My One And Only (16 page)

"I've got connections with the chef." He planted a kiss on the back of her hand. "I conned her out of a tray of lemon bars. They're hidden in the back."

She smiled a sleepy smile and leaned against him again. "I happen to love Rachel's lemon bars," she murmured.

"
W
ell, Abby, I trust you enjoyed your weekend." Deirdre strode forcefully into Abby's office.

Abby glanced up from her computer. "Actually, yes."

"That little scene at Carlton's party on Saturday was particularly charming."

"Everyone seemed to enjoy it." She swiveled to face Deirdre. "What can I do for you today?"

Dressed in a lipstick-pink silk suit with matching ostrich skin pumps, Harrison's sister sank dramatically into the chair across from Abby's desk. "Come on, Abigail. You've got to know everyone's dying for the story."

"What story?"

Deirdre's perfectly plucked eyebrows rose. "The Ethan Maddux and Abigail Lee story."

"Then they'll have to perish waiting," Abby said patiently.

"You really aren't going to tell me, are you?"

"I'm really not."

Deirdre clucked her tongue. "I thought we'd developed something of a rapport lately, Abby."

"I feel the same way." As annoying as Deirdre could be at times, Abby usually found the woman's candor refreshing. Most of the Montgomerys had an annoying habit of coyness and false humility. With Deirdre, what you saw was what you got.

"But you don't trust me?" the older woman pressed.

"It has nothing to do with trust."

Deirdre gazed at her fingernails in speculation. "I happen to know that Ethan Maddux has a team looking into this right now."

"Do you?"

"He's here to bail out MDS from its financial woes."

And maybe save Harrison from personal ruin, Abby thought. There was something irrepressibly sad about Harrison's having to turn to his estranged son for help while the rest of his family watched in horrified fascination. "Let's hope it works, then."

Deirdre looked up, and some of the artifice was gone from her expression. "How bad is it, Abby?"

Abby shrugged. "I think that's a question you should ask your brother."

"Is he going to lose everything?"

"Hard to say." She leaned back in her chair. "I hope not."

"But he could?"

"It's a possibility."

Deirdre shook her head. "I can't believe—God, the man is insufferable sometimes!"

"I'm hearing that a lot lately." Abby's gaze drifted to the shaft of light near her window. Dust mites danced on the beam.

"You can't understand what it was like," Deirdre continued. "Father was—well, it's no wonder Harrison is like he is. He was the only son, and Father had enormous expectations for him."

"How did Ethan's mother fit into those expectations?"

Deirdre's snort was inelegant. "I don't suppose you've ever discussed that with Harrison?"

"Only once. He didn't tell me much." Abby looked back at Deirdre. "I'm not trying to pry."

"You've got a right to know. Especially if you're involved with Ethan."

"Deirdre—"

She held up a hand. "Abigail, I may not be the sharpest tack in the box, but I know a lot about men. I should," she added with a slight smile. "I've married five of them."

"What exactly is it about the Montgomerys that none of you can manage to stay married?"

Deirdre laughed, and the sound lacked its usual brittle quality. "It's a relentless taste for adventure. Believe it or not, Ethan has it too. He'll never settle in one place—I think you should know that."

Abby reached for a pencil and twirled it between her fingers. The site of the chewed eraser brought a smile to her lips. "You don't think so?"

"No, dear. He's a Montgomery. He's got the curse."

"The curse?"

"Oh, yes. It's genetic."

"Deirdre, I've known this family for ten years. No one has ever told me anything as interesting as a family curse."

"We don't discuss it often, but trust me, dear, it's real. There's not a Montgomery alive who is capable of stability."

"Is that why Harrison never married Ethan's mother?"

"No." Deirdre tapped one finger on her knee.
"He would have married her, I think. I don't know how long they could have stayed married, but Harrison wanted to marry Lina."

"But he didn't."

"Father wouldn't allow it." Deirdre pursed her lips at the memory. "You never met him, Abby. You can't possibly understand what the man was like."

"Harrison hardly ever talks about him, but I've heard things."

"I imagine you have. There were plenty of Father's board members who were determined not to let Harrison have control of the company."

"Your fat
h
er left it to him?"

Deirdre's laugh was harsh. "Oh, good Lord, no. First of all, Father had no intention of dying at all, much less making Harrison his heir at the company."

"The will—"

"There wasn't one."

"My God, you're kidding!"

"No." Deirdre drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. "Father seemed in good enough health when he died. Nothing could have prepared us for his heart attack."

"What about your mother?"

"Oh, he'd killed her years ago."

"Deirdre!"

The other woman waved a hand in dismissal. "Sorry. That sounded grim. What I mean is, Father
had the same curse as the rest of us. He wasn't about to settle hi
mself on one woman. But his gen
eration did its wandering more privately, if you know what I mean."

Yes."

"Father went through a string of lovers. It broke Mother's heart. I think she really loved the old bastard, though I can't for the life of me figure why." She shrugged. "I suppose that's why she had five children with him. It felt like a way to keep him bound to her."

"How did she die?"

"She was weak, really. I never remember her being well. Mother spent most of her time in bed after Letty was bo
rn
. I don't think she died as much as she just stopped living one day."

"And that left the five of you alone with your father."

"And the nannies. Yes. Although he did remarry briefly."

