace,afterall,"hesaid."You'llbeavisioninwhite."

"Areyouproposing?"shesqueaked.

"Ofcourse."

Shedrewback."Wedon'tknoweachother!"

"We'lgetmarriedandgofromthere."Hesearchedhersofteyes."Welikeeachother,we'reattracted
toeachother,andwehavemutualelderlyheadachestotakecareof."Heshrugged."It'smorethana

lotofcoupleshavetostartwith.Where'syoursenseofadventure?Don'tyouevertakerisks?"

Shewasfloored.She'dexpectedanythingfromhimexceptaproposal."You'vehadsomanywomen
inyourlife..."

"AndnowIonlywantone.You."Hewasdeadserious."We'llgoatyourpace.Butattheendofthe
road,there'sgoingtobeorangeblossomsandlace.Period."

Shesmiledslowly,feelingasiffountainsofjoywererisingupintoherheart."Ican'tbelieveit."

"NeithercanI,"hechuckled."Butthereitis.AlwehavetodoisrescueTansyandgetonwithit."

Her face fel . "How can I possibly interview my future mother-in-law for a scoop?" she asked
suddenly,horrified.

"You'llbekindtoher,"hesaidsimply."You'retheverybestpersontodoit."Hesighed."God,Ihope
she'sallright.Ihardlyslept,worryingabouther."

Justashefinishedthestatement,thetelephonerang.HewentpastDeliatopickitup.

Helistenedcarefuly,murmuredsomething,andhungup.

"Seth,"heexplainedwhenshelookedthequestionathim."I'vegotanaddress.We'rehoneymooners,
lostandlookingfordirections."Hegrinned."ItoldyouIknowhowmercenarieswork."Thesmile
faded."YoudoexactlyasIsay.Iwon'triskyou,notevenforTansy."

Shenuzzledagainsthimforafewsweetseconds."Iwon'triskyou,either,"shesaidsoftly."Let'shope
Sethknowswhathe'sdoing."

"Amen!"

The address was on the outskirts of London in what looked to be a shabby apartment house. Chris
tookDeliafirmlybythehandandmovedtothefrontdoor.Therewasadoorbell.

Herangit.Therewasnoanswer.HelookedatDelia,concerned,andrangitagain.

Thedoorsuddenlyopened.Ayoungmaninaleatherjacketpeeredatthemfrombehindit.

"Whatyerwant?"hedemanded.

ChrisdrewDeliacloser."We'refromAmerica,"hedrawled."Justgotinfromtheairportandwe're
lost. Trying to find a cousin of ours, a...wait a sec." He drew a piece of paper from his pocket and
read, "Billy Withers, 44 Truebridge Lane, London." He looked around. "This is Truebridge, but we
can'tfindnumber44."

Themanlookedirritatedandimpatient."T'ain'tnosuchnumber!"

Chris'sfacefell."Butwe'vecomeallthisway!Areyousureyouhavenoidea?"

Therewasacrashingsoundinthebackoftheapartment.Theyoungmanscowled,turningtowardthe
insideofthedarkroom.Hishandwenttohisjacket.DelianeversawChrismove,butthenext

minute,theyoungmanwasonthefloorandChriswasstandingoverhimwithanautomaticweapon.
Hecockeditwithconfidenteaseandleveleditatthedownedman.

"Seth!"hecalledloudly.

Therewasanotherscuffle,anothercrash,andafamiliarfaceappearedinthehall.

"Damn!" Seth exclaimed when he saw the man on the floor. "That was a neat piece of work," he
murmured, grinning as he bent to drag the young man up from the floor. "Come along. Tansy's in
here."

"Issheallright?"Chrisaskedquickly,drawingDelia'scoldhandintohisfreeone.

"She'salittlerocky,butIgaveherapackofglucose.She'srallying."

Tansywassittingontheedgeofaraggedlittlecot,suckingonaglucosepacket,lookingwearyand
almostdefeated.ShelookedupandsawChrisandburstintotears.

ChrisputthesafetyonthepistolandtossedittooneofSeth'smenbeforehebentandgatheredTansy
close.

"Youidiot!"hemutteredatherear,holdinghercloser."DearGod,yougaveusascare!"

