"Daniel!" Harry called as they entered the house in London two days later. It had taken that long to get more suitcases made with false bottoms to transport their money out of France.
Mary appeared from below stairs, smiling as she embraced each of them. "Leave the cases," she insisted. "Daniel's in the sittin' room," she told them, her smile widening as she gave them another hug.
"Is something the matter, Mary?" Harry questioned, surprised by her attitude. "Is Daniel -?"
"He's perfectly fine," she assured him, squeezing Laura's left hand before bringing the corner of her apron up to her eye. "Supper will be ready soon -"
"If there's not enough-" Laura began, but Mary shook her head.
"I always fix more than we need. Comes from having grown up poor, I suppose. I'm glad you're home," she told them, disappearing back through the doorway.
Harry took Laura's elbow, guiding her into the sitting room, where Daniel was standing before the fireplace, looking thoughtfully into the flames. He lifted his head, his smile echoing Mary's to some degree. "Harry! I thought I heard your voice." His attention shifted to Laura, but instead of his usual embrace, he took her hand. "Laura, my dear. I'd like to apologize to you -"
"Thank you, Daniel," she said. "But it's not necessary. In fact, I've forgotten all about it," she assured him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Would you like something to drink, Harry?" she asked, snagging Daniel's empty glass from the mantel where he had placed it.
"My usual, love," Harry answered.
"Coming right up," she said, pouring more whiskey into Daniel's glass. Carrying Daniel's in her left hand, she held it out. "There you are, Daniel."
He took the glass, but stopped her before she could move away, taking her hand in his. "This is something new," he noted, watching the light reflect off of the diamond.
"This old thing?" Laura replied as Harry moved to get their drinks. "Harry gave it to me."
"For any - particular reason?" Daniel asked, but couldn't manage to hide his smile.
"We're going to be married," Harry told him. "And you already knew - didn't you, Daniel?"
"I'm sorry, but - I was in Emil Jensen's shop yesterday to pick up a new pair of cufflinks, and he asked me if Laura had liked the ring that you'd bought for her."
"That didn't necessarily mean that I was going to ask her to -"
"He said that you had asked for an engagement ring."
Harry sighed. "So I did. But it doesn't matter." He pulled Laura close to his side. "What does matter is that she said yes."
Lifting his glass, Daniel said, "To Laura."
Harry nodded, saluting her with the glass. "To Laura."
The lady in question smiled. "This explains Mary's reaction to us when we came in," she told Harry, who nodded in agreement.
"I take it that your business was successfully concluded?" Daniel asked as they sat down.
"It was," Harry confirmed. "And we made enough that we don't have to rush around looking for another client right away."
"Have you set a date for the wedding?"
"Not yet," Laura told him. "I still have to tell my mother. She doesn't even know that I'm involved with anyone - much less in love and planning on marriage -" She sighed. "She's going to ask a hundred questions that I'm not sure I have the answers for."
"I seem to remember you once telling me that she's always wanted you to get married -"
"Yes. To someone with a good job and - yada yada yada."
"As long as you can reassure her that you're happy and in love - and that your young man loves you - that's all that should matter."
"You don't know my mother, Daniel," Laura insisted.
"She's refused to call and tell her," Harry informed him. "Because she doesn't want to have to face all of the questions."
"Well, you have two options, my dear."
"What are they?"
"Well, you and Harry can get married and surprise her -"
"And present her with a fait accompli," Laura mused. "And the second?"
"You're going to tell her something that she's been wanting to hear - am I right?"
"Y-Yes."
"Then tell her. Let her reaction to the news inform how you answer those questions you're convinced that she's going to ask."
Laura considered his words, chewing on her lower lip. "I suppose if I took the first option, I'd be a coward."
"Not at all," Harry insisted.
She thought for another moment, then shook her head. "It won't work. Mother would never forgive me if I get married without at least *telling* her first. She would never let either one of us forget it, either. No, I have to call her and tell her -"
"Why don't you go and see her?" Daniel suggested.
"Because I would end up at her house, while Harry would be forced to stay in a hotel."
"Really?" he questioned, amused by her mother's middle-class morality, she thought.
"Before my sister and her husband got married, he was at the house for dinner one evening when there was a horrible rainstorm - a tree blew down across the driveway, so he couldn't move his car. We had a guest room, and she told Donald that he could stay there for the night - but she had Frances sleep in her bedroom that night!"
"I see," Daniel remarked, quickly turning away to keep his smile hidden from Laura. "How old was your sister at that time?"
"Eighteen, and they were already engaged," Laura said.
"You're not eighteen, my dear," he stated.
"I know that, but -"
"What about Wilson?" Harry asked. "Did she know that you and your banker were co-habitating?"
"Oh, yes, and every time I talked to her, she pointed out that it was a mistake - when we went to visit her over Christmas one year, she let him stay in the guest room - each time I opened my bedroom door, she was watching. And when she finally went to sleep, and I managed to sneak into Wilson's room - he told me to go back to my room! He told me that we should respect Mother's wishes since it was her house!" She took a deep breath before deciding, "I have no choice but to call her."
"Supper's ready," Mary announced, and Laura sighed with relief.
"I'll call her later," she decided, taking Harry's arm and waiting for Daniel to join them.
***
After supper was finished, Harry suggested that Laura go into the study to make her telephone call, but she shook her head. "It's too late tonight," she stated, looking at the grandfather clock in the entry hall. "Mother goes to bed early."
"You know as well as I do that it's only 4 pm in Connecticut," Harry insisted.
"She might not be home - it's Tuesday there - she's probably at her bridge club."
"You're making excuses, Laura." Daniel's gentle accusation caused her to sigh - but he was right.
"I'll go call her," Laura said.
Harry lifted her hand to his lips as she turned toward the study. "I love you."
"I love you," she replied, still trying to think of a valid reason for not making the call. In the doorway, she glanced back to see both men watching her - probably to make certain she went into the study instead of going upstairs to hide in the bedroom.
Once the door closed behind her, Daniel moved toward the sitting room. "Would you care for a brandy?" he asked.
"I would," Harry replied in a distracted voice, still in the entry hall.
Daniel poured some of the liquor into snifters, carrying one to Harry. Lifting his glass, he said, "To Laura."
Harry repeated the toast. "To Laura."
"Laura seems to be a trifle - afraid of her mother."
"I don't think it's fear," Harry said. "I think that the problem is that she wants her mother's acceptance of the person she is - but has no idea how to make that happen. Ever since her father deserted the family, Mrs Holt has held Laura's sister up as an example of what she expects Laura to be -"
"A suburban housewife with two point three children," Daniel guessed. "Waiting patiently for her husband to come home every evening, pipe and slippers at the ready."
Harry smiled, nodding. "Precisely. And that's *not* who Laura is." He put the glass of brandy down. "I think I'll go in there and make sure that she's calling - and it won't hurt for me to hear whatever story she comes up with."
