Alternate Steele4/1

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Harry followed Laura into the London house as Mary came from the kitchen. "Harry! Laura! Daniel didn't tell me that he was expecting you -"

"He wasn't," Laura told the housekeeper, returning her hug. "We just decided to come back -"

"How was the South of France?"

Laura smiled dreamily. "Wonderful, Mary."

"It certainly seems to have agreed with you," Mary commented. "You're fairly aglow. And it's good to see that you've put some meat on those bones. Unlike some-"

"Harry's cooking," Laura told her.

Harry cleared his throat. "Aren't you going to speak to me at all, Mary?" he asked, sounding like a little boy who's favorite aunt was ignoring him.

Mary gave him a hug. "It's good t' have you back, Harry."

"Where is Daniel?"

"In the study, I think. Making plans -"

"Michael, darling."

Laura turned as Felicia sauntered across the entry way toward Harry and slid her arms around his neck. "Hello, Felicia. I wasn't aware that you were here."

"Daniel didn't tell you? He said he'd spoken with you yesterday - I assumed-"

"He didn't mention anything about you," Harry told her, standing as straight as he possibly could. "Laura and I decided to come back on the spur of the moment -"

Felicia glanced at Laura. "Yes. I'd noticed that Lisa was still tagging around after you. Just can't seem to shake her, can you, darling?"

"Maybe because he doesn't WANT to shake me, Felicia," Laura said. "And I'm not going to warn you again." She lifted one of Felicia's expensively manicured hands from Harry's jacket. "Hands off."

Felicia pouted at Harry. "Michael, are you going to let her speak to me that way?"
Harry smiled slightly, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "I suppose I am."

Felicia's fingernail traced his jaw before she moved away. "I can wait. When he gets bored with you, I'll still be here." She looked at Mary, who had remained, hovering, in the

background. "I'll be in my room resting until dinner, Mary."

The Irishwoman nodded once, then grinned at Harry and Laura. "I have to be getting back to the kitchen. As I said, Daniel's in the study. I'll send someone out for your bags."

Laura's eyes were still on the landing above them, even though Felicia was long since out of sight. Harry put an arm around her. "Don't let her bother you. She's just trying to-"

"I KNOW what she's trying to do, Harry," Laura finished.

Harry grinned, until he saw the expression on her face. "Shall we go see what Daniel's up to?" he suggested.

 

They found Harry's mentor in his shirt sleeves, poring over some legal looking papers. "Daniel -"

He looked up, and smiled widely, risng to his feet to come around the desk. "Harry." He gave the younger man a hug, then turned to Laura. "And you're looking quite rested, Laura." He pulled her into an embrace, then held her at arm's length to look at her.

 

"Picked up a few extra pounds, I should think. Let me guess: Harry's been doing most of the cooking at the villa."

Laura glanced down, wondering how he had seen the extra five pounds she had put on during their month long stay at Daniel's villa. "You'd be right," she told him, movng around the room. "In fact, I was just telling Harry on the drive from the airport that I was going to have to go on a diet -"

"Nonsense. They suit you. Don't tell Felicia this, but I agree with Mary."

Laura and Harry joined is his laughter. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back to London when we spoke yesterday?" he asked Harry as he indicated one of the chairs by the huge fireplace.

Laura came to perch on the arm of the chair as Harry said, "I didn't know myself then. We'd been tossing the idea around, -"

"Well, I'm glad you came back now. I was expecting to have to send for you once I had everything ready-"

"Ready for what, Daniel?" Laura asked.

Daniel walked over to the desk and picked up the papers, then returned to look at Laura for a long moment. "For your first lesson, Laura."

"My first -" She smiled. "What's up?"

"Daniel," Harry cautioned. "I'm not sure she's ready -"

"She will be by the time Ainsley Bannister dies."

"Ainsley Bannister?" Laura questioned as Harry groaned.

"Daniel, we agreed that it would be impossible to pull that one off."

"That was when we were considering using Felicia. I think Laura will do quite nicely."

"Excuse me, who is Ainsley Bannister?" Laura asked.

"He's an English industrialist - one of the wealthiest men in the country, as a matter of fact."