"WhichisnothingcomparedtowhatIgot,mydear,"Tansysighed,clingingtoherson."Myglobe-
trottingdaysareover.Thisistheabsoluteend."Sheliftedherhead."DidtheyfindpoorCecil?"

"Yes,justafteryouvanished.Haveyoubeenherethewholetime?"Chrisasked.

Shenodded."TheysnatchedmeandheldmeuntiltheygottheirmoneyfromLadyHarvey.

I was a material witness and she told them to keep me here for collateral until she could get to her
funds." She laughed hollowly. "I gather from what those goons said that she reneged and expected
themtofinishmeoff.Theydecideditmightbebettertoholdontome,becauseIcouldimplicateher.
Shedoesn'tknowthat,"sheadded."ButIwaswearingawirewhensheconfessedthatsheandTony
CartwrighthadplannedCecil'sdeath."

Sethwassuddenlyallbusiness."Whathappenedtotherecording?"

"Hehadit."Shepointedtothemanonthefloor.

Sethpulledoutanasty-lookingknife."Getthemoutofhere,"hetoldChris.

Chrismovedthewomenaheadofhimand

looked back at the nervous man on the floor, presumably the vile Tony. "He usually only takes a

finger. For his collection," he added with a cold smile. "In your case, it might be an organ. A vital
organ.IfIwereyou,I'dtellhimwhathewantstoknow.Inanycase,I'llremovetheladiesbeforeyou
startscreaming."

TheywereinthenextroomwiththedoorclosedbeforeTansyturnedtohim."Youenjoyedthat,"she
accused.

He smiled grimly. "Yes, I did. After what he put you through, I'd have enjoyed slugging him even
more,butIthinkourfriendSethwilldowhat'snecessary."

"LordBainbridge,youmean,"shecorrected.

"WemetLordBainbridge,"Chrissaidcarefully."He'sseventy."

"He'ssixty-five,"Tansystated.Shejerkedherheadtowardthedoor."That'shisson—hisonlyson—a
colonelintheSASuntilheretiredyearbeforelast.Nowhe'swhatthesecretagenciescallaproblem-
solver.ThankGodhecameafterme.Idon'tthinkIcouldhavemadeitanotherday.I'msoweak,son."

"We'llgetyoutoahospitalandhaveyoucheckedover,justtobesafe,"Chrissaid.

Tansywasstaringpasthimattheprettylittleblonde."Who'sthis?"

"DeliaLarson,"heintroduced."She'seventuallygoingtobeyourdaughter-in-lawwhenshemakesup
hermindthatI'mseriousaboutmarryingher.Butforthemeantime,she'sareporter.Ipromisedher
anexclusiveinterviewifshecamewithmetofindyou."

"Shecamerightinherewithyou?"Tansypursedherlips.Shewasimpressed."Bravegirl."

Deliagrinned."Thatmakesseveralofus.I'mgladtomeetyou,Mrs.Deverell,andI'mverygladthat
wegothereintime!"

Tansyshookthehandthatwasofferedandsmiledbroadly."SoamI,dear."Sheliftedbotheyebrows.
"You'regoingtomarrymyson,areyou?"

Deliasighed."Ithinkso,"shemused."Ofcourse,hemaychangehismindnowthatwe'realloutof
danger."

"Hewon't,"Chrisdrawled.

"He'smyson,"Tansysaid."Itaughthimalwaystodowhathesaidhewould."Sheseemedtoslump."I
wantasteak,"shesaid."AndFrenchfriesandcherrycobblerand..."

"Nocherrycobbler,"Chrisinformedher.

Shemadeafaceathim."Eventhemostrigiddietallowssweetsoccasionally."

"Notyours."

"Justwait..."

Chrisputanarmaroundheranddrewherclose."Youcanhavemangoesandbananasandcoconut."

Shesighed."Mydear,youremembered!"

"How could I forget? The kitchen was always cluttered with mangoes," he told Delia. "She likes
desserts,butfruitwasalwaysherfavorite."HeglaredatTansy."Thistime,you'regoingwhereyou
canbefound.Nomoreadventures."

"Spoilsport!"

"Youcouldhavedied,"heretorted.

"Eventuallywealldo."Sheshookherhead."PoorCecil.HeandIwerefriendsyearsago.

