“You mean going through a lawyer who works with unwed mothers?” Mel gave a long, wistful sigh. “Actually, we did try that route once, about a year ago. We weren’t quite sure it was right. It wasn’t that the money was a problem, but we were concerned about the legality, and the morality. But it all seemed perfect. We even went so far as to have an interview with the mother. Our hopes were very high. Too high. We picked our names and window-shopped for baby things. It really looked as if it was going to happen. At the last minute, she backed out.”
Mel bit her lower lip, as if to steady herself.
“That must have been dreadful for you.”
“We both took it very hard. To get that close and then … nothing. We haven’t discussed trying that way again since.”
“I can understand that. But, as it happens, I do know of someone who’s had a great deal of luck placing babies with adoptive parents.”
Mel closed her eyes. She was afraid they would fill with derision, not hope. “A lawyer?”
“Yes. I don’t know him personally, but, as I said, you meet a lot of people in this business, and I’ve heard. I don’t want to promise, or get your hopes up, but if you’d like, I could check.”
“I’d be very grateful.” Mel opened her eyes and met Linda’s in the mirror. “I can’t tell you how grateful.”
* * *
An hour later, Mel swung out of the hotel and into Sebastian’s arms. She laughed as he dipped her back for an exaggerated kiss.
“What are you doing here?”
“Playing the dutiful, lovesick husband come to fetch his wife.” He held her at arm’s length and smiled. Her hair was fluffed into a sexy, windblown look, her eyes were deepened and enlarged with blending shadows, and her lips were the same slick fuchsia as her nails. “In the name of Finn, Sutherland, what have they done to you?”
“Don’t smirk.”
“I’m not. You look extraordinary. Stunning. Just not quite like my Mel.” He tipped her chin up for another kiss. “Who is this elegant, polished woman I’m holding?”
Not as annoyed as she wanted to be, she pulled a face. “You’d better not make fun after what I’ve been through. I actually had a bikini wax. It was barbaric.” Chuckling, she linked her hands around his neck. “And my toenails are pink.”
“I can’t wait to see.” He kissed her again, lightly. “I have news.”
“Me, too.”
“Why don’t I take a walk with my gorgeous wife and tell her how Gumm’s been putting out feelers on the estimable Ryans of Seattle?”
“All right.” She linked her fingers with his. “And I’ll tell you how, out of the goodness of her heart, Linda Glass is going to help us make contact with a lawyer. About a private adoption.”
“We do work well together.”
“Yes, we do, Donovan.” Pleased with herself, she strolled beside him. “We certainly do.”
* * *
From the presidential suite on the top floor of the Silver Palace, Gumm watched through the window. “A charming couple,” he commented to Linda.
“They’re certainly loopy for each other.” She sipped champagne as Sebastian and Mel walked off hand in hand. “The way she looks when she says his name almost makes me wonder if they’re really married.”
“I’ve had copies of the marriage certificate and other papers faxed in. It all seems in order.” He tapped his fingers to his lips. “If they were a plant, I can’t imagine they’d be so easily intimate.”
“Plant?” Linda gave him a worried look. “Come on, Jasper, why would you even consider it? There’s no way back to us.”
“The business with the Frosts concerns me.”
“Well, it’s too bad they lost the kid. But we got our fee, and we didn’t leave a trail.”
“We left Parkland. I haven’t been able to locate him.”
“So he dropped off the edge of the world.” Linda shrugged and moved over to press her body to Gumm’s. “You’ve got nothing to worry about there. You held his note, and it was legit.”
“He saw you.”
“He wasn’t seeing much of anything, as panicked as he was. Plus, it was dark, and I was wearing a scarf. Parkland doesn’t worry me.” She touched her lips to his. “We’ve got the touch, babe. Being in an organization like this, we’ve got so many covers and trapdoors, they’ll never come close to us. And the money …” She loosened his tie. “Just think how that money keeps pouring in.”
“You do like the money, don’t you?” He tugged down the zipper of her dress. “We’ve got that in common.”
“We’ve got lots in common. This could be a big one for us. We pass the Ryans along, there will be a nice fat commission in it. I guarantee they’ll pay the maximum for a kid. The woman’s desperate to be a mommy.”
