by Leona Karr
BACK IN HIS HOTEL ROOM, Adam called his supervisor, Angelica Rivers, a woman whose crisp, businesslike voice matched her appearance. Adam guessed that at this early hour, she was probably still wearing her tailored white blouse and the straight linen skirt with its matching long jacket. Angelica had been with the agency since she was twenty, and now in her forties, she brooked no nonsense from agents, male or female.
“It’s a go,” Adam told her.
“Carolyn Leigh agreed?”
“Yes,” he answered, and mentally crossed his fingers that the arrangement with Carolyn was still a go.
“What kind of woman is she?”
Adam knew he had to be careful. Angelica would weigh everything he said and probably read between the lines. “We can trust her. She’s ready to cooperate fully.”
“I repeat, what kind of woman is she? Are you afraid to offer a personal evaluation, Adam?”
“No, not really,” he lied. His personal evaluation of Carolyn Leigh demanded honesty about how attractive he found her—in more aspects than he was willing to admit to his boss.
“You don’t like this woman who is going to pretend to be your wife?” Before he could answer, she added with knowing perception, “Or is it, as I suspect, just the opposite?”
“That’s what I like about you, Angel,” he said, using her nickname. “Nobody can accuse you of holding back. Why don’t you just ask me if she turns me on?”
“Well, does she? You know darn well you can’t get emotionally involved when you’re on a case—especially this one. Maybe I should send someone else in right now. You could get yourself killed if you let things get out of hand.”
“I’m not going to let anything get out of hand. That’s a promise. And you don’t need to worry about Carolyn not sticking to the cover.” He told Angelica about the Mexican couple and their baby. “She’s a dedicated humanitarian, and she convinced herself that she wanted to cooperate.” Unless she’s changed her mind.
“What’s the plan?”
“We’ll arrange a civil marriage ceremony as soon as the lawyer has all the legal ends tied up in a few days. Then we’ll move into the Stanford mansion and meet some of the players.”
“So the curtain goes up.”
“Yes.” Adam drew in a deep breath, and as confidently as he could, said, “And the drama begins!”
Chapter Four
Carolyn spent the next three days verifying every fact she could about her inheritance, and she satisfied herself that she could trust Mr. Bancroft. The lawyer’s personal reputation and that of his firm was without blemish. As promised, he had arranged for a substantial amount of money to be deposited in her bank account and had given her the assurance that it was only a fraction of the assets that would follow. She requested that he draw up a prenuptial agreement to protect her inheritance, and when she expressed her concerns about Adam’s plan to use her to expedite his investigation, the lawyer was quick to assure her that it was important for her to know the truth about possible criminal activities at Horizon as soon as possible.
“The suspicions about Horizon need to be proved or laid to rest.”
Carolyn decided that his advice was valid, and only five days after her life had been turned upside down, she sat stiffly beside Adam as he drove through the upscale neighborhood where the Stanford mansion was located. As she looked at the million-dollar homes they were passing, Carolyn thought that Alice must have felt like this when she fell down the rabbit hole. Nervously she moistened her lips and smoothed the folds of her pink linen dress.
The marriage ceremony that morning had gone very much as Adam had predicted. Mr. Bancroft had arranged for a friend of his, a justice of the peace, to read the service in the lawyer’s office. It only took ten minutes, and they could have been applying for a driver’s license for all the emotion that was displayed.
Carolyn viewed the ring that Adam slipped on her finger with a feeling of detachment, and he seemed to receive his with the same indifference. The only time she’d been jerked back to reality was when Bancroft addressed her after the ceremony as Mrs. Lawrence.
“I’ve alerted Jasper Stanford that all legalities have been taken care of, Mrs. Lawrence,” the lawyer explained. “And I’ve answered all of his questions about the inheritance and your marriage plans. He knows you will be arriving with your husband sometime today. I wish you both well.” Then he added with obvious double meaning, “And success.”