Hewrotetomeandinvitedmetovisit.Ihadn'tmethisnewwife,soIaccepted.ButafterI'dbeenthere
forafewdays,Irealizedthatnotonlydidhiswifenotlovehim,butshewasobsessedwithgettingher
hands on the es-tate. He vanished one night, just after that shady man in there—" her head jerked
towardthecloseddoor'—cametovisitLadyHarvey.Shewokemethenextmorningandsaidthat
Cecil was dead and I was the prime suspect, because his wil named me as executrix and chief
beneficiary.Lies,ofcourse,butIwastoostunnedtoquestionher.TonyCartwrighthustledmeoutthe
doorandintohiscar,andsaidhe'dhideme.Butthatwasn'twhathedid.Heandhiscroniesbrought
mehereandheldchloroformtomynoseandmouth.WhenIwokeup,Iwaslockedinthatroom."She
smiledwearily."IthoughtI'dnevergetoutalive.Iheardthemdiscussingwhattodotomeafterher
ladyshipwentpublicandaccusedTonyofkilingherhusband.He'lbetheprosecution'sbestwitnessat
hertrial,unlessImissmyguess."

"Notwithoutthattaperecordinghewon't,"Chrissaidsolemnly."Speakingofwhich..."

HeturnedtowardthedoorjustasSethcameout,alldressedinblack,withcoldeyes.

Hehadsomethinginhishand—atinytaperecorder.

"Theevidence!"Tansyexclaimed.

Seth nodded. "Irrefutable. Tony's decided to become the state's own witness. One of my men is
telephoningthepoliceevenaswespeak.I'mgoingtoslipoutwithmymenbeforetheygethere."He
putaheavyhandonChris'sshoulder."You'reahero.I'mproudofyou."

"Ididn'tdoanythingexceptdisarmoneofthehenchmen,"Chrisargued.

"Well,Isureashelldidn'tdoanything,"Sethremarkedhaughtily."Iwouldn'tsoilmyhandswithsuch
filth."

TansywenttoSeth,stoodontiptoe,andkissedhisleancheek."Thankyou,dear."

He kissed her back and smiled warmly. "Come visiting again. But do it in a conven-tional way this

time,hmm?"

"Behaveyourself,"Tansydirected.

"I'm the soul of discretion," Seth assured her. He grinned at Delia, glanced at Chris, and suddenly
caughtDeliaaroundthewaist,bentherbackoverhisarm,andkissedherwithexaggeratedpassion.

He let her up, breathless and flushed, and grinned wickedly. "You should have met me first," he
repeated.Hewavedattheothers,

wenttogatherhismen,andwentstealthilyoutthebackdoor.

"Damnedbounder,"Chrismuttered,staringatDelia.

"Don'tyouworry,"Deliaassuredhimasshesmootheddownherhair."He'sverygood—butyou're
better."

Chris'sexpressionlightened."AmI?"

Shegrinned."Much."

Tansyburstoutlaughing."Andthatanswersthatquestion,doesn'tit,myboy?"sheaskedherson.

"Yes,"heagreedwithawarmsmile."Isupposeitdoes."

Theygavethetaperecorderandthemenovertothepolicewhentheyarrivedandgavestatementsas
well.Tansywastakentothehospitaltobecheckedover.Theykeptherover-nightandDeliastayedin
theroomwithherwhileChriswoundupthedetailsoftheirtrip,returnedtherentalcar,andgotTansy
aseatontheirflightbacktoTexas.

"It's been a very exciting trip," Delia told the older woman, "although I'm sorry for what you went
through."

"It was an adventure, and it will improve with every retelling," Tansy assured her with a wicked
chuckle."YouandIaregoingtogetalongverywell,mydear.Icantellthatwe'rethesamesortof
people."

"Well, not exactly. But you should meet my grandfather," she told the older woman. "He was a war
correspondent."

"Warcorrespondent?"Tansyfrowned."YourlastnameisLarson?IsyourgrandfatherHerbertLarson
ofUPI?"

Deliablinked."Well,yes."

"Forheaven'ssake!"

"Youcouldn't...youdon'tknowhim?"Deliaasked.

"Knowhim!"Tansycaughtherbreathandlaidbackamongthepillows."I'msurprisedthathe'sstill
alive,thechancesheusedtotake!"

"Youdoknowhim!"Deliaexclaimed.

