Counterfeit Honeymoon

by Julia Anders

  She was in such a deep slumber that when the knocking woke her, she didn't know where she was. She groped her way to full consciousness, opened a curtain, and looked at her watch. It was late afternoon. The knocking at the door continued, imperiously.

  She slipped into a robe—not the pretty one Madelaine had given her, but the conservative brown one— and opened the door.

  Justine Grant stood there tapping her foot impatiently. "It took you long enough to answer," she said ungraciously.

  "What do you want?"

  "I stopped by the hotel to see Jason, but he wasn't in his room."

  "I don't know where he is." Her answer was short, and she tried to close the door, but Justine pushed it open and came in uninvited.

  "My, my, such a short time married and already losing track of the bridegroom," she purred wickedly, choosing an armchair and sitting down. "Doesn't he ever report in before he takes off?"

  "I was taking a nap and had a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Jason wouldn't be rude enough to disregard it," she said pointedly, and opened the other curtains to let more light into the room.

  "So the kitten has claws after all," Justine said, crossing one slim leg over the other and swinging her ankle. "You really ought to treat me a little nicer. It would be so easy for me to ruin your little scheme."

  Lynne looked at her in surprise. "I don't know what you mean."

  "Suppose I told the D'Allasios your marriage was nothing but a hoax—a cheap trick so that Jason could get custody of Tonio. If their lawyers were armed with that information, you wouldn't stand a chance."

  "I wouldn't stand a chancel" Lynne repeated in amazement. "It's Jason who's fighting for custody. Anyway, you wouldn't do that."

  "And why not?" Justine's tone was insolent.

  "Because Jason would never forgive you."

  Justine's lips curved in a slow, knowing smile. "There's very little a man won't eventually forgive a woman he loves if she knows how to earn forgiveness."

  This woman made her flesh crawl. "There's another reason you won't do it," Lynne said. "Why should they believe you? I'm his wife—you're the discarded ex-fiancée, the woman scorned, spreading lies out of spite. You'd make a laughing-stock of yourself."

  Justine's eyelids narrowed in fury, but Lynne had had enough of her. "Now get out of my room. I'm going to dress for dinner. And if you don't want it spread around that you went chasing across Europe after a man while he was on his honeymoon, then stay away from the D'Allasios. Remember—I'm the one with the license, the ring, and his name. There's no reason why anyone would believe you."

  When she had closed and locked the door, she leaned against it, shaking.

  The telephone shrilled, startling her. She didn't want to answer it. Surely it couldn't be Justine phoning from the lobby, but she didn't want to talk to Jason either. It kept on ringing and finally she picked up the receiver.

  A crisp, cool voice said, "Madelaine Cheney here. I've been calling Mr. Corey but he doesn't answer, so I thought I'd try you."

  "Oh, Madelaine," Lynne cried, glad to hear a friendly voice. Then realizing that this was a business call, she said, "He isn't in the hotel right now. Shall I have him call you back later?"

  "Yes, if you please. How are you getting on?"

  That was a poser. Finally she said, "Darren Lloyd showed up the day before yesterday, you know. He seems to think the legal matter is looking quite hopeful."

  "I see. And you. How are you getting on?"

  "Why, I—Florence is very beautiful," she stammered.

  "Then what's wrong? And don't say 'nothing,' because your voice gives you away."

  "Oh, Madelaine, Justine arrived last night," Lynne said in a tone of despair. "Darren is furious because he says her hanging around Jason may jeopardize the case. He's told Jason to get rid of her, but I don't know if he'll be able to if she digs her heels in. I don't even know if he wants to. And Madelaine, I know this is foolish, but she frightens me. I can't explain it. She came here looking for Jason this afternoon and—well, I wonder if she's quite sane. Maybe I'm just dramatizing, but lately I've realized what lengths some people will go to to get their own way. And I think she's one of those people."

  "Mmm. Suppose I had some papers that Mr. Corey needed to sign personally. Suppose I just flew over to Florence. Do you think an extra friendly shoulder to lean on might be of any help?"