Adam thanked him as he shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate your help.”
The ceremony had gone better than Adam had anticipated. He’d been ready to deal with Carolyn’s last-minute trepidations, but she had maintained her composure throughout and handled herself beautifully.
He couldn’t have found a better woman to play out the dangerous undercover investigation ahead of them. Nor a more attractive one, he thought as she stood beside him, wearing a simple summer dress that hugged her slender lines and curves. He was aware of every breath she drew. Her honey-tinted hair drifted softly on her shoulders, and a simple strand of imitation pearls was her only accessory. She had flatly rejected any flowers, making it clear that they would be out of place in this husband-and-wife impersonation.
Her eyes had widened in surprise when he lightly brushed her lips in the traditional wedding kiss, and he was startled by his own desire to deepen the contact and taste the tantalizing sweetness of her mouth. He felt her stiffen and wondered if his desire had been reflected in his eyes. Great, just great, he thought. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to take a woman in his arms. Such feelings in this situation spelled disaster, and he didn’t doubt for a minute that she’d withdraw her cooperation if he moved out of line.
WHEN THEY LEFT THE lawyer’s office in Adam’s car, an uncomfortable silence fell between them. He gave his attention to his driving, and as Carolyn cast him a sidelong glance, she saw a handsome stranger in a tailored dark suit, white shirt and silk tie. And he was her legal husband. That fact alone was beyond comprehension. As she stared at the beautiful diamond ring on her finger, she kept reminding herself that none of this was for real.
The past few days had been a whirlwind, and her emotions had taken a beating. As her life swiftly moved into a completely foreign dimension, she wasn’t certain she could cope with all the demands and changes.
She’d finally gotten up the courage to tell Rosie that she was leaving the clinic and why. They’d been sitting on a park bench, eating hot dogs for lunch, and Rosie just laughed with a dismissive wave of her hand when Carolyn tried to tell her what had happened.
“Sure, somebody died and left you a bundle, sure. And I’m related to the Queen of England. Who are you kidding? You don’t have to spin a tale for me if you’re about to run off with that handsome hunk. More power to you, I say.”
Carolyn took a deep breath. “It’s true. I don’t even know how much money I’ve inherited.”
Rosie’s dark eyes grew wider as Carolyn explained about her grandfather’s will and the fact that he’d been financing her college education. When she’d finished, Rosie put down her hot dog and stared at Carolyn as if she expected her to laugh and say, “Gotcha.”
Carolyn couldn’t blame her friend for expecting a joke. The two of them had spun tales of marrying a rich man someday or winning the lottery, but none of their fantasies had come close to the story Carolyn was telling.
“It’s really true, Rosie,” Carolyn quietly insisted. “I’ve arranged for someone to take my place at the clinic.” She didn’t add that she’d obligated herself to pay the replacement doctor for his services. Adam had warned her not to say anything about their getting married until they’d moved into the mansion. He didn’t want anyone involved in the ceremony.
“As soon as I get settled,” she’d gone on to her friend, “you can come and let me show you around.”
Carolyn could tell by the way Rosie reacted that their friendship was already threatened. A gulf was starting to widen between them, and Caroly
n knew that until Adam’s investigation was over, it would be better to try to pretend that everything was romantically “wine and roses” in her marriage. Rosie would be aghast at the truth.
Carolyn returned to the present. There was no doubt in her mind that the Stanford mansion would be as large and intimidating as any of the homes they were passing. What were the people like who lived in them? She took a deep breath and asked Adam point-blank what to expect when they got to the Stanford mansion.
“It’s bound to be a little tense and uncomfortable at first,” he told her. “We’ll just have to take it as it comes.” His own thoughts had been following the same kind of speculation, and to be perfectly honest, he didn’t know what the situation might be. People were unpredictable at best. He had no idea how Carolyn’s uncle was going to receive her, or how the Jasper’s live-in significant other would, either. From all accounts, Della Denison had grandfather’s approval as an executive at Horizon, and the woman wasn’t likely to accept Carolyn’s presence in the company with open arms.