"Aboutfortyyearsago,"Tansysaid,"heandIwerepinneddownbyLatinAmericanrevolutionaries
when I was in South America, just after my first husband's death. Your grandfather got me to the
airportandontoa

planeboundforhome.Inevermetamanwithsuchgrit,suchfire.Hewas...superb."

Deliasmiled."Hestillis.Hedoesn'tgetaroundaswell,andhissightisn'twhatitshouldbe,buthe's
kicking."Shehesitated."He'sdiabeticbuthewon'tgiveupsweets.

Thatsoundsfamiliar,too,doesn'tit?"sheadded.

Tansyflushed."Well,well."

"HeandIlivetogether,"Deliacontinued.Shestoppeddeadandfrowned."Oh,dear."

"Oh,dear,what?"

"Ican'tleavehim,"shesaidplaintively,staringatTansywithhugeworriedgrayeyes.

"He'lldieifI'mnottheretomakehimtakehismedicineandkeephimawayfromthesugarbowl!"

Tansy reached over and patted her hand where it lay on the coverlet. "You marry Chris," she said
firmly."AndletmeworryaboutHerbert.IthinkImayhaveasolutiontoyourproblem."

Deliadidn'tbelieveher.ButwhentheyarrivedbackintheStates,andfoundHerbertLarsonsittingin
aseatnexttotheconcourse

entranceattheHoustonairport,shebegantounderstandwhatTansymeant.

Theoldman,silverhairedanddignified,roseasthetravelerscameoutoftheairplanedowntothe
concourseinthecoveredtunnel.HeopenedhisarmsandahappyDeliaranintothemtobehugged
firmly and kissed. Tansy came out of the tunnel after her and stopped as the elderly man let go of
Deliaandstoodjustlookingather.ShewasholdingontoChris'sarm,butsheletitgoandmoved
slowlytowardtheelderlyman.

Theyjustlookedateachotherforalongmoment."You'vegotwrinkles,"Herbertsaidabruptly.

"You'vegotflatfeet,"Tansyshotback.

"Mygranddaughtersaysshe'sgoingtomarryyourson."

"Toobadifyoudon'tlikeit,"Tansysaidhuffily.

Heshrugged."Lookslikeaniceboy,"hemused,glancingatChriswithafaintsmile.

"Ilikeit.Delianeedslookingafter.She'stoosofttobeareporter."

"She'snottoosofttobeapoliticalfeatur-

ist,"Tansysaidfirmly."It'swhatshelikestodobest."

"She'llenjoyhavingkidsandraisingthemmore,"HerbertLarsonsaid."She'sahomebody,likemy
latewifewas.NotraipsingaroundtheworldgettingintoscrapesforMartha,nosir!"

"Well,let'shearitforSaintMartha!"Tansysaidthroughherteeth.

Herbertraisedaneyebrowandstudiedherclosely."Stilljealousafterfortyyears,hmm?"

hetaunted.

"Deliasaysyouwon'tgiveupsugar,"Tansyremarked,ignoringhisquestion.

''Shesaysthesamethingaboutyou.Tryingtodie?"heaccusedbluntly.

Tansywentscarlet."Icouldaskyouthesamequestion!"

Heshruggedthinshoulders."Ithoughtaboutit.Notanymore,though."Hiseyesnarrowed.

"I'vejustfoundanewleaseonlife.Youlikenightclubs?"

Shenoddedjerkily.

"Dancing?"

Shenoddedagain.

Hepursedhislips."MaybeI'llgiveyoua

whirl,ifyouplayyourcardsrightYounevercoulddoatango."

"Andyoucan?"

"ItaughtValentinohow,"hebragged.

"YouwereinshortpantswhenValentinodied,"sheaccused.

"IfI'dbeenoldenough,I'dhavetaughthimhow,"hesaidwithagrin.Hewentforwardandtookher
arm."Comeon,Grandma.I'llhelpyououttothecar."

"Youcandrive?"sheaskedmockingly.

"No,butIhiredamanwhocould.Nothing'stoogoodformygranddaughter."

They walked ahead of the others, still arguing. Chris drew Delia close to his side as they walked,
pullingluggageonwheelsbehindthem.

"Ithinksomeofourproblemsareabouttobesolved.Apparently,theyknoweachother."

