Steele Curious
Episode 2
by Nancy Eddy
Mitchell looked more than a little concerned as he took note of Laura's reaction to Harry, but Daniel merely smiled. "Harry, my boy. Do come in. I'm sure you remember Mitchell Holt?"
 
The two men shook hands. "Mitchell."
 
"Harry. I didn't know you were in London."
 
Harry grinned. "I only arrived this afternoon from the Riviera."
 
"And this is Mitchell's daughter, Laura. Miss Laura Holt, this is Harry."
 
If Laura had felt uncomfortable with Daniel's taking her hand and bowing over it, she found herself unable to describe the feeling that went through her as the handsome young man took her hand and lifted it to his lips, all the while watching her with those incredible eyes. Laura felt the color rise in her cheeks, and wanted to fall through the floor as he smiled. "Miss Holt."
 
But embarrassment gave way to anger as she realized that Harry knew EXACTLY what he was doing to her. "Just- Harry?" she asked. "No last name?"
 
He shrugged, smiling that half smile again as her father came to put an arm around her. "I was telling Laura, Daniel, that you might agree to let her ride tomorrow -" he said, trying to get his daughter's attention away from the young con man.
 
"I think that would be an excellent idea. Why don't you take Laura down to the stable, Harry, and let her pick out a suitable mount?"
 
Mitchell went still, his eyes on his host. "Daniel - I don't-"
 
"She'll be perfectly safe," Harry assured him, holding out his arm to Laura. "Shall we?"
 
Laura glanced at her father, as if telling him that she WANTED to go, but she wouldn't if he said no. "Daddy?"
 
Mitchell's eyes met Harry's. "Do I have your word, Harry, that NOTHING will happen to her?"
 
Harry placed a hand over his heart. "You have my word."
 
"Then go on, honey," he told Laura, watching as she took Harry's arm and moved from the room with him. He went to the window that overlooked the stable.
 
"Harry's promised to be on his best behaviour, Mitchell. He's hardly likely to find a sixteen year old girl to his liking. I simply asked him to show her around a bit during his visit. Keep them both out of trouble, as it were."
 
"It's not Harry that I'm worried about," Mitchell muttered, then grinned up at Daniel. "My daughter's a bit of a free spirit, I'm afraid. I just worry that she might fall victim to Harry's rather potent brand of charm. Her last crush was on one of her teachers at school, I think. And HE was almost thirty.
Harry's much closer to her in age - but she's still only sixteen -"
 
Daniel nodded. "Even if she thinks she's years older, no doubt."
 
Mitchell smiled in agreement. "You're right."
 
"I remember Harry at that age. Ready to go out and take on the entire world - "
 
"Were we ever that young, Daniel?"
 
"Not that I recall, Mitchell. Not that I recall," he said, joining his friend as Harry and Laura disappeared into the long stable.
 
*********
 
"You're not English, are you?" Laura asked Harry as he closed the door behind them.

"How could you tell?"
 
"Your accent. There's a hint of Erin in your voice."
 
"More than a hint, I should think."
 
"Is Mr. Chalmers your father?"
 
Harry's blue eyes turned dark and for a moment frightening. "No, he's not. Do you always ask so many questions, Miss Holt?"
 
"I'm just naturally curious," Laura told him as they began to walk past the stalls, Laura patting and rubbing various horses on the snout and head. She paused before one as it nuzzled her palm. "Sorry, girl, I don't have anything for you."
 
Harry glanced around and then left her to go to a bin where he retrieved a battered carrot. "Here you go."
 
Laura smiled at him, and Harry found himself watching the dimples in her face. He watched her feed the carrot to the horse, thinking that she had seemed so grown up when he'd seen her in that restaurant. At least his age, he'd thought. Now, dressed in jeans and a sweater, her dark hair pulled back into a pony tail, she looked barely fifteen. He realized that he could easily become fascinated by her - and knew that it was a dangerous place to be. If he forgot, even for a moment that Laura was only sixteen years old, then not only would he have to deal with her father, but Daniel as well. Laura laughed as the horse whinnied, her dark eyes flashing.
 
This wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought it would be, Harry decided.
 
*********

Harry and Laura returned to the house for dinner, and Mitchell rushed his daughter upstairs to change. Once he was alone with Daniel, Harry sighed, and Daniel laughed softly. "What's wrong, Harry? Not liking the idea of babysitting after all?"

"That girl is hardly a baby, Daniel. There's something about her that's- I can't explain it."

"Harry," Daniel said warningly.

"I know. She's off limits. But I wish she'd make up her mind whether she wants to be a temptress or a child."

"She's a sixteen year old girl, Harry. At that age, THEY aren't even sure which they are." He put an arm around his protege's shoulders and steered him toward the stairs. "Just be her friend during her stay. Keep it light, friendly, -"

"But not TOO friendly, eh, Daniel?" Harry asked as they reached the landing.

"You see? You understand comepletely." He turned toward his room as Harry muttered something.
"What was that?"

"Someone needs to explain it to HER," he repeated, opening his door as Daniel shook his head.
 
*********

Laura dug out the gown she'd been wearing that night in the Riviera and was relieved that it didn't show signs of being packed away. Whoever had unpacked her things had done a very neat job. She put on the dinner dress, then started piling her dark hair on her head as someone knocked on the door. "Come in," she said, her mouth full of hairpins.

Mitchell Holt opened the door to Laura's room and sighed. "What's all this?" he asked, entering her room.
 
Laura held her hair up, turning her head this way and that. "I wish I had some earrings -"
 
He touched the gold hoops in her earlobes. "You do."
 
"Oh, Daddy. I mean something really NICE. You know, like pearls or even diamonds-"
 
"I'll see what I can do for your birthday," he told her. "It's only a week away, you know," he reminded her, watching as she placed hairpins to hold up the thick chestnut colored hair. "I thought we might go to Switzerland - do some sightseeing, check out that school -"
 
She froze, one hand still lifted. "School? But, Daddy -"
 
"If you're going to do what you've always said you were, Laura, honey, you have to finish school. And that includes college."
 
"I've got time to worry about that. And I don't like the idea of being in a boarding school instead of with you."
 
Mitchell saw the fear in her eyes and came to pull her into his arms. "You're afraid I'll leave again, aren't you?" She nodded into his dinner jacket. "Won't happen, honey. The only way we're going to separate is if you decide it's what YOU want. I'll figure out something."
 
Laura smiled up at him, the fear receding. "Thank you, Daddy."
 
"You ready to go downstairs?" He decided to wait until later to talk to her about Harry. It could wait, after all. She wasn't going to be alone with the young man the rest of the evening anyway.
 
If he'd known how wrong he was, he would never have let Laura even go downstairs to dinner. He would have locked her in her room until he finished his job and they could leave.
 
To Be Continued---
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