Guarding the Heiress. Debra Webb

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СКАЧАТЬ adjusted his tie and looked immensely put out by having to wait past the first summons of the home’s door chimes.

      “I knew we shouldn’t have called to warn the woman that we were coming,” Thurston muttered. “She’s probably made a run for it already.”

      Choosing to ignore the pretentious attorney, Doug used the time to catalog his surroundings. The Harper home was a small craftsman bungalow with an inviting veranda and a neat, well-kept appearance that made one feel immediately at ease. Well, Doug amended, perhaps anyone but a man like Thurston who likely equated time with money and had already tallied a significant total since leaving Martha’s Vineyard.

      Like the Harper home, the yard was immaculately maintained. Autumn’s first castoffs lay sprinkled about on the lush green grass and bursts of colorful pansies overflowed several pots bordering the four steps that divided the lawn from the veranda.

      Finally, the painted door swung inward and a frail woman, wholly dependent upon the cane in her right hand to stay vertical, peered guardedly at them. “Why are you here?”

      Millicent Harper. He recognized her from the case files he had reviewed. Her once honey-colored hair was now gray and her brown eyes looked dull with worry as if she expected the worst news. Doug suffered a moment of regret for what he was about to be a party to. But, unfortunately, it was necessary. Edwinna Harper could be in danger when the media discovered her true identity. If someone close to the family had recognized her and rushed to tell Mrs. D’Martine, it was only a matter of time before the right person from the media circus that followed the rich and famous stumbled into Meadowbrook and did the same.

      “Mrs. Harper,” Thurston said, manufacturing a smile that made his face look as if it were about to crack. He extended one well-manicured hand and added, “I’m Brandon Thurston, attorney for the D’Martine family. My associate, Mr. Cooper—” he gestured vaguely to Doug “—phoned you earlier.”

      Millicent Harper’s demeanor grew even more guarded at the mention of the D’Martine name. She made no move to shake the attorney’s outstretched hand. “What do you want?”

      “Mr. Cooper is an investigator from Chicago,” Thurston said pointedly, leaving out the pertinent details for intimidation purposes. “Mrs. Harper, we’d like to come in. We have a very important matter that should be discussed in private. I think you know the subject.”

      She nodded, the gesture seemingly dazed. Doug imagined she felt just that way. A ghost from a twenty-five-year-old past had just invaded her present. It couldn’t be a good feeling, especially when she had so obviously built her life well away from that past.

      Once they were inside and seated, Doug quickly surveyed the room. Same as the outside, neat, well-maintained, comfortable-looking. Pictures of Edwinna Harper dotted the mantel and walls. The Harpers were clearly proud of their one and only child.

      “What is it you want from me?” There was no mistaking the fear in her voice or the wariness.

      “Mrs. Harper,” Doug said before the mouthpiece next to him on the sofa could screw things up any worse. “We’re here about your daughter, Edwinna.”

      Millicent’s eyes widened slightly and her breath caught audibly. “Oh?”

      Doug nodded. “Yes, ma’am. We believe Edwinna is the daughter of the late Edouard D’Martine. Can you tell us if that assessment is correct?” Before she could speak, Doug added, “Please be aware that certain steps have already been taken to reach that conclusion.” A DNA sample had been taken without Edwinna’s knowledge. It was not exactly on the up-and-up, but the deed was done and had been relatively easy to do for whomever the D’Martines had hired for the job. All one needed was a glass the person had used or an envelope with a licked and sealed flap. Hell, even a toothbrush would work just fine. In this case, a soft-drink bottle had been obtained.

      Something like defeat stole across Millicent Harper’s face. She stared at the floor a moment before meeting Doug’s eyes once more. “Before I can tell you anything I have to talk to my daughter first.”

      “Mrs. Harper,” Thurston pressed, “we know all we need to. But, there are things you need to know.”

      She shook her head, tears shining in her eyes. Doug hated himself for being a party to this. They were about to unravel this woman’s carefully constructed life. What if her husband didn’t know? But, then, how could he not? Doug’s gut clenched in sympathy. “We’re not here to cause trouble, ma’am,” he put in quickly, hoping to allay her fears. “We want to help your daughter.”

      She held up both hands in a plea for silence. “I have to talk to my daughter first. We can have this discussion later.” Her gaze collided with Doug’s. “Please.”

      Doug tried to reassure her with his eyes as he stood. “Of course.” He stared down at Thurston and gave him a look that dared him to argue otherwise. “You can find us at the boardinghouse.”

      Millicent nodded, relief evident in her face. “I’ll call you after I’ve told my daughter.”

      “Told me what?”

      All eyes shifted to the front of the room where Edwinna Harper stood in the doorway.

      Edwinna, her expression fiercely guarded, looked from Thurston, who only then pushed to his feet, to Doug and then to her mother. “Who are these people? And what is it you have to tell me?”

      Chapter Two

      Dead silence filled the room for the space of three beats.

      Millicent’s gaze swung to Doug’s. “Please,” she urged.

      Knowing full well what she wanted, Doug nodded and offered both Millicent and Edwinna a smile. “You know where to reach us,” he reminded the mother. Then he ushered a still-speechless Thurston toward the door. Thurston stalled there, apparently unable to tear his startled gaze from the young woman standing to one side waiting for them to pass.

      “My God,” Thurston murmured.

      “Let’s go,” Doug insisted, giving Thurston another nudge toward the entry hall. The resemblance between Edwinna and her grandmother D’Martine was uncanny to say the least. But now was not the time to hang around and gawk.

      Eddi watched the two strangers exit through the front door with a mixture of anxiety and fear tangling in her belly. Part of it, she confessed, was from the up-close encounter with the gorgeous guy Irene and her pals had gone on so about. The other part, however, was something she couldn’t quite label. What were these men talking to her mother about? Her gaze moved back to where her mom still sat in her favorite rocker-recliner, and the knot of anxiety tightened. Milly looked more frightened than Eddi had ever seen her in her entire life.

      “What’s wrong? What did those men want?” She hurried to her mother’s side before she put herself through the physical rigor of getting up. If those guys were bill collectors she was going to teach them a thing or two about manners. The Harpers might be a little late on payments now and then, but they never failed to pay.

      Crouching near Milly’s chair, she searched those usually smiling brown eyes and found only pain. “Please, Momma, tell me what’s happened.”

      Milly nodded. “I want you to sit down over there.” She gestured to the couch. “I have some things to explain to you.”

      Feeling СКАЧАТЬ