Daniel looked at the money that Harry tossed onto his bed- along with the black pouch containing the faux and real diamonds. "Harry, I was just- thinking of my retirement," he said, trying to explain why he hadn't mentioned the money before it had been necessary. "The villa in the South of France, remember?"
"Hmm," Remington said. "I remember. I also remember that you've used that one before, Daniel. Getting a bit- overdone, shall we say? You might have warned us about why Harmon was so desperate to get his hands on you, Daniel."
"I did- just- not until after Harmon snatched you. I'm truly sorry for getting you involved in all of this, Harry. Tell you what-" he held out the black pouch. "The diamonds are yours. Two perfectly cut round stones- worth-?"
"I don't want your diamonds, Daniel," Remington told him.
"Consider them your inheritance, my boy," Daniel insisted, emptying the pouch into his hand to find the two real gems, then held them out for Remington to take.
Remington examined the stones in the light. "Better than a stolen pocket watch, I suppose," he commented, peering at Daniel over the diamond in his hand.
Daniel visibly sagged. "I wondered when you would think to ask about that."
"I had a lot of time to think last night. Why? Why let me think that the Earl was my father?" Remington asked. "You were right there, and never said a word. You let me go into that room to talk to the Earl, knowing full well what was going to happen."
"No, I didn't. I had no idea that the Earl's son had brown eyes. There was always the off chance that the Earl might have thought you were his son," Daniel said slowly.
Remington closed his fingers over the diamonds. "I don't understand."
"And I'm not sure that I can explain. You deserve a better father than me, Harry. You're better than that. I mean, all I could do was teach you how to be a con, how to cheat people, to charm them out of their ill gotten gains. I had nothing else to give you. If the Earl *had* said you were his son- you would have had all the things I wanted for you and couldn't give you."
"You mean to say that you would have just- stood by and stayed silent? Let both of us believe in a lie?"
"For your own good, Harry- yes," Daniel insisted.
"Oh, Daniel," Remington said, shaking his head. "Just when I think I've figured you out-"
"I'd give up on that if I were you," Laura drawled from the doorway. "It's a lost cause." She moved toward them to place an arm on Remington's shoulder. "Why don't you go take a hot shower and change clothes?" she suggested.
"An excellent idea, Laura," he agreed, picking up the black bag to place the diamonds inside it. He stuffed it into his pocket, giving Laura a tired grin. "Might even try to catch a little shut eye." The grin changed into something else. "Care to- join me?"
Laura glanced toward Daniel and caught the amused gleam in his eye. "I'll think about it," she promised, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.
"Her code word for 'not on your life'," he told Daniel. But he took her hand in his. "I'll stop by and look in on Nathan before I go up. Is Carol with him again?"
"Yes. She said she'd be down here to see Daniel in a minute. Nathan sent Maeve up to rest." She noted his carefully controlled expression upon hearing his aunt's name.
"Harry," Daniel began, and Laura realized that he'd notice the same thing. "About Maeve-"
"Not right now, Daniel," Remington said. "I need- more time, okay? See you later." He squeezed Laura's hand before releasing it.
Once they were alone, Laura told Daniel, "You're looking a bit better than you did earlier."
"Just knowing that Harry's safe- and that Nathan's going to recover helps. Thank you, Laura," Daniel said. "I never doubted for a minute that you would succeed."
"Not even for one tiny little minute?" Laura questioned.
"No. I have confidence in your abilities. They've certainly thrown my game off more than once. And I still insist that I was right."
"About what, exactly?"
"The three of us- you, me, Harry- we could have turned Europe on its ear."
Laura laughed with him. "You might be right. But I have- a slightly different suggestion for the three of us. One that allows us both to come out ahead in this little- contest we've been waging. Interested?"
***
Remington climbed the stairs, intending to go directly to the room he and Laura shared. But the sound of someone crying behind a partially open door brought him up short. With Carol en route to Daniel's room, and a silent Jarred sitting with his dozing father, that left only one person who could be up here crying.
He paused outside of the room, listening, and raised his hand to tap on the panel, then hesitated. Was he ready for this? Was it the best time to get through what she'd done to him? He lowered his hand and turned away, studying a print that hung on the opposite wall without really seeing it at all. The sobbing continued, unabated, tugging at Remington's heartstrings.
Resolute, he turned back to the door and pushed the door open more fully. Maeve was sitting on the edge of the bed, a framed photograph in her hand, unaware that he was even there. "Are you okay?" he asked in a quiet voice, feeling as though he were walking on a tightrope. He'd tried that once- in his circus days. He'd hated it then- hated it even more now.
Realizing she wasn't alone, she quickly wiped her eyes with a wrinkled, over used piece of linen and looked up at him. "Just- feelin' sorry for meself," she told him. "Somethin' I'm good at."
He nodded, and started to turn away from her, to continue on to his own room and the relative safety of it- but she spoke again. "Thank you. For- bringin' Nathan back t'me. I know y'didn't do it for me, but for Daniel, but-"
"I did it for Nathan," Remington told her, not looking at her. "For his children's sake. They still need their father."