"And what does his death have to do with -"

"Daniel came up with a plan a year ago, when he discovered through a source that Bannister is dying," Harry told her. "Bannister's a widower, no known children, only a couple of distant family members to claim his estate."

"No KNOWN children?" Laura asked, curious.

"His only child, a daughter, was kidnapped soon after birth twenty two years ago. He paid the ransom, but his daughter was never returned. She was never found, and Bannister's wife killed herself a year later after a nervous breakdown. Bannister himself became a virtual recluse - seldom leaving his country estate, preferring to conduct all of his business from there. He never stopped searching for the daughter he'd lost - and it's said that his will leaves everything to her if she comes forward within a year of his death to claim her inheritance."

Laura looked at Daniel. "You considered having Felicia play a twenty two year old?"

"Harry said we'd decided against it," Daniel pointed out. "But you would be perfect for the part. You're the right age and coloring - Annabelle Bannister had dark eyes -"

"Annabelle?" Laura repeated, shuddering.

"And a birthmark on her back, Daniel," Harry pointed out. "That's something else we couldn't get around."

"Oh, I've solved that little difficulty, Harry," Daniel assured him. "The birthmark was simply a heartshaped mole in the middle of her back. If we use the proper glue - it should survive any inspection - considering that Laura looks vaguely like Bannister's late wife - I really think we could pull it off now."

Harry looked at his friend, uncertain. "I don't know, Daniel. Tossing Laura into something like that right off the bat -"

"We'll be with her, my boy. I've already set myself up as a detective looking into the kidnapping, hoping to reunite a dying old man with his long lost child."

"And me?"

"Her intended husband, of course." He rubbed his hands together. "I really feel good about this Harry," he said.

"How ill is Bannister?" Harry wanted to know.

"My sources give him no longer than the end of the month. That will give Laura enough time to learn everything she can about how to proceed - and about Ainsley Bannister."

"Say I agree to do this - we're going for the inheritance, am I right?"

"Ideally, yes," Daniel said. "But I've found that, in these cases, it's just as profitable to be the most obnoxious you can be. The people who stand to lose the inheritance will often agree to pay you off to decide that you're NOT the true heir after all."

"Why?" Laura asked, confused. "Why go through all of that for a smaller amount of money."

Harry grinned. "Because maintaining that illusion of being the long lost relative is usually impossible. Much better to take what you can and get out before you're discovered as a fraud -"

"And carted off by the police," Daniel told her

"I guess you have a point there," Laura mused. "When do we start?" she asked, her eyes shining.

Harry shook his head. "Laura, this isn't a game- if you're found out - "

"I'll just to have to do my homework, won't I?" she told him. "And if YOU don't want to do it, then fine. I'll just go with Daniel -"

Daniel raised his eyebrows in Harry's direction. "I think she's in, Harry. Are you?"

"No way am I going to let her go off alone with YOU, Daniel," Harry told his old friend. "I'm in."

Daniel handed Laura the papers he'd been holding. "I want you to read these. Memorize them until you can recite the information in your sleep."

Harry still had misgivings, but seeing the glow on Laura's face, he couldn't bring himself to lower her spirits. Daniel was right. She would have to get her feet wet sometime. He just wished she didn't have to jump into the deep end to do it.

 

 

"How obnoxious can you be, Laura?" Daniel asked later. "I mean, really play the 'ugly American' bit."

Laura looked thoughtful, then grinned as she spoke. "Well, hon, I can probably manage something, you know?" She pretended that she was chewing loudly on some gum as she spoke in a loud, ill mannered fashion that caused both Daniel and Harry to wince. Smiling ear to ear, Laura became herself again. "How was that?"

"Perfect. Do you think you can maintain if over a course of time? Not slip and speak normally?"

"No problem." She sat next to Harry again. "And what you? If you go in there like this, they're likely to kick ME out and decide to keep you."

Harry met Daniel's eyes, then spoke using his best Cockney street tough voice, slapping Laura on the bottom as he did so. "Not likely, luv. Get me a beer, would you? It's almost time for the game to start. And I got fifty quid riding on Manchester." He grinned up at her. "By the time they hear all about my plans for that mansion, they're going to get rid of you just to keep me from getting MY hands on it."

Mary tapped on the door. "Dinner's ready, Daniel."