"I might need to know it as well," Daniel said. "In case I ever have the opportunity to meet the woman." He finished his own brandy. "But there will be time for that tomorrow - I think I'm going to turn in. Goodnight, my boy."
"G'night," Harry replied, going to the study and opening the door.
***
Laura was sitting in the chair behind the desk, and Harry was certain that she had only picked up the receiver as she realized he was coming into the room. "I tried once," she told him, "but the line was -" She turned her attention to the telephone, asking that the overseas operator connect her with a number in the US. "The line was busy," she told him, finishing her earlier comment.
"That means she's home," Harry stated, picking up the newspaper that Daniel had left on the desk as he sat down across from Laura and opened it up, pretending to read something as he listened.
"Hello, Mother -" Laura sighed as her mother spoke.
"Mother? I know this isn't Frances -- and my other daughter only calls on my birthday and Mother's Day and various holidays -"
"Mother, I'm sorry -"
"Really, Laura, sometimes I just don't understand you. I go for months without a word -"
"Mother, please!" Laura said in a firm tone that caused Harry to glance around the page at her before raising it again. "I need to tell you something. I think you'll approve -"
"You've finally come to your senses and are coming home?" Abigail asked hopefully.
"No," Laura said, already regretting her choice not to elope with Harry and let the chips fall where they may. "I called to tell you that -"
"You're not ill, are you? All of that traveling -"
Laura closed her eyes, trying to get a rein on her temper. "I'm not ill," she said. "I'm getting married." The silence on the other end of the line worried Laura. "Mother? Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here. Did you just say -"
"I said that I'm getting married," she confirmed.
"Oh, Laura, I have so many questions - who are you marrying? How long have you known him? Where did you meet -?"
"I met him not terribly long after I left Los Angeles and came to London," she said. "We've been working together -"
"Working? Doing what?"
"Recovering stolen property for the insurance reward," Laura said.
"That's a profession? I'm not sure I understand -"
"Insurance companies and sometimes the owners will pay for the return of stolen property such as paintings and statues and jewels. So we find out where the property is, and then get it back. Harry was already doing it when we met -" she saw Harry look at her again, shaking his head before burying his head in the newspaper once more.
"What's his name? Who is he?"
And there it was: the question that Laura still hadn't been quite ready to answer. She cast her gaze around the room. Her eyes fell on the seldom-used typewriter on a table under the window. "Remington -" she began, turning to look in Harry's direction - but only seeing the newspaper with a headline, "Steel-workers Threaten Walk-out". "Steele," she said, and now Harry lowered the paper, one eyebrow lifted in surprise. "Remington Steele," she said again.
"But you called him Harry earlier," Abigail Holt reminded her.
"Did I?" Laura questioned, and Harry nodded at the question, having heard Abigail's voice over the telephone. "Oh, well, his middle name is - Harrison," she said, and now Harry covered his face with his hand, the newspaper falling to the floor. "Remington Harrison Steele. He doesn't like his first name, says it's too 'pretentious' and prefers that his friends call him Harry."
"What about his family?"
The questions were never going to end, Laura decided. "He doesn't have any family," she explained. "He was orphaned as a baby. I'll explain everything when I see you -"
"I do have one more question, Laura," Abigail said, and something about her voice caused Laura to be concerned.
"What's that?"
"Do you love him?"
Laura smiled, looking at Harry. "Yes, Mother. I do. And what's more, he loves me."
"Then that's the only thing that matters. When am I going to meet him?"
"Why don't I call you and we can work out the details then?"
"When?"
This time Laura smiled at the question. "Tomorrow. I'll call tomorrow."
"Frances is going to be so surprised to hear this."
"Give her my love when you talk to her."
"Oh, I will. And Laura -?"
"Yes, Mother?"
"I love you. Tell - Harry hello from his future mother in law."
"I'll do that," Laura promised. "Bye." She hung up the phone. "She said to tell you hello."
"Remington Steele?" he asked.
"Remington *Harrison* Steele," she confirmed, watching him as she rose from the chair and came around to put her arms around his neck, kicking the newspaper aside.
"Oh, by all means, we *must* remember the middle name," he sighed. "Really, Laura - where on earth did you -"
"I panicked, okay?" she said defensively. "She asked, and I *still* hadn't come up with an answer. I saw the typewriter and then -" she told him, and then lowered her arms and bent to retrieve the newspaper, folding it so that she could show him the headline. Tossing it onto the desk, she put her arms around his neck again. "Think you can get a new passport with that name on it?"
"I'm sure I can." He placed his arms around her. "I think you made her happy."
"So do I. You might even become her favorite son-in-law."
"What was it you said that Frances' husband does?"
"Well, Mother tells people that his company owns a chain of shoe stores - but in reality that's only an investment. It sounds better than telling them that Donald is a dentist."
"Dentists are very important people," Harry insisted. "I'm not sure that a retriever of stolen property can beat that."
"Are you okay with the name?" she asked, and Harry answered her with a long kiss.
Once it ended, he smiled. "I think that I can get used to it."
***
"Have you been thinking about where we should hold the wedding?" Harry asked the next morning as the entered the dining room.
"I suppose we could do it here in London," Laura suggested, "and fly Mother and Frances and her family over -"
"We could," Harry nodded, "But once the word is out that I'm getting married, can you see your family mixing with some of *my* friends here?"
"Discussing the wedding guests, I take it?" Daniel questioned as he joined them, going to the sideboard to fill his plate.
"The location at the moment, Daniel," Harry answered.
"I'm afraid that Harry's right, Laura," Daniel said as he sat down. "If you have the ceremony here in London, there will likely be more than a few gatecrashers. And some of them aren't the most socially adept people."
"I don't mind - I like most of Harry's friends -"
"As I said, Laura, what would your mother and sister think of them?"
Laura sighed. "I suppose you're right. But if we have it near Mother's - that will mean people like Mary -"
Mary was in the room, checking on the sideboard, and looked around at the mention of her name. "If you're frettin' 'bout me, lass, there's no reason," she declared, her Irish accent thicker than usual. "I'll be satisfied with a piece of the weddin' cake. Perhaps we could have a party when you get back home, so your friends here could share in your happiness."
"You're sure that you don't want to go, Mary?" Harry wanted to know. "I could get you a plane ticket -"
"Me? On one of those monsters?" She shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'd be terrified th' entire time, worrin' that it would fall out of the air. And don't bother tellin' me that they're safe - I've heard it, but my brain won't accept it. I'll be with ya in spirit."
Laura smiled at her words. "Then I suppose there's the question of when -"
***
"Daniel," Harry called as his mentor was about to enter the study after breakfast. "I need to talk to you for a moment."
Laura had announced that she was going to Madame Lilli's to talk to her about a wedding dress, so they were practically alone in the house. Nodding, Daniel entered the study. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to ask if you'd agree to be my best man at the wedding," Harry explained.
