Alternative Steele4/2

Shocked silence greeted Daniel's announcement. Bannister's three cousins looked at one another before Trevor Bannister, the eldest of the three, spoke in a cultured voice that revealed his Oxford education.

"Are you QUITE certain that's her, Mr. Chambers?" he asked.
"Yes," his sister Rachel agreed. "You've no idea how many times someone told our poor cousin that they had found his daughter, only to be dreadfully wrong." She was a tall, raven haired beauty, her manners impeccable.
"It's her," Daniel informed them. "The tests have all been done, and everything checked out." He placed his briefcase on the table and opened it, bringing out some papers.
Handing them to Trevor, he said, "As you can see, Mr. Bannister, her blood type is AB-, just as Annabelle Bannister's was. She was adopted as an infant -"
"What about the birthmark?" Clarence Hartford asked. He was a nervous little man, as fair as his cousins were dark, who wore thick round lenses in wire frames.
"She has it, verified by a doctor -"
Trevor glanced up at him. "Where did you find her?"
"In the United States," Daniel told them noticing Rachel lift her perfectly sculpted brows in a show of distaste. "She was working in a diner -"
"A- diner?" Clarence repeated, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
"A small, VERY informal, eating establishment," Trevor clarified. "And just WHERE is she now, Mr. Chambers? You would think, with her father's death - IF she's really Annabelle -"
"Oh, she is." Daniel consulted his watch. "They should be arriving any moment. Annie wanted to stop off at the Tower of London-"
Trevor looked even more uncertain. "THEY?"
Daniel lifted his shoulders. "Her fiance is with her. I should warn you that Annie is a bit-" he paused, as if searching for the right word. "Rough about the edges. " He saw Rachel roll her eyes as the front door chime signalled for the butler's attention.
Jarvis, the very correct and proper English butler, opened the front door and frowned upon seeing the petite, brown haired, gum chewing young woman clad in denims and a tight sweater that had obviously seen better days. She was accompanied by a tall, dark haired man who was wearing what appeared to be motorcycle leathers. "May I help you?" he asked in his most disapproving tone, which was usually more than enough to dissuade anyone begging money.
"Yeah, Jeeves," the girl said in a crude, loud voice. "Is this Ainsley Bannister's place?"
"It WAS," Jarvis confirmed. "Mr. Bannister passed on early this morning- May I ask what business-"
The man with her put a finger into Jarvis' chest. "Look, Guv, I'd suggest you be nicer to the lady. She's goin' t'be signin' your payslip from now on."
Jarvis winced at the Cockney accent as he heard Daniel Chambers' voice. "Annie. Do come in."
Jarvis stepped aside to allow the couple entry, ignoring the man's glare. He closed the door and retreated to the kitchen.
"Didn't think the dragon was going to let us in," Laura said, her eyes moving around the hall before she gave a low whistle. "This is SOME place, right honey?"
Her companion had wandered over to look at a painting on the wall, and when Laura called, Harry turned around, brushing his elbow against a vase nearby. It wobbled, then started to fall, saved only by Clarence's quick grab. "You clumsy lout," Trevor said. "That vase is worth over a million pounds. You might've broken it."
"Cool off," Harry said, then frowned at the vase that Clarence still held in his arms like a baby. "Million pounds, eh?" He winked at Laura. "Imagine the beer and chips that would buy, luv." Then, turning to Clarence, he said, "'Ave a care that someone doesn't nick off with that."
Laura put her arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder, then looked at Trevor. "Guess you must be one of the cousins, right?"
Daniel came forward as he saw Trevor drawing visably away. "Trevor Bannister, his sister, Rachel, and Clarence Hartford. May I present Jimmy Dawes, and Annabelle Bannister."
"That remains to be seen," Trevor commented, barely taking Laura's hand before releasing it.
"Everything is QUITE in order, Mr. Bannister, I can assure you," Daniel said.
Harry retained hold of Rachel's hand a bit longer than was necessary. "'Aven't I seen you in a pub somewhere? I remember. The Bull and Blood -"
Rachel pulled her hand away, her expression haughty. "I seriously doubt it."
Laura wandered into the main parlour, eyes full of wonder, and Harry, noticing she was gone, called, "Annie - where're you going?"
"To look around, of course."
"If you'll wait, Miss," Trevor said, "I'll be more than glad to give you a tour later- I'm sure you and your- friend are tired from you trip from America-"