“I’ll do a little more checking.” Still calculating, he sank with her onto the couch.
“No harm in that, but I’m telling you, Jasper, these two are primed. No way we can lose. No way.”
* * *
Mel and Sebastian became a convivial foursome with Gumm and Linda. They dined out, enjoyed the casino, lunched at the club and indulged in rousing doubles matches at tennis.
Ten days of the high life was making Mel edgy. Several times she ventured to ask Linda about the lawyer she had spoken of and was told, kindly, to be patient.
They were introduced to dozens of people. Some of them Mel found interesting and attractive, others slick and suspicious. She spent her days following the routine of a well-to-do woman with time and money on her hands.
And her nights with Sebastian.
She tried not to concern herself with her heart. She had a job to do, and if she’d fallen in love doing it, that was her problem to solve.
She knew he cared for her, just as she knew he desired her. It was a worry that he seemed so fond of the woman she pretended to be—a woman she would cease to be as soon as the job was over.
Not quite like my Mel. My Mel, he had said. There was hope in that, and she wasn’t above clinging to it.
And as much as she wished the case were closed and justice served, she began to dread the day when they would go home, no longer married by design.
Whatever her personal needs and private hopes, she couldn’t allow herself to put them ahead of what they were trying to do.
Following a suggestion of Linda’s, Mel agreed to give a party. After all, she was supposed to be an enthusiastic entertainer, a whiz of a homemaker and a society gem.
As she struggled into her little black dress, she prayed she wouldn’t make some telltale faux pas that showed her up as a phony.
“Damnation,” she swore as Sebastian strolled into the bedroom.
“Problem, darling?”
“Zipper’s stuck.” She was half in and half out of the dress, flushed, harried, and mad as a cat. He was sorely tempted to help her the rest of the way out of it, rather than in.
He gave the zipper a flick that sent it up to its home, halfway up her back. “All done. You’re wearing the tourmaline,” he said, reaching over her shoulder to touch the stone between her breasts.
“Morgana said it was good for stress. I need all the help I can get.” Turning, she slipped regretfully into the heels, which brought them eye-to-eye. “It’s stupid, but I’m really nervous. The only kind of parties I’ve ever given involved pizza and beer. Did you see all that stuff downstairs?”
“Yes, and I also saw the caterers who will take care of it.”
“But I’m, like, the hostess. I’m supposed to know what to do.”
“No, you’re supposed to tell other people what to do, then take all the credit.”
She smiled a little. “That’s not so bad. It’s just that something’s got to happen soon. I’ll go out of my mind if it doesn’t. Linda keeps making cryptic remarks about being able to help, but I feel like I’ve been spinning wheels for the last week.”
“Patience. We take the next step tonight.”
“What do you mean?” She
caught at his sleeve. “We said no holding back. If you know something, have seen something, tell me.”
“It doesn’t always work like a perfect mirror of events. I know the person we’re looking for will be here tonight, and I’ll recognize who it is. We’ve played the game well so far, Mel. And we’ll play it out.”
“All right.” She took a deep breath. “What do you say, honey bun? Shall we go down and get ready to greet our guests?”
He winced. “Don’t call me honey bun.”
“Shoot, and I thought I was getting the hang of it.” She started down, then stopped with a hand pressed to her stomach. “Oh, Lord, there’s the bell. Here we go.”
* * *
It wasn’t really so bad, Mel discovered as the party flowed through the house and onto the deck. Everyone seemed to be having a dandy old time. There was some nice classical music—of Sebastian’s choosing—playing in the background. The night was balmy enough that they could leave the doors wide and allow the guests to roam in and out. The food, if she did say so herself, was excellent. And, if she didn’t recognize half of the canapés, it hardly mattered. She accepted the compliments graciously.
There was wine and laughter and interesting conversation. Which she supposed made for a pretty good party. And it was nice to watch Sebastian move through the room, to look over and see him smile at her, or to have him stop beside her for a touch or a private word.
Anyone looking at us would buy it, she thought. We’re the world’s happiest couple, madly in love with each other.
She could almost buy it herself, when his gaze moved in her direction and his eyes warmed, sending those secret signals up her spine.
Linda glided up, looking drop-dead gorgeous in a white off-the-shoulder gown. “I swear, the man can’t keep his eyes off you. If I could find his twin, I might give marriage another shot after all.”