  "Oh, if you only could," Lynne breathed. "I'd be so glad of a friend."

  "I'll manage to find some urgent problem which needs Jason's immediate attention."

  "I don't want you to get in trouble on my account."

  Madelaine gave a low laugh. "Never fear. I didn't get to be an executive secretary without learning how to assume responsibility. Now, don't worry. Just guard the fort meanwhile."

  Guard the fort, Lynne thought wearily, hanging up the phone. That was easy enough to say, but there was danger of different kinds from many directions to guard against. Who was to say which was the most dangerous of all—Justine, the D'Allasios, Jason, or her own unruly heart?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Lynne, Darren, and Jason ate dinner in a small trattoria. As if by mutual consent, Justine's name was not mentioned. If Darren had questioned Jason as to whether he had tried to persuade her to leave Florence, he had apparently done it earlier, as the subject did not come up during dinner.

  Lynne did not mention her own unpleasant interview with Justine either. She could not tell Jason that Justine had threatened to ruin their hopes of getting custody of Tonio. He would never believe such a thing of the woman he loved, and Lynne wouldn't blame him for that. It was so incredible she could hardly believe it herself.

  Jason seemed distinctly cool and remote, but whether he was still annoyed over their disagreement of yesterday or whether he was thinking of Justine, Lynne didn't know.

  Even Darren seemed somewhat abstracted, though he politely asked Lynne how she had spent her day.

  "I took a long walk this morning and a nap this afternoon."

  "I'm going to need you with me tomorrow, Jason," Darren said.

  He nodded, then said to Lynne, "By the way, Miss Cheney is flying in tomorrow. I have some work that needs to be taken care of. She'll probably be here several days."

  "I'll be happy to see her," Lynne said, her sense of depression lightening at the welcome news.

  Madelaine's plane arrived shortly after noon, so Lynne waited to have lunch with her. She left a message at the desk to have her call as soon as she checked in.

  She was waiting in her room for the phone, but a knock came at the door instead. She almost dreaded opening it in fear it might be Justine again. When she saw Madelaine there instead, her face lit up and she clasped both of the older woman's hands in hers and pulled her into the room.

  "Now then," Madelaine said in her no-nonsense tone, "why were you looking like grim death when you opened the door? And what have you been doing to yourself? Your clothes are terrific, but your eyes do not have the look of a happy tourist."

  "You must be starved," Lynne said. "Let's have lunch and talk then. You're all checked in? Is your room satisfactory?"

  Madelaine nodded and Lynne snatched up her purse and they went out.

  "Explain those dark shadows," Madelaine demanded after they had ordered.

  "The last few days have been a strain," she said and recounted the story of Tonio's abduction. "And then, just as we seemed out of the woods, Justine showed up. As I told you on the phone, Darren thinks it's dangerous to have her here."

  "And what about Mr. Corey?"

  Lynne spread her hands helplessly. "I don't know. I haven't discussed it with him."

  "I should have thought that by this—" Madelaine started and then checked herself in midsentence. "Tell me why you think she's deranged."

  "I know this sounds unbelievable but I swear it's true. She said I should treat her better because she could easily ruin our little scheme—those were her words—by telling the D'Allasios our marriage w
as a hoax."

  "Well, that's laying it right on the line. What did you say?"

  "I told her Jason would never forgive her. She seemed to think there were ways of making a man forgive anything." Lynne grimaced with distaste. "So then I pointed out that I would merely deny it to the D'Allasios and their legal counsel, and it would be dismissed as a spiteful story told by Jason's ex-girlfriend, whom he had left for me."

  "So now she won't try that," Madelaine said slowly. "At least not directly. But if she could show them it was true…"

  "But that's just crazy!" Lynne cried. "It's Jason she'd really be hurting, not me. Whatever happens, I won't be involved with Tonio for much longer. I don't see why she'd even think of doing such a thing."

  "I wonder," Madelaine said slowly. "Do you suppose he told her about his plan to have you go back to Longridge and look after Tonio for a while?"