"Not at all," Laura told him, but Harry put his arms around her waist from behind, and lowered his head to kiss her neck. She giggled. "On second thought, maybe it might not be a bad idea to see what our room looks like, right Jimmy?" He grinned lecherously, and Laura twisted in his arms to meet his lips.
Trevor rang for the butler. "Yes, Mr. Trevor?" Jarvis asked, managing not to look in the direction of the couple still locked in each other's arms.
"Show the young lady and her -friend up to the blue room, please. And open the green room for Mr. Chambers."
"Whatever you think best, sir," Jarvis said, clearing not approving of anything. He turned toward the door, then stopped as he realized that the couple wasn't following him.
Daniel cleared his throat loudly, causing Harry to lift his head. "Sorry. Got carried away," he said, but his eyes were void of any real remorse. He winked at Rachel, then followed Laura from the room.
"This won't do, Mr. Chambers. I want to see those papers again. She can't possibly be Cousin Ainsley's daughter."
"She's the right age," Daniel pointed out, returning the papers to him. "The colouring is right -"
"But she's so- crude," Rachel said.
"You have to realize that she was raised in America from the time she was an infant by lower class parents."
"How did they get her?"
"I haven't been able to trace any involvement on their part with the kidnapping. Certainly they never had any of the ransom money. Annie swears that her adoptive father worked as an automobile mechanic until he was killed after a car fell on him when she was sixteen, and that her mother, who died when she was fourteen, worked cleaning other people's houses. They scarcely had money to pay the rent and buy food. It was after her mother's death that she went to work in a diner to help with household expenses."
Trevor frowned, angry, as Rachel looked at him. "Well, Trev? What do you think? Is she really -"
His lips thinned. "Apparently so. At least, according to these reports, she is. But I shudder to think about that young woman in charge of Ainsley's estate. Especially with that - man - Perhaps she could be pursuaded to accept someone else's guidance -"
"I shouldn't try to come between Annie and Mr. Dawes," Daniel warned. "I made that mistake after I first met him. She's - quite attached to him." He rubbed his cheek, as if remembering her slap across his face. "In fact, she threatened to tell him that I was attempting to cut him out if I mentioned it again."
"Who IS he?" Rachel asked, and Daniel rubbed his hands together, seeing the look of interest in those eyes.
"I haven't completed my investigation into his background," he told her.
"How on earth did they meet? He's obviously not American."
"He used to race motorcycles, I believe. Left England in some sort of scandal a few years ago. He was injured in a race, happened to stop into the diner where Annie was working - "
"Does he DO anything now?"
"Not that I've seen- unless you count taking bets on sporting events."
"He's a BOOKMAKER?" Trevor exclaimed, clearly put out by that news.
Daniel shrugged. "Either that or a drug dealer. And since he hasn't enough money to be doing the latter, I assume it's the former."
Clarence sat down heavily. "What are we going to do, Trevor?" he asked in a shaking voice. "They'll destroy everything it took Cousin Ainsley so long to build."
"Shut up, Clarence. I'll think of something."
Daniel closed his breifcase and bowed slightly. "If you will excuse me, I think I'll go to my room and rest. It was a long flight, and I'd hoped to be here in time to introduce Annie to her father." He took Rachel's hand and bowed over it. "Allow me to again offer my deepest condolences."
"Thank you, Mr. Chambers."
"If there is anything I can do, just let me know."
"I will." She smiled at him, watching him leave the room. "He's quite charming, isn't he?"
"He's a male. ANY man is charming to you, Rachel," Trevor ground out. "If you'll please turn your attention back to OUR little problem -?"
"I don't see that there's anything we can do, Trev," she pointed out, sinking back into a chair. "According to everything that Mr. Chambers discovered, that woman upstairs IS Annabelle. We'll simply have to -"
"Stand back while she does as Clarence so WONDERFULLY pointed out and destroys everything? Over my dead body," he declared. "I wonder what she would do if she were to find her 'friend' in a compromising situation with another woman?"
Rachel shook her head as she caught his meaning. "No, Trev. He's an - animal. So crude and -"
"And exactly your type, dear sister. I'll detain dear little Annabelle this evening while you take Dawes out to show him the garden. Shouldn't be too difficult to get him into your clutches, Rachel. His type isn't very choosy."
 