"Constance?"

"Harrison told you?"

"Once."

"Hmm. Harrison liked Connie. She was young, nearly Harrison's age then. I'm not really sure why she married Father, to tell you the truth. She never seemed particularly interested in his money."

"Harrison still sends her a stipend."

"Well, yes, but when Father died, she inherited everything because there was no will."

"I've heard the gossip, but Harrison and I never talked about it."

"Harrison doesn't like to discuss it. He and Connie struck some sort of deal. For reasons I've never been told, she was perfectly content to disappear to the house Father owned in Palm Beach, and to surrender control of the entire fortune and the company to Harrison. She signed over all her stock to him, which gave him control of MDS."

Abby couldn't shake the feeling that something about the conversation was eluding her. It danced at the edge of her conscience like the dust mites bobbing on the periphery of her vision. "Where did Ethan's mother fit into all of this?"

"She worked here." Deirdre narrowed her gaze. "You really don't know any of this, do you?"

"It was Harrison's personal business. I didn't feel right about discussing it with anyone but him—and the topic has always been off limits."

"But you want to talk about it now?"

Since Ethan, Abby admitted to herself. Since she'd spent most of the weekend trying to figure him out. "Things are different."

"Because of Ethan?"

"Yes."

Deirdre nodded. "I thought so. Just be careful."

"Now you sound like Harrison."

"With good reason. Lina entered the picture a couple of years before Harrison graduated from college. Father and Connie were separated by then, and she was living in Palm Beach. Harrison worked summers and holidays at MDS. That's where he met Lina. She was a secretary for someone down in Accounting, I think—or maybe it was Development. Whatever. She and Harrison met and it was one of those summer-sizzle kind of things."

"I've heard this part of the story," Abby said. "They were practically inseparable."

"That's one way of putting it," Deirdre drawled. "In less delicate moments, my sisters and I agreed that the two were screwing like minks."

Abby laughed. "I'm sure Harrison appreciated that."

"Harrison was too distracted by Lina's, er, assets to bother with the four of us."

"And Lina was distracted by Harrison's money?"

"That's what Father thought."

"What about you?"

"Well, at first, yes, that seemed logical. She was a little trashy, you know. Dressed a little wild and had the behavior to match. A far cry from the debutantes Father had picked out for Harrison's attention."

"Maybe that's what Harrison liked about her."

"No doubt. Lina had a reputation for being fast, easy, and cheap. She didn't really demand much of Harrison as far as we could tell. And in reality, he didn't have that much to give her. Father didn't hand us money. All we had was what we earned. Harrison was as cash-poor as any normal student— he just had a name that opened doors for him, and enough clout to get himself in trouble."

"Or to get Lina in trouble?"

"Or that. Lina was pregnant—not surprisingly— within a month. I knew about it first. Harrison and I were always close."

"When did your father find out?"

"A month later. Harrison announced that he was going to marry Lina."

Abby's eyebrows rose. "So he did plan to marry her?"

"Oh, yes. I'm not sure whether he thought he wanted the child, or if he just wanted to really piss Father off. But either way, he was going to marry her. I've always been sure of that."

"Ethan thinks differently."

"I can see why Ethan would. I doubt he ever took Harrison's word for anything."

"Your father wouldn't allow the marriage?"

Deirdre chortled. "You could say that. You should have heard the argument. Father was livid. First, that Harrison had done something as asinine as get Lina pregnant. And second, that he actually wanted to make the stupidity permanent
by marrying her." Deirdre shrugged. "Personally, I think it would have been good for Harrison. He might have learned that standing up to Father wasn't the end of the world."

The thought depressed Abby. "Wasn't it possible that Harrison actually cared for the woman?"

"In his way I suppose he did." Deirdre gave Abby a s
hrewd look. "But Harrison is…
different
from the rest of us in that regard. He's not prone to passion. Only the rest of us have that affliction. Harrison is perfectly controlled all the time. How he ever managed to lose himself enough to get Lina pregnant, I'll never know." She stopped and thought that idea over. "I suppose that's why Father always believed the baby wasn't really his."

"Did you believe it?"

"No. Harrison was different with Lina. He seemed more relaxed. The
façade
was gone."

"Less cold?"

"You have to understand, Abby. Harrison could be positively
arctic
when he wanted to."

"Like his son," Abby muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. So your father said no."

"My father
bellowed
no. He did everything but scream no. He told Harrison he'd cut him off if he married Lina, that he'd never recognize the child, and that he'd have Lina investigated and prosecuted on charges of extortion if he could prove
that she'd slept with anyone other than Harrison in the past two months."

Abby nodded. "So Harrison backed down."

"In a way. To be honest, Abby, I think he didn't want to know that Lina could have cheated on him. That probably played as big a role in the entire mess as his fear of Father."

"What happened when Ethan was born?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure Harrison does either. Lina disappeared for a while. She didn't come back until Ethan was three."

"Ethan says she was ill by then."

"Cancer," Deirdre confirmed. "She didn't want Ethan to live his life in foster care when Harrison could give him everything money could buy."

But not the love he'd needed, Abby thought sadly. In contrast, her own life had been so much richer. "Harrison took them in that time?"

"He did stand up to Father, much to everyone's surprise."

"Surely your father wouldn't have—"