"And I deprived you of yours when you needed him, didn't I?" she asked.
Remington turned around now, gripping the door frame. "Maeve- I don't think that-"
"I know. Y'need time. But I just want you t'listen for a moment. Let me try t'explain why I- Why did what I did. Five minutes of your time. Will you at least give me that much? I'll never ask for anything from you again if you'll just give me that."
Remington took a deep breath and sat down in the chair before the fireplace and glanced at his watch. "You have five minutes, Maeve."
***
"Then it's agreed?" Laura asked Daniel.
"Aren't you going to discuss this with Harry first, Laura?" he asked.
"He'll be thrilled, I'm sure," she told him. "I'm going up to get some sleep before he and I have to go to see Inspector Lombard," Laura told Daniel. "Do you need anything before I go?"
"No," he told her. "Carol will no doubt return any moment to poke and prod. Enjoy your-nap," he told her with a teasing grin.
She gave him a quelling look as she left the room, but he saw the smile beneath it. Her idea certainly had merit. But he wasn't at all certain *he* was up to it. The old saw about teaching an old dog new tricks had more than a bit of truth to it, he feared. But, for Laura's sake- and Harry's, he'd give it a go.
He looked up to find a pale reflection of himself in the doorway, being supported by Carol. "Nate!"
"He refused to rest until I brought him down here," Carol explained, helping her father to the chair beside the bed. "You have ten minutes," she told him. "And then it's back to bed. You've both had far too much excitement today."
"She'll make a fine doctor someday," Daniel said once the girl was gone.
"If she gets the money to go to medical school," Nathan sighed. "Scholarships don't grow on trees."
Daniel's hand fell on the bundle of money. "How much would she need?" he asked.
When Nathan saw the money, he shook his head. "Daniel, I can't let you-"
"Of course you can. We're brothers, Nate."
Nate sat there, looking at him. "We are, aren't we? I owe you an apology."
"What for?"
"Being such a- bastard all those years we were growing up. I saw what Father was doing- and just- looked the other way."
"Nate- I never held you responsible for what he did. What say we- wipe the slate clean and start over, eh?"
"We've wasted a lot of time, Daniel. Too much, perhaps."
"It's never too late, Nate," Daniel assured his brother with a smile. "Now, about that money for Carol's schooling-?"
***
Remington was just coming from Maeve's room when he saw Laura. "Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Just- having a listen to Maeve," he explained. "She- explained why she -" he shook his head and continued on to their room. Opening the door, he waited for her to go first, then followed.
Laura sat on the edge of her bed, watching as he methodically gathered the things for a shower. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"To tell you the truth, I'm a bloody mess at the moment," he confirmed, closing the suitcase with a bit more force than he'd intended to. Sitting down on his own bed, he sighed. "I'm not sure how I feel, Laura. I mean, the woman just- gave up her own flesh and blood with out battin' an eyelash just to get back at Daniel."
"She was hurting," Laura reminded him. "She'd just lost the only person she'd ever cared about. Her sister. Her *twin* sister. Pain sometimes makes people do crazy things."
"Yeah. I'm gonna take a shower," he said, but he stayed where he was to rub the back of his neck. "I feel like I've been sandbagged, Laura," he told her.
"Here," she said, moving across the narrow space to climb behind him on the bed. Her fingers quickly found the tense muscles in his neck. "Better?" she asked, leaning close to his ear.
"Hmm," he said.
"You wouldn't be human if you weren't a *little* overwhelmed by everything that's happened. It's not everyday you find your father- and an aunt and uncle and cousins."
He chuckled in spite of himself. "Always wanted a family," he recalled. "Guess I found one."
"You found *your* family," Laura told him. "You'll get used to it. And having Daniel around- that reminds me, I need to call and make reservations-"
Remington stopped her in mid-reach for the telephone. "Having Daniel around?" he questioned.
"Daniel's coming back to Los Angeles with us," she told him, making another try for the telephone. But this time Remington pinned her to the bed to look at her.
"Would you mind saying that again? I don't think I heard you correctly."
"Daniel's going to need someone to look after him for the next month or so," Laura said. "He can't stay in London- Harmon's got too many connections. So it makes sense for him to come back with us."
"Where is Laura?" Remington asked suspiciously. "The Laura I know doesn't trust Daniel any further than she can see him."
"That was before he gave me his word that he's *really* going to retire this time. No more cons or scams."
"Wait a minute. You've discussed this with him?"
"Of course."
"And just when were you going to discuss it with me?" he asked.
Laura picked up the telephone and dialed a number. "I thought you'd like the idea of having your father around for awhile," she told him. "Hello, Mildred?" she said into the telephone. "It's Laura . . . Yes, everything's fine . . . I need you to make three reservations for a flight back to Los Angeles . . . Daniel's coming with us . . ."
Remington grabbed his things. "I'm going to take a shower," he decided, watching Laura warily all the way to the bathroom.