  "I don't know. But anyway—"

  "Because if he did…" Madelaine seemed to be thinking aloud. "If he did, it would make sense all right. Don't you see, if she eliminates Tonio from Jason's life, she gets rid of you at the same stroke."

  "Gets rid of me?" Lynne echoed in surprise.

  "Gets you out of Jason's life. If he loses the custody battle, there'd be no reason to continue with the marriage, no reason for you to go to Longridge. You'd be paid off and on your way. That's the way she'd look at it."

  "But. I'll be out of his life very shortly anyway," Lynne said, her voice not quite steady. "I'm only an employee. She knows that."

  "What a sweet innocent you are," Madelaine said dryly. "Look, I imagine it was galling to her to have Jason go through the marriage ceremony with you to begin with. I'm sure she never agreed to it willingly. But when Jason Corey makes up his mind—"

  "I know," Lynne said. "He's an autocrat."

  "A determined man is the way I'd put it," Madelaine said. "Anyway, it's obvious she came to Florence to look the situation over, and size up just how risky it was to her. She might have been expecting lovesick letters and phone calls from Mr. Corey all along the way and wasn't getting them. So she came here to see how matters stood, and apparently she didn't like what she saw."

  Lynne was incredulous. "You can't mean that she was jealous! There's no reason for her to think—"

  "Maybe, maybe not. If he'd been calling her or writing to her every day to say how much he missed her, very likely she wouldn't have worried. So we can pretty well assume that he wasn't calling or writing. Therefore it must have seemed logical to her to come here and see for herself just how involved he was with you."

  "There was nothing to see."

  "Mmm," Madelaine said. "Describe this first meeting with her."

  "We were having dinner at a very elegant restaurant, but that was because we were supposed to be celebrating the fact that Tonio's kidnapping had turned out all right."

  "And you were wearing a Paris gown," Madelaine put in.

  "Well, yes, but it wasn't a tête-à-tête. Darren was with us."

  "And Darren was furious, you said. How did Mr. Corey react?"

  "He seemed surprised. I wasn't sure if he really was or if it was just an act. After a while, when Darren kept telling her she mustn't hang about, Jason said she'd better rejoin her friends. Then Darren said Jason would have to get her to leave Florence. I don't know whether he tried or not, but she didn't leave. I think he bought her a present the next day, and I assumed he went to see her. Then in the afternoon she came to the hotel looking for him and, when she couldn't find him, she knocked on my door instead."

  "In a foul mood," Madelaine said. "So if Jason had seen her earlier in the day, the interview must not have reassured her."

  "Reassured her about what? There's no way she could imagine I could provide any competition for her!"

  "No, you were just sitting there in an elegant restaurant, wearing a beautiful gown Jason had bought you, being wined and dined, and when she showed up he certainly didn't fall on her neck with glad cries. In her place, I think I'd be jealous, too. Have you told him about what Justine said when she came to see you?"

  Lynne drew back. "Certainly not. How could I go to him bearing tales about Justine? Anyway, I don't suppose he'd even believe me."

  "Why? Does he have some reason to doubt your word?"

  Lynne looked uncomfortable. "Well, perhaps he thinks so. You see, he's been assuming that I would go back to Longridge and care for Tonio for six months or so, since Justine isn't free to marry him yet anyway, but two days ago I told him I wasn't prepared to do that."

  Madelaine sighed. "Back to square one. You were behaving like an idiot the first time I met you, and you're at it again. Why don't you want to go to Long-ridge?"

  "It would be hard on Tonio," Lynne said a little too promptly. "I'm supposedly his aunt now. If he gets used to living with me and then I disappear—just like his parents disappeared—how is that going to affect him?"

  "And that's the only reason?" Madelaine's eyes were penetrating.

  Lynne looked away. "I don't want to get too attached to Tonio either. It will be hard giving him up now. Think what it would be like six months from now."

  "And I suppose it hasn't occurred to you that in six months— No, I'm sure it hasn't." She sat back. "Well, let's take it one step at a time. I agree that Justine is dangerous. We're going to have to be on our guard. Meanwhile, don't say anymore to Mr. Corey about not going to Longridge. He has enough on his mind. Just sit tight for the present. Agreed?"

