"I believe you're right, Daniel," he said at last. He glanced at the deck again. "Why don't we go over to the deck at the cottage?" he suggested.

"If I didn't know better, Harry, I'd think that you were procrastinating."

"Nonsense, Daniel. I'm more than ready- I just don't see any reason for us to be anymore uncomfortable than necessary, that's all." He indicated that Daniel should precede him on the short path that lead to the cottage. As they took the single step up onto the redwood decking, Remington waited for Daniel to sit in one of the chairs that Laura had placed on the deck before sitting on the railing. "You've lost weight," he commented. "I didn't notice it in the hospital-"

"I know. I'm going to have to find a tailor- eventually."

"Daniel, if you'd rather not do this, I understand. Maybe I was a bit hasty- finding out about my past isn't really all that important anymore," Remington said, his gaze scanning the rose bush beside the deck, the beach beyond the rail- anything to keep him from lokoing at Daniel.

"Harry, I've tried to KEEP from doing this for twenty years. I think it's past time that you knew the truth." Remington finally turned to look at the man who had practically raised him from the age of fourteen. "All of it. Even if it results in what I've always feared most- your turning your back on me completely. Not that I'd blame you. But you have to know- I didn't desert you. I simply wasn't in any position to be there-"

"Prison," Remington said, recalling something Daniel had once said. "You were in prison, weren't you?"

Daniel nodded. "For a con that I should never have undertaken." He sighed, and Remington thought he saw a faint catch.

"Daniel?"

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Just- remembering. The first time I met Deirdre Connell, she was sitting in a London museum, sketching other visitors."

Deirdre, Remington mused. My mother's name was Deirdre. "Sketching?" he questioned. "She was an artist?"

Daniel smiled at the question. "Oh, she never made any money at it- but she could have. She was always making little drawings, sketches of people and places . . . Rather like you used to do," Daniel said with a sad smile.

"Still do, actually," Remington admitted ruefully.

"I was in the museum, looking around to get the lay of the land, and noticed her, sitting there, sketch-pad on her lap. She was the most exquisite lady I'd ever seen. Dark hair, eyes as blue as the sea-" he looked at Remington. "As blue as yours. We struck up a conversation, and before I knew what was happening, I found myself asking her dinner. She was in town visiting a friend from university, and I found myself so captivated that I quite forgot about my plans to steal the Craymoore Emeralds."

"Did she know- about you?"

"That I was a con man and jewel thief?" Daniel asked. "No. I couldn't find anyway to tell her. Besides, I kept telling myself that it was just a passing fancy. She was totally unsuitable, after all. Independent, intelligent. And in those days, such a thing was a bit unusual. She lived her life as she wanted to- not by the conventions of society- or those of her father. She was the only child of an Englishman and an Irish born mother. Her mother was long dead- and her father was extremely possessive when it came to his only daughter." He sighed. "We spent almost every minute together during that week. Before I knew it, Deirdre informed me that she had to return home to Dublin- that her father was expecting her. I thought that would be the end of it- I fully expected never to see her again. But before a week was out, I found myself Dublin. An old friend there asked for my help in bringing a local businessman down a few pegs."

Remington winced. "Don't tell me. The local businessman was-"

Daniel nodded. "Deirdre's father," he confirmed. "You can imagine my surprise when James Connell, believing my name to be Reginald Frobish, introduced me to his daughter, Deirdre- who had known me in London as Daniel Chalmers."

"What did she do?"

"Nothing. Not then, at any rate. She was charming, and an excellent hostess during dinner that evening. But she followed me back to my hotel- and I told her everything. She asked if I was going to continue the attempt to con her father. I'd known that I couldn't the moment I realized who he was, but I saw no way out. Things were already in motion, things over which I had no control. I visited the Connell house frequently to see her, under the guise of wanting to talk to her father. I suppose he became suspicious of the time Deirdre was spending in my company, because he had me investigated."

"And the jig was up, eh?"

"Hmm. He tried to buy me off - offered me ten thousand if I would leave Dublin immediately and never try to see Deirdre again. I refused his offer and left for my hotel. When I arrived, I saw Deirdre standing across the lobby, waiting for me. But before I could join her, I was waylaid by the local police and arrested for attempting to swindle almost half a million pounds from Connell. The evidence was flimsy, and I really thought that they would simply toss me out of Ireland as an undesirable. But I didn't count on James Connell's determination. He used every bit of influence he had to secure the highest penalty allowable for my crime. I was sentenced to five years in prison. When Deirdre came to visit me that first time,- I told her not to come back. That she didn't need to waste five years waiting for me. That's when she told me her news." Daniel's eyes were on the ocean again, but Remington could tell that they were focused inward, to a long suppressed bit of memory. "She was going to have a baby. She was so happy, so full of plans- said that once I was free, we would be married, and raise the child together." Daniel's countenance darkened suddenly. "If I'd known what she was going through at her father's- the letters she sent me never gave a hint of how angry."