Delianodded."Andfairlywell,fromthelookofthings.Miraclesnevercease."

"Ihopetheywon'tkilleachotherbeforewegetmarried."

Shechuckled."Oh,Idon'tthinkthere'smuchdangerofthat."Sheslidherhandintohisandlookedup
athimwithherwholeheart

inhersoftgrayeyes."Ican'twaittomarryyou,"sheaddedinabreathlesswhisper.

Hesqueezedherhand,hard.Hisdarkeyeswereexpressiveonherface."NeithercanI."Hehesitated.
"Youdon'tmindthescars?"

Shesmiledandpressedcloseagainsthisside."Don'tbesilly."

Hiseyesclosedbrieflyandhisarmwentaroundher,contractingalmostpainfully.Itwaslikehaving
everysingledreamofhappinesshe'deverhadcometrue.Hecouldhardlycontainthefeelingitgave
himtoknowshelovedhim.

"Iloveyou,Delia,"hesaidtautly.

Shelookedupintoeyesthatadoredher."Iloveyou,too."Shesmiledimpishly."Howsooncanweget
married?"

Hesearchedhersoftfeatureswarmly."AssoonasIcangetalicense.You'renotabouttogetaway
fromme!"

They were married by a justice of the peace exactly three days later, with Tansy and Herbert for
witnesses. The elderly couple were holding hands, apparently having decided that fighting was less
fun than exploring each others' personalities. In a relatively short time, they'd rediscovered the
feelingstheyhadforeachotheryearsago,andtheywereinseparable.

ChrisandDeliadrovethembacktoHerbert'sapartmentbeforetheydrovetotheairporttocatchtheir
planetoSpain.TheyweregoingtoMalaga,onthesouthernshoresofSpain,alongtheCostadelSol,
foranextendedhoneymoon.Delia,who'dtraveledlittleinherlife,wasexuberantabouttheadventure
ofit.Shecouldn'twaittogetthere.

When they arrived and passed through customs, they took a cab to their hotel overlooking the
blistering white beach and blue sea. The hotel was white stucco with gardens full of blossoming
flowers.Itwasadreamofaplace,withwrought-ironbalconiesandthesmelloftheseaairfreshand
clean.

"TheRockofGibraltarisverycloseby,"Christoldherwhentheywereinstalledintheirsuite,"and

soisMorocco.Wemighttakeadaytripoverthereandexplorethesouq—themarketplace."

She turned from the window that led out to the balcony and stared at him hungrily, drinking in the
sight of his long, lean body in white slacks and a red designer knit shirt. She was wearing a loose,
comfortablecrinklycottondresswithtinyshoulderbowsandlittlebeneathit,becauseoftheheat.

"Alone at last," she said with a soft smile. Her hands went to the shoulder bows and slowly undid
them,lettingthedressfalltothefloor.Underit,sheworeawhitelaceteddythatemphasizedevery
sweetcurveofheryoungbody.

Chriscaughthisbreath.Hewenttoher,hishandsslowandcaressingonhershoulders.

"Youdon'twantsupperfirst?"heaskedquietly.

She shook her head. Her arms went up and around his neck. "I want you first," she whispered, and
drewhismouthdownonhers.

Thepassionwasexplosive.She'ddreamedofbeinginhisarmswithoutfabricbetweenthem,andhere
it was happening, so naturally that she never thought to feel embarrassed. He eased her out of her
clothing between soft, brief kisses that traveled the length of her body, each one more sensual and
arousingthantheonebefore.

Sheknewthathewasexperienced,butuntilnowshehadnoknowledgeoftherealityofintimacy.He
aroused her expertly, slowly, taking his time, soothing all her secret fears until she was dazed and
shiveringwiththepleasurehegaveher.

Bythetimehedrewhercarefullyunderhimandeaseddown,shewaseagerandtotallywithoutfear
orreserve.Sheliftedtomeettheslow,sensuousdownwardthrustofhishipsandlaughedwithpure
pleasure when the tiny flash of pain was experienced and abruptly replaced by delicious sensations
thatrippledoverherlikewaves.

Hisleanhandsmovedher,teasedher,taughther,whilehismouthdevouredhersinthestill-nessofthe
cool room. There was a rhythm that she hadn't expected. It built the new sensations she was feeling
intotorrentialspasmsofpleasurethatoverwhelmedherunexpectedlyandliftedheragainsthimina
feverofsubmission.