Upstairs, Laura grinned widely as Harry locked the door behind them. Pulling her into his arms, he spoke in a low voice that couldn't carry beyond the door, just in case Jarvis was lingering out there. "You're very good at this."
"So are you," she told him. Looking behind him, her eyes widened as she saw the huge canopied bed.
Harry turned to see what was causing that expression, and smiled. "Care to check it out, Annabelle?" he asked, sweeping her off her feet into his arms and stepping onto the raised platform which held the bed.

During dinner in the main dining hall, Laura maintained a steady stream about how terrible the service was, how slow it was taking for the servants to get the food to the table. "They certainly wouldn't get a tip from me, let me tell you. Right, honey?" she asked Harry, who was sitting to her right, his eyes focused on the expanse of white flesh exposed by the low cut gown of Rachel Bannister. She slapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Jimmy-"
He winked at Rachel, who quickly lowered her eyes to her plate. "Did you say something, luv?" he asked. "Sorry. My mind was on something else -"
"I KNOW what your mind was on, honey."
"The servants don't expect a tip, Annabelle," Trevor pointed out. "They're paid quite handsomely to do their job."
"I'll have to check into THAT," Laura said. "I don't think they're earning their wages."
She emptied her glass of wine, then, realizing that there was no one there to refill it, she turned toward the kitchen door. "I need some more wine!" she called out, and even Daniel winced. He sent her a look not to overplay TOO much, but Laura simply smiled back at him. "Who's been in charge of things while the old man was so sick?" she asked, drawing a shocked gasp from Clarence.
"Annie, please," Daniel said. "Some respect -"
"Sorry. It's hard to be sad that someone's dead when you never even knew they existed until a few days ago."
Trevor sighed. "I was taking care of things for Cousin Ainsley during his illness," he informed her. "If you would like, I could show you some of the books after dinner- if you think you'll understand them -"
Harry gave a loud laugh. "Annie 'ere's been taking care of the diner's books for a couple of years now, right luv? She could probably show YOU a thing or two."
"I'll look forward to it," Trevor said, but his voice revealed something less than excitement.
 
 
As Trevor led Laura into the study, followed by Clarence and Daniel, Rachel touched Harry's arm. "You're just going to bored in there," she told him.
Harry grinned at her. "You got something else we could do?" he asked, his eyes moving over her.
"Thought we might- go for a walk in the garden. It's really very lovely in the moonlight." She saw him look toward the closed study door. "Unless you're afraid of what Annabelle might say -"
Harry narrowed his eyes. "What Annie doesn't know can't 'urt 'er, can it?"
"No, I suppose not," Rachel said. "This way."
Harry followed her into the garden, but didn't spend any time appreciating the layout, the flowers. Instead, he pulled Rachel into his arms and kissed her. He could feel her fighting with herself not to respond to him, but as his lips became softer, more caressing, her arms slid around him. "I've been watching the way you looked at me all evening," he told her. "I knew you fancied -"
Rachel opened her eyes. "I really should slap you," she told him, but she made no move to leave his arms.
"Go a'ead," Harry dared her. "But be sure you're ready for me to pay you back."
 