***

"Daniel found out about the baby while he was in prison?" Laura questioned Mildred, glancing toward the cottage, where she could just make out Remington sitting on the deck rail.

"What Deirdre didn't tell Daniel was that her father was furious, insisted that she put the baby up for adoption. You don't know what it was like in those days, Miss Holt," Mildred said as Laura gave her a look of consternation. "Back then, unmarried women didn't raise a baby on their own. They were shipped off to relatives to hide their condition so that when they came back, no one need know that they had ever had a baby."

"Is that what happened to Deirdre Connell?" Laura asked.

"Kind of. Her father sent her to stay with her mother's family in the country, assuring her that he would let Daniel know about it. But he didn't. From what Daniel was able to find out later, Deirdre died minutes after Mr. Steele was born- and Mr. Connell had him put up for adoption."

"Cold hearted bastard, wasn't he?" Laura commented.

"Oh, you haven't heard the worst of it, Miss Holt. Daniel was released after two years for good behaviour and went to see Connell, looking for Deirdre and their child. Connell wasted no time in telling him that Deirdre was dead and that Daniel's son had been placed for adoption."

***

"I very nearly took Connell apart with my bare hands," Daniel recalled as he continued his narrative. "Bastard died ten years ago while on a trip to Ulster. I couldn't find it in me to shed any tears."

"I'm not sure I could have, either, Daniel," Remington agreed. "So did you just give up? Stop looking?"

"No, Harry, of course not," Daniel said. "I scoured the town until I found one of Connell's maids who tearfully told me where Connell had sent Deirdre for what he called her 'confinement'. I spoke to her mother's people- and the told me that Deirdre's last words were of me- as she held her son for the first, and last, time. They gave me a lead on the adoption agency that Connell hired, but by that time you were buried so deep in the system that I had no hope of finding you. Then Connell got wind of my attempts and used his connections once again to get me sent out of the country. My friend there promised to keep looking for you- and I crawled back to London. I never gave up, though. Even in London, I found myself looking at every little boy closely, wondering if he might be my son. Then, one day, I was walking through Brixton when someone tried to pick my pocket-"

"I DID pick your pocket," Remington corrected him with a slight grin. "You chased me all the way to the old cinema that I'd put up at."

"When I saw your eyes- I knew. Somehow, I just knew. And the more you talked, the more I learned about your background, the more certain I was that you were indeed my son."

"So you took me under your wing and never intended to tell me any of this, did you?"

"I very nearly did so many times- but your intense anger at your father always set me back. I'd looked for so long, Harry. Searched the face of every child that crossed my path, run the gamut of emotions from the deepest despair to intense joy at having found you. I couldn't risk losing you again. Admit it. If I HAD told you then, what would you have done?"

Remington looked at him, them lowered his gaze to the red decking. "Run away as fast as I could. Probably after sticking a knife in your gut," he admitted, allowing some of that old anger to bubble to the surface. "What about later? When you KNEW I was looking for my past? I called you about the watch, remember? And speaking of that watch- when did you steal it?"

"I didn't. I- borrowed it," Daniel told him.

"Borrowed? There's a fine line, there, Daniel."

"Kevin- Landers gave it to Patrick O'Rourke. I'd known Patrick in the old days- he's the one who called me to Ireland to begin with. It was he who looked around for you after I was forced to leave. I ran into him just before he left London the last time. He was packing, and I happened to notice the watch. He told me about it, that he was supposed to be keeping it safe for Sean James, Kevin Landers' son. That's when I told him that I'd found MY son- and I told him about you. He said that he'd given up on finding Kevin's son- and I suggested that he send the watch to you from me."

"I'm not following you, Daniel."

"I didn't think he'd do it. But I suppose, knowing Paddy as I did, he got himself into some trouble and needed help- thought a famous private detective could give it to him, and sent you the watch for that reason."

"Which still doesn't explain YOUR reason for suggesting it in the first place. You had to know that I would trace the bloody thing back to the Earl!" Steele declared. "That I would think that *I* might be Sean James- the Earl's son!"

"I counted on it," Daniel replied quietly.

"You WHAT?!" Remington yelled.

***

Laura heard Remington's voice across the garden, and started toward the edge of the deck, but Mildred held her back. "Let them handle it, Miss Holt. Daniel's right. They need to settle this on their own.

"Why did Daniel want Remington to think that he was the Earl's long lost son, Mildred?" Laura asked. "So he could run another con like he did when he tried to palm Remington off as the Duke of Rutherford?"

"No. Oh, no, Miss Holt. He honestly thought that it would be best for the Boss if he thought the Earl was his father. At least- at least he'd be a part of his real family, so to speak."

Laura's eyes grew wide as what Mildred was saying sank in. "Family? Mildred, are you saying that Daniel and the Earl of Claridge are-"

Mildred nodded somberly. "Cousins. First cousins, as a matter of fact."