Daniel had become adept at hiding his feelings from his son, but the request - even though he had expected it - very nearly drew an admission from him. "Best man," Daniel repeated, then smiled as he recovered his equilibrium. "I'd be delighted, Harry. You're sure you wouldn't prefer -"
"Daniel, there's no one else that I would even consider for the job. You took me in when I had nowhere to go - and you've been here for me whenever I'd needed someone to talk to or celebrate with. If it weren't for you - I would never have met Laura."
"I don't believe that," Daniel insisted. "Some people are fated to meet and have a lasting impact on each other's lives." He turned and moved to the desk. "You've been the son I never had, Harry."
"And you've been the father I never had," Harry said in a quiet voice. "Thank you."
"We're getting a bit soppy, aren't we?" Daniel asked, hoping to change the subject. "I need to make a few calls -"
"Is that this morning's paper?" Harry asked, nodding toward the folded newpaper on the desk.
Daniel picked it up. "No, it's yesterday's. Mary usually brings it in when it gets here- I suppose the young man who delivers them is late today."
"This is the one I want," Harry told him, "I was looking at it last night while Laura was talking to her mother -" he took the paper and opened it up. "There was an article that I just glanced at - Ah, there it is," he declared, reading the headline, "Priceless jade collection stolen."
"I read that," Daniel informed him. "Ten pieces of Imperial Jade, carved into animals - were stolen from the Highmore family in Hampshire, I believe."
"Is there anyone we know who could have stolen the collection?" Harry asked, studying the article.
"Other than you? A couple, I suppose. Curtis Brown, for one. And Felicia for another."
"Do you know where they are at the moment?"
"I believe Curtis has taken up permanent residence in Hong Kong."
"He might have come back to England if someone there was willing to pay him to get the jade."
"He's still wanted here for accidentally killing that security guard," Daniel said.
"And where is Felicia?"
"I haven't heard from her- she usually shows up after a job -"
"I need to find out who's collecting jade these days."
"That's the more difficult trick, my boy."
"I think I'll go talk to a few friends, see if they might tell me something," Harry decided. "If Laura gets back before I do, tell her I'm researching our next job, please, Daniel."
"I will," Daniel agreed. "You be careful."
***
Harry pulled the Bentley into a parking space, noticing the looks both it and he - in his tailored Saville Row suit - received from the locals. Going to the nearest boy, he pulled a twenty out. "There'll be another if you make sure the car's untouched when I return," he said.
"Watch it like it was m'own, gov'nor," the boy promised, grabbing the money before going over to polish the car's hood with his shirt sleeve.
"Good lad," Harry noted, staring down the rest of the boys. He had vivid memories of having been one of those boys not so very long ago. If it hadn't been for his having picked Daniel's pocket, he would probably still be here.
The pub was dark and full of smoke from tobacco - and something else that Harry preferred not to think about. He paused, getting the lay of the land, as it were, listening to the dart game in one corner, and the pool game in another. The person he was looking for usually kept a booth in the back of the room, where he could conduct business without being seen by the hoi-polloi.
Stopping by the bar, he observed that there was someone else in the booth. So he asked the barmaid - a heavily made up woman with a low-cut blouse that revealed her more than ample breasts - for a glass of whiskey, turning to survey the room again as the sound of a pool cue being broken in two silenced the pub. "You're cheatin'!" someone shouted.
"It was a legal move, and you know it," came the reply. "I called the shot, I made it, and I won. So pay up!"
"I didn't 'ear a call - did any of you 'ear one?"
"He made the call," a voice came from the booth, and a short, rotund little man with a bald head and golden ring in one ear announced. "Pay him the money, and then pay Betty for that pool cue."
"But Aldi -!"
A couple of men appeared to stand on either side of Aldi. Harry saw the brass knuckles on the hand of one of them. "Either pay up, or my boys'll take it out of your hide."
The man looked like he was considering his chances before he finally backed down and pulled some money from his pocket, placing some on the side of the pool table. "How much for the cue?"
"Usual fee. Twenty."
"That's -"
Aldi pointed toward a sign on the wall. "It's posted there - any damage to the pool cue will require a payment of twenty quid."
The man made a wide circle around Aldi and his henchmen to slap a twenty onto the bar, and then backed out of the bar, barely missing being speared by a poorly thrown dart before getting to the door to make his escape.
As Aldi started to return to his booth, he stopped and smiled. "Mick?" he asked. "Is that you?"
"It is," Harry confirmed, smiling as well as he responded to the old nickname. The man could be a snake, but he was also a fount of information if treated properly.
Aldi looked toward the booth. "We'll finish our business later," he told the other man. "I have an old friend that I haven't seen in ages to catch up with. Come on, Mick." Taking his still untouched drink to the booth, he slid onto the seat across from Aldi as the former occupant left the pub. "It's been awhile since I've seen you," he told Harry. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten your old friends down here."
"Never, Aldi," Harry assured him, looking around. "Place has changed since the last time I was here. Never thought I'd see the day when you'd have a pool table in here."
Aldi nodded. "Have to change with the times, lad. You're looking prosperous - tailored suit - gold cuff-links -"
"I've been lucky," Harry acknowledged.
"Moving uptown was your destiny," Aldi declared. "You were too good to stay down here for long. Could have written your own ticket if you had, though. Had potential, you did. So what brings you all the way back to Brixton, hmm?"
"Well, you're right: I've done well for myself - very well. And I'm considering investing in a bit of artwork - more precisely, jade."
Aldi's beady eyes narrowed as they surveyed Harry across the dimly lit table. "You've heard about the theft of the Highmore Collection, no doubt."
"Of course."
"Such a shame - ten animal figures, each carved from Imperial Jade. If you expect me to tell you who stole it -"
"No, I don't care who stole it," Harry assured the man. "What I'm interested in is who it was stolen *for*. I'd like to make them an offer for at least part of the collection." He smiled. "I would be *most* appreciative to anyone who can help me," Harry told him, taking out his wallet and leaving a hundred on the table.
Aldi's greedy gaze flickered to the table, then back to Harry. "How - *appreciative*?"
Harry tapped the bill on the table. "I have nine more of these little beauties," he answered. "Payable once I make contact."
"The information itself should be worth at least half of that amount," Aldi stated.
"I'm beginning to think that you don't trust me, Aldi," Harry observed, pulling four more bills from his wallet. Aldi sat forward, his tongue wetting his lips in anticipation.
"You've never given me reason not to, lad. But -"
Harry put the money onto the table, and Aldi made to grab it, only to find Harry's hand holding the money where it was. "Information first, mate."
"And I'm thinking that there's an absence of trust on both our parts," Aldi said with a sigh. "Once I tell you the name, I'll expect you back here in no more than a month with the other five beauties. Understood?"
Harry nodded. "Perfectly. Now, the name, if you please?"
"Yank. Name of Jonas Webster," he said, watching Harry's fingers on the money. "Lives in New York City, has a country home upstate."