Clarence stood beside Laura, pointing out something in the ledger that Trevor had opened before her. Laura's eyes widened and she whistled. "This is more money than I've made in all my years at the diner," she told them. "And it costs this much just to keep this place running?"
"Y-Yes," Clarence told her.
"I don't think it should take THIS many people," Laura insisted. "Jimmy, honey -" she looked up, suddenly realizing that "Jimmy" wasn't there. "Where's Jimmy?" Her eyes moved around the room. "And Cousin Rachel? Where is she?"
"I believe she's probably in the garden. She usually spends her evenings there," Trevor said. "I've no idea where Mr. Dawes has gotten to. I just hope he hasn't stolen the silver," he muttered to Clarence as Laura turned toward the doors and went to the open doors that led to the garden, bursting out into the quiet night. She heard a soft voice, followed by a deeper one, and moved in that direction, coming upon Harry and Rachel sitting on a bench, engrossed in each other.
"I might have known," she sneered.
Harry's head came up, his eyes filled with humor. "Annie, luv. Rachel was just showing me the garden-"
"I KNOW what she was showing you," Laura said, moving toward Rachel with fire in her eyes.
Rachel rose slowly, her eyes wide, and moved behind Harry to stand back, near her brother. "Trev. DO something."
Laura's eyes narrowed. "Keep your blue blooded hands off of him, do you hear me?"
"I didn't so anything," Rachel insisted. "I invited him out here to show him the garden, as he said. He -"
Harry tried to grab Laura, but she brought her hand up to slap his face. "And YOU - "
Daniel covered his mouth to hide his smile. Laura hadn't pulled that punch one ounce. He should have warned her that Harry tended to immerse himself in a role, he supposed. Without another word, she turned and ran back into the house.
"Annie, luv!" Harry called after her. "I can explain - Annie!" he insisted, following her.
Rachel was shivering. "I thought she was going to kill me."
Daniel put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I don't think she would have done anything that drastic," he said. "Why don't we go inside out of the night air?" he suggested.
She leaned against him. "Thank you, Mr. Chambers. You're so kind."
"Well, it's quite easy to be kind to you, my dear," Daniel told her, knowing that her brother and cousin were close behind.
As they passed the stair, they could hear Harry yelling at the top of his lungs. "Annie! Annie, you let me in there, or so 'elp me, I'll break this bloody door down!" His threat was followed by the sound of his fists hitting the door. "ANNIE!"
"Maybe we should do something," Clarence said, swallowing heavily. "Call the police, perhaps?"
"Don't be such a ninny, Clarence," Trevor said. "I'm not going to have the local authorities spreading the word that Cousin Ainsley's daughter is involved with someone like that."
"Alright, Annie! You asked for it!" There was the sound of something hitting the door, then Harry swearing loudly.
Everyone below heard the door to Laura's room open and her voice as she said, "Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not bloody all right!" Harry exclaimed. "I think I may've broken my shoulder!"
Their voices faded, and the door closed again. "So much for that plan, Trev," Rachel said, seeing the look of anger on her brother's face. "Apparently she's going to take him back."
"We'll just have to try something else," Trevor decided. "Mr. Chambers, have you gotten any further word on Dawes' history?"
"I'm still waiting for the results," Daniel said. "I'm expecting a call from my operative tomorrow at the latest."
"All we can hope is that he's wanted somewhere and get him away from her. I think without his influence, we might be able to control Annabelle -" He saw Daniel's expression.
"Perhaps control wasn't the correct term. Turn her into a proper heiress for Cousin Ainsley's estate. As soon as you find out anything, Mr. Chambers -"
"I'll be certain to let you know," Daniel assured him.
 
The grandfather clock in the hall struck once, and Clarence jumped as he surveyed the books on the library shelves. So much had happened today that he was wide awake. A sound from the doorway caused him to look in that direction, and he felt the blood drain from his face as he saw Annabelle leaning against the frame, clad in a very flimsy, short robe. Her brown hair was tousled, her lips swollen. "Having trouble sleeping, Cousin Clarence?" she asked in a sultry voice.
Clarence held the book before him like a shield. "I - I was just looking f-for s-something to read," he managed to say as she came toward him, backing him against the shelves.
"Cousin A-Annabelle -"
"What's wrong, Clarence? Do I make you nervous?" Laura asked, noticing that the man's glasses were starting to fog over. She reached up and took them off.
"Wh-Where's - your fiance?"
"Jimmy? Sleeping it off. Had a little too much to drink at dinner, I think. Never could hold his liquor." She slid her arms around his neck and pulled herself against him. "I got lonely -"
"You should get a book to read -" Clarence said, feeling lightheaded. Her robe had opened a bit, revealing that she very likely didn't have anything on underneath.
Laura shook her head, smiling. "I have a much better way of getting to sleep, Clarence," she told him. "Shall I show you what I mean?" When he didn't move, Laura stood on her toes to press her lips to his, then ran her hands down his chest.
"Cousin!" Clarence said, finding the strength to pull away from her and start backing toward the door. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Of course it is, Clarence. You can't sleep, neither can I -"
Clarence grabbed his book and started toward the door again. "No, I-"
"You're forgetting something, Clarence," Laura said in that voice again.
Clarence turned around to find her VERY close - and his glasses dangling from her fingers. "Th-Thank you," he said, taking them and putting them back on.
She placed a finger on his chest. "You're sure I can't convince you to stay for awhile?" She glanced at the long table behind them.
The man's eyes widened. "You mean- <here>?"
"Why not? I've always wanted to make mad, passionate love in a library. This is pretty close, isn't it?"
Clarence was out the door in a flash, leaving Laura standing in the middle of the room, smiling after him. Turning off the light, she went back upstairs, only to find Harry awake and waiting for her.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"He ran like a scared rabbit. He'll probably tell Trevor all about his close call first thing tomorrow morning." She unfastened the robe and dropped it on the end of the bed before straddling his legs. "I wonder how much longer this is going to take?"
"The last time Daniel and I did this, it was almost six weeks before the cousins decided to get rid of me."
"Six weeks? I don't know if I can keep this up for that long. We'll just have to find something that will make them really desparate to be rid of me." She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest, and then a slow grin spread across her face.
"What's that about?" Harry asked.
"I was just picturing their reaction if they walked into the library and found us making love on the table in there."
Harry pulled her down on top of him. "I'll keep it in mind," he told her before covering her mouth with his.
 