  "Agreed," Lynne said, but she felt unhappy about it. While it was a comfort to have Madelaine Cheney there, Lynne felt she should be on her guard against her, too. She had the uneasy feeling that Madelaine saw too much.

  The weather was still fine and next morning the four of them breakfasted together on the roof— Lynne, Jason, Madelaine, and Darren. The same four, Lynne reflected, who had composed the wedding party luncheon a few days, but a lifetime, ago.

  "Darren needs me to sign some legal papers this morning," Jason said. "Maddy, if you'll have those contracts from the office ready, we'll plan to begin work about two o'clock."

  "Very well, sir," Madelaine said.

  A waiter approached the table. "There is a phone call for Signora Corey. If you will come with me, please."

  "For me?" Lynne was puzzled. "Are you sure it isn't for Signor Corey?"

  "No, Signora. For you."

  Uncertainly she rose and followed him. Whom did she know that might be calling her here?

  When she returned a few minutes later, she was wearing a somewhat bewildered expression. "That was Isabella D'Allasio," she announced. "She said she regretted the misunderstandings between us and that she felt we should get to know each other better. She invited me to lunch. Do you think it's all right for me to go?"

  "Things couldn't be much worse between us than they are already," Jason said. "I don't see how it could hurt. What do you think, Darren?"

  "I suppose it's all right," he said, frowning. "Still, it seems most uncharacteristic."

  Madelaine calmly spread butter on her roll, but there was a look of watchful alertness in her eyes.

  When they had finished eating, Madelaine went with Lynne to her room. "Since you're going to be out anyway, would you mind giving me a key to your room?" she asked. "I suppose Mr. Corey and I will work in the sitting room next door. I may want to freshen up and this would be more convenient than going down to my floor."

  Lynne handed her the key. "I can get the other one from the desk. If preparing the contracts won't take all morning, perhaps you'd like to do a bit of sightseeing. The Piazza del Duomo isn't far, nor the Uffizi."

  "Splendid. I have an errand to take care of, but I could be ready in fifteen minutes."

  "I'll meet you in the lobby, then," Lynne said.

  At eleven thirty Madelaine said, "I believe I'd better go back to the hotel and start work on those contracts."

  "Yes, and I'll get ready for my luncheon date. Why do I feel so nervous?"

  In the restaura
nt Isabella D'Allasio had specified Lynne was shown to a corner table. Again dressed in black, Isabella sat, with her back erect, smoking a cigarette. The remains of three cigarettes were already in the ashtray, though Lynne was not late for the appointment. Perhaps the Signora was nervous, too.

  She motioned for a waiter, who filled Lynne's wine glass. Lynne waited for her to begin, but there were no words, only the piercing gaze of the obsidian eyes.

  Lynne moistened her lips. "Signora D'Allasio, you said you wanted to talk."

  "What can one say? You wish to take my grandson from me."

  "Signora, had Tonio's father lived, he would soon have gone back to England, and entered Tonio in an English school. My husband is carrying out his brother's wishes."

  "His brother is dead. Are his wishes more important than those of the living?"

  She drained her glass and refilled it from the bottle the waiter had left on the table. Lynne wondered if she had been drinking for a long time. There was something unusually odd about her manner.

  "It is not only the wish of his brother," Lynne said.

  "It is the wish of my husband also to raise Tonio as his own son. You have raised a daughter to womanhood. Can't you be content to remain Tonio's grandparents? Surely your interest must lie in another direction than child-rearing. It is a time of life when you should be free to travel, not to be worrying about whether a small child has a sore throat or is having nightmares. And you will always be his grandparents, welcome to visit him at any time, to spend a week or a month at Longridge whenever you wish."

  "You think we wish him to be raised by a man like that?" She spat the words out.

  Lynne drew back. "I don't know what you mean," she said stiffly. "A man like what? My husband is a respected businessman. He's—"

  The Signora leaned forward, a malicious gleam playing in her eyes. "And is he a faithful husband-even on your honeymoon?"