Harry slid the rest of the money to the center of the table. "Thank you, Aldi," he said, sliding out of the booth.
"Don't forget, Mick. One month."
"You'll have it," Harry confirmed, placing a twenty on the bar for Betty as he gave her a salute and left the bar.
***
At the same time, Laura was close to Madame Lilli's when she saw a familiar face that almost sent her into fight or flight mode: Felicia sauntered into the shop, and Laura opted to duck into a tea room across the street so that she could see when the other woman left Lilli's. Asking for a cup of tea, she blindly picked up a newspaper that was sitting on the next table while keeping one eye on the shop.
Laura quickly realized that it was yesterday's paper - smiling as she read the headling about the steel-workers again, then opened it up. A smaller headline drew her full attention - "Priceless Jade Collection Stolen". Quickly, she looked across the street, then turned so that she could continue to watch while reading the story. Taking a notebook from her purse, she wrote down the name, Highmore in Hampshire, then drank the tea that she'd ordered.
She finally decided that Felicia must be flush, since she was spending to much time with Madame Lilli, and closed the notebook, returning it to her purse before leaving the tea room and flagging a cab to take her to Jensen's. While he was a legitimate jeweler, she recalled Harry mentioning that he had contacts on this side of the street. She wanted all of her ducks in a row before she went to Harry with a possible new case.
Mr. Jensen was taking care of a young woman who was looking at necklace and earring sets. Seeing her enter, he smiled. "I'll be right with you, Miss Holt," he said.
Laura nodded and wandered around the glass counters, looking at the rings, necklaces, cuff-links and shirt studs. Emil was a true artiste when it came to creating jeweled works of art - Daniel had told her about a jewel-encrusted cross that he had made for one of the churches. Unfortunately, the cross had been stolen soon after being placed in the church - and to this day its location was unknown. She hadn't questioned Daniel too closely about the cross' theft, of course, but she had the idea that he knew who had stolen it.
Finally the young woman left the store, and Laura joined the old man. "I didn't expect to see you so soon," he told her, lifting her left hand to study the ring.
"I wanted to thank you for my ring," she told him. "It's lovely."
"For a lovely lady," he told her. "Harry is a very lucky young man, I think."
She smiled, blushing slightly. "I think I'm the lucky one, Mr. Jensen."
"So when is the big day going to take place?" he asked, setting about re-arranging the counter from which he had just pulled the items to show the previous customer.
"We're talking two weeks," she told him.
"Two weeks?" he repeated incredulously. "That is not very much time to plan a wedding."
"We're going to have a small ceremony - my family, Harry's closest friends -"
"Your family?"
"My mother and sister - they live in the States."
"Ah," he nodded. "Well, I hope you will come to me before you leave choose your wedding rings -"
"I'm sure we will," she told him. "I would like to get a gift for Harry -"
"Some cufflinks - or a tie clasp -"
"No, he has more than enough of those. I want something - *special*," she declared. "I was thinking - Jade?"
Jensen's eyes widened. "Jade? I'm afraid that I don't carry any Jade here - was there something specific you're looking for?"
"I was wondering - I saw something not too long ago about Jade carvings - maybe animals?"
"Most of the non-museum pieces are held in private collections -"
"Would it be too much trouble for you to make me a list of people who might own Jade figurines? That way I can contact them and find out if they might be willing to sell?"
"For you - anything," he told her. "It will take a few minutes."
"Thank you."
***
"Daniel, is Laura back yet?" Harry asked as he entered the sitting room.
"Not yet, Harry," Daniel said.
"I found what I went looking for - so when she -" Harry began then stopped as a familiar voice replied.
"Don't tell me that you've misplaced Lisa, darling," Felicia purred, sliding her arms around his neck.
"Since I don't know anyone named Lisa, how could I misplace her?" Harry questioned, pulling her arms away from him. "Laura had some errands to run. She'll be home soon," he told her, moving to the bar to pour himself a drink.
Felicia sighed. "Really, darling, when are you going to tire of your little friend and send her back to her safe little life in the States?"
"Never," he replied. "As a matter of fact, we're going to be married."
"You're going to *what*?" Felicia questioned, turning to look at Daniel. "Please tell me that he's not serious, Daniel."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear," Daniel stated. "As a matter of fact, Harry asked me to be his best man."
"You've been taken in by that demure little -"
"That's enough, Felicia," Harry said in a firm tone, grabbing her wrist. "I happen to be very much in love with Laura - and she with me. If you do *one* thing to try to prevent this wedding, you'll regret it." His gaze met hers until she finally broke eye contact. "Do I make myself clear?" he asked.
"If you insist," Felicia acknowledged. The front door opened, then closed as someone entered the house. Suddenly Felicia flung herself into Harry's arms, her lips meeting his.
Laura entered the room, saying, "Sorry it took so long to -" seeing her fiancee being mauled by Felicia, she stopped talking and came over to physically pull Felicia away, placing herself between the woman and Harry. "Back off, blondie," she warned. "He's mine."
"Do you really think that you can keep him, Lisa?"
"Felicia -" both Daniel and Harry warned, with Daniel adding, "You'd best be careful."
"I've changed my mind about staying, Daniel. I think I'll go on to Monte Carlo." Head up, she sailed past Laura and paused for a moment beside Harry. "When you get bored with her, you'll know where to find me, darling." She lifted her hand to cup his cheek, and Laura made a move toward her.
Harry grabbed Laura with an arm around her waist to stop her from doing anything to the other woman. "Good-bye, Felicia," he said with a clear note of finality.
She continued out of the room, going up the stairs to pack her things.
Laura had stopped struggling. "That - witch!" she muttered. "Good riddance!" Sighing, she turned into Harry's arms. "I'm sorry for making a scene," she apologized. "But that - peroxide piranha went one step too far."
Harry smiled, pulling her closer and lowering his head to capture her lips. Daniel felt like the third-wheel that he was. "Well, I have some work to do in the study," he announced, leaving the room, closing the double doors behind him.
"I was just telling her off when you came in," he explained to Laura once the kiss ended. "That was just the icing on the cake. Did Madame Lilli find something appropriate?"
"Yes. I'm going back over tomorrow morning to check the alterations. She tried to talk me into buying a hat to wear at the ceremony."
"That's tradition," he told her, and Laura nodded.
"So she explained. But since we're not getting married here I told her it wasn't necessary - but the idea made me think about the hat my father wore - it was an old brown Fedora and he left it behind when he took off. I found it one day and started wearing it. I had to stuff newspaper inside of the band to make it fit, but I wore it everywhere I could. Mother hated it," she confided.
"Whatever happened to it?" he asked.
"I don't know." She sighed. "Mother refused to let me pack it when I left for college - and I haven't seen it since." Harry pulled her back into his arms, this time for a hug as he tucked the information to the back of his mind.