 
"She did <what>?" Trevor asked Clarence.
Clarence shrank from his cousin's tone. "She tried to - to seduce me. In the library, last night."
Trevor moved away. "It wasn't enough that she brought that - man into this house. Now she's no better than he is. A common little guttersnipe-"
"What are we going to do, Trevor?" Clarence asked, jumping as the door to the study opened and Harry burst into the room.
"There you are, you little-" He came toward Clarence, backing him into a corner and then lifting him but the front of his shirt.
"I - I "
"Put him down-" Trevor said, but Harry ignored him. Daniel and Rachel appeared in the doorway.
"You stay away from my woman, little man. Or I'll break you in 'alf next time I 'ear you've been messing around with 'er. You got that?" He shook Clarence for good measure.
Clarence nodded, obviously terrified. Harry released him and left the room, giving Rachel a glance as he did. Clarence nearly slid to the floor before Trevor caught him and helped him to a chair. "The nerve -"
"I was coming to tell you, Mr. Bannister," Daniel began, coming forward, "I just finished speaking to my operative. Jimmy Dawes left England six years ago after being accused of killed another man in a drunken brawl over a motorcycle fight. The charges were dropped, but he decided to leave for greener pastures, as it were. He went to the states and began racing there on a limited basis - until an accident ended that. Since then he's not kept a steady job. He likes to drink, and has an eye for the ladies."
"No warrants for his arrest, then?" Trevor asked.
"I'm sorry. He's not wanted for any crime, apparently."
"He just threatened Clarence," Trevor reminded him. "We can't allow this to continue. There has to be someway to get rid of them - to make her withdraw her claim on the estate-"
"She'll never do that," Rachel insisted. "You heard her at dinner last evening. She's already planning to redecorate -" She shuddered at the memory of the ideas Annabelle had put forth.
"I might be able to help," Daniel said into the quiet room. All eyes turned toward him.
"Mr. Dawes doesn't like the idea of Annie's remaining here. He's worried that she'll decide she doesn't need him. With sufficient incentive, he might be able to pursuade her to return to America, give up all future claim to Ainsley Bannister's estate. Of course, she'll need something as well -"
"You're suggesting that we pay them off?" Clarence asked, his eyes wide behind the thick lenses. "Trevor, is that a good-"
"Shut up, Clarence. It might be the only way out of this mess. I mean, can you just see the sort of people they'll have tracking in here? Can you imagine trying to introduce her to society? It would be a disaster. We'd be a laughingstock throughout England - if not farther afield. How much do you think would do the trick, Mr. Chambers?"
"A quarter of a million for him- and half a million for her. American dollars. And there's <my> fee, of course."
"Trev-" Rachel objected as her brother looked thoughful. "You can't seriously consider-"
"What choice do we have, Rachel? I suppose cash would be best, is that right, Mr. Chambers?"
"Oh, indeed. Less questions that way."
"Very well." Trevor Bannister quelled the looks his sister and cousin were giving him. "I'll make the arrangements. IF Dawes can convince her to leave before the funeral this afternoon, then we have a deal."
 