Adam was also concerned about the way Lisa and Buddy Denison were going to treat Carolyn. He considered them self-centered and spoiled. They could make life hell for her in a thousand different ways.
“I wish I’d had more time to get ready for this,” Carolyn said honestly. But would she ever be ready? She glanced at the man sitting beside her. What did she really know about him? She couldn’t believe that she had put herself in his hands—in more ways than one.
“Just stick to the script we worked out. Don’t try to embellish any of the details. Remember, don’t supply extra information when you’re pushed into a corner. Everyone’s going to be curious about you, about us, but you don’t have to satisfy their curiosity. You’re in the driver’s seat in this situation. You have the power and the money.”
“Power and money.” She wanted to laugh at the irony of it. When on earth had she ever possessed either one of them? A few pieces of paper couldn’t change her basic perception of herself.
“The first thing you’ll want to do is buy yourself a car, a good one.”
“I suppose so. Before I told Rosie about my inheritance, her brother called me and told me to junk my old one. He wanted me to look at a couple of used models he had for sale that were in better shape. I told him I’d think about it.”
“That’s all?” He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t tell him you were in a position to buy the latest, most expensive model on the road?”
She shook her head. “I wanted Rosie to know first.”
He nodded. “I can understand that, but you need to feel free to spend the money that is rightfully yours, Carolyn. I imagine that you’ll be needing a whole new wardrobe, won’t you?”
Shopping? Whole new wardrobe? She was used to buying only clothes she absolutely needed. Even with her new ample bank account, she had only made a few inexpensive purchases. In fact, the thrift stores had been a common target for Rosie and her when they needed something. She realized that all that was going to change. Expensive trappings and a make-believe marriage would make demands she’d never even dreamed about. That scared her. She’d always been her own person, making her own way, and now she was about to turn that control over to people she didn’t even know in order to play a role.
Adam saw the color drain from her lovely face. What was she thinking? Had he been honest enough with her about the situation? If only there was another way not to involve her—but there wasn’t. She was the cover he needed. His hands tightened on the wheel.
As they drove through the iron gates of the Stanford mansion, Carolyn gasped in disbelief. A three-story gray-stone mansion rose in palatial grandeur, its setting one of velvet green lawns and beautifully landscaped gardens. She could see a five-car garage, a greenhouse and beyond these structures, a modern boathouse hugging one of the numerous waterways around Seattle. Her mind utterly refused to accept that a few signed papers had made all of this hers. This had to be a mistake. A monstrous mistake.
Adam stopped the car in front of a line of long, shallow steps framed by marble pillars. Two wings of the mansion spread on either side of a pair of carved doors, flanked by tall, beveled-glass windows.
As they sat there looking at the structure, the shadow of the huge house engulfed the car. Neither Carolyn nor Adam moved for a long moment. Then Adam asked quietly, “Are you ready?”
The question hung in the air between them. As if the moment of truth had come, Carolyn drew a steadying breath. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Good.” He smiled at her. “Let’s do it then.”
After helping her from the car, he set his matched traveling suitcases on the sidewalk beside her single bag. “Someone will bring them in.”
She nodded, as if she wasn’t used to toting her own bags everywhere she went. Even when she’d attended a couple of medical conferences, she’d always avoided the eyes of bellhops as she carried her own suitcase. The memory brought a hint of a smile.
Adam put a guiding hand on her arm as they climbed the steps. He rang the doorbell, and as she stood nervously at his side, he winked at her. “Would you like to have me carry you across the threshold for show?”
“It might make a grand entrance,” she agreed with false levity, and they were both smiling when the door open.
A tall, angular woman in a housekeeper’s uniform stood there, glaring at them. Carolyn would have taken a step backward and apologized for the interruption, but Adam just nodded and said, “Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence. We’re expected.”