"Well, I have some news," Harry began.
"So do I," she said, "I think I've found our next case."
"I've found our next case," Harry finished at the same time. They each pulled back, and he asked, "What case?"
"What's yours?" she countered.
"Ten animal figures," he said. "All carved from -"
"Imperial Jade."
Both of them started to laugh. "I said we made a good team," he reminded her. "What have you found out?"
"I have a list -" she told him, opening her purse to pull out the handwritten list, handing it to him.
He studied it, noting the letterhead on the page. "Jensen's?"
"I told him that I was thinking about buying you something made of rare jade, and asked who the biggest collectors of rare Jade were."
"Very good," he nodded. "And I can narrow it down to one name," he told her, "thanks to my contacts."
"Which one?" she wanted to know, looking at the list.
"This one. Jonas Webster of Hyde Park, New York."
"That's about two hours from mother's house in Danbury," Laura told him. "Sounds like a case tailor-made for H&L Retrievals, doesn't it?"
***
"What's this?" Laura asked when she entered the bedroom two days later to find a round box sitting on the bed.
Harry, in the bathroom, looked out with shaving cream on his face. "Oh, that. Mary brought it up earlier. Said it's for you."
Laura checked the name on the lid. "It's got my name on it," she confirmed, lifting the lid from the box to see tissue paper. Moving it, she gasped, taking out the brown fedora. "Har-" she stopped as she looked up and saw him standing there, a big smile on his face. "-ry." Putting the hat on, she turned the brim down on one corner as she went to the mirror.
"Like it?" he asked, wiping away the excess cream.
Laura smiled. "I *love* it!" she declared, going over to throw her arms around him. "Thank you!"
"I spoke to the company that insured the Jade," he told her as he took a shirt from the dresser.
Laura had gone back to the mirror, adjusting the fedora. "What did they say?"
"That they will guarantee the usual ten-percent once we return the collection - plus another five thousand offered as a reward by Mr. Highmore."
"And ten percent that will go to your friend Aldi." She shook her head. "Such a strange name."
"Not when you consider that his name is Albert Derigo," Harry explained, slipping into his coat.
"That *does* make sense," she agreed. "Al D. Aldi."
"Are you ready to go pick out our wedding rings?" he asked.
"I suppose we should, since we leave for the States tomorrow morning."
"You're nervous about seeing your mother again, aren't you?"
"I'm not nervous," she insisted. "I'm *terrified*.
She hasn't said another word about how I missed Grandmother's
funeral because she didn't know how to contact me. And she was
very angry with me when I called to wish her a happy birthday
and found out -"
Harry pulled her into his arms, holding her. "Then she's likely made her peace with it, and moved on, don't you think?"
"I hope so."
***
Laura, Harry and Daniel flew into New York City, then took a commuter flight to Hartford, where they rented a car for the drive to Danbury. "Did you spend very much time here, Laura?" Daniel asked as she drove.
"Christmas, Thanksgiving, two weeks during the summer," she answered, turning the car into the driveway of a two-story Victorian-style house replete with ginger-bread trim. "Except for the summer that Grandpa died. We were here all of that summer."
"What a charming house," Harry observed.
"It belonged to my grandparents. Mother grew up here. Grandpa Hasty died the year before my father left us," she explained.
"Grandpa *Hasty*?" Daniel questioned.
Laura smiled. "Their last name was Hastings, but when I was first learning to talk, I pronounced it 'Hasty', and it stuck. Grandpa and Grandma Hasty." She drew a deep breath, feeling Harry reach over to take her hand. Her grandmother had died two years ago - a fact that Laura only found out when she had called to wish her mother a happy birthday - six weeks after Grandma Hastings' funeral.
"Are you ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be," was her reply as she saw the front door to the house open and a familiar face appeared.
Picking up the fedora that lay on the seat between them, Laura put it on before opening the door and leading Harry and Daniel up the walkway. "Hello, Mother," she said with some wariness. Abigail Holt's smile was welcoming, and she gave her younger daughter a hug.
"You look wonderful, dear," she proclaimed. "London seems to agree with you."
Laura smiled, taking Harry's hand. "Mother, this is Harry," she said. "Remington Harrison Steele."
Abigail took Harry's offered hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Holt," he told her.
"And you must be Harry's friend -" Abigail said, looking at Daniel.
"Daniel Chalmers, at your service," Daniel told her, taking her hand and bowing over it. "I refuse to believe that you're Laura's mother," he continued. "I thought you were her sister."
Abigail's giggle drew a look of surprise from Laura. "Where is Frances?" she asked, but Abigail's attention was still focused on Daniel. "Mother?"
She continued to smile as she answered. "She'll be along shortly. Please, everyone, come inside. I have coffee ready - or would you prefer tea?"
"Coffee will be fine with me," Daniel assured her, extending his elbow.
Abigail wrapped her hand around his arm, letting him escort her into the house.
Harry extended his elbow toward Laura, "Shall we?"
"She didn't even *notice* the hat!" she whispered as they entered the house.
Abigail came from the living room. "I'll go get the coffee," she announced, then added, "Laura, dear, please remove that hat in the house."
"You did notice!" Laura exclaimed, causing her mother to stop and look in her direction.
"Of course I noticed it. I'm not blind. I'll be right back," she said, turning toward the kitchen door.
Laura removed the fedora, placing it onto a table just inside of the living room. Nothing had changed, really. It was still like stepping into a Victorian novel.
"It's a lovely," Daniel observed, looking at the furnishings while Harry studied the grand piano in the other end of the room.
"It's been in Mother's family for a long time," Laura told him, turning as Harry pressed a single key on the piano. "That was my grandmother's," she said, moving to slide her hands around the edge of the instrument. "She taught me how to play during our visits. When I was young, she lost her wedding ring one day, and when I found it for her, she told me that she was going to leave me the piano as payment -"
"Which she did," Abigail stated, returning with a tray and four cups. "I'm not sure how much it could cost to have it moved to London -"
"You would - let me take it?" Laura asked, picking up her coffee from the tray.
"You're the only one in the family that can play," Abigail pointed out. "I can't - and you remember the disaster Frances was at playing."
"What about her children?"
"Danny's learning to play the guitar, -" she glanced at Daniel. "That's my oldest grandson," she explained. "The girls haven't shown any real sign that they want to learn. Why don't you play it?" she suggested. "It's in tune - Mother left money for that as well. You'd be amazed how much piano-tuners charge these day," she told Daniel.
But Laura shook her head. "Maybe later."
"An after dinner concert, perhaps?" Daniel suggested.
Harry watched as Laura answered. "Perhaps. We'll see."
"I was just telling Laura that I think your home is lovely, Mrs. Holt," Daniel said, and Harry could tell that Laura was relieved at the change of subject.
"Thank you. And please, call me Abigail," she requested. "You too, -" she said, then hesitated as she looked at Harry. "Do I call you Harry or Remington?"