Harry let Daniel into the bedroom. "Well?" he asked softly.
"They've taken the bait. Now it's up to Jimmy Dawes to convince his Annie to leave and go back to America before Ainsley Bannister's funeral this afternoon." He smiled at Laura and Harry. "Think you're up to it?"
The couple smiled at each other. "I think so, Daniel," Laura assured him.
 
 
She came downstairs dressed in a black leather mini skirt, see through black nylon blouse, black stockings and heels. Rachel, wearing a conservative black sheath, felt her mouth open in shock. "You can't mean to wear that, Cousin Annabelle. It's a funeral. Not a visit to a singles bar."
Laura looked down at her clothes. "Is there something wrong with it? It's black, isn't it?"
She grinned at Clarence, sidling toward him. "Don't you like it, Cousin Clarence?" she asked, laughing as he scurried away, his eyes meeting Harry's ice cold blue ones.
Harry took Laura into his arms. "I like it, Annie," he told her, then frowned when she pulled away.
"You're going to muss my hair, Jimmy," she protested.
"You never worried about your 'air before we came 'ere," he reminded her. "I don't like the way you've been changing, Annie."
"I haven't changed, Jimmy," she insisted, putting her hand on his chest that was covered by a tight black tee-shirt tucked into equally tight black leather pants. "You're still -"
"I don't think I am. I think we should go back to America, luv. Just you and me. Like it was before that fancy tec found you and filled your 'ead with dreams of being rich."
"Don't you want to be rich too, Jimmy?"
"Not if it means losing you -" he said, glaring at Clarence again. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her long and hard. "I'm going 'ome, Annie. You can either come with me, or stay 'ere. But if you stay, you'll never see me again -"
Laura looked at him for a long moment. "I can't just walk away now, Jimmy. I-"
"I have a paper you could sign," Trevor said quickly, "stating that you make no claim on Cousin Ainsley's estate after recieving a settlement of half a million American dollars."
"Half a mil?" Laura repeated, then whistled before putting her arms around Harry. "Think we could manage on half a million, honey?"
"I think we could," Harry told her.
Laura turned back to Trevor. "Okay. Where do I sign, and when do I get the money?"
 
 
Harry opened a bottle of champagne as they sat in Daniel's house in London, pausing in pouring the effervescent wine as Laura asked, "What's next?" while she watched Daniel count the money once again before dividing it up three ways.
"Next, we take a little trip - get out of London for awhile. I'm going back to the villa. The two of you are welcome to join me-"
Harry shook his head, lifting Laura's hand to his lips. "Thank you, Daniel, but Laura and I are going to the Greek Isles for at least a week."
Daniel gave them their share of the take. "You did very well, Laura. Exceeded my expectations."
"Thank you."
"You have a natural talent for this. If you'd come along when you were younger, -oh well -" He lifted his glass. "To Laura's first con-and her success."
Harry and Laura both drank. "If it hadn't been for Harry playing such a crazy character, it wouldn't have worked," she reminded him. "To you, Harry. And to Jimmy Dawes." She smiled at him. "I think I'm going to miss him, just a little."
Harry bent to kiss her quite throughly as Daniel emptied his glass. "Well, I'm going to go pack. I'll see the two of you when you return." He wasn't sure they heard him. He sighed, then left the room, closing the doors behind him. Laura might just work out after all.
Seeking Mary out, he suggested that she not disturb Harry and Laura, then told her he was going to the villa for a while.
When Harry lifted his head, Laura realized that she was laying on the divan, with Harry on top of her. "Harry - " she said as he kissed her brow.
"Hmm?"
"Is there a long table in the library here?" she asked, and saw Harry smile.
He pulled her to her feet and out into the entryway, passing a beaming Mary. "We'll be in the library, Mary," he told her. "Reading."
Mary heard the key turn in the lock, then heard a soft, feminine giggle before she returned to her kitchen domain. She could forgive Laura for her meddling in Daniel's past -as long as she kept kindling that light in Harry's eyes.
 
To Alternative Steele5 Part 1

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