Daniel nodded, extending an arm toward Laura. But this time, Harry was ready, and held Laura's arm to keep her at his side. "Not this time, Daniel."

Laura stood between them. "Really, you two." She slipped an arm through Daniel's, the other through Harry's. "Shall we go, gentlemen?"

Exhanging glances over her head, the three of them went to dinner, passing a surprised Felicia in the hall.

"Come along, Felicia," Daniel called.

After dinner, Daniel convinced Harry and Laura to join him at the club for a while. Felicia, still angry that Daniel seemed to be accepting Laura, begged off, saying she had other things to take care of. After watching Harry play- and win at Baccarat for several minutes, Laura wandered around the room. Daniel was at the roulette table, creating quite a stir as he seemed to win every spin of the wheel.

"He loves the attention, doesn't he?" a voice said in her ear.

Laura turned, smiling as she saw Nigel beside her. "I didn't know you were here."

"Back room again. Fleecing sheep." He kissed her hand, leading her to the bar. "You're looking very well. When did you and Harry get back to town? Last I spoke to Daniel you were still hiding out in the villa."

"We weren't hiding out," Laura told him. "Just enjoying some time alone. We returned this evening. What have you been up to?" she asked, sipping the white wine he ordered for her.

"Nothing very exciting. Just enjoying being back in London." There was a happy shout from the direction of Daniel's table again as fortune smiled once more. Nigel shook his head. "He's probably won over a two thousand - and will probably lose it all before the night's out. But that's Daniel."

"He's one of a kind."

"That he is. I've known him forever, it seems, and he's always been the same. Even prison didn't seem to dull that edge of his."

"Prison. Harry said Daniel spent some time in prison a few years ago- not long-"

"He spent almost two years in an Irish prison years ago."

"How long ago?" Laura asked.

"Oh, twenty-five or so years, I think. Doesn't talk much about it. And don't tell him I told you, Laura. It wasn't a good time for him."

"I don't doubt it." She watched him tell the dealer to let everything ride on the next spin.

"How did he end up in an Irish prison?"

"A bank heist went sour. Everyone got away except for Daniel."

"Even you?" she asked, hearing the slight sound of guilt in his voice.

"Even me," he admitted. "Not that Daniel blamed anyone else, of course."

"Why hasn't he ever told Harry about it?"

Nigel shifted uneasily on the barstool. "I have no idea. Perhaps because he doesn't consider it important enough."

"I suppose not. It WAS a long time ago." She swung back around to watch as Harry finished playing Baccarat and moved over to watch Daniel. "He's a very handsome man," Laura mused. "I wonder why he's never found anyone to share his life with."

Nigel shook his head. "Because the only woman he ever loved is dead, Laura." Nigel's eyes met hers again. "Leave it, Laura. You'll only cause trouble."

"Daniel was in love with a woman? What happened to her?"

"She died while he was in prison," Nigel told her, shaking his head. "You're as stubborn as he is. I pity poor Harry, being caught between the two of you." He finished his drink then rose, dropping a light kiss to the back of her hand. "The game will be starting again. Don't dig too deeply, my girl. You might find more than you bargained for."

She watched him moved toward the back room as Harry joined her. "What were you and Nigel discussing so intently?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders and ordering a drink.

"Nothing. He was just asking about Cannes," she told him. A loud moan went up from the area around the roulette table, and Laura saw Daniel lift his shoulders. "He lost it all?"

"He usually does. Are you ready to leave?"

"I think so."

 

On the drive home in Daniel's Mercedes, Laura took advantage of the darkness to study Daniel. He'd been in love with a woman who died while he had been in an Irish prison twenty-five years ago. And Harry was, to the best of his knowledge, twenty-five. She wasn't certain why it was so important to her to find out the truth. If it was for Harry's sake- or simply to have a bargaining chip to use against Daniel should it ever become necessary.

Daniel put an arm around her as Harry drove the car. "Why so quiet, Laura?" he asked.

"A bit tired, I suppose," she told him. "The flight from Cannes - and then the long evening-"

"Of course. Well, we'll be home in no time, and you can get some rest. And tomorrow, you have lessons to begin."