"Harry, please, Abigail," he said quickly. "I'm afraid that my first name is an old family name. A bit pretentious. Harry's much simpler."
"As to your comment, Daniel," she continued, "I'm sure that Laura told you that the house has been in the family for a very long time. I grew up in this house." She nodded toward the oil painting of a man and woman over the fireplace mantel. "They were my great-grandparents. He built the house."
The sound of children running and yelling turned all four heads toward the front door as Abigail rose to her feet, joined immediately by the others. "Danny! You know you're supposed to knock!"
"But it's Grandma's house!" the boy insisted. "And she knows we're coming. Besides, I want to see Aunt Laura!"
Hearing young Danny's words, Laura actually smiled. Not the tight, uncertain smile she had been wearing, but a full on delighted lift of her lips, revealing her dimples. "I'm right here, Danny!" she called out, embracing her only nephew in a bear hug before pulling back to look at him. "You've grown so much! I'm not sure that I would have recognized such a handsome young man!"
"Aw, Aunt Laura," he said, his cheeks growing red.
"Sorry we're late," Frances apologized, then blinked as she caught sight of the two men behind her mother.
"Laurie Beth couldn't find her shoes," her husband Donald explained. He smiled, extending his hand. "Donald Piper," he said.
Abigail, who had been greeting her granddaughters, suddenly realized her lack of manners. "Oh, dear. Frances. Donald, this is Harry Steele and Daniel Chalmers." She laughed. "And this little girl in my arms is Laurie Beth and the other one is Mindy."
Danny looked up at Daniel. "My name is Daniel, too," he explained. "But Mom's the only one who calls me that."
"It's a very good name," Daniel told him, holding out his name. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Daniel Piper."
Danny smiled, revealing a dimple very like his aunt's. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
"I'll go get more coffee," Abigail said, but Frances shook her head.
"I'm sure Laura can help me get it, Mother," Frances insisted. "You go and sit down. Laura?"
Abigail put Laurie Beth back onto her feet, and she walked toward Harry, who smiled at her. "Hello there, little doll. You're very pretty."
"Can we go out in the back yard, Grandma?" Danny asked.
Mindy shook her head as she sat down beside Abigail. "I don't want to go out. Remember what Mom said about not getting dirty and making a good impression?"
"Go on out, Danny," Donald said. "But she's right about not getting dirty. The girls can stay in here."
"I wish Aunt Laura was in here to go outside and toss the baseball around," Danny sighed as he moved toward the kitchen doorway.
***
"Where did you meet him?" Frances wanted to know. "He's an absolute *dreamboat*! That friend of his isn't bad for an older man, either."
"Surprised that someone like Harry would even glance at me?" Laura asked.
"Of course not! I love your *tan*," she commented while taking two cups out of the cupboard, finding a tray, then putting them and the coffee pot onto it. "You look wonderful. And happy. You are, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. Harry understands me. He accepts me as I am."
"Then I'm glad for you. Can you grab the sugar and cream?" she asked. "You know Donald can't drink coffee without it." They turned around as Danny entered the room. "Danny!" his mother exclaimed. "What -"
"Grandma said that I could go outside," he explained. "Wanna go toss the ball around, Aunt Laura? I've gotten a lot better at throwing *and* catching."
"Danny's in Little League," Frances informed her. "He's a pitcher."
Laura put the sugar bowl down to ruffle his hair. "Maybe tomorrow, sport. I think the adults expect me to be one of them right now." He sighed.
"Okay."
"Don't get dirty, Daniel Piper," Frances commanded her son. "We're going out to eat later, remember."
"Yes, Mom," he replied, continuing toward the back door.
***
Laura was surprised to see young Laurie Beth sitting beside Harry when they returned to the living room. She had been less than a year old that last time Laura had seen her. And Mindy was a very lady-like seven year old, now sitting on the edge of the brick hearth, her ankles politely crossed as she watched Harry and her little sister. "It looks like you've made a new friend," Laura commented, sitting on the other side of her youngest niece, who looked up at her. "Hello, Laurie Beth. You don't remember me, do you?"
The girl shook her head. "No."
"I'm Aunt Laura."
"Laura," Laurie Beth repeated.
"Remember, dear," Frances said, "I told you that you were named for my sister?" The girl nodded in response, smiling at last.
"So, Harry," Donald said, "Frances told me that you make a living by recovering stolen property?"
"That's correct," Harry confirmed.
"How does that work, exactly?" Abigail wanted to know. "I've never heard of anyone who did that kind of thing."
"Why don't you explain, Laura?" Harry suggested, "you do it so much better than I."
"It's simple, really," Laura began. "Say someone has a - valuable painting stolen from their home. Either that person or their insurance will usually pay a fee for the return of the painting. So we do some research and find out where it is now, and then - recover it."
"So you find the thief?"
"Not exactly," Laura said in answer to Donald's question.
"Usually the thief is simply the - middleman," Harry clarified. "He steals the painting or jewelry, takes it to whoever hired him, collects his money and goes on his way."
"But how do you get it back from the current owner?" Abigail asked.
"Since it doesn't belong to them, they have no legal right to keep it," Laura told her. "Usually we -"
"We gain access to the location where it's being held and retrieve it," Harry finished.
"But isn't that - theft?" Frances wanted to know.
"Perhaps technically," Laura insisted. "But, as Harry said, the current *owner*," she began, making air quotes around the word, "doesn't really own it, so they can't very well report a theft to the authorities. We take it to the insurance company or the legal owner and collect our fee. As I said: simple."
"It sounds dangerous to me," Donald told her. "But exciting," he added, the ghost of a smile on his face as Frances shook her head.
"I'm just glad that you're not in a business like that, Donald. But it does sound like something you'd like, Laura. Considering all of the times you volunteered to find things for almost everyone."
"And what about you, Daniel?" Abigail wondered. "Do you work with Harry?"
"I've- helped him on a few of his cases," Daniel hedged. "But mostly, I suppose you could say that I'm in - investments." Laura closed her eyes and shook her head as he said the words.
"Really?" Abigail said. "That's what Laura's father did."
"Yes, she told me as much, I believe."
Laura looked at the clock on the mantle. "What time are the reservations at the restaurant, Mother?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
It worked, as Abigail noticed the time as well. "Oh my. I hadn't realized - we'd best leave so that we can make it to the restaurant."
"Mindy," Frances told her daughter, "go and get your brother, please."
"Yes, ma'am," she said, and Laura watched as she went toward the kitchen.
"Is she always so quiet?"
"She reminds me of you at that age," Frances confessed. "Except for the dress, of course. She doesn't mind getting dressed up to go places, but when she's at home, it's shorts or pants." Laura hadn't liked being forced to wear dresses. If it had been her idea, that was fine, but even as a child, she hadn't wanted anyone to tell her what she *had* to do.
"Where is the restaurant, Mother?" Laura asked as she grabbed the fedora from the table.