She was sitting on her bed again when he came out of the shower. "Get everything taken care of?" he asked, turning back the covers of his own bed.
"She'll call later with the details."
He nodded. "Laura, you're not acting like yourself," he told her.
"I'm not?"
"No. This new-found- acceptance of Daniel for one thing. It's- positively unsettling. I'd just gotten used to the way you and he snarled and snapped at each other." He lay down facing her. "Now you're positively overjoyed that he's going to in Los Angeles."
"I can't explain it either, really. But- somehow- finding out that he's your father- changed things. You and he need some time to- get used to that relationship. And since you live in Los Angeles now-" She stopped, suddenly uncertain. "Unless- you'd have preferred to come back here -"
He patted the bed beside him. "Come here." He pulled her to his side before telling her, "Los Angeles is home now. Because that's where you are." He bent to give her a long kiss as Laura's arms slid around his neck. After the kiss ended, he relaxed, tucking her head under his chin, his arm still holding her close against his side.
"You certainly know how to say all the right things to a girl, you smooth talker," Laura said, gingerly placing a hand onto his bare chest. "Remington?" she said softly.
He sighed deeply and snuggled closer. "Hmm."
Her fingers tangled into the dark hair. "This is nice," she said.
"Hmm."
Something about his non-responsive answers made Laura lift her head to see his face. His eyes were closed. He was asleep. Laura smiled and dropped a light kiss onto his lips before settling back down at his side.
***
Three days later, Nathan looked at his brother. "Take care of yourself, okay? Don't let him over do, Remington."
"I won't." Remington nodded toward Nathan's arm that was encased in a sling. "You take care of yourself. We'll keep in touch."
"Count on it," Nathan said, smiling at Daniel. "I'm not about to let it be another thirty years before I see my brother again."
Laura gave Jarred a hug. "We'll see you next summer," she reminded him.
"I'm lookin' forward to it," the young man said.
Daniel returned Carol's light embrace. "I still don't know how to thank you, Uncle Daniel."
"Just become the best doctor that you can," he told her.
Carol placed an arm around her father. "I can't fail in that. I've had the best role model."
Laura and Daniel gave Maeve a hug, which left Remington and his aunt standing uncomfortably face to face. "Good luck, lad," she told him. "I hope one day-"
"Oh, Maeve," Remington breathed, and before anyone knew what was happening, he had pulled her into his arms to give her a hug. "You bring this lot over as we agreed. Soon. We'll talk. Okay?"
Maeve nodded, unable to speak as her eyes filled with tears.
Laura wiped a tear away, and thought she detected a hint of excess moisture in the corners of Daniel's eyes as well. "We're going to miss our flight," Laura warned, then gave everyone another quick hug and kiss as they went toward the gate.
They ordered some wine once the flight was at cruising altitude and chatted for several minutes about what they planned to do once they got back to Los Angeles. Remington glanced at Daniel across Laura's head, then took a sip of the wine before saying, "Uh, Laura, there is one thing we haven't discussed about Daniel moving to Los Angeles."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Where he's going to stay."
Laura's eyes widened. "You're right. Your apartment's only one bedroom- and he can't sleep on the couch for the next month- I'll have Mildred start looking for something when we get home," she told him.
"That's all right," Remington assured her. "Daniel and I have figured out what we're going to do."
Laura looked at Daniel, who was sitting on her right, then back at Remington on her left. "I'm almost afraid to ask."
"It's the perfect solution, Harry. I wish I could take credit for it-"
"Credit for what?" Laura asked. "Remington?"
"It *was* partially your idea, Daniel," Remington said.
"*What* was his idea?!" Laura asked, drawing the attention of several other passengers. She sank down in her seat, embarrassed, hissing, "I *knew* this was a bad idea. We're not even back in Los Angeles yet and you're already scheming between yourselves. What are you two planning?"
"Daniel's going to move into your loft," Remington told her.
"He's going to what? And just *where* am *I* going to live?" she asked.
Remington reached over to take her hand in his. "You're going to move in with me, of course," he told her, his blue eyes gazing deeply into her brown ones.
It took Laura a full minute to realize they were joking as Remington and Daniel started to laugh. She folded her arms across her chest to show that she was *not* amused. "Laugh all you want, gentlemen. But we're going to solve this little problem."
"It's already solved, Laura," Daniel assured her, and chuckled when she gave him a wary look. "Harry called Mildred yesterday. She's looking for larger quarters for Harry."
"Oh."
"I told her to look for something in Malibu," Remington told her, picking up a magazine from the seat pocket in front of him.
"Malibu?!"
"Purely for Daniel's sake, Laura, I assure you."
Daniel smiled in gratitude. "Ah, yes, bikini bottoms frolicking in the surf," he said, lifting his glass toward Remington. Laughing, Remington met him halfway.
Laura lifted her eyes toward the ceiling and asked aloud, "What was I *thinking*?"
"Oh, come on, Laura," Remington said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "It won't be that bad."
She sat up and lifted her glass. "What the heck. If you can't beat 'em- join 'em," she said, clinking her glass to theirs.