"I still have reservations about this, Daniel," Harry said quietly, taking Laura's hand in his. "And it's not that I doubt your ability, Laura. It's just that these cons can become complicated very quickly. And for someone who's not used to them-"

"I'll be fine, Harry," Laura assured him, placing her hand, still covered by his, on his thigh. "Stop worrying."

He didn't say anything else, but he dind't stop worrying either. All he could do, Harry decided, was to keep close to Laura and make sure she was all right.

 

Felicia was no where to be found when they returned home that evening, and Laura felt relieved. Perhaps the blonde pirahna had decided to find greener pastures. As she entered the room, Harry stopped her before she could turn on the light and pulled her into his arms for a long kiss. When they finally parted, Laura decided not to turn on the light at all, and whispered, "I'll be right back," going around the bed toward the bath, where she closed the door before turning on the light there.

Harry sat down the edge of the bed to remove his shoes and jacket, then went still as he felt a hand slide around to find the buttons of his shirt. "Laura?" he asked quietly. He hadn't heard the bathroom door open.

"Yes, Harry?" she responded, and he KNEW she was in the other room. Grasping the hand on his chest, Harry reached out with his other one and flipped on the light beside the bed, turning as he did so.

He wasn't surprised to find Felicia lying beneath the sheets, smiling at him. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he hissed, hoping Laura wouldn't hear him.

"I came to see you, darling," Felicia told him. "I know you must be getting quite bored with little Linda -"

She reached for the front of his shirt again, but Harry grabbed her wrist and rose, pulling her from the bed as he did. "Get the hell out of here, now. Before-"

Felicia was half in and out of the bed, and when she heard the door to the bath open, she slid her arms around Harry's waist. "Harry? Who are you-?" Laura stopped, her dark eyes widening as she took in the scene.

"Laura-"

"I seem to have come into the wrong room this evening," Felicia explained, smiling as Harry tried to pry her arms loose. "Old habits, I suppose."

"I told you I wouldn't warn you again, blondie. Hands OFF!" Laura roared, rather like a lioness trying to scare off a rival, Harry thought. He saw her heading toward them, and with a surprising burst of strength, he freed himself from Felicia's arms and went to grab

Laura's hand.

"Laura - " He looked at Felicia. "I think you'd better get out of here, Felicia," he told the other woman, knowing that nothing he said was going to stop Laura. There was a knock on the door, and Harry grabbed the diversion eagerly. "Come in."

Daniel opened the door, concerned amusement in his eyes when he saw Felicia in a definate state of dishabille on the bed, and Harry obviously attempting to keep Laura from scratching the other woman's eyes out. "Is there some problem, Harry?" he asked.

"Get Felicia out of here, Daniel," Harry said without any preface. "Please."

Daniel shook his head, trying not to smile as he extended a hand toward Felicia. "Allow me, my dear-"

Felicia rose gracefully and took his hand. "It was an honest mistake, Daniel. I went for a glass of water, and I suppose I was still a bit asleep. I'd spent so many nights in this room-"

Laura redoubled her efforts, and Harry put both arms around her. "Daniel -"

"Good night, Harry," Daniel said, "Laura." He pulled Felicia from the room, closing the door behind them. Laura was certain she heard his soft laughter, and felt Harry's arms tighten even more.

"Calm down, Laura," he said firmly. "It's over."

"It won't be over until she's out of our lives," Laura declared. "And Daniel accepts that I'm here to stay."

Harry turned her around until she was facing him. "Laura, I'll admit that Felicia and I were- close. But since I met you, I haven't even noticed her. You're the only woman I want in my life -the only one I'll EVER want."

Laura slid her arms around his neck. "From now on, we lock that door - and if she picks the lock, I'll-"

Harry captured her lips with his, silencing her threats, then lifted her into his arms to carry her to the bed. He kissed her again, then rose to cross and lock the door under her watchful eye before finishing undressing.

"Harry," Laura said, her eyes following his every movement, "Has Daniel ever mentioned anyone -special to you?"

He paused, then resumed unfastening his shirt cuffs. "Special in what way?"

"A woman that he cared a great deal about - someone he considered marrying-"

He turned to look at her, and Laura couldn't resist burying her fingers in the hair of his chest. "Daniel's been involved with several women over the years I've known him, Laura. But he's never considered marrying any of them to my knowledge. Why do you ask?"