"Oh, it's new -"
"Why don't you come with us in our car, Abigail?" Daniel suggested. "Then you can give Laura directions?"
"That's a wonderful idea, Daniel," Abigail told him, smiling as she took his arm.
"Come on, kids," Frances was saying until she saw that smile, and she stopped, looking at Laura with shocked surprise. Harry, still holding onto Laurie Beth's hand, studiously ignored that look as he relinquished the child to her mother and escorted Laura out to the rented car.
***
After an enjoyable meal, Laura and Harry both insisted, over Abigail's objections, that they would pay for the meal. It was decided that the Pipers would go home, and that Frances would return to her mother's the next day to discuss plans for the wedding.
"How are you going to get home, Mother?" Frances wanted to know.
"The same way she got here, of course," Daniel stated. "We'll drop her off at home before we go to our hotel."
"Hotel?" Abigail said. "Why would you go to a hotel when I have two perfectly good bedrooms at the house?"
"Mother," Laura began, aware that the children were listening. "We'll discuss it in the car, if you don't mind?"
"Of course," Abigail nodded, giving Frances a quick embrace and peck on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Once inside the car, Laura backed out of the parking space. "About staying with you, Mother - I'm not sure it's a good idea."
"Why?"
"I don't want a repeat of Wilson's visit," she answered. "Harry and I -"
"You forget that you weren't engaged to marry Wilson when you and he were here, Laura."
"And that makes a difference? Frances and Donald were engaged -"
"That was over ten years ago, dear," Abigail reminded her. "Times change. And I hope I've changed as well."
Laura looked at Harry, silently asking his advice. He smiled, reaching over to take her hand in his. "We accept your gracious offer," he said. "What say you, Daniel?"
"It would never enter my mind to refuse your invitation, dear lady," Daniel stated.
Harry saw the glance Laura sent via the mirror into the back seat and made a mental note to speak to Daniel.
***
Daniel and Harry carried the luggage into the house, going upstairs to the bedrooms. Abigail pointed out one for Daniel, opening the door for him to enter - then indicating the door at the far end of the hall to Harry and Laura. "But, isn't that the room you're using?" Laura asked, surprise registering on her face.
"Oh, no. I couldn't possibly -" she looked at Harry to explain. "It was my parent's room. No, I'm using my old bedroom -" she nodded at the next door in the hallway. "I'm comfortable there."
Laura opened the door into the master bedroom - watching Harry's reaction to the opulent splendor of Victorian design and decoration. A raised four-poster bed - complete with cover and curtains sat against one wall. A dark oak fireplace was on the other wall, with a red-velvet upholstered love-seat and side tables nearby. Two massive armoires of the same oak as the bed stood against the third wall, divided by a matching dressing table and stool.
"Mother loved this room," Abigail recalled with a deep sigh. "She redecorated it after they were married."
"Re-decorated?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Laura confirmed, smiling as well. "I remember she told me that someone had 'modernized it - except for the armoires, since those were too heavy to move. But she had to hunt down a bed to match, then the settee -" she ran her hands over the wooden edges of the settee. "Mother's right. Grandma adored the room."
"It looks as though she wasn't the only one," Harry noted, taking her hand and kissing it.
"If you're not too tired, I have some sherry downstairs - I thought we might have some while - Laura plays the piano for us," Abigail suggested, giving her daughter a questioning glance.
"If you'd rather not, I'm sure we can wait for another time," Harry said, trying to give her a way to beg off.
"No, I'll play," she told him. "I haven't played in a long time - I hope I remember how."
"Nonsense," Harry replied, pulling her to his side as they all started down the gently curving stairway. "I rather imagine that it's like riding a bicycle - once you learn, you don't forget how to do it."
"Why don't you warm up, dear," Abigail said, "While I pour the sherry?"
Laura sat down on the bench, lifting the cover from the keys. Harry took two glasses of sherry and brought them over to the piano, placing one within Laura's reach before he parked himself nearby as she took a deep breath and ran a few scales, getting her fingers used to the movement. "I think I only remember one of the songs Grandma Hasty taught me to play - well enough to try to play it - I hope." She took a drink of the sherry, then placed her fingers on the keys again.
As the notes of Beethoven’s "Fur Elise" filled the room, Abigail closed her eyes to listen, only opening them when Daniel touched her hand. Then she smiled, using the handkerchief he gave her to wipe away a tear.
Harry was transfixed, watching as Laura fingers seemed to dance across the keyboard, while her eyes seemed to be focused on some unseen point across the room.
As the notes faded, her audience applauded appreciatively. "Bravo!" Daniel declared.
"I'm terribly out of practice," Laura insisted, but Harry shook his head, reaching to take her hand.
"Beethoven himself couldn't have done better," he told her.
"You're only saying that because you have to," she accused, picking up the sherry glass to empty it.
"Not at all, Laura," Daniel said. "I'm really surprised that you didn't pursue becoming a concert pianist."
"Mother offered to get her into Julliard," Abigail revealed, "but Laura didn't think she was good enough."
"And my piano teacher in college confirmed that opinion," Laura reminded her. "He said that he couldn't teach me anything - that amateurs teaching other amateurs never worked very well."
"The man was a fool," Daniel declared. "I look forward to hearing more from you once you get that piano moved to London."
"So do I," Harry agreed. "And you'll be welcome to visit anytime you wish, Abigail, so you won't feel left out." He ignored Laura's quickly hidden look of consternation at the invitation. "Now, if you will excuse me, it's been a long, tiring day, and so I'll say goodnight. Coming, Laura?" he asked.
She hesitated, looking at Abigail. "Mother, are you sure that you're okay with -?" she asked, moving her hand from herself to Harry.
"Very sure, dear. Good night."
Laura bent to give her mother a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good night. And thank you."
***
"Your daughter is a remarkable young woman," Daniel remarked once they were alone.
"She is, isn't she? I'm sure she's told you that we haven't always understood one another."
"She's mentioned it," Daniel confirmed, rising to refill his glass with more sherry before holding out the cut-glass bottle toward her.
"Just a touch more," Abigail told him. "Laura's her father's daughter. She always has been. They would sneak off to circuses and amusement parks. He took her fishing, taught her how to play baseball - She adored Laurence," she said with a sigh. "When he left, I've always thought that he took a little of Laura with him."
"It must have been difficult for you, as well. And for Frances."
"Frances loved him, but they were never as close as he and Laura were. As for me, I was lost. My entire life had been wrapped up in running his house, taking care of his children - I had dinner on the table at six p.m. sharp every day."
"But you survived, as did Laura."
"I had no choice in the matter. I had my girls to raise. I went to work as a dental hygienist - That's how Frances met Donald. I was working for his father."
"Laura never mentioned your having worked when she was young," Daniel told her.
"It was only part-time, so I could be here when she and Frances came home from school. During those first months, I worried that Laura might take it into her head to go try to find her father. She blamed me for his leaving, I think."