She hid her face in his hot throat as the spasms broke against themselves, twisting her under his
demandingbodyasshereachedandreachedandfinallyfoundtheexquisitesourceofthetinysipsof
fulfillmentshe'donlysampled.

Hefelthergorigid,andatonce,hedroveforhisownsatisfaction,hismouthhardagainstherbreast
ashesoaredintotheheightswithher.

Whenhecollapsedatherside,shewasstillshivering,andlaughingthroughthelittleaf-tershocksof
ecstasythatlefthermovingrestlesslyonthebed.

"Soit'slikethat,"shewhispered,awed.

"It's like that," he whispered back. He smiled and rolled over, his face damp with sweat, his eyes
blazingwithlove."WasIworthwaitingfor?Youcertainlywere!"

Shechuckledanddrewhimdown,sothatshecouldkisshimwithlazyenthusiasm."Yes,youwere,"
shemurmured."I'msleepy."

"SoamI.We'llhaveanicenapandthenwe'llgoandfindthenearestseafoodbar."

"Iloveseafood,"shemurmureddrowsily.

"Me,too."

Hedrewhercloseathissideandpulledthesheetoverthem,becausetheroomwascool-ing.Hislast
thoughtasheslidintooblivion

wasthatalifetimeofDeliawasn'tgoingtobequiteenough...

TheycalledTansyandHerbertthenextmorningtoenthuseaboutthesightsandsoundsofSpain.

"I'm glad you two are having fun," Tansy said with laughter in her voice. "When you come home,
we'llhaveanotherwedding."

"What?"Chrisburstout.

"Herbertproposed,"Tansysaid."Andthistime,Iaccepted."

HehandedthephonetoDelia."Youaren'tgoingtobelievethis,"hetoldher.

"What?"sheexclaimedwhenhergrandfathertoldherthenews.

"Haven'tyoupeopleeverheardthatyoucanmarrymorethanonce?"Herbertaskedwithdisgust."For
heaven'ssake,she'sadish.NowayamIlettinghergetawayfrommenow!"

"Well,congratulations.Grandad,"Deliasaidwithloveinhervoice."Icouldn'tbemorepleased."

"NeithercouldI,"Chrissaidloudly.

"Youtwoenjoyyourselves.Tansyknows

this little Japanese place downtown where they have that strange fish. Can't think what it's cal ed.
Anywaywe'regoingthereforasnack.Youkidshavefun.Talktoyousoon.Bye!"

Hehungup.Deliaglancedatherhusbandwithafrown."They'regoingtoaJapaneseplacetohavea
strangefish."

Chriswentpale."Notfugu.Please.Telmeit'snotfugu."

"What'safugu?"

HegrabbedupthereceiverandplacedacaltoTansy'sapartment.Herbertanswered.

"Ifyoueatafugufish,I'lhireamantodonothingbutfolowthetwoofyouaround,ful-time,Iswear
it!"Chrissaidharshly.

"Fugu?Areyoudaft,son?"Herbertsighed."Tansy,what'sthenameofthatfish?"

"Sushimi,"shecalledback.

Chriswentred."Oh,"hesaid.

"Fugu,indeed.Hethoughtweweregoingtoeatfugufish!"hecalledtoTansy.

"He's on his honeymoon, Herb, what do you expect? Now hang up and come help me get into this
dress.We'lbelateforourreservation!"

ChrislaugheduntilDeliawasworriedabout

him.Whenhetoldherwhatwasgoingonattheapartment,sheonlygrinned.

"They'llbehappytogether,"shesaid.

"Eachofthemaloneisahandful.Canyoupossiblyimaginewhatit'sgoingtobeliketohavetwoof
themconspiring?"

Deliagrimaced."Ihadn'tthoughtaboutthat."

"Well, don't. Not now, anyway." He picked her up and kissed her gently. "We have six days of our
honeymoonleft,andwe'renotwastingaminuteworryingaboutthem."

"Whatarewegoingtodo,then?"shewhisperedwickedly.

Hechuckledasheturnedtowardthebed."I'mgladyouasked..."

Sowasshe.

TableofContents

Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5

TableofContents

Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5