"Just - curious," she told him. "He's never said anything about- "

"No, Laura. I'm sure there might have been someone in his distant past- well before I met him, but he's never discussed it. There is a photograph that he keeps on his nightstand, but he's never told me anything about her, and I haven't asked."

She watched as he removed his pants. "Why not?"

"Because it's none of my business. If Daniel wanted me to know about her, he'd tell me." He joined her in the bed, burying his face in her hair. "Now, if you'll stop asking silly questions -"

"I don't happen to think they're silly," she told him, smiling as his hand moved down her body. "But you're right. There are other things to discuss."

"Such as?" Harry questioned softly as his lips found the tip of her nose.

She kept his hand where it was. "Such as how good that feels."

Harry reached across her and turned off the light.

The next morning, Laura rose before Harry, as she usually did, and started downstairs. She noticed that the door to Daniel's room was open, and heard Mary singing softly to herself as she cleaned. "Good morning, Mary," Laura said, coming to the open doorway and peering inside.

The housekeeper turned a bright smile her way. "Ah, Laura. And good morning to you, too. I left breakfast on the sideboard downstairs. I made some of those croissants you're so fond of."

"You're going to get me positively FAT, Mary," she moaned. "But thank you." She scanned the room, easily finding the small photo on the table beside the bed. "Who is that?" she asked as Mary picked up the frame to dust.

"Someone Daniel knew a long time ago, lass."

"She must have been very important for him to have kept her picture all this time."

"Aye. She was."

Laura came into the room to get a closer look at the photograph. "She's beautiful." It was a black and white picture, but the woman had dark hair and a smile that lit up her entire face. "What happened to her?"

"She died. While Daniel was in prison," Mary told her, taking the photograph and returning it to its place.

"Did you know Daniel back then?" Laura asked, curious.

"He and my late husband were - partners," Mary said. "When Gerry died a few years later, Harry needed a housekeeper for this place and asked if I would take the job."
Laura looked at the photograph again. "What was her name?"

"Meghan." Mary's eyes were serious. "Don't question him about her, Laura. It upsets him to think about what might have been if he hadn't -"

"Hadn't gotten caught and gone to prison? Was he going to marry her?"

She noticed that Mary wasn't looking at her any longer, but past her, to the door. Taking a deep breath, Laura turned slowly around to face the dark, angry eyes of Daniel Chalmers.

"You can go, Mary."

"Daniel- I-"

"I don't blame, you, Mary. Go on." He closed the door behind her, then remained there, his dark eyes fixed on Laura. "You just can't leave things alone, can you, my dear? You have to ferret out every little secret-"

Laura picked up the photograph. "She was Harry's mother, wasn't she? He has her eyes. Hers were blue, too, weren't they?" Daniel didn't answer, simply remained by the door, listening to her. "You planned to marry her, but wound up in prison. Somehow you found out she was going to have a baby. YOUR baby. How am I doing so far, Daniel?"

"I'm fascinated by this little fantasy," he commented, but his smile wasn't genuine, and Laura could see the pain behind it. "Do continue."

"She died when the baby was born, and he was put up for adoption, since you were in prison - and you didn't find him for fourteen years, until he picked your pocket here in London."

Daniel crossed the room and took the photograph from her. He looked at it for a long moment before putting it back where it belonged. "As I said, a fascinating little story, but you have no proof -"

"I think I could find it, if I tried hard enough."

"You wouldn't mention any of this to Harry - I'm not saying that your theory is correct, but even the suggestion would be enough to destroy his trust in me."

"You think he'd be angry if he knew the truth."

"You've seen the way he reacts to any mention of his father, Laura. Harry detests the man - I've never thought Harry capable of violence, but I think that if he were to ever meet his father -" Daniel shook his head, not wanting to consider the rest of the statement.

"But he knows you. And if you explained-"

"You haven't answered my question, Laura."

She felt disloyal to Harry, but she also knew that Daniel was right. That Harry would react badly to finding his father. No matter who it was. "Whether or not I tell him what I suspect depends on you."

"On me?"

"I want you to call Felicia off. Tell her to leave Harry and me alone."