"Why would she think such a thing?"
"We argued most of the time for the months leading up to the day that he just - didn't come home."
"Do you mind my asking -?"
"What we fought about? No, I don't mind. My father had died suddenly - a heart attack, leaving Mother here all alone. I thought that we should move back here."
"And he didn't agree."
"No. He insisted that all of his investment clients were in California, then said he didn't want to uproot the girls. Frances was in high school, and Laura was only a year or so from starting."
"Yet when he left, you remained in California," Daniel mused.
"I was worried about how Laura would handle a move at that point. It might have been the thing that caused her to take off. So I waited until she graduated from school and started college before I moved back here."
"And you've never considered remarrying?"
Abigail shook her head. "No. I've dated a couple of times, but - I've never found anyone that I felt close enough to -" She looked at him. "I find it hard to believe that some woman hasn't snatched you up, Daniel."
He stared into the almost empty sherry glass. "One did."
"You're married?" she questioned, suddenly guarded.
"No. It was a very long time ago."
"What happened?" she asked, then grimaced. "If you'd rather not -"
"She died," he said simply.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's fine. As I said: it was a long time ago."
"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" she realized.
"I suppose part of me will always love her," he confessed. He finished the sherry. "I would appreciate it, Abigail, if you don't mention any of this to - Harry. I can't explain my reasons at the moment, but -"
"We all have our secrets, don't we?" she suggested, and Daniel's eyes searched her face.
"I don't believe that you have anything to hide, dear lady."
"Perhaps I'll share mine some other time. Right now, I think I'll go up to bed."
"Should we wash the glasses?" he asked, rising to his feet as she did the same.
"No, I'll take care of it in the morning while I'm making breakfast. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"
"Whatever you choose to prepare will be fine, I'm sure. And if you need any help -"
"Don't tell me that you cook," she said, turning off the living room lights as they started up the stairs.
"I can, to a degree - but Harry's the one to ask."
"That's probably a good thing - because unless she's learned over the last five years, my daughter can't cook." She giggled again, and missed a step. "Oops. I suppose I had more sherry than I'm used to," she said, not pulling away as Daniel placed his arms around her waist to steady her. "Daniel?"
He leaned forward, only just stopping himself from taking advantage of the situation. "Let's get you to your room, hmm?"
***
"The first chance I get tomorrow, I'll speak to Daniel, Laura," Harry was saying as they lay in the antique bed after unpacking their cases.
"Remind him that he's only supposed to keep her off balance so she won't figure out that we're setting up to retrieve that jade, not sweep her off her feet."
"Yes, love. Now, can we go to sleep?" he asked, turning over to face away from her.
"Sleep?"
He hid his grin as he heard the frustration in that one word. "Isn't that what one usually does in bed?" He wasn't in the least surprised to feel her hand sliding along his skin, finally locating her target. "Laura," he sighed. "Your mother is just down the hall - are you sure -?" His question was lost as she pulled him onto his back and covered his mouth with hers.
***
"Frances said that you're a dreamboat," Laura said later, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Really?"
"Stop smiling," she admonished. "I knew I shouldn't have mentioned it. It only feeds your ego."
"My ego? Whatever are you talking about?"
"Oh, you -" She smiled. "So, what do you think of my family?"
"I rather like them."
"Even my mother?"
"Even your mother."
"I still can't believe that she's willing to let me take Grandma's piano -"
"Well, it *was* left to you in her will, and you do play it wonderfully."
"I hadn't realized how much I missed playing," she admitted. "What are you and Daniel going to do tomorrow while I'm stuck here with Mother and Frances?"
"Stuck? Planning our wedding?"
"You know what I mean."
"Well, Daniel agreed to contact a few friends in New York to try and find out precisely where Jonas Webster might be keeping the collection. And I'll place a call to his New York office about a photographer and reporter for "New England Homes" coming to take photos of whichever home that might be."
"That might be tricky if it's the penthouse apartment -" Laura told him.
"Then let's hope that he prefers to keep his secret art collection in Hyde Park."
"What am I going to tell Mother and Frances about the honeymoon? I can't very tell them that we're going to be stealing a collection of jade figurines."
"Tell them we're going to Niagara Falls," he suggested, rolling her over. "Ready for round two?" he asked.
"I don't know. I think I'm getting sleepy," she answered.
"Sleepy, eh?" he questioned, starting to drop kisses along her jawline, finally capturing her lips with his. "Are you sure about that?"
"Well," she sighed, "If you insist -" she slid her arms around him. "Home, James."
"Gladly, milady," he murmured, lowering his body to hers…
***
"Where are Harry and Daniel?" Frances asked the next day when she arrived.
"Harry insisted that he had some errands to run," Abigail told her. "I think they just wanted to get out of our way."
"Men," Frances sighed. "Donald was the same way, remember? When we were planning our wedding, he told me to just plan everything, and tell him when and where."
"And this wedding is much easier to plan," Laura reminded them, "since Harry and I agree that we want a simple wedding with just family and Daniel. Mother, about Daniel -"
"Why don't we go out into the garden and decide the best place for the ceremony?" Abigail suggested, leaving her daughters no choice but to follow her outside.
Grandpa Hasty had loved his garden. Luckily his daughter had inherited his green thumb, and she had added to the garden after his death. The center piece of the design was hedge of roses, broken by a doorway trellis upon which grew still more roses.
Abigail led them to the patio and its hedge of lilac. "I thought perhaps this would be - Laura, where are you going?" she asked as her younger daughter continued across the patio to the rose arbor.
Laura stood under the trellis, smiling. "Here," she stated. "Grandma Hasty told me that she and Grandpa were married in the rose arbor."
Frances agreed. "That's right. I remember seeing a picture of them standing just about where you are, Laura. Her dress was so beautiful." That statement led to a question. "What about your wedding dress?"
"Oh, I have it in the bedroom, in a locked suitcase, so that Harry can't see it."
"I'm glad to see that you're following at least some of the usual wedding traditions," her mother sighed. "You're right about the arbor, however. We can cut the wedding cake on the patio. A few tables and chairs - Harry said that he was going to prepare something special for the wedding dinner."
"Harry?" Frances asked. "Harry can cook?"
"You should have tasted the eggs benedict that he made this morning," Abigail replied.
"Oh, Laura, don't *ever* let that man go. I can barely manage to get Donald into the kitchen."
Laura laughed. "It's a good thing the one of us can cook," she pointed out.
"I'd love to see your dress, Laura," Frances announced.
"Is there anything else we need to look at down here, Mother?" Laura asked.
"I don't think so. Oh, you need to let Harry know that I've invited Judge Malcolm for coffee tomorrow morning - he's the local Justice of the Peace."
"I'm sure he'll be here," Laura said. "Thank you."
Abigail slipped her arm through Laura's. "Now, I'd like to see that dress, too."
To Part 2