“There’s no one at home at present,” the woman informed them tartly.
“I see,” Adam replied as he guided Carolyn past the housekeeper and into the house. “And your name is?”
“Morna. I’ve been housekeeper for Arthur Stanford for nigh on twenty years.” Her eyes centered on Carolyn as her mouth tightened. “And my husband, Mack, he’s the groundskeeper.”
“I’m sure my grandfather was very fortunate to have you in his service,” Carolyn heard herself saying, as if accustomed to handling servants who obviously disliked her on sight.
“Do you know when Mr. Stanford is expected home?” Adam asked.
“He and Ms. Denison are out for the day,” Morna answered crisply. “I understand that you are to occupy the master suite, is that correct?”
Carolyn nodded as if this had been previously arranged. She could tell from the housekeeper’s turned-down mouth that the arrangement did not sit well with her.
“This way. Mack will bring your luggage.” She gave a pointed glance at the unimpressive suitcases and then led the way across the wide marble foyer to a staircase that curved up and out of sight.
As they climbed the steps to the second floor, Carolyn’s eyes were drawn to a series of impressive portraits hanging on the wall. Were these her ancestors? Which one of the staid gentlemen was her grandfather? Could the older woman with white hair be her grandmother? Carolyn’s heartbeat quickened. Was there a portrait of her mother hanging somewhere in the house?
Adam could tell that Carolyn was taken more with the portraits than with the opulence of the house, but his trained eye registered wealth everywhere he looked. He wondered why her uncle had chosen not to be present when they arrived. Bancroft had assured them that he had passed along their plans to arrive before noon.
On the second floor Morna turned down a wide hall that led to the east wing of the house and a suite of rooms that opened in a crescent shape around a large sitting area.
“This is the master bedroom,” Morna said in clipped tones as she led the way into a spacious chamber with a monstrous bed at one end and a huge fireplace at the other. “We cleared out everything of a personal nature from the closets and drawers. I think you’ll find all the rooms turned out in good order.”
“I’m sure we will,” Carolyn answered in the same impersonal tone. She was used to dealing with officious nurses and certainly wasn’t going to let the housekeeper get the upper hand this early in the game.
Ca
rolyn surveyed the bedroom, which was beautifully furnished in antique furniture that must have been in the family for years. Rich brocaded drapes framed tall windows, and the carpeting was scattered with Oriental rugs. One thought was uppermost in Carolyn’s mind as her gaze passed over the one bed with its massive carved headboard.
Where is Adam going to sleep?
She was relieved when she saw him disappear through a door at the far end of the room. There must be an adjoining room of some kind.
“Will there be anything else?” Morna asked.
Carolyn turned to the housekeeper. “No, thank you, Morna. We’ll manage just fine.”
“None of the household will be home for lunch. Buddy is out in his boat, and Lisa is attending some doings at the country club.” Her tone made it clear that preparing lunch was not on her agenda.
“Well, then, I guess there’ll just be the two of us for lunch,” Adam said, overhearing her as he quickly came back into the room. “We’ll wander around for a bit and then find our way downstairs.”
An angry flush mounted Morna’s throat, but she managed a nod. Her hazel eyes gave both of them an unappreciative once-over, then she turned on her heel and left.
“Brrr,” Carolyn whispered with a mock shiver. “That icy look went bone-deep. Don’t you think we should have gone easier on her? Given her the day off or something?”
“Household staff can be bullies if you let them,” he warned. “If you don’t watch out, you’ll be waiting on them. Stand your ground, honey.”
Honey. The endearment caught her off guard. Get a grip, she told herself. A lot of people threw that word around. It didn’t mean anything.
“I wish they’d left some of my grandfather’s things. Everything looks so…so impersonal.” She looked at the huge bed and frowned. “It’s almost high enough to need a footstool and wide enough for four people.”