***

Remington listened in disbelief as he heard Daniel's reason for pointing him toward the Earl of Claridge. "You thought I deserved someone like the Earl as a father?" he repeated. "Daniel-"

"Harry, from the day we met, I'd groomed you to take your place in a family like Kevin's. Even though he wouldn't have been able to pass the title along to you, he would have made you his heir, I'm sure-"

"I didn't want the bloody title, Daniel - or the Earl's estate," Remington declared. "I wanted my FATHER. My REAL father."

"I know. And after I saved Kevin's life, I realized that I couldn't go through with it. I would still be losing you, in a way."

"But why let me go in there and put the Earl and myself through the pain of that scene, Daniel?" Remington asked, still in the dark as to the relationship between Daniel and the Earl. "All you had to do was tell me that the Earl wasn't my father-"

"And how was I supposed to do that without telling you the truth? 'Oh, by the way, my boy, the Earl isn't your father, so don't bother going in there.' Would you have accepted that without questioning HOW I knew?"

"Probably not. Did the Earl know that I wasn't Sean James when I went in there?"

Daniel hesitated before answering. "Yes."

"Then why the act? Why didn't he just say that I wasn't his son? Why-?"

"Because I asked him not to. I knew you well enough, Harry, to know that you wouldn't have been satisfied with an out of hand dismissal. He had to make you BELIEVE that you weren't his son."

"Well, he certainly did that, didn't he?" Remington commented angrily. "And why would the Earl of Claridge do something like that simply because a stranger asked him to?"

Daniel took a deep breath. It was time for the truth. ALL of the truth. "Because I wasn't a stranger, Harry."

"You'd met the Earl before?" Remington asked. "But- he didn't recognize you-"

"I was wearing a disguise, remember?"

***

"So Daniel's father was the present Earl's uncle," Laura mused.

"Daniel still holds his grandfather and uncle responsible for the death of Daniel's mother," Mildred explained. "I don't think he'd had any contact with his family until that incident last year."

"That's who you called, isn't it? About Daniel? The Earl?"

"Yes. He wanted to come over here and see Daniel, but I convinced him to wait awhile. Besides, his wife is expecting their first child before long-"

"I know. Remington was wondering the other day what we should send as a gift for the baby." A thought struck Laura. "Daniel's older than the Earl- he was in line for the title at one time, wasn't he?"

"Yes. Until he was six and his uncle married and had a son-"

"Cutting Daniel out of the picture. Poor Daniel."

"I don't think he ever really wanted the title, Miss Holt."

"Maybe not. But he wanted a family," Laura realized. "What's his name? His *real* name. I *know* it's not Chalmers."

"Chalmers was his mother's maiden name," Mildred said. "His real name is David Daniel Matthews."

***

"David Daniel Matthews?" Remington repeated, wincing. "I'm almost afraid to ask-"

Daniel smiled at his son. "Well, to be honest- and that *is* what we're doing, isn't it?- I wasn't able to find a birth certificate- but Deirdre's aunt told me that she always talked about naming you after your grandfathers. Harrison James Connell."

"Harrison-James-Connell. I guess that explains why you've always called me Harry."

"I lived in terror for that first year, wondering what I would tell you if you demanded an explanation for that."

"Your father's name was Harrison?"

"Yes. Well, that's about it, Harry. There are a few gaps, but- those can be filled in easily. Your mother still has some cousins in Ireland- I'm sure they would like to meet you."

"Later, perhaps," Remington said. "Once you've recovered enough to go with me." He sat there, contemplating the ocean for a moment before saying anything more. "While I can't say, Daniel, that I approve of the way you handled this- you're still my father."

"And what does that mean?" Daniel asked. "Should I make myself at home here or find another place? And don't base your response on the state of my health, please. I'd hate for you to simply feel sorry for me, or that you have a duty to take care of me -"

"Of course I have a duty, you bloody old fool," Remington said, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Look, Daniel. It's going to take some time, okay? Time to digest what I've learned today. But you're not going anywhere. You'll stay here, where you belong, with your family. And I want you to call the Earl- invite him for a visit. I think you owe him an apology as well."

"Kevin and I settled things before I left England, Harry. He understands. But I do wish he'd been able to find Sean."

"At least he and Katherine have the new baby to look forward to," Remington pointed out. He rose from the railing. "I have lunch ready at the main house. Come on before it overcooks."

Daniel rose, watching him carefully. "Harry,-"

Remington shook his head and grinned, pulling his father close for a hug. "I'm glad you pulled through, Daniel. I don't think I'd like to consider the idea of a world without you in it." He pulled back. "Let's go ease the ladies' minds, eh?

***

As Laura watched the two men cross the garden toward her, she felt a deep sense of relief. Things just might work out after all.

To Be Continued . . .

---

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Original content ©2001 by Nancy Eddy