"But what if that makes them angry? They could hurt David."
She was starting to seriously piss him off. What the hell did it take for her to understand her fucking precious David wasn't the only one who stood to get hurt?
But his voice was calm when he said, "They won't be angry if you handle it right. Pretend you're the maid, pretend you're the butler, pretend you don't speak English." He gave each of the Beaumonts his sternest listen-up-and-listen-good master sergeant stare, "I don't care how you do it. But if I'm not right here, you put them off and come get me."
Chapter 10
LILY WAS PROUD OF HERSELF FOR ONLY GETTING LOST once as she made her way down to the main floor of the Beaumont mansion. But that wrong turn and her stomach's inelegant protests over the holdup since its last meal made her wish wryly for a trail of breadcrumbs. Not only would the guidance come in handy, but she could use a little something to tide her over until breakfast, and even crumbs off the floor were beginning to sound pretty darn good. This place was immense, and her starting point had been somewhere deep in the heart of the west wing, where she and Zach had been given rooms.
That took her mind off her grumbling stomach, and an ironic smile crooked her lips. No doubt whoever chose their cheek-to-jowl accommodations assumed she was granting the two of them a discreet favor. Little did the Beaumonts know that putting her and Zach in such close proximity was more likely a homicide waiting to happen.
Then again, maybe not. She mulled it over as she descended the central staircase. Yesterday she'd caught glimpses of a different Zach. and last night she'd seen the professional, competent, and determined side of what she began to suspect was a more multifaceted personality than she'd originally thought. Granted, she was already highly familiar with the "determined" part, since Zach made no secret of his resolution to get her out of his sister's life. But last night Lily had actually found the authority with which he'd assumed command admirable.
She might think Zach wrongheaded where Glynnis was concerned, but she didn't doubt his devotion to her. And to Lily's surprise, she was learning to read the subtle signs that provided a bit of insight into the way he thought. For instance, even though he hadn't displayed any overt distress, she had known instinctively that he was worried sick about his sister's safety.
She reached the bottom of the staircase, and the civilized clink of sterling against china and the low murmur of voices drew her toward a room opposite the parlor they'd occupied last night. She crossed the foyer.
As she paused in the doorway, all conversation ceased. Then Jessica gave her a hesitant smile. "Good morning," she said in a soft voice. "Come in; we don't stand on ceremony around here. Are you hungry?" Without awaiting a reply, she indicated the sideboard. "Breakfast is a help-yourself affair. You'll find plates and bowls on the other side of the coffee service "
Lily took a covert head count as she crossed to the sideboard. Besides Jessica, Zach. Richard, and Mrs. Beaumont were present. The only ones not in attendance were Jessica's husband, Christopher, and her more flamboyant sister, Cassidy. But as it was Monday morning, chances were they'd already left for work. Eager for breakfast, she turned her attention from the missing two people to the food arrayed before her. Only to have her heart sink. The selection was surprisingly meager.
It embarrassed her to realize her dismay at the scant arrangement of cold cereal and equally cold toast must have shown, for Mrs. Beaumont said in her well-bred voice, "I do apologize for the inadequate selection, but I'm afraid Ernestine, our cook, is quite overcome and has taken to her bed." Her bottom lip quivered. "David is her favorite, you know."
"Have you heard anything this morning?"
"Not a word. And if anything should happen to my darling David, I simply don't know what I'll do."
Zach shifted in his seat. The uncharacteristic abruptness of his movement drew Lily's attention, and a thrill of alarm shot through her. For although he didn't speak and he appeared coolly contained, with the same flash of telepathy that had told her last night how worried he was about Glynnis, she knew this morning that he was dangerously on edge. No one else seemed to notice anything amiss in his manner, but it couldn't have been clearer to her if he'd suddenly begun waving semaphores over his head. The tomato-red Henley he wore seemed appropriate, for as far as she was concerned he was one great big warning flag.
His agitation appeared to be linked to Mrs. Beaumont, so partly to divert the woman from doing whatever it was that was putting his back up, and partly because Lily couldn't abide one more day eating second-rate food, she left the sideboard to approach the older woman.
'"I'm sorry," she said. "You must think I'm terribly rude. It's just that I adore food, and we've been eating such catch-as-catch-can meals since leaving California that I was looking forward to a real breakfast. But I have a suggestion that might suit everyone's needs. I love to cook, and I'd be happy to fill in until Ernestine is feeling more herself."
The offer was clearly tempting, but Mrs. Beaumont said politely, "Oh, no. You're our guest. We could never ask you to slave in the kitchen."
Lily laughed. "You didn't ask, and to me it isn't slaving. Zach and I showed up on your doorstep unannounced, and you've been gracious enough to offer us lodging. So, please. Allow me to repay you, if only a little, by doing this in return."
Richard, who had been quietly sipping coffee across the table, tossed his shiny brown hair out of his eyes and reached over to give the older woman's hand a squeeze. "It's a generous offer, Aunt Maureen. Take her up on it."
Mrs. Beaumont looked from him to Lily. "Well, if you're sure you wouldn't mind…"
"I truly wouldn't. In fact I'd enjoy it, and if someone will simply point me in the direction of the kitchen, I'll go put together a nice hot breakfast. Everyone's under a great deal of stress. Keeping fueled is an essential pan of dealing with it"
Jessica set her half-eaten slice of toast on her plate. "I'll show you."
As she rose from the table, Zach leaned back in his chair and regarded Lily with raised eyebrows. "I know you can cook," he said as his gaze ran over her, pausing a moment on the multistrand necklace of glitter crystals that spilled across her breasts. "But there's a difference between cooking for one or two people, and a group this size. Are you sure you're up to this?"
Cooking for seven ? Not even that, if Cassidy and Christopher didn't eat breakfast. She managed not to roll her eyes. "Oh, I think I can muddle through somehow."
As she followed Jessica down a short hallway off the foyer, she heard the other woman murmur wonderingly to herself, "A 'group this size'?"
She laughed. "I know," she agreed. "Why is it men so often think that because we wear lipstick and have parts that jiggle, our competency must be in inverse proportion? Oh!" she breathed as she stepped into the kitchen. "This is fabulous ." It was a state-of-the-art work space, her personal idea of heaven.
"At least you have jiggly parts," Jessica said under her breath. "I should be so lucky. As for lipstick…"
Her soft voice pulled Lily away from an ecstatic inspection of the Viking range, and she really looked at the other woman for the first time. "You should wear it," she said decisively, after giving her a thorough inspection. "Most women would kill for bee-stung lips like yours. In fact, I've got a lipstick I bet would be perfect for you. It's a shade called Pink Smooch that I fell in love with in the store, but when I got it home I discovered it was all wrong for my coloring. I'll dig it out for you after I get breakfast on the table."