"You think I had something to do with that little scene last night," he said. "I can assure you that-"

"Oh, maybe you didn't have anything to do with it DIRECTLY, but you asked Felicia here to try and drive Harry and me apart. Admit it."

"That was before I realized that by sending you away, I might lose him. He'd follow you - unless you told him not to. And even then, I think he'd still try to find you again."

"And losing him is something you don't want to do. After all, you lost him once, didn't you? I"m sure the very idea of losing him again -" He turned from her and went to the window. Laura saw him draw a shuddering breath, and went to him, placing a hand on his arm. "I'm not going to take him anywhere, Daniel. And if we do leave, we'll always come back. I won't say anything to him, Daniel. I promise."

Daniel turned to look at her, before placing his hand over hers. "Thank you. And I'll speak to Felicia. I think she can be convinced to spend some time in Paris. Or Rome. She's always liked Rome."

"Thank you." She stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. Seeing the light rekindle in his eyes, Laura smiled. "Mary said she had breakfast ready downstairs. Have you eaten yet?"

"No. I had some business to attend to early." He kept a hold on her hand. "Care to join me?"

"Love to," she said.

 

Harry was just coming down the stairs as the front door closed behind Felicia. The blonde hadn't been happy to hear Daniel's suggestion that she leave London for awhile, and Laura had smiled as she listened to the conversation that had been held in the study behind closed doors. "You're giving in to that little nothing? Really Daniel. She's all wrong for Michael," Felicia had insisted.

"No, Felicia. I think it's YOU that's wrong. Harry's been happier in the last few months than I've seen him in ages. She's good for him. And since I can't trust you to behave yourself, - Rome is rather nice this time of year," Daniel had pointed out.

Felicia had stalked out of the room, never seeing Laura, who had hidden quickly in the dining room. She had remained out of sight as the woman had come back downstairs with a small case, telling Daniel that she would send for the rest of her luggage. "You'll see that I was right about her, Daniel. When she convinces Michael to give up the life to settle into her boring one."

"If you say so, my dear. Keep in touch."

She had closed the door loudly behind her, leaving Daniel standing there as Laura came from the parlour. "Good riddance," she commented.

"Good riddance to who?" Harry asked, coming downstairs. He looked from Laura to

Daniel as neither answered. "Well?"

"Felicia decided that it might be best if she paid a visit to Rome," Daniel told him. "She's just left."

"Without saying goodbye?" he asked, then saw Laura's angry expression. "I suppose after last night it might not have been a good idea. Oh, well." He put an arm around

Laura's shoulders. "We have to start working on your homework to day," he told her, deciding to change the subject. "Turning you into Annabelle Bannister."

Laura shuddered. "Annabelle," she repeated. "Who on earth would hang a name like that on a poor defenseless baby. She probably arranged for the kidnapping herself to get away from it."

Harry and Daniel laughed.

 

A month later, Laura and Harry were joining Daniel at the table for lunch when the telephone rang. Mary, who had forgiven Laura for her digging after speaking privately with Daniel, answered in the kitchen, then came into the dining room. "It's for you, Daniel," she said. "Says it's about Ainsley Bannister."

Daniel put his napkin back on the table and rose. "I'll be right back," told them.

Laura watched him go with excited eyes. "Do you think, Harry, that-"

Harry sat back. He'd long since resigned himself to carrying through with Daniel's plan, in spite of the doubts that plagued him. But every alarm in his head was going off all at once, and he wanted to insist to Laura that she tell Daniel she couldn't do it. "Possibly. Daniel said that Bannister was quite ill -"

Daniel returned and sat down, returning his napkin to his lap before looking up to find Laura and Harry both watching him. "Yes?" he asked.

"Daniel -" Laura began. "What was the telephone call?"

"Ainsley Bannister died early this morning," he announced, seeing Laura's excitment grow tenfold. He lifted his glass of wine. "To Ainsley Bannister. May he rest in peace."

Harry and Laura repeated the toast, then Laura sat forward. "How long do we have to wait, Daniel?"

"I'm going to contact Bannister's cousins today, and tell them that I've found their long lost cousin Annabelle."

 

To Alternative Steele4 Part 2

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Original content ©2001 by Nancy Eddy