“There’s no one else like him,” Mel said, sincerely enough. “Believe me, Donovan’s one of a kind.”
“And he’s all yours.”
“Yes. All mine.”
“Well, besides being lucky in love, you throw a wonderful party. Your house is beautiful.” And, Linda calculated, worth at least a good million on the market.
“Thank you, but I really owe you for recommending the caterer. He’s a jewel.”
“Anything I can do.” She squeezed Mel’s hand and gave her a long look. “I mean that.”
Mel was quick. “Do you … have you … Oh, I don’t mean to nag, but I haven’t been able to think about anything else for days.”
“No promises,” she said, but then she winked. “There is someone I’d like you to meet. You did say I could invite some people.”
“Of course.” She slipped on her hostess mask. “You know, I feel this is your party as much as mine. You and Jasper have become such good friends.”
“And we’re fond of you, too. Come over this way, so I can introduce you.” Keeping Mel’s hand in hers, Linda began weaving through the guests. “I’ll bring her back,” she said, laughing. “I just need to steal her a moment. Ah, here you are, Harriet. Harriet dear, I want you to meet your hostess and my friend, Mary Ellen Ryan. Mary Ellen, Harriet Breezeport.”
“How do you do?” Mel took the slim, pale hand gently. The woman was well into her sixties and had a fragile air that was accented by her snow-white hair and half glasses.
“Delighted to meet you. So kind of you to invite us.” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. “Linda told me how charming you are. This is my son, Ethan.”
He was nearly as pale as his mother, and wire-thin. His handshake was brisk, and his eyes were as black as a bird’s. “Lovely party.”
“Thank you. Why don’t I find you a chair, Mrs. Breezeport? And something to drink?”
“Oh, I would dearly love a little wine.” The woman smiled wispily. “I don’t want to be any bother.”
“Not at all.” Mel took her arm and led her to a chair. “What can I get you?”
“Oh, Ethan will take care of it. Won’t you, Ethan?”
“Of course. Excuse me.”
“A good boy,” Harriet said as her son walked off to the buffet table. “Takes such good care of me.” She smiled up at Mel. “Linda tells me you’ve recently moved to Tahoe.”
“Yes, my husband and I moved from Seattle. It’s quite a change.”
“Indeed, indeed. Ethan and I sometimes vacation here. We keep a nice little condo.”
They chatted while Ethan brought back a plate with a few choice canapés and a small glass of wine. Linda had already slipped off when Mel glanced over and saw Sebastian approaching.
“This is my husband.” Mel slipped a hand through his arm. “Donovan, this is Harriet and Ethan Breezeport.”
“Linda said you were a dashing figure.” Harriet offered a hand. “I’m afraid I’ve been monopolizing your charming wife.”
“I’m often guilty of that myself. In fact, I have to steal her for a moment. A small problem in the kitchen. Enjoy yourselves.”
He nudged Mel along and then, finding no private spot, ducked with her into a closet.
“Donovan, for God’s sake …”
“Shh.” In the dim light, his eyes were very bright. “It’s her,” he said quietly.
“Who’s her, and why are we standing in the closet?”
“The old woman. She’s the one.”
“The one?” Mel’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me, do you expect me to believe that that fragile old lady is the head of a babynapping ring?”
“Exactly.” He kissed her astonished mouth. “We’re closing in, Sutherland.”
Chapter 12
Mel met Harriet Breezeport twice more over the next two days, once for tea and again at a party. If it hadn’t been for her faith in Sebastian, Mel would have laughed at the idea of the whispery-voiced matron as the head of a criminal organization.
But she did have faith in him, so she watched, and played her part.
It was Devereaux who fed them the information that neither Harriet nor Ethan Breezeport owned a condo in Tahoe. Nor, in fact, was there any record that either party existed.
Still, when the contact came, it came from neither of them, but from a tanned young man with a tennis racket. Mel had just finished a match with Linda and was waiting over a glass of iced tea for Sebastian to complete a round of golf with Gumm. The man approached, wearing tennis whites and a dazzling smile.
“Mrs. Ryan?”
“Yes?”
“I’m John Silbey. A mutual acquaintance pointed you out. I wonder if I could have a word with you?”
Mel hesitated, as she imagined a happily married woman might when approached by a strange man. “All right.”
He sat, laying the tennis racket across his tanned knees. “I realize this is a bit unorthodox, Mrs. Ryan, but, as I said, we have mutual acquaintances. I’ve been told you and your husband might be interested in my services.”
“Really?” She arched a brow coolly, but her heart was picking up rhythm. “You don’t look like a gardener, Mr. Silbey, though my husband and I are quite desperate for one.”
“No, indeed.” He laughed heartily. “I’m afraid I can’t help you there. I’m a lawyer, Mrs. Ryan.”
“Oh?” She tried for hopeful confusion, and apparently pulled it off. Silbey leaned a little closer and spoke gently.
“This isn’t the usual way I solicit clients, but when you were pointed out to me just now, I thought it might be a good opportunity for us to become acquainted. I’m told you and your husband are interested in a private adoption.”
She moistened her lips and rattled the ice in her glass for good measure. “I … We’ve hoped,” she said slowly. “We’ve tried. It’s been very difficult. All the agencies we’ve tried have such long waiting lists.”
“I understand.”
And she could see that he did, and that he was very pleased to find her emotional, desperate, and primed. He touched her hand in sympathy.
“We tried go
ing through a lawyer before, but the whole thing fell through at the last minute.” She pressed her lips together, as if to steady them. “I’m not sure I could handle that kind of disappointment again.”
“It’s wrenching, I’m sure. I would hate to get your hopes up before we discuss this in more detail, but I can tell you that I’ve represented several women who have, for one reason or another, required the placement of their children. What they want for them are good homes, loving homes. It’s my job to find that, Mrs. Ryan. And when I do, I have to say, it’s one of the most rewarding experiences a man can have.”
And one of the most lucrative, Mel thought, but she smiled tremulously. “We want very much to provide a good and loving home for a child, Mr. Silbey. If you could help us … I can’t begin to tell you how grateful we’d be.”
He touched her hand again. “Then, if you’re agreeable, we’ll talk further.”
“We could come to your office anytime you say.”
“Actually, I’d like to meet you and your husband under less restrictive circumstances. At your home, so that I can assure my client on how you live, how you are together as a couple, in your own habitat.”
“Of course, of course,” she said, brimming with excitement. Don’t have an office, do you, bucko? “Whenever it’s convenient for you.”
“Well, I’m afraid I’m booked for the next couple of weeks.”
“Oh.” She didn’t have to feign disappointment. “Oh, well, I suppose we’ve waited this long …”
He waited a moment, then smiled kindly. “I could spare an hour this evening, unless you—”
“Oh, no.” She grabbed his hand in both of hers. “That would be wonderful. I’m so grateful. Donovan and I … Thank you, Mr. Silbey.”
“I hope I’ll be able to help. Is seven o’clock all right with you?”
“It’s fine.” She blinked out tears of gratitude.
When he left her, she stayed in character, certain there would be someone watching. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, pressed a hand to her lips. Sebastian found her sniffing into her watery iced tea.
“Mary Ellen.” The sight of her red-rimmed eyes and trembling lips brought instant concern. “Darling, what’s wrong?” The moment he took her hands, the jolt of excitement nearly rocked him back on his heels. Only sheer willpower kept the astonishment from showing.
“Oh, Donovan.” She scrambled to her feet, spotting Gumm over his shoulder. “I’m making a scene.” Laughing, she wiped at the tears. “I’m sorry, Jasper.”
“Not at all.” Gallantly he offered a silk handkerchief. “Has someone upset you, Mary Ellen?”
“No, no.” She gave a little shuddering sob. “It’s good news. Marvelous news. I’m just overreacting. Would you excuse us, Jasper? Give my regrets to Linda. I really need to speak with Donovan alone.”
“Of course.” He walked off to give them their privacy, and Mel buried her face in Sebastian’s shoulder.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded in a soothing murmur as he stroked her hand.
“Contact.” All damp eyes and shaky smiles, she drew her head back. “This sleazy lawyer—hell, I doubt he is a lawyer—just plopped himself down and offered to help us with a private adoption. Look delighted.”
“I am.” He kissed her for his own enjoyment, and for the benefit of their